Played by Cara Dee

Nine

Darius drove through the night.

If last night was any indication, he had to take the opportunity while the boys were asleep, because otherwise, they stopped too frequently. They’d paused outside of Seattle for dinner, then an hour later for a bathroom break, another hour later to brush their teeth and change into PJs, and then once at two in the morning because Justin tended to drink a lot of water right before bedtime.

Darius couldn’t complain, though. They were good kids. They got along well—most of the time anyway—and they both loved their adventures. Justin, in particular, loved going places by car, because it functioned as a safe place from which he could see the world. He didn’t need to get worked up and worry about crowds and unpredictable loud noises from the road. In the truck, it was just family.

Gray worried that Justin would struggle next week when Darius’s aunt was going to watch the boys, but Darius wasn’t as concerned. They’d still see the kids every day. Besides, Aunt Erin was family too, and it was okay to push through a brief period of anxiousness to include more people who Justin deemed safe. His world was supposed to expand, not stay the same size his entire life.

Aunt Erin was funny. She’d crack Justin’s shyness in a heartbeat. Jayden would like her too. Erin hadn’t merely raised Casey and Boone; she’d been there—and still was there—for Ace, the little girl Darius’s cousins had adopted after losing her mother, a close friend of Casey and Boone.

Darius yawned and glanced at Jayden in the rearview. If he remembered correctly, Jayden was the same age as Ace—maybe a few months older. And they would definitely get along. With Jayden’s background and Ace being raised by two hell-raising thieves, there was no question.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Darius eyed the sky that was slowly morphing into a pale gray. Jayden would probably wake up soon. Justin liked to sleep in.

Fuck. The coffee he’d bought at a gas station wasn’t remotely close to what Gray brewed at home. Darius grimaced and returned his mug to the cupholder.

He rolled his shoulders, then rolled down the window just a bit and took a deep breath.

His goal was to get to Boise before he stopped for a smoke.

He’d probably spend the day talking up Aunt Erin to the boys. It’d already started—last night, after Ma had called. Because she and Erin weren’t without flaws. Fucking gossips. Darius and Casey had hoped to keep the trip to Vegas under wraps at least for a week or so, just to escape the inquisition. But no. Aunt Erin had called Ma and told her Darius was bringing his sons to stay for a week.

A phone conversation with Ma always came with advice and suggestions, and right now, Darius didn’t have the patience or energy to smile through it.

A sleepy groan erupted from the back seat, and Darius looked in the rearview just as Jayden stretched his arms over his head and emerged from a mountain of pillows and covers.

The boy blinked sleepily out the window.

“Mornin’, small fry.”

Jayden yawned. “Mornin’. Where are we?”

“Idaho. We should pass Boise in about twenty minutes.”

“Can we get breakfast there? Eggs and bacon?”

Yeah, they might as well. “We’ll find a diner.” Darius nodded.

Jayden smiled tiredly and glanced over at Justin. “I bet they won’t be as good as our eggs at home.”

“They definitely won’t be,” Darius chuckled. “You really like the farm life, don’t you?”

“It’s the best.” Jayden shrugged. “I think we should have a pig also.”

Darius wanted six. He’d been reading up on feeder pigs, and there were definitely benefits. Piglets were bought in the spring, though, so he had time to convince Gray. They needed to get their hands on a couple cats before then anyway. Then a dog or two next spring as well. If Darius wanted to get serious about subsistence hunting, which he did, then he’d need a good dog as a companion.

It felt genuinely good to have Jayden on his side in this future argument, that was for sure. Because Gray wouldn’t agree without some bitching and moaning.

It made Darius smirk to himself, because truth be told, he liked that they weren’t too similar. He liked the compromising that often showed Darius a way to a path he hadn’t known existed. Gray wasn’t one to pump the brakes for the sake of it; he had his own visions and solutions.

* * *

On the other hand, they already had a cuddly puppy in the family.

Every single time Darius opened the door for Justin, he simply held out his arms.

He was a…comfortable little boy.

“Have you forgotten how to walk, sweetheart?” Darius picked him up after unbuckling his seat belt.

“I like it when you carry me,” Justin said with a goofy grin.

“I noticed.” Darius laughed under his breath and closed the door.

May this be their last stop before Vegas. According to the GPS, they’d be in Henderson in two hours, approximately half an hour after he was supposed to get the keys for the house they were renting.

