Page 65 of Zero
I nodded and made my way into the gym. Everyone gave me a wide berth and I was secretly thankful for that. With my headphones in, I started off with some warm-ups. Afterward, the real work began—burpees, jump squats, punctuated with shadowboxing and kickboxing.
The time melted by.
For those moments, I was my old self again.
I was Rei “Zero” Hakama, the man who’d been broken but had bounced back. I was the me people embraced, the one they weren’t constantly asking if I was okay.
When I finally stopped and walked over to my water, my heart was beating right again. Panting, I removed my earbuds and allowed them to hang around my neck as I lifted the water to my lips. It was cool, sliding down my throat and spreading through me, cooling down my body.
“Yo! Zero!” Siren from the Drago team hollered stepping through the side doors.
“What’s up?”
“Someone’s here to see you.”
I arched a brow. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know. Beast asked me to tell you.”
She didn’t stop to talk as the rest of her team called out to her. I watched as Siren jogged over to them to be greeted with hugs and high-fives. Apparently, she had sprained her ankle while I was away. It seemed this was her first day back.
The thought someone was there for me was worrisome. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Also, Siren knew the people in my life—there weren’t many.
Haha, my team and their spouses—that was it. I was a high-risk pregnancy and after I was born, the doctors told my mom any more kids could kill her. That meant I was the only child—well, that we knew of. My father had left my mother the day I was born and never looked back. But I supposed if I had siblings, they would have come to find me already if they knew about me and were interested.
“Ugh.” I grunted then tossed back the rest of the water.
After hurrying to the water fountain to refill the bottle, I wandered out into the main area, towel around my shoulders. Usually, I would shower first, but my curiosity got the better of me.
The waiting area was empty. I then headed to Beast’s office but there was no one there either. I turned for the War Room. As I drew closer, I could hear voices.
Just before I stepped in the room, a familiar face exited, almost crashing into me.
“Nitro!” I hugged her, realized what I’d done and jerked back. “Sorry, I’m covered in sweat. I was working out.”
“A likkle sweat never hurt anyone.” Nitro hugged me this time. “How you doin’?”
“Getting better.” I told her. “When Siren told me someone was here to see me, I thought it was mission related.”
“Nope. Just likkle ole me.” She grinned. “Disappointed?”
“No—not at all.” I admitted.
Before I could speak again, another face pushed out the door.
“Fabienne? How?” I asked.
“Your friends are amazing, Zero.” Nitro stepped aside so I could hug Fabienne. “Wolf, Tex and Prime worked together to get Fabienne legal status in Jamaica. She can travel anytime she wants now.”
“I never go back!” Fabienne cheered before hugging me. “It good see you, Rei.”
“Good to see you too.” I cleared my throat. “You look so good.”
Fabienne did a bit of a runway twirl and we laughed. “Thanks.”
“How is the team?” I asked after gently touching her cheek.
“Well,” Nitro said. “They went on their first major mission—nothing too crazy and it was a resounding success. Of course, I don’t know the intimate details.” She wrapped an arm around me and led me back into the war room where my whole team was standing around, speaking.
