Page 19 of Lifeline
“Small it is,” he said and shook my hand.
Warmth, it always came back to fucking warmth. It was the warmth of our shared memories that had kept me from giving in to hating him. And it was the warmth of his hand that made me pause for a moment and forget that it was nothing more than a friendly gesture. It was the warmth that lingered on my fingers as I drew my hand back, and I would swear was still there as I moved toward the door.
I knocked on Cait’s door and the operator's curt voice answered. “Come in!”
I popped open the door and smiled at the woman behind the desk, her hand holding her latest book, a horror romance from the looks of the cover. “Food’s ready, you want first dibs or do you want me to just bring a plate?”
“If I don’t eat with you guys once a week, you all get pouty and needy,” she said with an aggrieved sigh as she marked her book by folding down the corner. She saw the spasm on my face and laughed. “Don’t start with me, kiddo. I’ll beat your ass before I let you tell me how to treat the books I spent my hard-earned money on.”
“Oh, I’m not stupid enough to tell you what to do,” I said with a snort and a wave of my hand. “But I’m not going to pretend that didn’t hurt my soul. I will shed a tear every time I remember you did that.”
“God, another new guy with some brains? My oh my, it must be my lucky year,” she said with a snort and set the book down, heaving herself up with an almighty grunt. “God, getting old isn’t for the weak.”
“You are not that old,” I told her.
“How old do you think I am?” she asked, and I snorted.
“I’m not that easily tricked,” I pointed out.
“Ah well, I suppose there has to be good and bad to go with you having some sense,” she said with a heavy sigh.
“Here,” I said, leaning out into the hallway. “Hey, Carter?”
From the door that led to the rec room, I heard him raise his voice above the movie they were watching. “What?”
“How old do you think Cait is?” I called back.
“Uh, I don’t know, like fifty…ow! What the fuck, Mav? He asked a question and I…ow!”
I glanced at her, and her eyes narrowed. “I can alert everyone else that dinner is ready if you want to share with him what you think about his assessment.”
“You do that. And when I figure out if I want to praise you for giving me a target or beat your ass for picking on someone too stupid to know better, I’ll get back to you,” she said as she walked past me into the rec room.
“I’m sure,” I said as I punched a button on the intercom system. “Excuse me, everyone, food is ready and—”
“Ah! Cait, I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” Carter cried, and I raised a brow when I realized he was loud enough that it probably carried to anyone who had a walkie with them. Which technically should have been everyone because we needed to be ready in case we were called up for something.
“Right,” I continued with a snort. “And tonight’s entertainment will be Carter learning there are some things you shouldn’t say or do. Come get it while it’s hot, or you’re reheating leftovers.”
By the time I stepped out, Reno and Mav had already made their escape from the room. Not that Cait was likely to go after them, but as I heard Cait’s voice giving Carter an earful, I decided it was probably the safest bet. She was a middle-aged woman; I knew because I’d seen her ID once, who had been working with men just like this group. That meant she took no shit; she gave plenty of it, and she knew how to strike fear into the hearts of guys who outweighed her by dozens of pounds and were almost two feet taller, depending on the man.
I wouldn’t want to be collateral damage to her anger either.
“Reno,” I said lightly, and Mav glanced over but kept going toward the kitchen.
Reno lingered, looking wary. “You’re not trying to trick me into staying here so Cait can get me next, are you?”
“It’s not a bad idea considering you’re meddlesome,” I said with a raised brow.
“Uh…he told on me, didn’t he?”
“What else are brothers for?”
“Wait, you have brothers?”
“Yeah, and a sister, not the point.”
“You were giving only child vibes…wait, oldest?”
