Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

" C an someone carry me upstairs?" Reese groaned.

I chuckled and pulled into my parking space. We could deal with Danny's motorcycle later. It was strapped securely in the bed of my truck for now.

"All right. Vacation's over, boys." I climbed out to the sounds of their bitching.

It wasn't my fault. They'd fucking asked for more training.

Danny had initially been a little wary of teaming up with the twins, primarily because after the haze of lust wore off, you were sometimes very aware of what you'd just shared with a crowd. But Reese was fucking shameless, and he'd eyed Danny up and down and proclaimed he had a type now. Then he'd turned to me and said he wanted to be a Daddy like me one day.

He was joking, I was sure.

Either way, it'd broken the ice, and Danny had relaxed some more.

Three days of competitiveness between the boys had followed, and I'd been all too happy to give them assignments.

After grabbing our bags, we left the garage and took the elevator up to my apartment.

Danny slipped his hand into mine, and I gave it a squeeze. He was a little nervous, I could tell. It was just one of the many contrasts about him that reeled me in. The strongest, most capable fighter on a field. But now, someone had claimed him. I had claimed him. He wasn't going back to his apartment in Kentucky, at least not for the next foreseeable future. He'd be staying with me, and I wasn't letting go.

In my head, I'd decided he could consider himself my property for a year. It was roughly the time I estimated it would take for him to graduate as a Hillcroft operator. And then… Well, I didn't wanna think about it. I knew what kind of work waited for him in the future.

"I propose we sleep with open doors," Reese said, stepping out of the elevator.

I snorted and dug out my keys.

Yeah, River and Reese were voyeurs, all right.

Something told me they weren't completely new to the concept of BDSM, but that was their business. As long as nobody was uncomfortable with the recent changes, I wasn't gonna worry. The twins could watch all they wanted.

"Fancy building," Danny noted.

"It's all PMCs who live here, I swear," Reese chuckled. "River and I sat in the little park out front one day and had lunch, and everyone who came and went fit the same profile. Male, one duffel, fairly nice car, windows sometimes tinted."

I smirked to myself and opened the door.

It wasn't all PMCs in this building, but sure, there were a few of us. Hillcroft had its connections with a local company that rented out apartments to private contractors and foreign personnel who worked with the US military in some capacity. I got a Christmas card from the Damien family every year. Last year's card had included the American dream of a family, father sitting by the fireplace, mother standing next to him, and their baby boy Kit in her arms.

"Okay, make yourselves at home," I said. "Tenleys, you know where your room is. Danny, you're with me."

I didn't have much to show him, to be honest. A generous-sized kitchen combined with living room area, nice view of the river, Pentagon to the east, two bedrooms, two baths.

"Did you just move in?" Danny wondered.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

He was eyeing the empty walls. I didn't have much furniture either. I ate my meals at the bar or on the couch. TV, coffee table, a bookcase filled with books… My sister had shared her input too, but…what more did I need?

"Uh, no. I've been here a few years," I said. I'd still been under SAS contract when I'd come over the first four or five times.

"Okay." Danny patted me on my chest and headed for my bedroom. "I have thoughts."

I smiled.

He was welcome to make changes.

River headed for the bookcase after he'd thrown his bag in their room. Something had lit a fire under his ass this weekend. He hadn't necessarily spoken a whole lot to Danny, but he'd observed. I'd written a list of books I had, that I'd recommended to River, and he started taking out the first four. History of US and British intelligence services, a Spanish dictionary, covert ops in Eastern Europe…

"Don't forget to rest, kid," I said.

He grinned faintly and got comfortable on the couch. "This is me restin'."

Uh-huh.

I'd let him be for now. I carried my bag into my room, where Danny sat at the foot of the bed and waited for me.

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, little one." I closed the door.

Two days later, it was time to make things official.

While River and Reese headed down to Virginia Beach to spend a couple days with their grandmother, I brought Danny over to Hillcroft for the first time.

The box-shaped building was like a mirror, and I squinted for the sunrays that reflected off the glass exterior.

"It doesn't say Hillcroft anywhere," Danny mused, looking up at the building.

