Page 79 of Love at First Rep

Thea sighed as she ran a hand through her dark hair.

“Him and my mom think I’m still representing my country in the Air Force. These guys rescued me from a POW camp after I was left behind enemy lines by my own unit. At least it was a good excuse to miss my shitstain of a father’s funeral.” A smile grew on her lips that made the family resemblance obvious. “I gotta thank you for involving Cole in this. I needed that entertainment. He’s fucking lucky he didn’t get shot after setting off that confetti cannon. That boy is so lucky he’s white.”

Thea’s words left the color draining from Garrett’s face, so Rafe squeezed him a little tighter against his side.

“I’m sorry. I made sure another cop I could trust had his back. I would never put him at risk without failsafes.”

“I appreciate that,” she said, her smile turning fond. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen Cole so maybe I’ll surprise him when we’re done with this mission. I miss that little shit.”

McHugh stepped forward, everyone’s gaze turning to him.

“When Thea was a prisoner, they drugged her with Anaviqa. Luckily, once you stop taking it, the effects wear off in a few days. Rafe was already part of this mission when we were tied up with the CIA, but when it went to hell and they decided to turn a blind eye to it, we chose to continue going after whoever the hell is behind it. We have intel that they plan on dispersing the drug to different populations through the water supply, so we have to stop them before everything goes to hell. We know someone in Cherrywood is moving it, but we haven’t been able to identify who.”

McHugh stepped forward and squared himself to Garrett.

“What do you say, Pearson? Are you in?”

25

GARRETT’S HEAD WAS A minefield of uncertainty, doubt and frustration.

He knew—he fucking knew—Rafe was hiding something from him, but Garrett never would have guessed Rafe had an entire team behind him.

His gut said he could trust everything the team told him, but it still plucked at his nerves, leaving him with so many questions he couldn’t possibly answer.

Can I trust Rafe after this?

Are they serious about him joining them?

What does this mean for my future?

Seriously, can I trust Rafe?

Garrett grunted as he sat on the couch, scrutinizing the members of Rafe’s team as they waited for him to answer McHugh’s question.

Fucking McHugh, who was not the idiot Garrett thought, but the leader of a secret mercenary team. Was this even real life? Maybe he was hallucinating ghosts again. Oh, wait, those were just Rafe too. This man had continually driven Garrett crazy for the better part of twenty years, and apparently, that had only been a warmup.

Around the room, the team studied him. They’d been studying him. Watching him. Testing him. Even Carson Evans, the kind and quiet nerd from his classes at the gym, had been invading his privacy this whole time. Not to mention scaring the hell out of Riley and Josh. Shit, he needed to call them the first chance he got to let them know they could relax.

His brain couldn’t decide which emotion to focus on.

Anger at Rafe’s lies.

Frustration at not figuring them out sooner.

Helplessness from his capture and interrogation.

And the debilitating fear that filled him when Miguel put a gun to Rafe’s head.

Despite knowing about the ruse, a part of him felt sick thinking he could have lost Rafe. Again.

Garrett closed his eyes for a moment, an attempt to steel himself. When he opened them, he could see the worry in Rafe’s gaze, the tremble of his body as he held Garrett. The quiver of his lip and the flush on his cheeks told him Rafe was struggling to hold it together. Despite the lies and trouble Rafe put him through this week—put his friends through—losing him was still Garrett’s biggest fear.

He wouldn’t let Rafe off the hook so easily, but he wasn’t going to let this destroy them either. He’d waited too long and fought too hard to walk away from Rafe now.

Rafe’s thumb brushed across his cheek, wiping away tracks of tears that Garrett didn’t realize were there.

The fear of losing Garrett felt etched on every inch of Rafe. He could practically touch it, a tangible thing surrounding them in this bubble of safety. But how long before that bubble popped? Was their love strong enough to protect them after they finished with this shit show?