Page 88 of Bishop's Queen

“This shit is insane. Not what I thought a Titan barbecue was all about.” Funny, though, the camaraderie was something he’d been craving since he’d been without a home base.

“Not what I’m talking about.” Locke took a long pull from his beer bottle. “About Ella.”

Hell.Bishop waited to answer until he had downed that first swallow of suds. “Ella.”

His buddy lifted his chin, reiterating the conversation topic with a silentgo on.

Well, shit. It meant something if Locke had honed in on Ella as a topic. Gossip and bullshit didn’t seem like Locke’s cup of tea, so if he felt that Bishop needed checking on, then he needed to get his ass in check.

“Yeah, man, I’m doing good. She’s in a safe spot.”

Locke nodded. Bishop nodded. Good, that was the extent of their conversation. Bishop rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck.

Locke followed up. “Yeah?”

Maybe the conversation wasn’t done. “I’ve never worked a TV star’s detail before. Wild, right?”

Locke lifted his bottle and took another pull. “Hmm.”

Bishop joined him in hiding behind the beer and avoiding the discussion. What was it about some things that pulled at the strings in his chest and made him want to hide? And how damn pussy was that? Enough to get the attention of his Titan coworkers, that was for sure.

The group, from the babies to the boss man, made their way outside. Thankful for the distraction, Bishop watched the team that he would one day blend effortlessly in with. Amazing how loud they all were, how interspersed the ladies were with the men. Some he knew were spies, while others were artillery experts. Some were ready for battle, while others looked a few notches underdressed for a cookout. The whole thing worked, and damn, he liked that he was with Titan.

Mia shouted to Cash to run back inside and get more napkins. Caterina tore chunks of food onto a plate—a lot of food—and handed it to Rocco, who whistled for his kid. That sent Winters’s dogs running and set everyone howling.

Bishop moved into the mix of things as he grabbed a plate and worked his way down the long buffet. The food smelled killer, and he grabbed a seat on a bench next to Roman.

Across from them, Bishop realized that Beth was nursing a baby, something he had never in his life been around. But no one seemed to notice, and that made sense. Guess that kid had to eat too.

He dug into the chili, and—damn. “This is great.”

“Right,” Roman said with a mouthful. “Never miss a Mia Winters event.”

“So noted.”

The two oldest kids burst back onto the deck. The older one led the charge, with the younger one still hanging on her back, and walked up to him. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Bishop said, swallowing. “Thanks for letting us in.”

“I’m Clara,” the blonde piped up. “This is Asal. We’re the welcoming company.”

“Committee.”Asal rolled her eyes in a goofy kid way.

“Committee. That’s what I said.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes—”

“Thanks, welcoming committee.”

Just as fast as they had arrived, they took off, grabbed plates, and cleared what they needed for food. Roman pointed his fork at them. “Two peas in a pod, despite the age difference, and literally always attached at the hip.”

“Future Cash and Roman,” Beth volunteered. “Though I don’t know which one is the spotter and which one will be the sniper.”

“Cute.” Everything here meshed. Once these people had joined Titan, their lives had interwoven to the point that their kids’ lives were interlocked.

Had he thought about kids before? No. But if he were to have any, he would want them running around in a world as tight knit and loyal as Titan.

---