"No, it doesn't." I ushered him through the revolving door, and I nodded with a dip of my chin at the man behind the circular desk.

It was a grand lobby with a lot of dead space and boring potted plants. And the name of the agency wasn't anywhere to be seen here either. Those who came here already knew, and they were either clients or employees.

When we reached the elevators, I brought out my ID and tapped it to the reader below the buttons. Then I pressed seven. The top floor.

"Does that mean you have the highest clearance?" Danny smirked.

I chuckled. "No, it means I'm cleared to speak to the receptionist on the top floor." I combed my fingers through his hair. "I'm just a lowly operator."

He didn't believe me. "I call bullshit. You pull strings all the time."

Perhaps. That didn't mean I could come and go throughout the building however I wanted, though. In fact, I'd never visited floors five and six even once. I didn't know what happened there. My guess was…intelligence and IT. The building wasn't precisely huge, compared to many similar places here in Arlington, but Hillcroft did employ enough people to fill all the floors with the personnel required to orchestrate all kinds of operations. From mechanics and medical staff to operators and instructors.

"I'll tell you what I know about the floor plan," I said, watching the number tick higher above the doors. "The basement has our shooting range and training facilities. First floor is nothing but classrooms and a big cafeteria. On the second, library, rec rooms, kitchen, and dormitory. Third, conference rooms and offices. Fourth, recruitment office and HR."

He pursed his lips as the elevator dinged, and the doors opened.

"Dormitory?"

I nodded once and walked out. "Basically, rooms with bunk beds and toilets. Sometimes, out-of-town contractors stay the night. Sometimes, we get injured during an op, and someone tends to us overnight."

He hummed, processing.

I wasn't sure what he'd expected, but the way he'd spoken about his new future of becoming a Hillcroft operator so far sure as hell hadn't included libraries, classrooms, and bunk beds.

He'd definitely enjoy the basement. I hadn't lied about the shooting range or the training facilities, but I'd been vague. He'd see for himself soon enough.

Danny's posture changed as we approached the front desk that acted as the gate to the top-floor offices. Paneled walls and gray carpet—more plants too—made things look…dull. Nondescript.

"Remember, baby," I said for only him to hear. "You're here to become a gray man. Lose the soldier stiffness."

He smiled ruefully, let out a breath, and loosened up a little.

That side of him was going to be a challenge to deprogram.

I nodded at the woman and rested an arm on the desk. "Payne for Daniels at nine fifteen."

"Yes, sir." She adjusted her glasses, then tapped away on her computer. "He's just finishing a meeting, but you can wait outside his office down the hall." She gestured at the door and pushed a button that opened it.

"Thank you." I led the way down the corridor, where we passed one office after another, the nicest break room one could ask for, restrooms, and an outdoor terrace.

"There are two Daniels," Danny noted.

He was reading the names on the office doors.

"Two Winters too," I said, side-eyeing him. "What do you know about the history of Hillcroft?"

He shrugged. "Not much. Founded in the '70s, I think. Used to be more public—they only took government contracts, and then they restructured the agency in the late '80s."

I nodded. He already knew more than most.

"Terrance Daniels and Arthur Winters started the agency in 1977," I replied. "TJ Daniels and Quinlan Winters are their sons. They're next to take over—if Terrance ever retires."

I'd never had the chance to meet Arthur. He had been murdered in 1988, which had prompted the "restructuring."

Today, Arthur's office was… Honestly, fuck if I knew; I didn't have access to the room. I just knew the office was still there, and I'd seen Quinlan go in there a few times.

Hillcroft didn't have the most lighthearted history, and that wasn't my story to share.

We reached the end of the hall, and I gestured for Danny to take the chair closest to Terrance's office. I sat down next to him and gave his leg a gentle squeeze. I liked what he was wearing today. It was the first time I'd seen him in a pair of regular jeans. Otherwise, he went balls to the wall with utility pants or, my favorite, cute pajama bottoms.

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

He bit at the corner of his lip and clasped his hands in his lap, and I could tell he was struggling with how to sit. My soldier didn't know how to relax in an everyday setting, and it was kind of disheartening. In moments like this one, it was painfully clear how deeply service members were indoctrinated and molded.

