human adversary, but he might not be much of a fighter overall. Trey and Anderson were wildcards as well. Although they were damn good cops, this was war.
Alex turned his attention to Craig. “Actually, Sergeant, we were hoping you could be persuaded to stay and hold down the fort, as it were. Mackie and Annika can’t go, naturally, and we need a sufficient force here to guard them in case Dracul launches another attack. We take nothing for granted at this point.”
Okay, the freaky whitest of white girls and the pregnant boy—something he was still trying to wrap his head around—had to be protected. He got that, except…
“Before I was a cop, I was an Army Ranger. I did multiple tours oversees. You need a guy like me when you take down this fucker in his lair.”
Trey interjected. “He’s right, Alex. As much as it pains me, Karl and I would be better suited playing defense. If the shit hits the fan again, you’re going to need the kind of juice we have with the force.”
Karl nodded and pulled Kitty’s hand up for a quick kiss. “I’m not leaving her. No offense to your loved ones, but this is where I belong.” When the woman started to open her mouth, he overrode her. “This isn’t up for debate, honey.” Kitty frowned, yet said nothing.
Trey smiled at his partner before saying, “Plus, if I’m here, it makes it easier for me to tell Demi he’s on the no-fly list. I’m not letting him take any more chances. Christ, when I think how he tried to take on those fuckers by himself…” He shuddered and downed more coffee, but not before Craig saw the sheen of tears in his eyes.
“I will emphasize to my son how important it is for him to watch over his father, as well,” Harry chimed in. “I, of course, will be going. And I’m sure Dr. Paz will insist, too.”
“He’s not a warrior,” Christos observed. “All non-combatants—you excepted, Harry—should stay behind.”
Harry turned to stare at him from over his shoulder. “He acquitted himself very well in Wales. Plus, Dafydd…” With a nod, he swiveled his head back around again.
“Harry is right,” Alex agreed. “Paz will not stay behind when the lives of Dafydd and Idris are at stake. I suspect we’ll need the extra pair of medical hands, as well,” he added in a low voice.
Christos made that growling sound that Craig had first heard back at the soup kitchen. It must be killing the guy to have his lover in the hands of a vicious predator—not that there were any words of comfort to give, so Craig didn’t even try. No one did.
“The boys won’t want to stay behind, Alex,” Emil said after a few moments of silence.
“I don’t care what they want.” The biting tone of the man was in stark contrast to how he usually spoke, in Craig’s experience. “I watched Quinn stare down a hail of bullets to protect his friend. I’ve often heard humans speak of an event taking years off their lives. I now know what that expression means. Never again. The boys stay here…in relative safety.”
“Except they’re not boys, are they?” Craig couldn’t help interjecting. He caught Trey’s ‘Are you fucking crazy?’ look before continuing. All eyes were on him now, and the totality of the glares was a difficult force to push back against. He was in it, though, and needed to see it through.
“What I mean is…words matter. You all talk about them in that way, as if they’re kids. But they’re not. They’re men—young ones, granted, yet still fully-fledged legal adults. That’s why the Commonwealth doesn’t object to their sharing beds with you. Do you really think it’s your place to tell them they can’t be in on this battle? They’re already embroiled in the war as it is. Seems to me they have the right to make the decision themselves.”
Malcolm was the first to get into his face. The big man in the skirt leaned closer to him. “Are you out of your fucking mind, mun? They’ll be lambs to the slaughter, and not one of us with a boy at risk could concentrate on our own mission if we’re worried about them.”
Craig held up his hands. “I’m not saying it’s a good idea for them to go. I’m merely advocating for their autonomy. Put the question to them, make your case for why they should stay behind then trust them to make the right decision.”