might be surprised. Let me show you this Leupold we just got in . . .”
IT WASN’T MY NIGHT ON watch, but after work I went home only long enough to change clothes. There had been far too much activity in the last week or so for me to stay away from headquarters.
I arrived to find that Hugo was home that night with Meredith and their children. With Aric’s training complete, it was time that they both had a night off together. In my eyes, it was commendable that they managed to keep their priorities straight. Sofia and Daniel were very much at the center of their lives, despite Hugo’s duties to the Amasai and Meredith being at his side every step of the way. It was the very thing my own father had failed to do.
Jocelyn was lounging on a sofa in the great room, her attention on a slick fashion magazine. Her blonde curls were pulled back from her face in a headband, and she was made up as though she were going out for a night on the town rather than sitting around on the ready in case things went badly for Casey and Aric. She wore black leggings, a sleeveless purple top, and low profile black sneakers; the sort of attire in which she could move easily. Her pink fingernails flashed as she drummed a little rhythm against the magazine cover.
“Hi, Joss,” I said as I passed to go into the kitchen.
Without looking up from whichever riveting article on hair dye or runway fashion she was engrossed in, Jocelyn answered, “Remi.”
Garrett was across the floor at the computer array, with his feet kicked up onto the worktable and ear buds in his ears. He saw me walk in and ticked a two-fingered salute in my direction. I gave a little wave in return.
I made my way to the refrigerator and reached in to get a soda. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around, so I went back to the sitting area as I cracked the top on the can. I took the comfy armchair next to where Jocelyn was draped across the couch and reached for the television remote control.
“You just missed the boys,” Joss answered the question I hadn’t yet asked. I assumed by ‘the boys,’ she meant Casey and Aric. “And Gabriel is in the armory, playing with the guns.”
I was a little surprised to know that Gabe was there, but didn’t say so. “Anything else going on?”
“Not so far.” She shrugged behind the magazine and finally looked at me over the top of it. “I can show you how to cover that up, you know.” She moved a fingertip around in a circle, indicating my black eye.
I had done the best I could with what little makeup I ever wore, but the bruising still showed up under my eye and next to my nose. Since the damage wasn‘t permanent, I hadn’t thought about making any more of an effort to camouflage it.
“Nah, thanks though.”
“Suit yourself.”
Pointing the remote at the satellite receiver, I flipped to a 24-hour news channel. There were two buttoned up political types on a split screen, talking at each other. I promptly looked for something else, and settled on Return of the Jedi.
I heard Jocelyn’s magazine flutter as she shut it. She looked first at the screen, then at me. “You can’t be serious, Remi. Star Wars ?” She said it as though it was the very worst that late night cable programming had to offer.
“What’s wrong with it?” I questioned.
This, of course, erupted into a spirited debate over the merits of science fiction versus romantic comedies. We were engrossed in our mostly pointless discourse when we were interrupted by Garret from across the room.
“Joss, you’re up. Casey needs to get back here; they got separated and he’s hurt,” he said, pausing only to look back at the main screen to double check his information. “The last GPS coordinates put Aric near where the old railroad tracks cross County Road Eleven Seventy-Two, but I’ve lost his signal and he’s not answering me.” If he was worried for his brother, he masked it with his brisk efficiency.
Jocelyn and I both kicked it
IT WASN’T MY NIGHT ON watch, but after work I went home only long enough to change clothes. There had been far too much activity in the last week or so for me to stay away from headquarters.
I arrived to find that Hugo was home that night with Meredith and their children. With Aric’s training complete, it was time that they both had a night off together. In my eyes, it was commendable that they managed to keep their priorities straight. Sofia and Daniel were very much at the center of their lives, despite Hugo’s duties to the Amasai and Meredith being at his side every step of the way. It was the very thing my own father had failed to do.
Jocelyn was lounging on a sofa in the great room, her attention on a slick fashion magazine. Her blonde curls were pulled back from her face in a headband, and she was made up as though she were going out for a night on the town rather than sitting around on the ready in case things went badly for Casey and Aric. She wore black leggings, a sleeveless purple top, and low profile black sneakers; the sort of attire in which she could move easily. Her pink fingernails flashed as she drummed a little rhythm against the magazine cover.
“Hi, Joss,” I said as I passed to go into the kitchen.
Without looking up from whichever riveting article on hair dye or runway fashion she was engrossed in, Jocelyn answered, “Remi.”
Garrett was across the floor at the computer array, with his feet kicked up onto the worktable and ear buds in his ears. He saw me walk in and ticked a two-fingered salute in my direction. I gave a little wave in return.
I made my way to the refrigerator and reached in to get a soda. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around, so I went back to the sitting area as I cracked the top on the can. I took the comfy armchair next to where Jocelyn was draped across the couch and reached for the television remote control.
“You just missed the boys,” Joss answered the question I hadn’t yet asked. I assumed by ‘the boys,’ she meant Casey and Aric. “And Gabriel is in the armory, playing with the guns.”
I was a little surprised to know that Gabe was there, but didn’t say so. “Anything else going on?”
“Not so far.” She shrugged behind the magazine and finally looked at me over the top of it. “I can show you how to cover that up, you know.” She moved a fingertip around in a circle, indicating my black eye.
I had done the best I could with what little makeup I ever wore, but the bruising still showed up under my eye and next to my nose. Since the damage wasn‘t permanent, I hadn’t thought about making any more of an effort to camouflage it.
“Nah, thanks though.”
“Suit yourself.”
Pointing the remote at the satellite receiver, I flipped to a 24-hour news channel. There were two buttoned up political types on a split screen, talking at each other. I promptly looked for something else, and settled on Return of the Jedi.
I heard Jocelyn’s magazine flutter as she shut it. She looked first at the screen, then at me. “You can’t be serious, Remi. Star Wars ?” She said it as though it was the very worst that late night cable programming had to offer.
“What’s wrong with it?” I questioned.
This, of course, erupted into a spirited debate over the merits of science fiction versus romantic comedies. We were engrossed in our mostly pointless discourse when we were interrupted by Garret from across the room.
“Joss, you’re up. Casey needs to get back here; they got separated and he’s hurt,” he said, pausing only to look back at the main screen to double check his information. “The last GPS coordinates put Aric near where the old railroad tracks cross County Road Eleven Seventy-Two, but I’ve lost his signal and he’s not answering me.” If he was worried for his brother, he masked it with his brisk efficiency.
Jocelyn and I both kicked it
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