Page 17 of Lure

The gloves were going to come off. No one was in the kitchen or living area. That made sense. Debriefs when we have a guest should be in a more secure location. Alphabet’s office was the next obvious location.

“I’m grabbing coffee,” Lunchbox told me before he diverted to the kitchen. Since he didn’t correct my course, I assumed I was on the right track.

The door to Alphabet’s office was open and Goblin was parked right at Alphabet’s side, his body a literal barrier betweenAlphabet and Bones. The snap of wordless insults had been replaced by a stonier silence.

Alphabet’s attention was on his computer screen and his fingers flew. There was a picture of a man up and some details. Bones, on the other hand, sat there like a judge waiting to pass a sentence. His relaxed pose was a facade, because none of that emotion translated to his expression.

They both cut looks to me when I walked in. Right. “You two ready to kiss and make up or should I go get you gloves and let you settle it in the ring?”

It wasn’t often we had differences we could only solve by actually fighting it out. Didn’t mean we couldn’t or wouldn’t if necessary. We definitely had in the past. Bones gave me an impatient look. He didn’t scrap with Alphabet. Ever.

His mistake.

Lunchbox and I had both sparred with him. I’d also used his prosthetic against him because it only strengthened his defensesandproved how normal he was. For Bones, he rarely scrapped with Lunchbox either. To be fair, Lunchbox tended to be the most even-tempered of us.

Me? Not so much, and if Bones needed to work some of that aggression off, I would cheerfully take him on. I cracked my knuckles. Frankly, I would enjoy it, particularly after his bullshit tone with Grace.

That girl did not deserve his ire. I didn’t give a fuck what she’d said orwhyshe’d said it. The mission had been a cluster fuck from the beginning and that was onus, nother.

“Coffee,” Lunchbox announced as he returned. The man carried a full damn tray with coffee, an extra carafe probably full and piping hot, along with sandwiches. “And food. Alphabet, you need to eat.”

“I’m fine,” Alphabet said without glancing up from the screen. “Let’s just get on with this, I have work to do.”

“We,” I said, when Lunchbox and Bones didn’t respond to him but glared at each other. Putting a hand on Alphabet’s shoulder, I glanced down at him when he shifted his annoyed gaze to me. “We will get the work done. We will deal with whoever this asshole is…”

Not that it seemed a leap to think this was the asshole who found the safe house. So many questions. I memorized the man’s face for future reference. I couldfeelthe harsh sigh that Alphabet released before he hit two keys and the screen went dark.

Letting him go, I gave him the space to rise and join us. The office might not be the best room for this discussion, but there were whiteboards and a video wall available if we needed it.

To be honest, I’d always thought it was a little sci-fi and overkill, but when he detailed all the things he needed to make this the perfect base of operations? These were some of his top items…

Making it happen was a no brainer. It was just a matter of sourcing the right items. Fortunately, I was good at my job. “Let’s keep the debrief short and to the point. Weall,” I stressed that last word with a look at each of them before continuing, “have concerns. Weallhave issues with the mission. Weallhave issues with how it played out. For now, let’s keep our focus on what happened, when it happened, and what we did to resolve it in the moment. We can save the rest for the planning for the next stage.”

“Ifthere’s a next stage,” Alphabet said as he rose. His movements were definitely stiff and he favored his right leg. I didn’t think he’d rested enough to be back at work already, but he was an adult.

“Are you suggesting there won’t be?” Bones asked, giving me a narrow-eyed look before transferring his attention to Alphabet.

“Not suggesting shit,” he muttered before easing down into one of the chairs. We had four of them in here and it was set up like a mini round table of sorts. Despite the size of the office, it did make it feel crowded in here. “We need to revisit protocols and anything on our docket for as long as Gracie is with us.”

“I second that,” I said before picking up one of the coffee cups and taking a long drink, dark and strong enough to clean the pipes in the drain. Fuck, that was good. I took the seat closer to Bones. Running interference with the captain was something I did well.

“I don’t think we’re relying on Robert’s Rules of Order,” Bones said, his tone dryer than the desert.

“Maybe we should,” Lunchbox piled on. “As someone keeps reminding us, we’re not on active duty and don’t have to follow military command parameters.” He moved a cup of coffee closer to Alphabet and a sandwich. Then he took a second sandwich off the side and put it—plate and all—on the ground for Goblin.

The dog checked with Alphabet first who eyed the food, then Lunchbox, then the dog. “Release,” he murmured. “Take it easy buddy, we’re safe.”

That should not feel like such a damn concession, but the Staffy went from on guard to relaxed, tail wagging, in seconds. Then he immediately started on his own meal. No one said anything as Lunchbox took a seat. Then I wasn’t the only one staring at Alphabet until he picked up the food.

We tried to bully Grace into eating something, but she’d steadfastly refused before she consented to a protein shake and water. Not ideal, but better than nothing. Honestly, as tired as she was, probably a good idea she hadn’t tried to force herself.

After Alphabet took a bite, Bones claimed his own coffee cup. “We can revisit how we take jobs,” he said. “Vet the criteria and the checklists. That’s an acceptable use of resources and man hours. As for protocols? Make a list of which ones you findproblematic, we’ll take those on later this week. For once, I agree with Voodoo, we need to sharpen our focus tonight and then let everyone get some rest.”

By everyone, I seriously doubted he meant himself. A problem I would deal with later.

“Fine, let’s debrief then.” Alphabet was positively spoiling for a fight. “How was our location compromised?”

“Unknown,” I answered before Bones could. “Our first sign of an issue was the arrival of the crew at the factory location. According to the calendars you’d mapped, and backed by our observation, that target should have been empty and easily demolished.”

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