Page 2 of No More Lies
“Listen, Dex, when we get back, I need-”
“Sam wants a word.” Ryan interrupted him, holding out the satellite phone.
Dex took the phone and stood up. “Be right back, Steve.”
Ten minutes later, Dex returned, motioning for the team to gather around.
“We’re being re-tasked.”
“Where we headed?” Donnie asked.
“North Korea.”
The team fell silent. North Korea was one of the most dangerous places in the world. Getting caught on the ground there would lead to severe ramifications.
“Mackie, set up the laptop. Sam will do the brief in ten,” Dex said. “It will be a HALO infill, so make sure your packs are ready. Good news is it should be a twenty-four-hour turnaround.”
The team dispersed, but Dex stopped Steve’s path.
“You were about to ask me something?”
“No, it’s fine. It can wait until we get back home.”
It wasn’t fine, but there was no point bringing up his personal problems now. The whole team would have to be front side focused for this one. North Korea was no joke.
His marriage was just going to have to wait a little longer. Again.
***
DIANE PULLED INTO THE parking lot of Tequila’s, the Mexican restaurant where she was meeting the girls for dinner. It had been a hell of a week, and it wasn’t over yet. After a ten-hour day at the office, she was tired, ready to go home and crash, but Kelly had insisted she join them. Diane knew her friend would have come to her house and dragged her there. Forcing a smile, she entered the restaurant. Immediately, she spotted the girls at a table on the far wall.
“Diane! It’s been too long!” Kelly jumped up and hugged her.
“I know, sorry. Hi, Sophie, Mira.” Diane smiled. These women were her friends, and guilt swept over her as she realized she hadn’t seen them in, jeez, at least a couple of months. She settled into a chair next to Kelly, who waved the waitress over to order.
The girls got their drinks and relaxed into easy conversation. Kelly lived with Dex. Mira had recently got together with Tyler. Both Kelly and Mira worked intel for Onyx and supported both teams, Raven and Nyx. Sophie, head of the ER at Westside hospital on the naval base on Coronado was head over heels with Ryan.
Diane was the only one married to a Raven team member. She met Steve when she was eighteen and they had been together ten years, married nine, and had a beautiful eight, almost nine-year-old daughter, Megan. Neither of them had planned to have a child so quickly, but fate had other ideas.
“Hey, are we boring you?” Sophie said with a grin.
“No of course not, just been a long day.” Diane smiled.
“Work still busy? We haven’t seen you at any of the team barbecues for a while?” Kelly asked. She and Dex often hosted barbecues for the teams but lately Steve had been going with Megan while she worked.
“I know, work has been crazy. If I want to make partner one day, I have to put in the hours right now.” She had said the same thing to Steve over and over the past several months, not wanting to discuss it further.
“All work and no play. That’s not good, Diane.” Mira wagged a finger at her, teasing.
“It won’t be forever. I’m working on a big case. Once that’s done things should ease up a little.” She kept telling herself and Steve exactly the same thing. Just a little longer and she’d feel better. Except the weeks kept slipping by and she felt her marriage slipping away.
“Good, because we miss you. Us girls have got to stick together.” Kelly raised her glass, and they toasted in agreement.
“Well, I can’t wait for the team to get home. I miss Tyler and this was his first op back since his, er, incident, and since we kind of... you know... actually got together,” Mira said smiling.
Diane didn’t press for details on the incident. Steve had mentioned Tyler had a close call, but since she wasn’t a part of Onyx, he hadn’t said much more. Then again, they hadn’t said much at all to each other recently.
“You mean, since you both admitted you are nuts for each other.” Kelly grinned. “I can’t wait for them to get back either.” She winked and the other girls laughed.