"Yes and no," he admitted. "As long as I get in, I believe I can prove myself. But I don't know if they'll give me a shot."

I furrowed my brow. "Why wouldn't they give you a shot? You're already a tremendous asset, sweetheart."

"Am I, though?" He glanced over at me, visibly unsure. "I watched Reese and River at your cabin—they blend in, like you said. They walk and act normal. My military background flashes like a neon sign."

I inclined my head. "True. But you possess skills that take years and years to perfect. Your training will be much more centered around deprogramming what you learned in the Army. And we have patience for that."

He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess we'll see what your boss says. Is he nice?"

"He's fair," I said. "He's not nice, and he's not rude. He can be funny at times—just takes a couple pints to get him there."

Danny chuckled a little and shifted in his seat. "What more can you tell me about him?"

This was good. He always wanted to be prepared.

"He was born in Tennessee, was infantry in Vietnam, and thinks the world's gone to shit," I answered helpfully. "He has a wife and three kids, two daughters and TJ. He's, uh…" I scratched my jaw, wondering just how much to divulge. Terrance was a great man, but he wasn't always easy to be around if you were a generation or two younger. "He's had a pretty tough life, so it's made him intolerant to whining and complaining. I have zero doubt that he'll give you a shot, Danny—he'll just expect results."

"Did he do that with you too?"

"What, expect results?" I chuckled. "Absolutely. He shook my hand firmly and said he was looking forward to me succeeding with whatever they threw at me."

"Yikes."

I shrugged. I preferred high-pressure work environments—and I was sure Danny did too.

He cleared his throat and turned toward me. "What kind of tough life, by the way? I mean, my upbringing wasn't a cakewalk either."

True enough.

"Racism, for starters," I said. "He left the South pretty early, but I'd imagine it's not easy serving a country that hasn't fully accepted you."

"Oh." He blew out a breath and leaned back in his seat. "Shit, that hasn't really changed. Do you remember Thomas?"

I tilted my head. The name rang a bell—someone from his unit. "Vaguely. Was he the guy who always carried his pocket bible wherever he went?"

Danny let out a laugh and nodded. "Yup. The one guy I sort of got along with."

That jogged a memory, and I nodded to myself. I did recall the two had worked well together.

"Anyway," he went on, "he got shit from all sides. Pissed me the fuck off. I think his old man was black, and on his ma's side, it was a mix of Latino and Thai or Vietnamese—I don't remember. And then I got shit for getting involved." He scoffed and started bouncing his knee restlessly.

My mouth twitched. "Could it be because you got involved with your fists?"

"Not at first," he defended. "We were at this bar once, and a couple guys got mouthy. Started calling him slurs and whatnot, and so I walked up to them, right? And I was like, there are literally a dozen valid insults to throw at Thomas—he's got shit aim, he eats too slow, he's always quoting scriptures, and he's talking nonstop about his girl back home. Meanwhile, T's rolling his eyes, and a few others are laughing. Then when I'm done delivering my speech, I tell the fuckheads to apologize and use whatever few brain cells they have left to come up with a more creative insult, and they refuse. More than that, they double down—and they call me white trash while they're at it." He shrugged. "I didn't see what choice I had, to be honest."

Jesus Christ. It was impossible not to run with the amusement, but this boy had problems.

"You got arrested, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't say that," he replied. "Two cops came and broke up the fight, then kindly escorted me outta there. I spent twenty minutes in their car, promising it was never going to happen again." He scratched his nose and grinned to himself. "The next day, T's mom showed up on base, and she gave me a come-to-Jesus talk, fists waving and all, before she smacked me upside the head and gave me a container of cookies."

I rumbled a laugh and scrubbed a hand over my face, and I shook my head. Bloody fucking hell. I adored that he had his heart in the right place—full stop. We just had to work on how he let his temper get him into trouble.

"My little hothead." I draped an arm around his neck and pulled him in quick, and I kissed the side of his head. "Were the cookies good?"

"So good that I cleaned the Tupperware and sent a thank-you note."

I grinned and just stared at him.

