Page 39 of Back in the Saddle

Now, if these two badasses scared away my informants when I was on the verge of learning something about my brother, I was going to lose my shit.

What happened next was unexpected.

Cap and Eric strolled up, the General’s empty wrapper fluttered to the ground, his partially sipped water thumped to it, he took two strides forward, stood at attention, saluted, left his hand at his forehead and grunted to Cap, “Colonel.” Then to Eric, “General.”

Without missing a beat, Eric replied, “At ease, soldier.”

The General widened his stance and caught his hands behind his back.

Oh fuck.

I was going to cry.

Harlow made a noise that told me she was feeling the same thing.

Raye’s fingers closed around mine.

“We hear you need transport,” Cap said to the General.

“Yessir. Back to barracks, sir,” the General replied.

Shit!

“We’re not done,” I said quickly to Eric.

“Does this lady have everything she needs?” Cap asked the General.

Smartly, he turned to me and shared, “Street Warrior. Your brother is a Street Warrior. You won’t find him. But we’ll put the word down, and he’ll find you.”

My stomach squeezed so tightly with hope, it came out wheezy when I requested, “Will you do that? Put the word down?”

A smart nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” I said.

The back door opened and Luna came out carrying a milk crate filled to the brim with foil wrapped burritos. Hunter, one of our coffee cubby guys, was beside her holding a bread tray filled with lidded cups with straws stuck in them.

More tears threatened.

Told you Tito was generous.

“Provisions,” the General said, excitement in his voice.

“Let’s load ’em up,” Cap told him.

They moved to the back of the Denali.

“Homer, you wanna climb in?” Eric invited.

“I don’t have enough plastic bags for the seats,” Homer told him.

“We don’t mind,” Eric replied.

I squeezed Raye’s hand before I let it go, sidled close to Eric and murmured, “It’s not about that. He needs plastic bags for the seats or he won’t sit in your car. It’s rare he touches anything without a plastic bag between him and it, unless that something comes from a plastic bag.”

“On it,” Raye said and dashed in the back door.

“We’ll get you covered,” Eric said to Homer.

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