At. All.
Between his years of service with the United States Marines, and his time spent working for Tac-Ops, there wasn’t a lot left in this world that took Beckett by surprise. But that right there…
That shocked the hell out of him.
“I’m not sure what to do with that, to be honest.” Beckett blinked a few times. “Unless…” One corner of his lip curled slightly. “Dig…is this your way of saying you miss my jokes?”
Dig didn’t smile. He didn’t laugh. And like he’d recently pointed out, he wasn’t one to shovel out bullshit.
Without a word, Digger turned away and began gathering up his things. Beckett waited for the other man to grumble the remainder of his big-brotheresque speech. Or, at the very least, call him some sort of well-deserved expletive.
But what he didn’t expect, what Beckett could never see coming, was the look of vulnerability on the guy’s face when he turned to him once again.
“Call her. Don’t call her. Doesn’t change my life in any fucking way. Just know, when the day comes that you realize you’ve lost the one thing you want but can never have…I will look you square in the eyes, just like I am right now, and I will remind you of this moment.”
“You mean the moment when you lectured me like I’m some damn kid?”
“No, Beckett.” Dig’s expression fell flat. “I’m going to remind you of the time I fucking told you so.”
The other man turned away once again. And this time, he didn’t look back.
Beckett didn’t move. He didn’t utter a single word. He just stood there, watching his teammate cross the graveled stretch toward where he’d parked his truck.
A full minute later, he wasstillstanding there like an idiot, wondering what the ever-lovin’ hell had just happened, when he remembered…Digger was his ride.
Well, fuck.
“Hey!” He kicked his own ass in gear and started grabbing his guns and ammo. “Wait up!”
In a rush of hurried movements, Beckett went to his designated shooting platform, holstered his pistol, and slung his rifle over his shoulder. With both hands filled with matching ammo boxes, he spun on his heels and walk-jogged to where Digger sat waiting.
A short stretch later, they were leaving what their boss referred to as his “farm”. In reality, the expansive property bolstered 400 acres of secured land purchased exclusively for company use.
Well, almost exclusively.
Between the state-of-the-art fencing, home security systems, the outdoor shooting range, an impressive indoor range—complete with a simulator marksmanship training room, and an enormous underground shelter that could withstand a nuclear war—the place seriously had it all.
Through the passenger sideview mirror, Beckett watched the property’s massive plantation-style home grow smaller with every turn of Digger’s tires. He nearly smiled to himself as he thought of their boss’s choice to refurbish the place rather than tear it down.
Impressive in size, the centuries-old home was a classic white, showcasing several tall, thick pillars along the length ofa wrap-around porch. About a billion windows could be seen throughout, each one framed with the traditional black shutters.
As they passed through the security gate at the end of the drive, Beckett imagined what the house had been like in the past. Whether it had been filled with love and laughter…or loneliness and pain.
Square footage doesn’t make a place lonely, Beck. It’s the lack of company within its walls.
The first ten minutes of the drive back to Charlotte were filled with a thick, awkward-as-hell silence. As he stared out the window at the rural scenery blurring past, Beckett realized he’d all but lost the torturous inner fight to keep his mouth shut until he was home.
With the proverbial white flag waving high in the air, he turned his attention to the man behind the wheel and begrudgingly admitted, “You’re right, okay? Are you happy?”
“Do I look fucking happy?”
A quick glance showed Digger’s fists were both white knuckled as he kept his shaded gaze locked on the road ahead.
Definitely not happy.
“I can’t call her, Dig,” Beckett muttered low. “Evie, I mean. I never…” He shook his head and turned away, pissed as hell at himself. “I never got her new number. I only gave her mine.”
During the team’s after-action debriefing upon returning to the States, he’d read over Evie’s classified statement. In it, she mentioned how the men who’d taken her had destroyed her phone. According to the transcript, the agent questioning her at the time suggested she change her service provider and number, just as an added precaution.