Part of me had half expected things to change once we left the cabin, but I still felt like we were in a honeymoon phase, a bubble of sorts, where I was soaking up every word he spoke. I mean, it was how it was supposed to be. This thing between us was only a week old, but the cabin belonged in another world. Far away from work and Hillcroft. And yet, now we were in the lion's den, about to meet with Terrance, and all I could think about was my boy.

"After we're done here, I wanna take you out on a date," I admitted. "A real one."

He flashed a cute grin, and the surprise was clear in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." He smiled and kissed my shoulder. "And then we can?—"

He stopped talking, and we put some distance between us when the door opened and two men walked out. I swallowed and shook the lovey-dovey haze I was trapped in—and I cursed myself. This was work, for fuck's sake. Even though I had no intention of hiding anything—I'd leave that for Danny to decide—I was a professional.

"Payne, you out there?" I heard Terrance call.

"That's us." I rose to my feet and motioned for Danny to walk ahead of me.

Once in the doorway, I spotted Terrance sitting behind his desk, and he gestured for us to come on in.

He leaned back in his seat and clasped his fingers over his stomach. "So this is the super soldier."

"I don't remember using the word super." I smirked and walked over to him, and we shook hands over the desk. "Good to see you, boss."

"You too, Emerson. Have a seat. I wanna hear all about this Danny Rose." He had the file on his desk already, the one I'd faxed over yesterday. "Born in 1970, huh? You're only two years older than my son, and you've already racked up some medals." He shifted his gaze to me. "Is it even worth sending him to Ecuador?"

Oh, we'd definitely send him there. "He wouldn't accept being treated differently."

All our recruits now went through their final selection at the training facility in Ecuador, and Danny would be no exception. The property used to be more of a low-key place for field training, but as of last year, it was the location one finally earned the title of operator.

"Glad to hear it," Terrance replied. "But I expect him to pass with flying colors."

Of course he did. With Danny's résumé, the bar was set high.

"So what makes you wanna go private, Rose?" Terrance asked him.

Danny cleared his throat and sat straighter in his seat. "I believe I can get more done with less of an Army entourage on my tail, sir. And also, the money."

He was honest.

Terrance chuckled and returned his gaze to the file. "I assume you like a good challenge too."

"Definitely," Danny confirmed.

Terrance hummed, and after a moment, he dropped the file on the desk before he leaned back once more.

"With your background, a standard interview is pointless," he said. "I already know what you excel at. My question to you is…how do you view the world today? After your deployments and covert ops—and with current events in mind—do you see war on the horizon? In which case, where?"

Hm. Good questions. He'd asked me something similar when I'd joined, and I'd struggled to find a balance between what I genuinely believed and what the conspiracy theorist in me feared. Call it a work hazard. I tended to see problems brewing everywhere.

Politicians talked about peacetime and treaties, and my coworkers and I at Hillcroft… We didn't.

Danny shifted in his seat and hesitated. "Do you want me to be frank?"

"Always," Terrance said with a nod.

I side-eyed Danny, very curious about his thoughts.

He cleared his throat. "The Middle East, in short."

Terrance indulged him with a wry smile. "Give me the long answer."

I smirked.

Danny chuckled and cracked his knuckles absently. "All right… I think something's going on. Civil war in Yemen, an anti-West movement on the rise, the shit in Libya and Egypt, don't get me started on Iraq, and in this region, I can count over twenty ethnic groups off the top of my head that hate each other to some degree, famine, everybody wants oil—including us—religious fanatics, and, let's not forget, we left something behind when the Soviets and the US pulled out of Afghanistan. We thought we became the heroes to the Afghans when we helped them defeat the Soviets, but anyone who pays attention and actually listens to what the religious leaders and insurgents are saying…? We're next on their shit list."

Damn. A conspiracy theorist after my own heart.

Then again, they were no longer conspiracies. We'd never had so many scouts in the Middle East as we currently did. Same could be said for the CIA.

I shifted forward in my seat as I unlocked another level of interest in my boy's mind. He wasn't some soldier who just waited for orders; he kept himself updated on foreign affairs.

"So this is where you think your assignments would take you," Terrance stated.

