Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
The front yard was the human space, though we only spent time there when we had someone over for a barbecue. We preferred the porch in the back.
I grinned to myself as I watched Danny through the window. He was on a mission to provide more structure for our latest, Taft. A rowdy Rottweiler mix who’d been abandoned because his previous owners thought you could tire a dog out with a leisurely stroll in the park. But Danny knew better. He was all in. His passion for animals shone through every moment he spent out there. It was the one reason we sometimes got to work a bit late.
He might be my sweet brat with a subby streak, but he was the dogs’ pack leader.
I grabbed two apples and sliced them up, then added them to the oatmeal with cinnamon, some honey, and a handful of walnuts.
My breakfast still hadn’t earned the stamp of approval from the twins, but Danny liked it, and that was all that mattered. As long as I didn’t serve plain oatmeal. That was the rule. My boy had given me a stern talkin’-to last year. The plain oatmeal had to go.
I was fine with that.
Danny made a final round to throw out liver snaps, and then he came back inside with a smile on his face.
“You’re making progress with him,” I said.
“Yeah. He just needs his brain activated. People seem to forget dogs have those.”
I chuckled and brought our bowls over to the bar, where we always ate breakfast before work. We couldn’t do it on the porch, because then we’d definitely be late.
Danny sat down and picked up his spoon. “Ooh, extra cinnamon? Someone made Daddy happy this morning.”
I laughed softly and shook my head. What could I say, I was whipped.
“By the way, I talked to Arden yesterday,” he mentioned. “He asked when we’re coming up to visit.”
“Funny—my sister asked the same last week,” I said. “I guess we can go up there soon. Maybe get a night or two at the cabin too?”
“Fuck yes.” He grinned around a mouthful of oatmeal. “We’ll bring Taft and Leia.”
“And Rocky,” I said. I liked that old mutt. He liked me too. We were a team. “I’ll call Tina once we’ve set a date.” She and her sisters ran a dog-sitting service and a grooming business not far from here.
My new cell phone buzzed with a message, and I sighed internally, hating the damn thing. If you wanted something, fucking call me. Some of the guys were tapping away on their phones at work, and I didn’t get it. It was a security issue, and it took forever. Much quicker to just pick up the phone, say what you had to say, and hang up.
“Who is it?” Danny asked.
“TJ,” I muttered, squinting at the text.
My old man is in a mood.
“Daddy, I think you might need glasses.”
What the— I scowled at him. “The fuck I do. It’s the phone—it’s tiny.”
He cranked up the goofy smile and placated me with an “Okay, Daddy.”
Hmpf.
Glasses, my fine ass.
“Finish your breakfast, then go brush your teeth,” I told him.
When we arrived at work, I quickly came to understand that TJ’s warning had been an understatement. Terrance was livid because the twins’ final selection had been postponed once more, and he was ranting about insurance purposes, recognition, and pay grades when Danny and I reached the top floor.
We slowed our approach down the hallway.
“…because we need more people in the field, boy!” Terrance snapped.
“We have more than ever—including the Tenleys!” TJ argued. “Fuck the damn exams. They’re already operators! Do you think we just send them to shadow officials and agents from other firms?”
“You lower your damn voice,” Terrance threatened. “I know they’re operators—but they can’t help train others until they wear the titles, and we’re in the middle of a large recruitment process, son.”
Terrance wasn’t wrong. With TJ and Quin working full time and joining the management, Hillcroft had entered a new stage. We were preparing for the years to come, because we knew shit was about to hit the fan at some point. I was still a firm believer that we’d see a new war within a few years. Even if it didn’t include the US properly, a war in the Middle East would always include contractors and the private corporations that wanted us there for one reason or another.
TJ gnashed his teeth and said nothing, which was probably wise.
Terrance pointed at him. “Make it official. I want them in Ecuador within six months, and then you place River in intel and Reese next to Sid in the fighter unit. We will have twenty-four new recruits joining us at the end of the year. They need instructors.”
Danny leaned closer to me and spoke under his breath. “This is a bad time to tell Terrance I don’t wanna train DoD newbies in detaining suspects in public spaces, right?”