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“Thank God,” Gabriel muttered, the relief in his voice pulling Brad farther in. “Get in here.” Shoving at the bed, the man tried to sit up straighter, but his fatigued, over-stimulated muscles collapsed before he made it an inch.
After closing the door, Brad circled the bed and gave him his arm, then got him to where he could sit up.
“Ignore me,” Gabriel gritted out between his teeth. “Get her and put her between us.”
Not having to be told twice, Brad dropped the bottles and retrieved Copper. She was stiff, her muscles so rigid and chilled, he half forgot their swim and the fight before it. Post mission ops, they’d always avoided touching each other—at least while the team was around. But they had the bedroom, and Gabriel was right. Copper needed them.
“He needs rest,” she argued when Brad all but deposited her right next to Gabriel then boxed her on the other side.
“Shut up.” He echoed Gabriel, or maybe the other man echoed him. Wrapping his arms around her, he adjusted to help Gabriel get his arm around her too. She shuddered once, then muscle-by-muscle, seemed to unwind.
“There she is,” Gabriel murmured. “No more shock for you. Come on, put Copper away and give us our Sachi back.”
Our.The word stuck in his throat. He was still a part of them. When their gazes locked, Gabriel raised his brows. “Really only up to talking one of you down at the moment. Help me get her back, then we can talk you down in the morning.”
A stupid grin crossed his face, and Brad nodded slowly. “You got it, Professor.”
“Oh, and Brad? You ever a point a gun at her again, and I will fucking kill you.”
Sachi laughed, the broken sound a little jagged, but more human. “I knew he wouldn’t hit me…”
“Nah.” The tension in his gut eased. He was home. Fuck it all, three years of purgatory, but he was finally home. “We didn’t get around to discussing the rules, but trust me, not shooting Sachi is at the top of my list.”
Another weak chuckle slipped free, and Brad raised a hand to stroke her tangled hair. She needed a shower. For that matter, so did he.
“Okay, rule number one—off mission, Copper goes in the box.” Gabriel said. “We get to take care of you. Deal?”
Brad liked that rule.
Sachi blinked slowly, then slanted a look at him. “Tungsten, too.”
“Done.” No hesitation. Tungsten spent three years busting his balls to get back to Copper. They worked damn well together, but Brad wanted Sachi.
“Rule number two.” Sachi moistened her lips. “You get a new codename if you’re going to run ops with us.”
“Brass,” Brad agreed. “For both his balls—which clank—and the fact that Copper, Tungsten, and Brass is a killer alloy.”
“I like that,” she whispered.
“Fine. Rule number three…” Gabriel grimaced.
“…is Gabriel gets rest right now,” Brad finished for him. “We’ve got a lot to do later, and we can work all this out.”
“Fine.” The other man actually agreed. “Keep an eye on her. She promised to let me tie her up. I plan to hold her to it.”
“Oh, really?” Intrigued, he slanted a look at Sachi, and she chuckled.
“What the hell? We only live once, right?”
Damn straight. Oorah.
“Oh, and Brad?” Sachi’s voice dropped, but she had her head tucked against his chest, so he ignored the warning signal. “Don’t think this means I won’t kick your ass if you ever leave us again.”
Taking a page from Gabriel’s book, he grinned. “Duly noted.”
Asset: Arsenic
Asset: Arsenic