Page 120 of Oathbreaker

They chose the guy with no family to speak of—at least, not from where they were sitting.

Four guys I went to college with and the sister of one of them don’t count as a “family.” Not to alphabet soup government agencies. But to me, they’re everything. Worth everything. And my last debt is paid. There’s nothing else for me to prove.

I’m going home to my family—and I will beg and grovel until Briar forgives me.

I have pictures of Igor, in case she needs a little nudge in the direction of compassion, because she has that in spades. She’ll be mad for a while, but it’s only been six days. I can’t believe she’d write me off that quickly.

“You’ve got that same pensive scowl on your face you had on the way to Finland," Grim says, kicking my boot.

I chuckle, shaking my head at him.

He took the biggest hit on the team, going toe to toe with the man in charge. They went over the side of a cliff, rolling and tumbling down hundreds of feet, kicking and fighting. The other douchebag broke his neck. Grim wound up with a few broken ribs—but he still helped carry Igor through the woods and to the plane. Still fought off the last two guys who followed us, with a little help from Rage, who ended them with two spectacularly aimed head shots from a gun in each hand.

The exhilaration and adrenaline rush that comes from the danger and excitement is still there, but it’s no longer something I crave. It was there and gone before I had time to enjoy it. Because Igor could still die. Because I don’t know if Briar is going to forgive me.

It wasn’t even a full week.

“Your girl’s going to be pissed, huh?”

“Yeah, but I already bought the ring. She’s going to say yes.”

“The ladies always do fall for your charm,” he says wryly.

“It’s a gift.” I pause. “What about you? You have anyone back home?”

“No time for that,” he grumbles. “My sister has a kid, so I’ll go stay with her while these ribs heal, help with the baby, have a little family time.”

“I’m sure she’s great, but what about your own needs?”

“Sex is easy.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, dickhead.”

“Grim doesn’t believe in love,” Rage says, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, and you do?” Grim asks him.

Rage shrugs. “Under the right circumstances, sure. I just haven’t met her yet. When I do, I’ll be ready.”

“When you meet the right one, you just know,” I tell Grim. “Trust me on this. You think that’s some romantic nonsense but it’s true. I always knew with Briar, but she was initially too young. Then there was the whole issue of her brother losing his mind at the idea of his sister falling in love. It was always there, though.”

Grim shudders slightly. “Fuck that. Relationships are way too much of a distraction.”

Rage and I laugh.

“It’s not like you’re dating anyone for more than a night or two at a time,” Grim says to Rage.

They go back and forth for a while, but I just close my eyes, letting my thoughts drift away. Drift…home.

It’s Saturday, so I probably won’t get home until tomorrow since we have to stop in Germany first. But then I’ll either catch a military flight heading west or get on a commercial plane because no matter what I have to do, I’m going to be there for Sunday dinner.

Thirty-Seven

Briar

I’m in bed, trying to sleep, hating how empty it feels.

Hating this entire week and how empty my life feels.