Saving Amber - Zoe Dawson Page 0,92

“Neve’s here. She’s the rescue swimmer. Nova who flies rescue choppers is getting transferred. Guess where they’re sending her?”

Dex grinned. “US Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak?”

Tristan laughed. “Yeah, can you believe that? Back to Dutch Harbor and Unalaska. She’s going to be pulling fishermen out of the sea.”

“She’s not a fan?”

“No.”

“She can throw back the ones she doesn’t like,” Rock said, deadpan.

Tristan and Dex burst out laughing. “She thinks fisherman captains are arrogant asses. Fishermen think the Coast Guard is dumb.”

“Wait. Isn’t your dad a captain? That will make good dinner conversation,” Dex laughed.

“Yeah,” Tristan chuckled, remembering how irritated and downright pissed she’d been when she called him from Clearwater where she was currently stationed. “Right in our backyard. My parents are thrilled.”

“How is Neve doing?” Rock asked, trying to keep his voice casual and failing. It was clear to Tristan that Rock had a definite thing for his beautiful younger sister Neve. But the guy would never act on it. She was Tristan’s sister and therefore off-limits. “I heard she had an accident during a rough rescue at sea.”

“She’s going to be out of the hospital at the end of the week. Broke her collarbone and she’s not being very cooperative, but she needs assistance. She’s not too happy about it.”

“I bet,” Rock said, looking away.

“Funny how both your sisters went into the Coast Guard,” Dex said.

“Yeah, we feel the same way about you, you traitor.”

“Hey, I was originally a Marine. That still makes me a Marine, big brother.”

“Ooh-rah.”

“Ah, go play in the surf,” Rock growled.

Dex’s phone chimed, the smile fading from his face.

“You getting deployed?”

“Yeah, gotta head out.”

“Take care of yourself,” Tristan said.

Rock, who had only given his brother insults from the moment he walked onto the range, said, “Come back in one piece. You hear me, Dex?”

Dex went to full attention and threw his brother a sharp salute.

“Get outta here,” he said with a laugh.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this? My parents can be a bit overwhelming and they’re big huggers,” Amber said.

Tristan turned to give her a wide-eyed, I’m-running-for-the-hills look.

She nudged him and laughed. “Don’t even jest about it.” She looked at him. “I’m going to knock now.”

“This is a dire situation, but I’m going to have to ask you to trust me on this. When I was in special ops, we were trained extensively for badass hugging. I’m armed and dangerous.”

She rolled her eyes, giggling in spite of herself, loving this man more every second. But he really didn’t understand because he had never met her parents. “Tristan, you are not taking this seriously.” She really tried to keep a straight face.

“Oh, I’m as serious as a heart attack.”

“No, you’re not, and I refuse to engage in any tomfoolery with you.”

“Tomfoolery? Marines don’t engage in nonsense. We bring the hurt or the hug. That’s just the kind of guys we are.”

She shook her head and took a deep breath. Tristan was the first man she’d ever brought home to her parents. She’d moved to a different coast. Transferring and leaving Chris, Beau and Vin had been so very hard, but after meeting her new boss and coworkers, she was sure the agents in the San Diego office would be great, too.

Chris had given her an amazing recommendation, but James’s uncle, Special Agent Barlow, was already happy to have her on board. Tristan had finished out his MWTC teaching and turned in his retirement papers. He already loved working with Rock in San Diego.

Her life had changed dramatically because she’d been given what had seemed like an open-and-shut case. But she and Tristan had rooted out an evil, heinous group of men who thought nothing of using people for their own sport. With dozens of murders in several states would take some time to work out the tangle. Her only regret was that the chief and Garza wouldn’t serve time for their crimes.

Tristan had been true to his word when she had been desperately scared in the small cabin in the woods. They hadn’t died, because Tristan’s smart thinking, valor, courage and skill had carried them through. For that she would always be thankful and faithful to this one man who was now her life. And his motto was now hers.

Semper Fi.

“Should I get into my badass hugging stance now?” He smirked. “I might need to limber up my hugging muscles.” He danced around her like a boxer with his arms out, thumbing his nose.

She shoved his shoulder, but that gave her no satisfaction, because