hips moving, little boy. Leave the thrusting to the men with the right equipment who know how to use it.”
“Oh, I know how to use it,” Green assured the group. “And I have plenty of satisfied customers.”
“Aren’t the fairy tales supposed to start later?” Eyes asked through his laughter. “Cause that’s about the biggest fish story I’ve ever heard.”
Chad kept on going as if nothing had been said. “There’s a gym here and a weight room.” He stopped and looked at Smoke. “I think we stacked it high enough to even satisfy you,” he added with a wink. Smoke grinned, looking as if he wanted to jump up right then and there and test Chad’s theory. Chad knew for a fact he’d stacked those plates high enough. Smoke was a beast, and if he didn’t burn energy someone in the world was going to pay for it.
“We also have a gourmet kitchen that I have a feeling will never get used,” Chad said.
“Really?” Green asked, perking up. “Will it be stocked?”
Chad hadn’t been expecting to get surprised, but he was. “I have some basics in there, but make a list and I’ll have whatever you want brought in.”
“Do you cook?” Sleep asked, suddenly very interested. Chad hid a smile. These men were confirmed bachelors, though that might be changing in Sleep’s case if Chad’s sources were correct — and they were always correct. But the other men were definitely bachelors, and a home-cooked meal was the epitome of happiness to them. Otherwise they lived on takeout or poorly cooked selections they tended to throw away before giving up and ordering pizza.
“Hell yeah, I cook,” Green said. “My father was a loser, my mom worthless. I had siblings, so I learned to cook really well.”
Chad wasn’t surprised it was Green who was the first to open up with some honesty, even if he was doing it in a cocky way. These men had to be willing to die for each other, and that required trust and walls coming down. It wasn’t an easy thing to do.
“Sweet,” Eyes said. “I don’t mind some good food, not one little bit, especially if there’s a gym to burn it all off.”
“I’ll make a list,” Green said, grabbing a piece of paper.
“You’re writing it down. Why not use the iPad?” Brackish asked as if paper and pen was a foreign thing to him. It might just be.
“I like making lists. I get sick of electronics,” Green said.
Brackish flew back in his seat as if he’d been shot. “Be still my heart, take the words back,” he said in a dramatic voice.
The team once again laughed.
“We also have a shooting range, though it’s not going to be nearly good enough for you, Green, so that’s something I’m working on,” Chad continued. This team was bonding much sooner than he’d expected. Maybe they had been waiting for this type of mission. Maybe they’d found themselves.
Green was busy making his list, so he didn’t look up to notice the respect showing in his team members’ eyes. He was a skilled marksman, his longest kill at just over twenty-five hundred yards. It was an impossible shot — unless you were Green.
“There are intercoms throughout the building, and nobody but Brackish could possibly break into them from the outside. Your rooms are on the top floor, and you all have more than enough space. It won’t be anything like the bases we’ve all slept on, in, and around. There are times we’ll be here a lot, but times we’ll barely pass through. When we’re here, I want it comfortable.”
Chad looked over at Eyes who was sizing up the entire team, analyzing them and the space. He’d have them all figured out within a week, knowing their strengths and weaknesses. He’d be the leader, hands down, and he’d have the team’s respect.
“Does anyone have any questions or comments?” Chad asked. Eyes immediately stood. Even Green stopped writing and paid attention. Good. Very good.
“We’ve been here a couple of hours already, and from what I see, we all have unique skills. You’ve assembled a fine team. We’ve read your reports, but what I’d like to hear more about is your strategy,” Eyes said.
“We’ll get to that,” Chad said. “Very soon. For now, the mission is for you to get to know each other, to be comfortable with your teammates and this facility. You can come in and out this week, but make sure nothing inside these walls leaves unless it’s for mission