op Owen's outfit had taken part in — no details supplied. Bonding was ensured.
Eric, meanwhile, was happy to watch his brother in his element, as finer points of Middle Eastern security were debated, and seemed to bear no animosity towards Jake, although Emmy was glad her friend was engrossed in the conversation and not teasing her with off-color jokes, as he tended to. Eric might have found that more trying.
Right now, Owen was leaning towards Jake, earnest.
"Listen, dude, whatever you do, don't ever drop your guard in Syria. Situation is way past fucked up and there's no scope for heroics. Stay with your minders, stick to Damascus, and if you have to go and hang out with militias, pick the Kurds. They're generally the best organized and the safest."
"Which isn't to say they're actually safe," Rey chimed in.
Jake grinned.
"I've already made contact with the YPG and the PKK in Northern Syria. One of my local fixers is Kurdish. And otherwise I plan to hang in Damascus. I'm not insane."
Meredith was looking faintly nauseous, sipping her drink with a fixed determination that suggested she was on a mission to get as drunk as possible as fast as possible. Emmy nudged Jake's foot under the table. As he looked inquiringly at Emmy, she motioned towards Meredith.
"Hey babes," he said, leaning towards his girlfriend, "remember I've done this a few times — I'm not a reckless guy, I know how to minimize risk in danger zones."
She gave him a half-hearted smile.
"I know. And it's not like you've sprung this on me with no warning. But still — Syria? It's scary."
"It is. But if nobody goes there to tell the story then people forget what's happening."
"It's very altruistic of you, Jake, but don't kid me you're just doing it for the greater good," Meredith said, shaking her head. "You've as good as admitted to me that you're a bit of a war junkie, too."
"Maybe I am," he said with a disarming smile. "But as you point out, I've always been pretty open about it. And besides, I'm good at dodging trouble."
It wasn't entirely true — Emmy could remember some of his egregious near misses, not least in Iraq where he'd come close to being mown down by a machine-gun wielding thug at a checkpoint crossing for showing the wrong set of papers for the local militia. And when he'd nearly been trampled to death in a stampede in a marketplace in Congo, which he'd told her rated as one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. Not that it stopped him.
If she needed any reminder, this was precisely why Jake Hunter wasn't perfect boyfriend material.
As the evening progressed, Eric and Owen got sidetracked into talking business.
"I'm not expecting total favoritism, Eric — I mean, I'm glad you're giving us a chance, but I bet you we can offer you the best deal. And we have some solid references."
"I know — I checked you out, you have a very good rep, especially for a young company. And my head of IT tells me you have some pretty impressive contracts under your belt already."
"Hear that, Rey?" Owen said with a grin. "My baby bro checked us out already."
"Your baby bro is a fucking tycoon, O. He knows his shit. You should be asking him for business advice, not just for contracts."
The conversation turned to banter, with a serious edge, and Emmy pulled back, watching the dynamics around her — how Eric and Owen had regained the easy familiarity of brothers, the diffidence of their first meeting all but vanished. Next to her, Jake was consoling Meredith with earnest words of reassurance that almost sounded convincing, even to Emmy's ears. Natalie had wandered over to the bar where she was flirting with Mickey as he tended to the busy evening crowd.
Rey caught her eye as she returned her attention to the brothers, arguing good-naturedly about the future of cybersecurity and China, and flashed a smile at her.
"Thank you," he mouthed at her from across the table, and she felt a surge of endorphins at the thought that perhaps, yes, she was a little bit responsible for tonight, and that she was immensely glad she’d accepted Eric's offer to go to San Diego, for all the reasons around her and many more she couldn't begin to spell out. It probably showed on her face because Eric squeezed her thigh under the table and leaned over:
"I should be the one thanking you, Em. You've made me the happiest