“All right, snacks and a quick bathroom break,” he said.

“It’s so warm!” Jayden skipped toward the gas station and tied his hoodie around his middle. “Dad, can I get a slushy?”

Dad.

As soon as the word registered to Darius, it must’ve dawned on Jayden too, and the look on the boy’s face made it abundantly clear it hadn’t been intentional. Darius swallowed around the flurry of emotions—the honor, the warmth, the nerves, all of it—and made a split-second decision to make this as easy for Jayden as possible.

Jayden stood near the entrance of the store, cheeks flushed, gaze averted, and shoulders stiff.

“I could go for a slushy too.” Darius dipped down in passing, gave Jayden a quick squeeze and a kiss on the top of his head, before straightening and opening the door. He hoped it was enough to let Jayden know he was acknowledging the situation, in a good way, without putting the boy on the spot. “In fact, I feel like celebrating with a blue one. Come on.”

An oblivious Justin bounced in Darius’s arms and requested a red slushy.

* * *

Two hours to Henderson was approximately the length of time Jayden needed to relax again.

The neighborhood was peaceful, each street lined with stucco homes that all looked the same. Light beige met darker beige, perfect lawns met the occasional cactus and palm tree, and every driveway had an SUV or minivan. Or both.

The boys got out of the truck and looked around curiously while Darius got the keys to the one-story house they’d rented for the next twelve days.

The sun was beaming, barely any clouds in the sky, and it was…yeah, it was hot. They probably shouldn’t have packed more hoodies than shorts.

Once the owner of the house was happy with the scripted speech he’d delivered, Darius unloaded the truck and began bringing things inside.

They had half an hour before they needed to leave again, not that he was even a little upset about it. Aunt Erin’s cooking was special. Nobody wanted to come over for her pot roast or all the regular meals Ma was better at, but for barbecues…? Christ, Erin owned the world with her side dishes. Double-fried fries, mozzarella sticks with garlic and herbs, mashed potatoes that were mostly butter, wings with the best fuckin’ glaze…

Darius had been promised a barbecue today.

“Daddy, where are we gonna sleep?” Justin asked in the hallway.

Good question. There were three bedrooms, so they could choose whichever one they wanted until the house got invaded by the rest of the guys. But…Darius kinda wanted the boys close tonight.

“You can bunk with me, I reckon,” he said, carrying a couple bags into the master bedroom. “I propose a sleepover with old movies.”

“Oh! With aircraft carriers and tanks?” Jayden exclaimed hopefully.

“One or the other.” Darius grinned and ruffled the boy’s hair. It was nice that the boy was more upbeat now. It’d taken some time for Jayden to even make eye contact again. “For now, let’s check in with Gray. I think he wants to hear from us.”

* * *

If there was one thing that the Quinn-O’Sullivan bunch aced, it was how to make people feel welcome. There was no cap to how many times one could say “It’s so good to see you again!” and “It’s been too long!”

Even a hermit like Darius appreciated that with his family.

Despite the gossipy chitchat he had to endure throughout the greetings.

With Justin in his arms—wearing noise-canceling headphones—and Jayden stuck to his side, Darius humored Aunt Erin through hugs, introductions of the boys, and “the latest.” The latter was the gossip part. Big family meant something was always going on. Darius had already heard some of it from Ma, and Aunt Erin had no issues filling in blanks that he hadn’t had in the first place. Who was dating whom, who was pregnant, who was getting married. All that shit.

Darius couldn’t blame Erin this time, for the simple reason that the family members who were now suddenly dating included Casey and Boone. As in, dating each other. Granted, they weren’t related by a single drop of blood, seeing as Casey was adopted, but still. It was strange to hear about. First from Ma, now from Aunt Erin. Not just because of how the two had grown up as brothers, but because Casey and Boone had recently been sworn enemies or something. It was a whole thing. Darius didn’t have all the details, and he couldn’t say he cared too much either.

“I’m sorry, I’m overwhelming you. It’s just so good to see you again, dear!” Erin backed off with a sheepish grin, only to return with a gentle touch to Justin’s cheek. “I’m looking forward to getting to know this little darlin’.”

