David rolled his eyes and extended a middle finger, much to the delight of his new friends.He brought coffee to the living room, and Greg grinned and batted his eyelashes at him.“Thank you, honey!I love you!”
“Go to hell.”
“As long as I’m with you, sweetie!”
Jeff tried to participate, but he was laughing too hard to get the words out.David rolled his eyes again and grabbed his keys.“Yeah, yeah, yuk it up.You guys are what, thirty-five?Thirty-six?”
“Aww, don’t be… don’t be mad, honey,” Jeff said, wiping tears from his eyes.“We’ll still take you to work.”
“Actually,” Greg called to David’s retreating figure.“We stillhaveto take you to work.Protocol and everything.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” David said.“I’m just waiting in the car so I can drink my coffee in peace.”
“Sorry, babe,” Greg said, rolling to his feet with the shocking grace so many big men possessed.“We’re a unit.”
He slid his hand into David’s, and Jeff started laughing again.He turned to David, and David said, “If you kiss my cheek, I’ll…”
Greg planted a wet smack on David’s cheek, and David sighed.
Greg laughed again and pulled his hand away.“Welcome to having guy friends, Doc.The ribbing is constant.”
David unlocked his car and slid into the driver’s seat.“I think I liked you two better when you were cold and stoic around me.”
“Yeah, but we like you better when we’re watching you stumble through life.”
“It’s cute,” Jeff agreed, sliding into the front passenger seat.“Holy shit, dude, is this a car or a bike?”
Greg grunted as he shifted his bulk so he could close the rear passenger door.“I’m pretty sure my Gold Wing is bigger than this.”
“Ha ha,” David said.“Some of us like to have a turning radiuslessthan that of a school bus.”
He backed the CX-30 out of the driveway and accelerated down the road.Twenty seconds out of the lot, Greg said, “Oh, shit.I forgot my coffee.”
“I’ll buy you a new one,” David said.“I’m already running late.”
“Because you were on the phone with your true love?”Jeff asked with a grin.
David glanced at him.“Seriously, man?You guys need girlfriends.”
"Dude, we really do," Jeff agreed."Faith doesn't have a sister, does she?"
“She does, but they don’t talk.”
“Hell, who said anything about talking?”
David rolled his eyes, but despite the immature humor, or maybe even a little bit because of it, he was glad to have friends.
EPILOGUE
“He’s here,” Miranda said.“He’s at his office.He’s accompanied by the bruisers.”
“Outstanding!”Chastain said.“Send the dog after him.”
“Doing it now,” Miranda said.
She walked toward the office, sending a mental command for Asset Sierra-9 to follow.She was wearing a civilian outfit, a blouse, and a checkered skirt that were, for some reason, the only articles of clothing she had that weren't a military uniform.She was wearing her military dress pumps, but they looked like any ordinary pair of black shoes, so she wasn't worried about that.Her hair was down and loose, straightened so it framed her face, and she wore a smile that she hoped looked just a little ditzy.She would charm the big guys while Asset Sierra-9 made her way to Dr.Friedman.He'd recognize her, of course, but by that time, her teeth would be in his throat, and he wouldn't be able to tell anyone that he knew who was killing him.
She glanced at the dog.He wasn’t there.