"That's where I think we'll have fires to put out, depending on how things escalate," Danny replied. "Look—I'm a patriot. I love serving my country. But I'm not blind to the extremism we give birth to when we leave rubble behind wherever we go. It may have worked to end World War II, but it's not working in that sandbox."

I couldn't help myself. I needed him to elaborate. "What worked in World War II?"

He shrugged. "Obliterating our enemy. Just look at Japan. And look at the reputation it gave us as tyrants and world police. But what are our options? Annihilate the threat and come out as both victors and oppressors, or destroy just enough to create a new generation that hates us? Or…" He shrugged. "Sign peace treaties that fail as soon as the next fanatic takes charge, and then we gotta be on high alert again, costing us billions in preparedness." He paused, as if hesitating about what he wanted to say next. "This may sound strange coming from a soldier who admittedly thrives in a war zone, but it's a lose-lose business. Every side considers themselves the good guys, so once the war starts, it's just gonna go on and on until there's nothing left."

I never would've thought that this meeting would make me see a whole new side to Danny Rose. Not only did I agree with him, but I admired anyone who could see nuances and consequences. And we'd left a lot of consequences in the Middle East in the last twenty years.

Terrance observed Danny in silence for a moment. He exchanged a glance or two with me too, and I hoped we were on the same page.

"Do you see any other solution?" he asked.

Danny scrunched his nose. "That's above my pay grade, sir. I'm not saying smaller conflicts can't be solved with diplomacy, but in the end, I've chosen my side. My loyalty lies with my country and my people, whether we're the good guys or the really good guys."

I coughed around a chuckle, and Terrance shook his head, amused.

"A soldier who thinks outside the box and holds strong opinions," Terrance mused, shifting his gaze to me. "I suppose we have room for one of those."

We absolutely did.

Terrance wasn't done with Danny yet, though. "As a private contractor, your work will obviously look different. It's usually not a matter of good guys or bad guys, our country and their country."

"I understand, sir." Danny nodded. "Emerson told me you get a lot of extractions."

Terrance inclined his head. "Among other things, but yes. It's a private agency, and our clients these days are often civilians running out of options. When the government won't help, they turn to us. Arthur—rest his soul—liked to call us errand boys with guns."

I snorted softly.

Terrance smirked faintly and nodded my way. "Emerson is one of our best. You'll learn a lot from him—just don't play poker with him."

I grinned.

He was wrapping things up, and I could tell Danny was waiting for the moment he could breathe out in relief. We both watched Terrance open Danny's file once more, and the front page got stamped in the bottom corner.

"Your training begins next week," he told Danny. "Emerson will set up an appointment for you with our counselors. It's usually six sessions in a two-week span, followed by a physical evaluation. After that, you'll spend a few mandatory months in our schoolhouse—and Emerson will be your mentor. Talk to him. You might dive in, thinking you'll be working in extractions, only for you to discover you're better suited for intel or clandestine ops. You never know." He signed a form that he extended to Danny. "Work hard enough, and maybe we can speed things along so you can go through your final selection in November. That's the next time we're sending recruits down to Ecuador."

I'd make sure Danny was on that flight, alongside River and Reese.

"Thank you, sir." Danny nodded and folded the form, which I knew he was going to deliver to our version of an HR department. "You won't be disappointed."

"Good to hear." Terrance turned to me as I got up from my seat. "How're the twins doing?"

"Eager as ever," I said. "For every day that passes, it becomes clearer that their skill sets will complement one another. You'll definitely want River working in intel, and Reese will get him in and out."

He nodded thoughtfully. "If they continue on that path, adjust Reese's training."

"Will do."

I headed for the door, and then Danny apparently had something to say.

"One last thing, sir." He spoke to Terrance. "What's your fraternization policy?"

I blinked and stopped short, genuinely shocked he went straight there.

Terrance was surprised too when I turned to look at him, but he was quick to catch on. For once, I had zero poker face, and I bet I looked like I'd been caught with my hand in Danny's cookie jar.

"You two?" he questioned.

Danny answered. "If he'll have me. I think he's under the impression that we're temporary, and I wanna change that."

Bloody hell.

I swallowed as a rush of nerves and joy and mind-numbing confusion ripped through me.

