Page 46 of Sebastian

“How’s Christian doing?” Sebastian asked Milo.

“Good. At least, we think so. He doesn’t call home as much as he used to. I think when he first left for Corps, he was lonely as shit and scared. We all know what that feels like. Now, according to the tech team, he’s on a special team, and he’s doing well. He just doesn’t tell us about it.”

“I wouldn’t read too much into it, brother,” said Torro. “We all kept shit from our families when we were in. Even families like the one we belong to now. It was stupid.”

“I know that better than anyone,” said Chase. “I mean, fuck, my old man was one of the baddest fucking Marines on record and a badass with Steel Patriots and REAPER-Patriots. Yet I felt like I needed to shield him from something. It was so fucking stupid.

“Meeting Maeve the way I did made me realize that secrets only get people killed. She made me more open with Mom and Dad. My whole fucking world changed when that woman saved my life. She skied with my big ass for miles,” he said, shaking his head.

“That’s hard to believe,” smirked Torro. “I’ve had to carry your big ass.”

“Shut up, asshole,” he laughed. “She’s my whole world, brother.”

“You guys don’t regret not adopting?” asked Milo.

“No. Not at all. It might sound selfish, but we like our alone time, and when we want the kids around, we can just pick ten or twenty from any number of houses a stone’s throw away. There’s always a kid to borrow so that you look normal at the carnival or fair or some stupid-ass Disney movie.”

“You go to Disney movies?” smirked Emelia.

“Hell, yeah. That shit is amazing.” The others just chuckled, shaking their heads at their friend.

“Lia’s old man was a piece of work. An FBI agent that was the worst of them all,” said Milo, shaking his head. “I wasn’t sure she’d ever want to have kids after all that. Then we had Christian. Our entire world changed.”

“After you had to deal with her father,” said Sebastian.

“Yeah, brother. That was some shit.” He looked at the faces around him and smiled. “Do you ever think about all the shit we’ve been through? All the shit we’ve put our parents, grandparents, Mama Irene, and Matthew through? It can’t have been easy for them.

“I mean, think about what you went through with Maeve,” he said, looking at Chase. “Imagine how your parents were feeling after what they experienced before they got married. The two of you, your parents. Hex and Gwen, Chief and Rachel. I mean, damn, that was some shit they had to come through to make it where we are today.”

“Yep, but they did it,” smiled Emilia. “They did it because they believed. They believed in love, themselves, their country, all of it. We saw it. We experienced it. All of us. I won’t ever lose that feeling. Not ever. I will always trust Sebastian to save my life, and I hope he knows I’ll do the same for him.”

“Always, babe,” smiled Sebastian.

“Good because we’re about to have some issues.” She nodded toward the warehouse below and watched as Jeffrey Banks stepped out of a small rental car. He looked casually behind him, and they followed his gaze.

“Between the other warehouses,” whispered Sebastian. “Team Charlie to Alpha and Bravo. We’ve got ‘em. Get here fast.”

Jeffrey ran his fingers over the keypad, pretending to press in the numbers. He knew that the DEA agent would be walking around the side of the building any second now. Sure enough, he appeared right on time.

“Stop right there. Hands up,” said the agent.

“Brother, I’m Baltimore PD, picking up evidence for a trial tomorrow,” smiled Jeffrey. “I’ve got my badge in my pocket.”

“Slowly,” said the agent.

He carefully pulled out the badge and ID, hoping to keep his finger over the name so that the agent wouldn’t make a connection. As he held up the badge, a man from behind cracked his skull open with a massive wrench.

“Move it the fuck along,” growled one of his brother’s men.

“You didn’t have to hit him,” said Helen. “He was cooperating.”

“Bitch, shut the fuck up, or I’ll do you next,” said the young man. Helen just stared at him, unfazed by his actions. She’d been around crime a long time, only just recently as a participant.

“Open the fucking door, Jeffrey,” said his brother.

“I have to do this carefully,” he said. “You need to step back, or the cameras will see you.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” snapped his brother, waving at the camera. The others just snickered at their boss’s brazenness.