Darius smiled politely and glanced around, half expecting Casey and Boone to jump out of the nonexistent shadows somewhere. Maybe they were outside. The door to the patio was open, but the bamboo blinds were drawn, and ’80s pop music was pouring from the speakers, drowning out any sound coming from outside.

Erin lived in a modest house in a semi-gated neighborhood. Or perhaps it was just called gated. But if the gate was only closed during the night, Darius wasn’t gonna praise the area’s security.

Vegas wasn’t the safest of towns, so he’d find a way to give Erin some suggestions on an upgrade on security during his stay.

“I have so many questions, most of them forgotten. I’m getting old,” Aunt Erin joked.

Darius chuckled. She was just a couple years younger than Ma, though Erin had always lived a more…carefree life. She’d never settled down. She’d worked countless jobs—in nursing homes, casinos, salons, office buildings.

“Bah—I’ll ambush you when the questions come back,” she said decidedly. “Y’all go out on the patio. The boys are there already. I’ll bring drinks.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anything I can do before?”

“Not a thing. Go sit down. You’ve had a long drive.” Erin led the way through the living room toward the patio, and she lowered the volume on the stereo.

With the music fading, it was suddenly easy to hear all three outside, Casey, Boone, and Ace.

“Oooh, that’s a funny one!” Darius heard Ace cheer.

Next, he heard Casey. “All right, all right, just hear me out.” His speech was slurred, making Darius wonder if Casey was drunk. That didn’t seem plausible, though. For as non-conventional as Casey and Boone were as fathers, they had limits. No way would they get hammered near Ace. “Listen to what I have to say. Hear me out,” Casey continued. “Look—do I hate mankind? Yeah. But do I think they’re irredeemable? Well yeah, that too.”

Darius narrowed his eyes and shifted the blinds aside, then stepped out onto the patio to the sounds of Ace’s laughter. What the fuck was Casey doing?

Boone spotted Darius right away, as he was facing the patio door. Casey, on the other hand, had his back to Darius, with Ace seated next to him.

Darius raised a brow, silently telling Boone to keep his mouth shut.

“Quit laughin’ at me! Hear me out—hear me out!” Casey went on with his drunken rant, and it was becoming obvious that he was doing an impression of Darius. The little fucker. “Y’all just don’t listen to me. But one day, you’ll fuckin’ see. I’m right. I’m always right.”

Darius sucked his teeth and shifted Justin from one hip to the other. At that point, Ace spotted him too and started giggling behind her hands. She was too fucking cute. A ballbusting little girl raised by two trolls. Boone, the muscle, the guy who was built like a linebacker. Casey, the alleged brain. Both tatted up, both with devils on their shoulders.

Casey tensed up after a beat. “He’s behind me, isn’t he?”

You fucking bet, kid.

Boone grinned and took a swig of his beer.

Ace collapsed in more giggles.

“Heh.” Casey turned around slowly, looking up over his shoulder, and Darius just stared back at him. Aunt Erin was shaking her head. “Hey, Darius. Long time, no see.”

Oh, it would’ve been easy to laugh now. The look on Casey’s face—Darius bet it wasn’t often he got caught.

“Let me know when the Casey impressions begin,” he said dryly and moved away from the doorway. “All I gotta do is cram a Pop-Tart in my mouth and mimic the vernacular of a ’90s Valley girl.”

“Oh!” Casey shot up from his chair, dramatically offended. “That’s a big word for the Chuck Norris of Washington.”

What the hell? “Being called Chuck Norris ain’t an insult,” Darius laughed.

Casey scoffed and climbed up on a high horse, claiming he wasn’t going to resort to childish games—they were “beneath” him—a statement that backfired tremendously. Everyone cracked up at his expense and turned him into a scowling child. A thirty-five-year-old man-child.

Darius grinned and extended his hand. “Good to see you, kid.”

“Yeah, yeah, you too,” Casey grumbled.

* * *

“How did Justin handle it?” Gray asked.

“Everything went great, baby.” Darius didn’t want Gray to worry anymore. The evening had been a success. “Halfway through dinner, the headphones came off. And by the end of dessert, he was almost on Erin’s lap. You know how he is. He’s not afraid. He’s just careful in the beginning.”

Despite that Justin didn’t speak verbally around those he still deemed to be strangers, the boy was curious and found other ways to communicate.

