Page 51 of All The Way Under
Nolan laughs, and Catherine joins in. “Grimace is in love with Catherine. He’s ready for you to have someone special in your life. She prepped him for you to finally get a girlfriend!”
“I told him to be sweet. I didn’t think he had it in him, though,” I explain, immediately missing my dog. “You’ll bring him to the lake house for me?”
“Of course.” Nolan gets quiet. “How was it? Will you be able to talk about your trip, or will we dance around truths? You know I don’t care either way. I’ll just prepare everyone ahead of time, so we know limits.”
Oh, do I have things to talk about. Things I can tell him for once. This is going to be the most interesting post-deployment debrief yet. How much do I tell him? I’ll have to form some senseof how I’ll craft the tale before I get back home. It’s going to sound even more unrealistic than a normal combat deployment would sound to a civilian. It’s going to sound like fiction.
“Brother, I’m fine. This was an easy pump. I told you already. I’m back in record time too. I’ll tell you every gritty detail. Catherine too.” He stays silent. “No need to prepare anyone. I’m feeling good.”
“I thought you sounded different. It’s hard to tell without seeing your face, though. Your malcontent doesn’t seem to be as sharp. How is it possible that living on a remote island with the enemy for over a month improved your overall disposition? Was it like a Reverse Uno card? I mean, it doesn’t make sense.”
Saylor’s face enters my mind. Blue eyes, ocean deep, with a smile that takes my fucking breath away.
“Yeah, it just wasn’t what I expected. I’ll tell you everything soon. And Nolan?”
“Yeah?” he replies, eager.
“Tell Grimace he’s a fucking traitor, but thank him for doing what I told him.”
Nolan laughs, tells me he’s petting Grimace, then says, “I miss you.”
My throat bobs with a hard swallow, and I clench my fist.Don’t be a pussy, Brody, say it.Fucking say what you mean.
“I miss you too.”
Silence. For one beat. Then another.
“I love you, Brody.”
“I know,” I reply quickly. “But I probably love you more, motherfucker.”
He laughs, but his happiness is contagious. “Doubt that.”
Another pause, but it isn’t awkward.
“I’ll see you soon. Kiss the dog for me. Say hi to Catherine for me too.”
“You’re out of your mind, McBrode. I’ll kiss the dog and tell her hi. Call me tomorrow if you take a break from the gym.”
The moment I say goodbye and hang up the phone, the gym door swings open. Roger Wyndham walks in, looking behind him and both ways as the door clicks closed behind him.
I’m star-stuck, honestly. Half human, half puddle. I look at the man who people thank for reinventing the wheel, creating technology that changed the world forever. Some people might feel this way about celebrities, but at the end of the day, they don’t do anything to deserve it except pretend to be someone they aren’t. He’s also Saylor’s father, and the need to make a good impression weighs on me.
“I’m sorry to burst in here during your workout, son,” Roger says as he extends his hand. “I’m Roger Wyndham. I’m Saylor’s dad. I wanted to thank you in person. I hope you don’t mind me interrupting, but my security knew you were in here, and I wanted to talk to you alone.”
Staggering, I take a couple of steps to clasp my hand in his.
“It’s no problem at all, sir. I’m honored to meet you. Brody McCoy.”
The way he shakes my hand tells me this may be more about Saylor than saying thank you.
“Wyndham Technologies is changing the world. What your company has done is life-altering.” I clear my throat when he looks down. “I was just doing my job, sir. Keeping Ms. Wyndham safe and getting her back to you was part of the mission. No thanks needed.”
I roll my shoulders, shaking off the nerves. I hesitate, my words caught somewhere between my chest and my throat.
“Saylor is a wonderful woman. You did one heck of a job. She held her own on that base with those men.” I wonder if he knows she killed two people. “She really can figure out anything.”
His smile is coy. “Not to toot my own horn, but I think she may have gotten that from me.” He backpedals. “Don’t get me wrong. Her mother, Bianca, is resourceful and wise, but I fear Saylor got her engineering mind from me, which is good and bad, because she also got her free spirit from me. Which is why we’re here to begin with.”
