Just Kidding (SWAT Generation 2.0 #1)(9)

A long time ago, I’d been here when the massive gymnasium was built. It was weird to be here when it wasn’t my father that I was coming to see.

“No biggie,” he said. “I live on the way to your parents’ place now.”

I frowned. “You live where?”

He started explaining where it was that he lived. Apparently they’d put some duplexes in right on the corner of my parents’ road and the main highway. High-end ones that looked ‘hoity-toity’ according to Dax.

But, as he was talking, I was taking in all the male flesh that was available to take in.

And, right in the middle of all that male flesh, was my brother.

“Oh, shit,” I said, scooting behind Dax to avoid Derek. “You have to hide me or something.”

“Why?” he asked. “He’s going to find out sooner or later.”

I sighed.

“The sooner part would mean he wouldn’t get this photoshoot done,” I said. “The later part would mean he would, and my dad would be able to remind him that killing people is a crime.”

Dax shifted so that we were close to an open door right on the inside of the exit.

“This is where the actual shoot is going to be,” he said. “Hang out in here until I can find out what more is going on with this. I’ll be in here in about ten minutes. Okay?”

Relieved to be away from my brother who really would’ve lost his shit—it was okay for him to fuck with his big sister, but definitely not okay for someone else to fuck with her—I went in through the open doorway and found myself staring at a large room with several large props.

“Wow,” I said as I skirted even farther into the room.

Dax closed the door behind me, and I took everything in.

In one corner there was a black backdrop hanging from two large stands on either side of it.

In the other corner was a fake but still very realistic brick setup that appeared to be the outside of an old, abandoned building.

Then there was a massive bed, right in the middle of the room, with the fluffiest of pillows and the softest-looking of down comforters.

And making that bed was the photographer.

“Avery!” I cried.

Avery’s head whipped around, and she smiled so big that my heart almost burst.

The last time I’d seen her was for about five minutes after her father’s funeral.

I’d hugged the hell out of her and then gave her my condolences.

She looked much better today, even if she still had those bags underneath her eyes.

“I love your shirt,” I declared, taking in her outfit.

She was in a pair of black leggings and a baggy t-shirt that declared her a ‘Klingon Captain.’

Her hair was down and flowing around her head, and her glasses made her look absolutely adorable, as did her black and red Chucks with the skulls on them.

Seriously, she was just too cute.

Like, no joke, I wanted to bottle her up and bring her out just to make me smile.

“Rowen!” She smiled back, just as happy to see me as I was to see her. “You look so good.”

I grimaced.

“Well,” I said as I touched the brim of my ball cap. “Not so much.”

Her gasp of outrage filled the room when she got a load of my bald head.

“You shaved your hair?” she cried out.

I shook my head. Then relayed the entire story.

“You know,” she said. “My daddy taught me to always obey the law. But he’s not here anymore to enforce that…”

I loved that she could joke about it.

I loved even more that she was willing to throw down with me.

“My dad’s telling my mom right now,” I said. “And Derek, my brother, doesn’t know yet.”

I jerked my thumb in Derek’s direction, which happened to be in the other, bigger part of the building.

She blinked in confusion.

“Derek?” she asked. “He’s here?”

The last she was aware, Derek was deployed to Iraq.

He had been. Three times.

And when he’d come home on the last deployment, he’d insisted that he wouldn’t be leaving again.

Something had happened over there that had changed him.

His last deployment, his unit had suffered a tragedy, and Derek had lost almost all of them.

Derek was one of the only people left in his unit after that, and it was understandable that he wouldn’t want to go back.

I was seriously glad that he was back. Even though he was a little bit more surly than usual.

“Yeah, he got back a couple of months ago.” I paused. “Actually, it’s been more than a couple of months. More like eight.”

Her eyes went wide.

“He’s been back all that time?” she asked. “I haven’t seen him.”

Avery’s parents had bought the property right next door to my parents’ place. Now, Avery lived there all by herself.

“Yeah,” I said. “He doesn’t live with them. He has his own place in some duplexes that were just built.”

Were they the same duplexes that Dax lived in?

A happy sort of excitement raced through me.

I’d actually gotten my brother to give me information on those duplexes. I was supposed to go by later and possibly sign a lease.