Walker (In the Company of Snipers #21) - Irish Winters Page 0,161
from being taken down by Goff. At least, his head had. His pride? Not so much. He lifted a mug to Walker in a silent salute, his dark eyes mellow, yet still sharp.
Alex’s sat phone rang. He palmed it out of his pocket, answered it, then handed it to Izza, his brows spiked nearly to his hairline. “It’s for you.”
“Me?” She took the call. “Hello?” Her eyes turned into puddles of melted fudge. “Aww, Connor…”
Walker had to look away. He didn’t care if Connor was the world’s biggest sissy. What he had with Izza was what Walker wanted with Persia. Only she needed rest more than she needed him. Yeah, it was only temporary, but how he wanted his woman.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Turned out Walker didn’t have to wait long. A low flying Piper Cub dropped two black chutes into the blue sky over San Diego Harbor. “That who you’re expecting?” he asked Alex.
“Prepare for men overboard.” Already on his feet, Alex ran to the swim deck shucked off his shirt, prepared to dive in if needed. How about that, not a single tattoo. That surprised Walker. The man was fit. Not heavily muscled, but athletically trim. Tanned. Scarred a little. But solid. A true alpha predator if Walker had ever seen one.
In no time, they hauled two more TEAM agents aboard. One was a mocha-colored behemoth, the other a blond that could only be Connor, the way Izza squealed as she tackled him. “Aw, baby! You’re here!”
Her husband was not what Walker expected. Not at all. The guy looked more like a tanned surfer dude who’d just scored the perfect pipeline off Oahu’s world-famous North Shore. Like a love-starved sap, he dipped her back in his arm, kissed and groped the hell out of her, right in front of everyone.
“Later, you two,” Alex groused as he clasped the other man’s hand. “Walker Judge, this is Zack Lennox. Loverboy over there’s Connor Maher.”
Connor stopped molesting his wife long enough to toss Walker a cocky grin. The guy was Walker’s height and just as wide across the shoulders. Bright blue eyes. Perfect white teeth. One of those cover model types. Setting Izza back on her feet, he stuck a hand out. “LT. I’ve been looking forward to this day. Good to finally meet you.”
Felt like freakin’ “Groundhog Day” all over again. Someone else who’d actually wanted to meet him? Walker shook Connor’s hand, still getting used to this new, expanded reality. Being welcomed by anyone and everyone was going to take some getting used to.
The man standing with Alex was everything Connor was not. Zack Lennox was built like a tank. Tanned. Shaved head. Black brows and a ton of wrinkles stretched across his forehead when he smiled. Which he was doing now. He’d already climbed out of his wet gear. Down to nothing but red swim trunks, he’d exposed a massive chest, and a tattooed sleeve draped over a shoulder that could’ve passed for a side of beef. His arms were as thick as tree limbs. Like Ryder, Zack was built heavy and durable. But his skin was lighter than Ryder’s. More of cream, than of coffee.
After he donned a white t-shirt he pulled out of his bag, he didn’t waste time with a handshake. Instead, he grabbed Walker into one helluva manly bro hug and growled, “Thanks, you son of a bitch. My wife thanks you. My three little girls thank you. God, man… I…”
Walker stilled as the guy who could break him in half choked up. Without thinking, he patted the massive muscles across Zack’s back. “It’s okay. Really. It’s okay.”
Zack shoved back and dashed the back of his hand over his eyes. “You don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, do you?”
“Umm, no,” Walker had to admit. But he wasn’t going to argue with “Mighty Joe Young” here.
Zack tipped his head back and laughed, but when he lowered his chin, his big brown eyes were luminous with unshed tears. “You did it,” he said as he dashed a wrist over his eyes this time, blinking like he knew he was crying, and he didn’t care who saw. “You did what Alex and me couldn’t. You found them and you ended them. The Black Dragon Syndicate. Do you know how many years we’ve been hunting those bastards?”
“Seems like forever,” Alex said. “Grab a chair. Izza just made breakfast. Dig in.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Zack muttered. “Want to talk to this guy about the Dragons for a few. Join us?”