Page 103 of Playing With Danger

So I’d make time.

“What’s up?” I asked and slammed the back door.

“I dig your woman,” she started on a smile. “Luke does, too.”

That was good to know but everyone had made that obvious yesterday. Sophie had been immediately accepted into the crew. Hell, Mereno hadn’t shut up all day about me locking her down and wedding her before she wised up and found someone better-looking. He was more right than he knew, but I wasn’t worried about her leaving me for someone better-looking.

“She’s moving in,” I told her.

“It’s good to see you with someone who’s actually worthy of you instead of the bar flies you usually pick up.”

I ignored the bar fly comment.

“You got it wrong, Sunny. I’ll never be worthy of Sophie.”

Sunny’s blue eyes roamed my face, the contrast between her study of me and Sophie’s, blaringly obvious. Sunny had to try to read me. Sophie just did.

“You know, if any other man said that, I’d think that was cool. Him thinking his woman was too good for him. Implying he knew she was one-of-a-kind and he’d work his ass off to make it so she never turned her eye. But you actually believe that.”

“Sunny—”

“I’ve known you a long time, V. But I don’t know a damn thing about you. None of us do. We know what you want us to know. You’re a good friend to all of us. You’re excellent at your job. Always there if someone needs you. You didn’t hesitate to get involved at the Hope Center with my brother and the guys from TC. But other than that—nothing. Don’t know where your parents live. Don’t know if you’ve got siblings. You steer any conversation that minutely personal away from you. I thought we were giving you what you needed, not asking questions. Now I’m seeing we fucked up. Friends don’t let friends sort their shit alone.”

Goddammit. I didn’t want to talk about this. And not for the normal reasons. I wanted to get home to Sophie.

“Listen—”

“You listen. I’m gonna tell you something Gordy said to me when I was struggling. It doesn’t feel real good to know you’re the type of friend you are to all of us but you won’t let us return that favor. You’ll trust me to have your back when we kick in a door but not with anything else.”

I blew out a breath and scrubbed my hands over my face, doing this to buy myself time.

“I get you. I do. And you’re right, I guard my personal life. But that’s not because I don’t trust you or the team. It’s because until very recently I was ashamed for anyone to know. I felt guilt and embarrassment—and a lot of both of those—but also I’d buried so much grief I didn’t know how to let any of it out without fear of it exploding all over the place.

“I’ll always make time for you. I appreciate you looking out for me. So don’t take this as me being a dick when I tell you, I wanna get home to Sophie. My personal shit will have to wait for a time when we can crack open a beer and I can explain fully, but, I don’t have parents. I have a father who lives fifteen minutes from here but is an alcoholic. I don’t have siblings because my sister died in a car accident with my mother. I’m ready to tell those stories, just not when Sophie’s been at her apartment packing and she should be home now, and that’s where I want to be—at home with my woman so I can continue to convince her she made the right choice giving me a shot.”

I’d been so hellbent to get my speech done and over with, I hadn’t noticed the annoyance had leaked out of Sunny and now she looked gutted.

“Fuck, Shiloh, I’m sorry I?—”

“Don’t Shiloh me and don’t you dare apologize for giving me that gift. I want to crack open that beer with you, V. I want to be the friend to you that you’ve always been to me. But I’m gonna have to settle on water while I listen.”

She’d been drinking water yesterday, too.

“Are you…”

“Guess that test I took in the locker room was wrong. Echo thinks I should sue the manufacturer.”

That sounded like something her big brother would say.

I didn’t bother stopping my smile when I told her, “Happy for Luke. Seriously happy for your brothers. But I’m happier for you.”

“I love that you understand what this baby will mean to my brothers, to our family. It’ll make this next part easier. I’m quitting, V.”

“Quitting, or stepping out of SWAT?”

“Quitting. I haven’t told anyone yet. But I’m ready. I did everything I set out to do. I did my duty as a Kent to right the wrongs that needed to be made right. I believed in my brothers’ mission. I set my sights on SWAT and I accomplished that goal. I set out to be the best I could be within the team and I feel I accomplished that, too.”

“You did, Sunny. You know how valuable you are to the team.”

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