It was one of the main reasons Darius didn’t want to put Justin through an investigation anytime soon. He believed it would do more harm than good. Answers were great, but only if the emotional costs weren’t too steep. Thankfully, Gray agreed with him. He was just fussing.

Justin did tap out quickly, though. Something Darius could relate to. It could be draining to be around people, and Justin had fallen asleep approximately thirty seconds after landing on the bed they now shared.

Jayden was still awake, leaning against Darius’s other side and enjoying a WWII documentary that had tanks while sipping on a Coke.

Gray filled Darius in on the events from back home, which were mainly about further training, packing gear, and apparently cooking dinner with Ryan. They’d made pork chops. Darius reined in the jealousy that flared up, knowing it was only because he missed being home already. He didn’t like being away from Gray and their everyday routines. Darius would even go so far as to call it unsettling.

“Is that the Tiger tank?” Jayden asked quietly.

Darius glanced at the TV and drew his fingers through Jayden’s hair. “No, that’s a Soviet tank, a T-34. The Tiger is bigger.”

“Huh?” Gray uttered.

“Jayden was asking about the documentary we’re watching,” Darius replied. “You were saying?”

Gray chuckled. “I was just rambling. I’ll let you go.”

Darius furrowed his brow. “I don’t like the sound of that. Keep rambling.”

“No, I…” Gray yawned. “I should get some sleep anyway. Niko and I are doing Coho Pass tomorrow morning, and then I have work.”

Niko would undoubtedly be a more formidable running companion than Darius.

Grumble.

“All right… I love you, knucklehead.”

“I love you too. And I miss you.”

“Me too.” Darius mustered a little smile at that. “Talk tomorrow.”

After wrapping up the call, he placed his phone on the nightstand, then told Jayden to go brush his teeth. It was almost midnight, Darius hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours, and he didn’t need anyone hopped up on Coke at this hour.

“Ohh, can’t I do it tomorrow?” Jayden did set aside the soda, but then he flopped onto his stomach next to Darius and buried his head in the pillow. “I’m too tired and full to do it now.”

Darius snorted softly and dragged himself up. “We have to get up to get under the covers anyway.”

“No, I just gotta roll. Look.” But before Jayden could demonstrate, Darius grabbed his arm and wrestled him out of bed, which made the boy squeal with laughter when he ended up upside down in Darius’s grasp. “Nooo, you’re gonna wake up Justin!”

“I’m not the one yellin’, son.” Darius laughed and figured he might as well carry him into the bathroom. “Listen, we’re under Gray’s watchful eye here. If he tells us to brush our teeth twice a day, that’s what we’re gonna do.”

“Is he your boss?” Jayden huffed as Darius set him down on the bathroom floor.

“In this case, absolutely. He’s the one with perfect teeth, so I reckon we should listen.”

“I have one that’s loose.” Jayden squinted and stuck a finger in his cheek. “When I told Gray about it, he said the tooth fairy would visit. Like I believe in that?”

Darius grinned and handed over a toothbrush with toothpaste on it. “Humor him. He loves these little milestones. Plus, you’ll find a buck under your pillow.”

Jayden mulled that over for about two seconds and decided it was a good deal. Then they switched places so Darius could take a leak, and Jayden carried the conversation from there.

“Is there anything wrong with your teeth? They look fine to me.” He spat some toothpaste into the sink and turned on the water.

“They’re all right.” Darius flushed the toilet and moved his hands under the faucet. “Oh—I had the worst toothache maybe ten years ago. And I didn’t have time to fix it before I went on a job. Turned out I didn’t have to, because the whole tooth was knocked out of me.”

Along with another one, so he had implants there now. Came with the job. Sometimes you met an opponent that punched hard enough when your hands were zip-tied behind your back.

“Was there a lot of blood?” Jayden asked, hooked on the story.

Darius smirked, reaching for his own toothbrush. “All over the place.”

“Whoa,” Jayden whispered. “I kinda wanna break my arm. Robbie in my class has a cool cast.”

It was like peering back in time. Jayden reminded him so much of himself and his brothers at that age.

“You’re a reckless nine-year-old. I’m sure you’ll get your shot,” he chuckled.

Jayden merely smirked, his mouth messy with toothpaste. It was cute.

Part of Darius wanted to bring up what’d happened earlier, with Jayden accidentally calling him Dad, but he’d promised himself to hold off.

He hadn’t told Gray yet either.

They had time.