Page 26 of Keeping Laryn
She truly didn’t believe that Altan would come after her, even though he’d sounded beyond pissed on the phone. So much so that it had shaken her usually unflappable confidence. Having Tate there last night was actually a huge relief. But she wouldn’t get used to that. He couldn’t just move in indefinitely.
And to her shock, he seemed fine this morning. As if her lumpy couch hadn’t fazed him in the least. Then again, he’d probably slept in worst places. It was annoying how chipper he seemed though. He’d talked all the way to the base and seemedexcited to meet up with his friends to inform them that she’d be joining them for PT.
The guys seemed genuinely happy to have her there, which was kind of a surprise, since they were so tight-knit. Everyone knew the team did PT on their own, didn’t invite anyone to join them, and generally kept to themselves on base.
And now, after her first invite, she was doing her best not to puke up the water she’d gulped down before starting off on this jog.
By the time they got to the park to use the equipment there, she was done. Laryn flopped down into the grass and said, “You guys go ahead. I’ll just do some sit-ups.”
Everyone chuckled, but she could tell they weren’t laughingather.
After catching her breath and doing a few sets of sit-ups, Laryn rested her arms on her updrawn knees and watched the pilots do their thing.
And theirthingwas impressive. As were their physiques. They all wore Army-issued shorts and matching gray T-shirts with the word ARMY across the chest. Their arms bulged as they did pullups, their thigh muscles on full display as they did squats and burpees.
Even though these men were pilots, and their job required them to sit for long stretches at a time, Laryn had no doubt they were just as capable as the special forces men they carried to and from dangerous missions. Each of the six pilots had been through extensive training in hand-to-hand combat and being able to evade hostile forces if, God forbid, their choppers ever crashed behind enemy lines.
Seeing them work out, seeing their comradery, the way they joked and laughed and even how they encouraged each other, gave her a deeper understanding of their bond. They weren’t simply coworkers, they were best friends.
To her surprise, after the guys were done working out, theycame and joined her in the grass. Buck and Obi-Wan sprawled on their backs and groaned. Pyro and Chaos laughed and told them to suck it up. Edge merely smirked, and when Laryn looked over at Tate, she saw he wasn’t looking at his friends. Instead, his gaze was locked on her.
She immediately felt flustered and looked away.
“So…Laryn’s being harassed by an asshole who wants her to work for him.”
She gasped. His words all the more shocking because for a short while, she’d actually forgotten about the phone call from the night before.
“What? Who?”
“But shehasa job.”
“You aren’t leaving us, are you, Laryn?!”
“Harassed how?”
The questions and exclamations came hard and fast.
“Long story short,” Tate said, “we all know Laryn’s the best MH-60 mechanic we’ve ever had. That the Army was smart enough to hire. Well, apparently word’s gotten out and everyone wants her to come work for them. And by everyone, I mean other countries. Countries that would do whatever it takes to get someone who knows the technology we use like the back of her hand. A man from one such country has been recruiting herhard, and when she said she wasn’t interested, instead of backing off, he’s doubled down. Called her last night, even though she never gave him her number, and said some things that were worrying. I’ll be contacting Tex as soon as I can to have him look into this asshole, to see if his threats were more than just frustration over not being able to hire her.”
Laryn was embarrassed. She wasn’t sure why, considering she was on the receiving end of the nasty threats. Maybe because she felt as if she’d opened herself up to Altan’s behavior by letting him think there was a chance she might actually take him up on his offer, simply by listening to him in the first place.
“What do you need from us?” Edge asked. He said it nonchalantly, as if their support was a sure thing.
Laryn opened her mouth to respond, but Tate beat her to it.
“I stayed at her place last night, just in case, but I can’t be around her all the time. Depending on what Tex says, we might need to take turns watching out for her.”
“Done.”
“Easy enough.”
“Just let us know when you need us.”
Their support was immediate and heartfelt.
Still, Laryn couldn’t help but feel irritated at Tate’s takeover of the situation. “I don’t need a babysitter or a bodyguard,” she told them as firmly as she could. “I admit that, last night, I was feeling a bit off-kilter. But now that I’ve had time to think about the situation, it’s unlikely that Altan will actually do anything. It wouldn’t be smart, because if anything happened to me, it would be obvious who did it.”
“You think that’s going to stop him?” Chaos asked with a small tilt of his head.
