Lost in Silence (The Lost Series Book 1)(70)

I’d gotten to know the guys better. They were great but I felt bad, surely they have better things to do than babysit me. Most of the time, like the times I couldn’t use the bathroom without questions, I was furious for not putting up more of a fight when Hudson decided I needed bodyguards. After a few days, the guys loosened up and I didn’t feel like I was under lock and key. My guard duty has consisted mostly of Dizzy and Zero, although King had relieved them one evening and I made him a kick ass meal for it. Bear did an overnight shift but he refused to come inside, opting to sleep in his truck.

Dizzy was the most talkative of the four and the group comedian. He comes from a large family, one he hadn’t seen in years but he avoids the subject of them like the plague. I heard a lot about the team’s shenanigans from him, but he never talked about the day their lives changed. I did learn more about Preacher and it was clear he meant something to everyone, not just Hudson. Losing him shook the entire team.

Zero was quiet, not broody quiet. He put thought into his words and never said anything unless he had given it careful thought. I found this interesting because you’d never know how well spoken he was unless you talked with him. Zero was a natural born orator. Listening to him was like being transformed back in time to a day when men spoke eloquently and their words meant something. He looked like a hardcore fighter, one you wouldn’t want to come face to face in a dark alley but the moment he opened his mouth, you knew he was more than an ass kicker.

King is the papa-bear of the group. He came to Astoria to check on Hudson’s recovery. He stayed because he felt responsible for what happened to him and he liked the area. He was looking for a new place to settle down and Astoria wasn’t too far from his ex-wife and two children who lived in San Francisco. At least that’s what he wanted me to believe but I had a feeling Missy had a lot more to do with his decision to stay then he let on.

The guys started to get restless sometime after their discharge, often getting into trouble with the law. King didn’t want to see any member of his team behind bars, so he called them to Astoria and together they started the company, Cole Securities. It was an opportunity for them to use their skills and training successfully and it had worked out well for them all.

“Alice,” Missy’s voice calls from the kitchen interrupting my thoughts. I curled up in Hudson’s chair with a book ages ago but couldn’t concentrate on a single word. “Are you here?”

“In here,” I respond barely looking up from my book, trying to find where I left off. Dizzy sits on the couch watching the sports highlights for the day. Missy’s shadow fills the doorway and I look up to see her arms heavy with grocery bags.

“What’s all that?” I ask from the chair, eyeing her wearily. I place my bookmarker in my book before closing it and setting it aside.

“You need a little fun in your life,” Missy walks backward into the kitchen, a sneaky smile on her face. I stand from my chair, smack Dizzy on the arm as I pass him and he stands to follow me. The sound of bags rustling, cabinets opening and closing comes from the kitchen.

“I didn’t need anything from the store,” I voice cautiously, stepping into the kitchen.

“Do you have tequila?” she asks, her arms disappearing into yet another bag.

“No, why would I need tequila?”

She pulls a bottle of margarita mix from the bag, placing it down in front of me. “You need the tequila to mix with this.”

“Oh shit, Missy’s Margarita Monday,” Dizzy chuckles excitedly. Apparently, he knew what the tequila was meant for when Missy asked. He steps past me and begins helping her unpack the groceries, putting them away into the fridge and cabinets.

“Sorry Diz, girl’s night this time around,” she pats him gently on the arm, her smile teasing.

“Shit,” he cringes. “Please tell me I’m not on duty tonight.”

“You’re not,” she chuckles. “King will swing by later to check in on us and I think Bear will be here afterwards.”

“Oh great, the buzz killer,” he sighs somberly, the joy is sucked away for the moment at the mention Bear.

“Come on now, you know he’s going through some stuff,” Missy places her hands on her hips, her mama-bear stance.

“When isn’t he—”

“He doesn’t come in,” I interrupt him, sensing whatever was about to come out of his mouth was going to piss Missy off.

“Wait a second,” Missy turns and faces me, still in her mama-bear stance but her face a frown. “What do you mean he doesn’t come in?”