Terrance leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. "We deploy operators at Hillcroft, not men, not women, not spouses, not friends. What you do off the clock is your business—but when you step inside this building or you're on an assignment, you represent the agency as an operator. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Danny smiled. "Have a good one!"

Terrance's lips twitched with mirth, and while Danny walked out, I suddenly felt the need to linger. Partly in case Terrance wanted to say something, and partly because I felt I should.

I wasn't wrong. He did have something to say.

"You sure you can keep shit separate, Payne? You'll be his CO until he graduates. It'll put him in a vulnerable position."

I nodded with a dip of my chin, still a bit stunned. I felt a tightness around my chest, and it wasn't solely about Danny's declaration. It was how easily he had announced a homosexual relationship to an outsider. Being gay wasn't anything I hid from anybody, but it wasn't something I advertised either.

"His training comes first, regardless of what happens in our personal lives," I promised.

"That's all I need to know."

Okay, good, then I was fucking out of here. Christ. What a mindfuck.

I walked out, finding Danny waiting for me in the hall with a curious grin, and I closed the door to Terrance's office.

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" he asked. A hot second later, his smile fell, and he grew visibly worried. "Oh shit. You wanted us to be private, didn't you? Oh fuck—I'm such a?—"

"That's enough," I managed to say. I put a hand on his shoulder and ushered him toward the elevators, and I was quick to let my hand drop again. "I want us as official as we can be. I'm just not used to coming out to people."

"Coming—" He stopped and looked up at me, shocked. "They don't know you're gay?"

I honestly had no clue. "I don't see why they would. We don't talk about personal matters here."

It was a good thing it'd been Terrance. He was fine with it—and I only knew that because Quinlan had once brought a boyfriend to a holiday party.

"I'm sorry, Em," Danny said soberly. "I wasn't thinking. I think I was too high on my relief, and I… Fuck. I'm sorry. I should've talked to you first."

I blew out a breath and let things settle, and it didn't require too much energy. In fact, it felt kind of good.

I mean, I'd come out to my family early. I'd told Mum first. I'd admitted I liked boys when I was in junior high. She'd reacted well, and she'd encouraged me to tell Dad too. But after that…with my history in the military and the fact that I didn't have much of a social life, I'd walked a thin line between open and private.

Maybe that could change.

Life had been too black-and-white up until now. It wasn't like I'd had anyone to hold hands with in public. I hadn't dated anyone openly because that wasn't the dynamic I'd shared with anyone.

"Don't be sorry. I'm not." I kept my voice down as we passed the reception desk, and luck was on our side. An elevator opened up as soon as I pushed the button, which would give us a brief moment of privacy. I pulled him close in a tight hug and kissed the side of his head, and I let out another breath. He doesn't want us to be temporary. "You just gave me another reason to celebrate today."

He glanced up at me with a wary expression, so I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him.

"I mean it. Don't feel bad. Okay? You took me by surprise, but it feels nice."

He wasn't convinced. "I could've handled it better."

"Fuck it." I kissed his nose and smiled. "You wanna be mine even when you're on the other side of the world? You've made my day, Danny."

He raked his teeth across his bottom lip. "That was how I figured you've been thinking we're temporary. You keep saying things like, when you go off to live your life in and out of conflict zones—shit like that. But I want more than that."

I closed my eyes briefly and took a breath. "Trust me when I say I want more too. I just didn't wanna assume—or take advantage."

"Take advantage, how?"

I shrugged with one shoulder and eased off. We'd reached the bottom floor, which wasn't even where we were going, so I pressed the button for the fifth floor. We had to get Danny's recruit ID card so he could come and go in a select few places . With his clearance level, he wouldn't even have access to the shooting range without me present.

"I'll be your superior," I said. "I don't want you to feel pressured into anything."

That one made him huff. "Thanks, but I can make decisions for myself even when I'd bending over for my hot CO."

Fucking brat.

"But, so…" He took a step closer. "Can we be official and shit?"

Christ. I chuckled and shook my head. Yeah, we could definitely be official and shit.

"I never stood a fighting chance against you, Danny Rose," I murmured. "I'm yours for however long you want me."

He beamed. "I'll hold you to it."