Page 120 of Wrecked
“I had a few beers at lunch,” Tommy replied.
“I gotta pull you from the mission,” Hawk bit out.
“What? For drinking at noon? C’mon, this is a slam-dunk job. I can do this.”
“I gotta finish the inspection.” Hawk strode back toward the Venom.
Addison could stand there and do nothing or she could get involved. She approached the group. Stryker’s eyebrows were pinched together. He was pissed.
“Tommy, why don’t we go talk?” Addison suggested.
“You’re not gonna bite my head off, too, are you?” Tommy asked.
As they moved away from the team, she said, “ALPHA only hires the best. You wouldn’t be here if multiple people didn’t think you could do this.”
“Icando this.”
“I don’t know what your life was like when you were undercover, but I’m sure there were some intense moments.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“The person leading the mission is responsible for the mission as a whole. If you fail, it falls on Hawk. If someone gets killed, Hawk’s going to shoulder that loss. If anything goes wrong, Hawk will accept responsibility, whether it’s his fault or not. We have got to watch our sixes, but also make sure we succeed as a team.”
“Understood,” Tommy said.
“I need you to be completely honest with me. How much did you drink?”
“I had a few beers at lunch.”
She studied his face. “Do you understand the seriousness of this mission?”
“I do. I’m sorry if it doesn’t come across that way, but I love working at ALPHA. I’m stoked to be here with you now.”
As she regarded him, he smiled. “I think you know I had it bad for you.” He held up a hand. “I moved on. I’m seeing someone and she’s cool. I think it’s great that we’re doing this together. I can do this job, no problem.”
“Do you want to partner with Hawk?”
“You said you normally work with him.”
“I do, but he’s your mentor.”
“I’m good with Barry.”
She extended her hand. “Okay, let’s get this done.”
He shook it. “Thanks for being so chill about this… about everything. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
In silence, they made their way back to the bird. “I’m gonna talk to Hawk,” she said.
She waited until Hawk finished the inspection, then she approached him. “Hey, Tommy can do this.”
“Thanks for talking to him.”
Addison stepped close. “I’m sorry I said anything about us. Are we good?”
“We’re good,” he replied before waving over the rest of the team. “We’re ten minutes behind schedule. Everyone ready to do this?”
They were.
