Echo sighed and squeezed my shoulder.
“My sister the badass. Where did I go wrong?”
“Do you want a list?”
“Brat.”
I elbowed Echo the best I could through his vest.
“You love me.”
“So much fucking much, Sunny, so fucking much.”
Damn, my brother was a big ole softy when he wanted to be. Which luckily for me wasn’t often because when he was, my heart filled to bursting and my eyelids got wet.
“Go, go, go,” Valentine called.
McCarthy swung the battering ram and the door splintered. He tossed the Donker to the side and Soloman charged forward behind the riot shield with Reyes behind him. The rest of us followed.
Shots rang out.
Not from us—from English or one of his women.
More automatic gunfire and I was thinking my brother and the DEA was gonna be shit out of luck when the crack of a bullet whizzed by my head.
Be safe.
Luke’s words flitted through my mind.
My go-to answer was “always”.
But until that moment I wasn’t sure I really meant it.
I didn’t have a death wish.
I just never thought about my quick retort.
However, that night with drywall dust falling from the ceiling, glass shattering, the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air, the butt of my rifle pressed against my shoulder, I knew I was going to do everything I could to get home and text Luke.
I broke left, followed Gordy up the stairs, and cleared the rooms.
They were all empty of persons but Echo wasn’t exaggerating. There was a shitload of drugs, stacks of currency, scales, baggies, latex gloves, masks, and everything else needed for packaging.
By the time we got back downstairs, all three occupants were facedown in the living room. Echo was in the house with a black mask covering his face, a long-sleeved black tee covering the tattoos on his arms, and gloves. He kept his distance when he looked over the man in custody. Without saying a word he jerked his chin at Valentine, then his gaze came to me. He did a sweep, tipped his head, and silently walked out of the house and he was gone.
Such was his life with the narcotics task force.
By the time I was done with all the after-action reports the sun had come up. I waited until I was showered and in bed before I texted Luke.
Home safe.
I thought that said it all.
My eyes were drifting closed when my phone beeped.
Good, baby. See you tonight.
I dozed off immediately and I didn’t have a single nightmare.
11
I felt his presence before I saw him.
Echo Kent.
I also ignored him and concentrated on the shooter in front of me who was looking to me for instruction.
“Your muzzle’s high,” I told Glen. “You’re bowling down with no sights then leaving yourself a lot of clean-up. You’re also going too fast. Half that speed and you’ll have a smooth draw stroke which will leave you with less clean-up and faster target acquisition. Next fifty rounds practice slow.”
“Got it.”
When Glen turned back to the shooting platform to reload his magazines I took a long inhale and faced Shiloh’s brother.
My first impression was he was a big motherfucker. My second was he looked like one pissed-off, mean, big motherfucker.
There was no mistaking he was Shiloh’s brother. Same light blue eyes, same tanned skin tone, but unlike Shiloh, Echo had dark blond hair instead of Shiloh’s honeyed.
Even if I hadn’t expected him to show up I wouldn’t’ve missed the family resemblance. But I was expecting him. Truthfully, I was surprised it had taken him four days.
“Luke Marcou,” he greeted.
“Echo Kent,” I returned then continued. “Figured you’d be here sooner or later. I’ve got ten minutes left in the class. You can stay and wait or you can call the office and make an appointment with Lauren.”
“I think I’ll wait.”
Right. Of course, he would.
“Great. Need you to wait behind the yellow line.”
Echo glanced at the ground then back to me and jerked his chin. He moved beyond the range safety line without a word.
I clenched my jaw so fucking hard and remembered how Shiloh felt naked in my arms. Then I remembered the panic in her eyes when I told her we were going to be friends. And lastly, I remembered the relief I saw when I didn’t leave. Relief so stark it pierced my heart and wounded my soul.
I fucking hated explaining myself.
Fifteen minutes later Glen was packed up and I was watching him walk back to the office.
I waited until he was a good distance away before I moved toward Echo.
“We need to talk about Sunny.”
Not a great way for Echo to start but I held onto my patience and bit back a smartass retort. I didn’t think Shiloh’s brother was taking time out of his day to have a chat about the state of the world’s economy.
“We do?”
“If you’re fuc—”
“Respect, Echo, but if you finish that you and me are gonna have problems.”
“Bigger ones than we have now?” he asked.
“Didn’t know we had problems. But just to say, you showing up at my work, interrupting my class, staring me down like I’m a piece of shit, I was willing to overlook all that and give you time. You starting this conversation by disrespecting Shiloh, that I will not overlook. So, yeah, you trash-talk your sister we’re gonna have bigger problems than we have now.”
Echo narrowed his eyes and did his best to puff out his chest. I had to admit, the motherfucker was a Hulk. I wouldn’t come out unscathed if we went to blows. But if he thought he could intimidate me like a pussy he was sadly mistaken.
“You got some fuckin’ balls—”
“Seriously? You really wanna talk about the size of my balls? You wanna grab a ruler and measure my cock, too? Or do you wanna get down to what’s on your mind? I’ll help you out and start by repeating what I told River. I don’t respond well to threats. You can make ‘em and I’ll respond by telling you to shove ‘em up your ass. I know what I got in Shiloh. I don’t need you or your brothers educating me. I’m seeing Shiloh and I’m taking it slow. Not only for her, but for me, too. What we have is new, it’s good, and as time goes on it’ll get better. You have a problem with that, I don’t fuckin’ care. You wanna bitch and complain about me, go find one of your brothers or your boys and talk all the shit you want. But do it knowing you’re a fuckin’ dick for doing it. Because you don’t know me. You don’t know what I feel for Shiloh. And you have no goddamn clue where I plan on taking this. The last thing I’m gonna give you is this; if I wanted a quick fuck, I’d find easy. She’s your sister so you have to know Shiloh is the opposite of easy.”
When I was done Echo was staring at me like he was ready to brawl. Which was going to suck; I was wearing my favorite white Squash Daddy tee. It was old and worn and I’d had it since my first deployment and on every one after that. Getting blood stains out was going to be a bitch and a half.
“Sunny’s not easy?”
Out of everything I said, that was the last thing I thought Echo would home in on.