Page 23 of The Prices We Pay
“You want her to go to the port with D and Seb?”
“No,” Dante and I answer in unison, and Enzo’s face forms a shit-eating grin. Fucking shit disturber.
“Well, all right then.”
Like I have to do far too often, I point my finger across the desk at him. “Don’t even start, Enz.”
He holds both of his hands up in defense. “I’m not starting anything.”
“Yes, you are,” Dante grumbles. “You’re always starting something.”
“Eh, maybe. But what can I say?” Enzo claps his hands on the arm of the chair dramatically as he stands. “You guys would be bored to tears without me.”
“My life would be far quieter, that’s for fucking sure.” I laugh at Dante’s exhausted tone.
“Quiet’s boring, Big Daddy.” With that, Enzo turns on his heels and walks down the hall toward his office.
“Stop fucking calling me Big Daddy,” Dante yells after him.
“Can I call you Big Daddy?” Clara yells down the hall, and I watch as Enzo high-fives her before he walks into his office.
“I really am going to kill him one of these days.”
Laughing, I say, “Better get in fucking line.”
The two of us fall into comfortable silence as I attempt to refocus on my computer and the endless amounts of emails that need to be answered. Yet, no matter how hard I try, my thoughts keep drifting to the two down the hall.
10
Enzo
Dante and Seb went to the port this morning to get a feel for how things have been running there. Considering that Sebastian left with his own laptop in hand, I think it’s safe to assume he’s going to be doing some behind-the-scenes digging.
If we ever have to bring Seb anywhere, it’s for that reason and that reason alone. Sometimes, there are things that he simply can’t do from the safety of our home. So, one of us will run interference while he plants whatever high-tech gadget he has up his sleeve or hacks into whatever main frame he needs to. I know literally zero about any ofthat stuff, and he’s tried to explain it to me a million times, but it basically goes in one ear and out the other.
I’m what you would call technology-deficient.
It’s a miracle sometimes that I can use both my phone and work computer without causing a major malfunction.
The reason we don’t take Seb isn’t because he can’t handle himself—quite the opposite, actually. Sebastian could more than hold his own in any hand-to-hand fight and could shoot the wings of a fly if he needed to. Hell, all of us could. Butnoneof us can do what he can do.
He would never admit it, but he’s arguably the most valuable member of our little group.
If something were to happen while we were out on a mission, we almost always rely on Sebastian to get us out of it. Not to mention that if one of us were taken, it would be Sebastian who would find us. Don’t get me wrong, Dante’s tracking skills are incredibly precise thanks to his SEAL training, but there’s only so much one can do without the advances oftechnology.
Harper Donovan-McDermott is the perfect example. Yes, it was a team effort by everyone involved, but I truly believe we never would have found her without Seb.
He’s invaluable, and we simply can’t risk losing him.
That said, none of us were overly worried about him going down there today. We’ve all been down to the port countless times and have never had an issue with safety.
So, until they get back, I plan on taking full advantage of a rare Friday without a single meeting on the books. That is, until I hear the slightly raspy yet extremely sultry voice of the woman across the hall as she answers her phone. If I lean to the left of my computer, I can see her gorgeous face as she works at her desk. She’s caught me staring at her several times this week, and I’m not even ashamed of it. I am a man in love, after all.
Actually, one meeting might not hurt.
With a devious grin, I open my email.
Good morning,Josephine,
