Page 90 of Coming In Hot

With a dry tone, he says, “You brought your whole damn squad into our quiet town.”

“They’re housebroken,” I lie smoothly. “Mostly.”

I gesture for the team to gather around, but Jax’s eyes lock onto Arlo, like he’s running a threat assessment on the guy. A guy he nicknamed Zaddy and accused me of sleeping with.

I clear my throat and shove my hands in my back pockets. “Gehenna—this is Jax, my partner.”

Orson nudges Hogan and mutters, “Called it. Should we nickname this guy retirement?”

“I’m standing right here,” Jax replies flatly.

Rand whistles, a smirk playing at his lips. “Took you long enough to say it out loud.”

Arlo just smiles, slow and knowing, and offers Jax his hand. “Thanks for keeping him grounded. He doesn’t make it easy.”

Jax shakes it, eyes never leaving mine. “I like a challenge.”

Orson leans in toward me with a playful grin. “So is this the guy you were mooning over when you thought we weren’t looking?”

“Mooning?” I echo.

“Youabsolutelymooned,” Hogan confirms.

Jax’s lips twitch. “Gonna need to hearallthose stories.”

“Please don’t,” I mutter.

Too late. The floodgates open, and suddenly I’m drowning in tales of our most questionable missions, worst decisions and fuck ups, and that one time I nearly got arrested for “allegedly” stealing a camel.

Jax laughs—actuallylaughs—and it hits me all at once: this weird, ragtag moment is everything I didn’t know I needed. Him, them,us.

Different worlds colliding. And somehow, it works.

Maybe I don’t have to say goodbye. Maybe there’s a way to have both in my life, even if Gehenna’s world is at a distance.

The noise from inside the bar fades behind me as I step out onto the back deck. The stars are out in full force—clear, sharp, and scattered like someone up there threw a handful of diamonds across the sky. I lean on the railing, beer in hand, letting the cool night wrap around my shoulders.

Footsteps creak behind me.

“I figured I’d find you out here,” Arlo says, settling beside me like we’ve done this a hundred times before. He doesn’t look at me, just follows my gaze up to the sky. “You’ve got that ‘thinking too hard’ face on.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah. You get this little crease right here.” He taps between his brows. “Like you’re arguing with yourself.”

I chuckle softly. “Might be.”

He lets the silence settle, comfortable as always, then says, “So? What’s going on in that head of yours?”

I exhale, slow and measured. “I’ve been thinking… Maybe I don’t have to walk away from everything.”

He hums, motioning for me to go on.

“I mean, Gehenna’s been my whole life for so long. The deployments, the training, the adrenaline. The sense of purpose. But being home, seeing Jax, making peace with the past… I don’t know. It’s like I remembered there’s a version of me thatisn’talways waiting for the next mission.”

Arlo’s quiet, thoughtful. Doesn’t interrupt.

“So what if I stayed on?” I say. “Not in the field. Not training teams. But as a consultant. Updating training manuals and procedures. Helping with transport tactics. Passing down the stuff I’ve learned without being the guy getting shot at.”