Page 47 of The Relentless Hero

Julian drug his hands down his face, fighting the helplessness threatening to suck him in.

“Relax, man, we’re going to find Mena,” Enzo said, then turned to Sunny. “Can you call your fiancé and get an update?”

Sunny glared at Enzo as the rest of the TIDES team snickered under their breaths.

Julian looked up. “Fiancé?”

“I do not have a fiancé,” Sunny said, through gritted teeth. “Stop spreading lies and stay focused on the work to find Wangari and Mena.”

“Ain’t no lie. You see, Julian, Sunny, and Reggie were a thing for almost a year until the douchebag fucked it all up by proposing. He wanted to force Sunny to exchange her Beretta for a baby bonnet and be a happy little housewife,” Enzo said.

Julian tensed. “Are you serious? You and Reggie?”

“None of this matters right now,” Sunny said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You said no?” Julian asked, an uneasiness settling within him.

“Of course, I did,” Sunny said. “I told Reggie over, and over that, I didn’t want to be a wife. I was fine with things the way they were. We were happy. Why the hell did we need a piece of paper to validate our relationship?”

Julian bristled at her outburst, words he’d heard before … from Mena.

Hakeem walked over and squeezed the back of Sunny’s neck, then said, “Reggie kept pushing, and he ended up losing the woman he loved. Should be a lesson to anyone. When someone says they don’t want something. Believe them.”

“I remember a time when you would have been thrilled to get married … to be a wife. What changed?” Julian asked.

“Don’t,” Sunny warned, anger flashing in her eyes. “You of all people know exactly what changed.”

Instantly, Julian regretted pushing Sunny. He knew he’d gone too far, and apologizing wouldn’t make her feel any better. Saying anything more would only hurt her, and he was done inflicting pain on people he cared about.

The air was thick with recriminations, pain, and guilt. Silence blanketed the room as the members of TIDES ate, returning to their assignments.

“Hey,” Glaze said after several minutes. “I think I’m close to getting a hit on the location.”

The phone in the war room rang.

Sunny leaned over, pushing the speaker button.

“Hey,” Sunny said.

“Are you alone?” Reggie asked.

“Yeah,” Sunny said, pressing the volume up on the speakerphone.

Reggie’s disembodied voice emitted from the device in the center of the round table. “I’m headed to Uganda to rescue Wangari. I have to go. I just wanted you to hear it from me.”

“Uganda? Are you sure?” Sunny frowned.

Julian reached over, pressing mute on the phone. “Ask him where in Uganda.”

Sunny nodded and unmuted the phone. “Where in Uganda?”

“Who wants to know?”

“What do you mean?” Sunny asked, swiping a stray strand of her curly black hair from her eyes.

“Am I talking to the new head of Timothy Irungu’s security team or the woman who loves me?” Reggie asked.

Sunny hesitated.