Page 32 of Nails

“Russell!”

They turned toward the bar and spotted two men sitting at a high-top table near the back, waving to them.The place was packed, with people occupying almost every table, and the bar was filled with folks sitting and standing around.

Riley followed Russell as they weaved their way through the crowd.She was still in awe of the place.When they finally reached the table, both men stood and greeted Russell with the kind of hug only lifelong brothers gave each other.Riley took it all in silently, amused by the obvious bond.It was a side of Russell she hadn’t seen before.

Russell turned and gestured to her.“Riley, meet Tony and Paul.Tony’s the ugly one here, he said, smacking the shorter guy on the back.And this is Paul, who owns this place.”

Paul, the broader of the two, chuckled as he extended a hand.“Welcome.And for the record, my daughter, Arianna, and I own it.She runs the day-to-day.I just make sure the beer stays cold.”

Riley smiled as she shook his hand.“Beer is the most important.It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They all sat, and after a bit of back and forth about specials and beer recommendations, the waitress came over and took their order.Riley ordered the fish sandwich.

“Solid choice,” Paul said, nodding.“Our seafood’s all fresh.From spring to when it gets too cold, it’s caught locally and delivered daily.”

She liked that a lot.

A short time later, the food arrived, and they all ate.Riley mostly listened as the guys swapped stories, tossing good-natured insults at each other.When they did bring her into the conversation, she felt like she’d known them for years.

They asked about her job, which led to Russell telling them about the recent raid.Russell, naturally, dropped it in like it was nothing.“My girl here took a round to the chest a few weeks ago during a raid.”

“You were shot in the chest?”Tony said, wide-eyed.“And you’re just sitting here like it’s a paper cut?”

Riley shrugged, trying to play it down.“What Russell forgot to mention was that I was wearing a vest.It looked more dramatic than it was.”

“She’s not giving herself enough credit, which she never does.I also forgot to mention that in the process of getting shot, she took down four suspects.”

Riley rolled her eyes.She hated it when Russell bragged on her behalf.To her, she was just doing her job.

“That’s badass,” Paul said.“Most people nowadays get a paper cut, and they want hazard pay.”

The compliments were genuine, and Riley found herself grinning more than usual.She liked these guys.They were sharp, loyal, and had no problem dragging Russell through every embarrassing memory from his time in the Corps, which she enjoyed.

Tony leaned back in his chair, a slow grin spreading across his face.“Alright, Riley, here’s a story that I’m sure Russell has never told you.Or anybody else for that matter.”

Riley smiled and glanced at Russell.“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this.”

“Russell thought he could out-tough the Recon guys during a field training exercise.”

Russell groaned and muttered, “You’re really doing this, huh?”

“Oh, definitely,” Paul said, chuckling.“So, Russell and Tony, we’re out in the field, playing war games with a Recon unit that had just rotated back stateside.These guys are the real intense types.”

Tony jumped in.“Russell, in all his Marine glory, decides that he’s going to be the one-man wrecking crew.He tells our unit, and I quote, ‘They won’t even see me coming.’”

“He paints his face, full camo,” Paul added.“Rigs his own ghillie suit out of moss and God-knows-what, then belly crawls like a quarter of a mile to get behind enemy lines.He’s convinced he’s about to win the entire exercise for his unit.”

Riley raised an eyebrow, already smiling.“Let me guess.It didn’t go well?”

Tony snorted.“Oh, it was going great, until he realized the Recon guys had already flanked him.They were sitting in a tree line behind him, the whole time watching him and taking bets on how long it’d take him to figure it out.And they recorded the whole thing,” Tony added, grinning wickedly.“Somewhere out there is footage of Russell doing a victory whisper into his radio right before getting tackled by one of the guys.”

Riley nearly choked on her drink as she imagined what it must have looked like to see Russell tackled by some big ass Recon guy.She looked at Paul.

“Were you not there?”she asked, and Tony cracked up laughing as Russell rolled his eyes.

Paul chuckled, then looked at Russell, whose face was turning bright red.“Oh, I was there.I was the guy who tackled him.”

Riley burst out laughing.“Oh my God.I need that video.”