Page 37 of The Team (The Milvus Files #3)

“Kinda deceiving, huh?” Rhett said. “How the world can look so beautiful and peaceful.”

Tao agreed with him because it was deceiving that it could look so peaceful and serene when, in reality, darkness and turmoil lurked in every corner.

But Harry studied him for a long few seconds, his brow furrowed. “That’s not good.”

Rhett shot him a look. “What’s not good?”

Harry took a long pull of his beer and slid his bottle onto the table. “When someone in our game starts with the introspective shit, it’s bad.”

Lucas sighed. “It speaks of disillusionment and cynicism of your purpose, Captain. You’re questioning what you do.”

Rhett scoffed. “I just thought the sunset was pretty.” But then his brow furrowed, and he scratched at the label on his beer bottle.

“Out with it, Ouston,” Harry said.

Rhett let out a sigh, and when he looked up, his gaze went straight to Harry’s. “You were right. Not what you said just now, though maybe you’re right about that too, I dunno.”

Everyone waited for him to gather his thoughts.

“In the chopper the day we met,” Rhett said. “When you first learned of the Milvus Division. You said that kind of power wasn’t good, that no good would ever come of it.”

Harry nodded. “Correct.”

Rhett nodded before taking another sip of his beer.

“We got sold out by one of the Milvus HQ; and a good man on my team died because of that, and another is fucked up for life. You got sold out by our government. Yin here got sold out by his in South Sudan. Someone’s always gonna want their payday, be it for information, money, weapons, war.

Revenge.” He shook his head. “We were supposed to be above the bureaucracy, the politics. But if I’d have followed all instructions, my entire team would be dead.

If I hadn’t had Yunho’s intel, we’d all be dead.

I shouldn’t have to look my director dead in the eye and tell him how shit’s gonna go down.

I shouldn’t have to disobey orders or threaten bodily harm to do the right thing.

” He finished with another sigh. “I dunno. Maybe disillusioned is right.”

“For what it’s worth,” Tao added, “I’m glad you stood up to him. I’ll stand with a captain who chooses right over wrong all day long.” Then he smiled at Rhett. “Truthfully, the first time you told Director King you were doing your fucking job, I thought it was over for all of us.”

Rhett snorted and tapped his beer bottle to Tao’s. “When he said the mission needed to be a success by any means necessary, I don’t think he thought that meant disobeying his orders.”

Lucas nodded thoughtfully. “So, what are you saying? You want to go lone wolf like Harry was? To shirk off the political strings, so to speak?”

Rhett baulked. “Solo? No. I couldn’t. I need my team. All of us.” That made Tao smile. “But we are supposed to be kites, right? That was our original purpose. Now it seems we have strings from every government.”

Yunho put a large tray of fresh seafood into the centre of the table. “For what it’s worth, Captain, I think there are some changes being implemented at Milvus council.”

“What kind of changes?” Rhett asked.

Yunho smiled. “Changes that you’ll like.

More checks and balances for the council, more transparency from your handlers.

Basically, an overhaul of systems and procedures and,” he said with a smile, “more autonomy for the Milvus teams. You’re right about your original purpose.

Milvus was supposed to be a team of kites.

They lost sight of that trying to play by the rules. ”

“There are no rules,” Asher said, taking his seat next to Harry.

Jun-mei sat beside Tao, her hand resting on his arm and smiling at him in a way that made his heart sing. He loved how happy she was.

And he was happy to sit here and talk about their jobs like they were. To vent frustrations and to be reassured.

What a different life this was. Tao could barely believe it. His choice back then, to volunteer for Milvus may have been selfish in the beginning, but now he knew just how right he’d been.

“You did a good thing back in Tehran,” Yunho said to Rhett.

“The whole Milvus team. You stopped an act of evil that would have changed the world as we know it. There are no parades, no medals, no accolades for that. You will walk past people on the street any time from now who will have no idea that your actions saved them. Milvus has the potential to be a weapon used for the good of the world; don’t lose sight of that. ”

And then Jay had to go ruin it. “You know what I think?”

“Oh god,” Harry grumbled. “Here we go.”

“I think the captain and the pit viper need to have another round of Sanda fighting. I didn’t get to watch, and it’s pretty much all but gone from the internet now.” He smiled brightly. “I wanna see who’d win.”

Rhett looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Jay. What the...?”

“Sanda fighting, huh?” Asher said, excited. “I’m down to watch that.”

“What the hell is Sanda fighting?” Harry asked.

“A specialised form of combat fighting used by the Chinese special forces,” Jay replied.

Tao looked at Rhett. “You never did say where you learned it.”

“I learned several forms of fighting techniques,” Rhett said.

Harry nodded, smiling now. “Come on, then. Now I wanna see.”

“You’re not allowed to try it,” Asher mumbled to him. “Your shoulder won’t forgive you.”

Jay snorted. “I’ll put a fiver on Rhett.”

Rhett stared at him. “You put your money on Yin last time.”

Jay made a face, and Hanyu, who was over by the barbeque, held up a giant pair of tongs and clicked them together. “I have ten on Tao.”

Tao laughed and stood up. “Come on, Captain. No holding back.”

Rhett groaned as he got to his feet. “Jesus Christ.”

Yunho sipped his wine, bemused. “No bleeding on the tiles, please.”

Tao walked over to the open space beside the pool, rolled his shoulders, and cracked his neck.

Rhett joined him. “Jay, have you got your medic kit? I’m probably gonna need it.”

“Sure thing, babe,” he replied. “Yin, no aiming for his junk. I need that.”

Rhett turned to face him, deflated. “Thanks, babe .”

Jun-mei laughed, her hands to her mouth. “Same, please, Rhett. Be careful with his...”

“Junk?” Jay supplied.

Everyone laughed, and Tao stood there, shocked that she would say such a thing. He turned to Jay. “You’re a bad influence on her.”

Rhett burst out laughing. “You’ve got no idea.” Then he spread his feet apart, lowered his centre of gravity, and beckoned Tao with both hands. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

The end