Rock Chick Reborn (Rock Chick #9)(53)

He aimed his hand at Roam first.

Roam looked at it a beat before he took it and shook it.

When they let go, he offered it to Sniff.

Sniff took it and shook it and they let go.

Moses then took my hand and led me one step toward him.

Both boys closed in at my back.

Yep.

Loved those kids.

“Now, sweetheart, I’m gonna go and let you be with your boys tonight,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze.

“Moses—” I started.

“You don’t have to do that,” Sniff said quickly.

“Yeah, we . . . maybe, uh . . . didn’t play this right,” Roam put in.

“And Shirleen’s got a pretty dress on,” Sniff continued.

“So, yeah, maybe we should just head back out and . . .” Roam let that trail.

Moses kept hold of my hand but looked between the boys.

“I think tonight was a big night for all of you.” He looked down at me. “Rain check? Tomorrow night?”

“No really, you guys should go out,” Sniff said, again quickly.

But it was a different kind of quickly.

I turned suspicious eyes to Sniff. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head. “Nothin’. We just . . . Roam and me just wanted to talk to you tomorrow night.”

“About what?” I asked.

“Tomorrow night,” Roam put in firmly. “Go out with, uh . . . Mr. Richardson here and we’ll get into it then.”

My heart squeezed.

But my eyes hit the ceiling.

“Oh Lord,” I looked between them, “which of you got who pregnant?”

“Shirleen!” Sniff bit off.

“Neither, Shirleen, Jesus,” Roam huffed out.

“Then what do you need to talk to me about tomorrow night?” I asked.

“Baby, think maybe now is the time I should—” Moses started, giving my hand another squeeze.

“I’m goin’ to work for Lee after I graduate,” Roam cut him off to declare.

Okay.

All right.

When they were interns, this was fine. They worked computer stuff and watched monitors in the (relative) safety of the office. I could handle the idea of them becoming members of the team when it was all future. All fantasy.

But then it wasn’t real. It wasn’t Roam having his own bulletproof vest in the locker room.

I felt the vapors coming on.

“And I’m going into the Army,” Sniff announced.

Say . . .

What?

The Army?

The United States Army that fought wars?

It was official.

I had the vapors.

For certain.





Future Was Bright

Shirleen

“BABE.”

That was Moses.

“Nope,” I snapped, listening to my phone ring in my ear as I paced my living room.

“Shirleen.”

That was Sniff.

“Unh-unh,” I bit out, still listening.

“C’mon, Shirleen.”

That was Roam.

I didn’t have to reply to him.

Lee picked up.

“Hey, Shirleen. Everything good?”

“So you had some conversations with my boys about their futures, hunh?”

“Oh shit,” Lee muttered.

“Hell yeah, oh shit. You think to talk to me about that?” I asked heatedly.

When he spoke again, he sounded mildly confused. “They’re already recruits. I thought you were on board with that.”

My voice was pitched so high, it was a wonder all my crystal didn’t shatter when I demanded, “You told Sniff to go into the Army!”

“Shirleen—”

“The enemy shoots at you when you’re in the Army, Lee,” I educated him.

“I know, Shirleen, I was in the Army, remember?” Lee returned.

I ignored that.

“Or they blow you up with land mines and shit.”

“Have you talked with Sniff about this?” Lee asked.

“Yeah, he said, ‘I’m going into the Army.’ Then, after I fought off an attack of the vapors, he shared, ‘Lee and the guys think it’s a good idea.’ So that was when I got my phone and called to lay you out.”

“He wants something that’s his,” Lee said low.

And that low caught my attention.

Lee kept at me.

“He’s been in Roam’s shadow for years. He needs out from that. He needs to find out who he is without his brother always at his side. The right groundwork has been laid for him to be the man he wants to be, but he’s gotta walk that path alone now so in the end, who he becomes . . . it’s his.”

Goddamn, I hated it when these men made sense.

“And Roam?” I clipped out. “He’s eighteen, Lee, and you’re gonna take him on?”

“He knows he has six months in the office working with Brody. Working with Jack. Working with Monty so he can learn how intel that’s gathered is formed into tactics and strategy. Working with you to understand the business side of things.”

“And that puts him at just over eighteen and a half and then you think he’s all good?” I asked.