May Contain Wine (SWAT Generation 2.0 5)

“Nathan and Reggie,” Ares said. “Did you know that Nathan used to be a professional baseball player?”

Avery nodded.

“Reggie is Michael’s niece. Nathan and Reggie grew up together a lot like we did. They’re more like you and Ford used to be before y’all decided that sex was more fun than fighting,” Ares continued at Ashe’s silent questioning look.

Ashe snickered.

“There’s definitely something there,” Rowen agreed as she disappeared into a stall. “When they’re in a room together, it feels like stuff is going to start spontaneously combusting.”

The toilet flushed seconds later, and Rowen went between Avery and Ares to wash her hands.

Seconds later, as she was drying off her hands, there was a hard bang on the other side of the door, followed by a man’s curse. “It’s locked.”

We all turned to stare at the door.

There was no way that they were going to get in here.

“I know I saw them go in there. These bitches will have to do,” someone else muttered.

Seconds later, the sound of the back door closing had me scrambling for my phone.

I immediately called Louis.

“Little busy, baby,” Louis panted.

“There was a loud thump on the bathroom door. And we knocked a couple of girls out when they tried to fight us. They were lying outside the bathroom door. Then we heard a couple of men talking about the women having to ‘do.’ They went out the back door,” I told him urgently.

Louis sighed. Seconds later, that sigh was followed by a meaty thump denoting Louis likely knocking someone out. “I’ll get them, baby.”

Then he was gone, leaving me staring at the door in concern.

“We’re not leaving,” Ashe said.

I shook my head. “We’re not.”

Just as I was about to get worried, there were several quick taps and then nothing.

“That was probably Louis saying he got it. Not to open the door,” I murmured.

The quick knocks were quickly followed by the sound of the door opening to the back, and then nothing.

Sirens could be heard in the background now, too.

“This was fun.” Avery sighed. “I get a babysitter, and this happens.”

I grinned. “If it makes you feel better, I have an online class that I skipped for this.”

“What’s the online class for?” Ashe asked curiously.

“Advanced education. I have to have so many hours to renew my nursing license,” I explained. “And I might or might not have procrastinated, and now all the hours are due in the next couple of months.”

“It sounds exhausting,” Rowen murmured.

“It is exhausting,” I agreed. “That’s why I didn’t do it. Why I waited so long. I spend all freakin’ day at the school. The only time that I have free is when I get home and the weekends. And I’ve been trying to fit all of my magazine articles in when I have free time.”

“Tell me about Hero Magazine. How did it come to be?” Ashe asked curiously.

I grinned.

“Well, it all started as a blog. When I was sickly as a kid, I started one. I had nothing better to do. I used to find fun articles on the internet about police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and military. Then I’d write a bit about them, my thoughts about the matter, and then post the articles on my blog. Eventually, it turned into people sending me articles that they thought I’d enjoy. Then it wasn’t me sharing other people’s articles anymore. It was me writing my own. I’d converse with people all online, share their stories. When the magazine started happening? Well, that started with an investor. He was a retired Navy SEAL. He liked my blog and offered me a magazine.”

“Who just offers someone a magazine?” Avery asked.

I grinned. “An eighteen-year-old at that. But I think he really liked all the positivity I showed when it came to our armed forces and our first responders. The SEAL’s name was Lynn. Lynn is what I would call an enigma. When he came to me about the magazine, it was in hope that my positivity would spread. That people would read these articles and begin to love them again.”

“So he fronted the money, and now you write the articles?” Avery wondered.

I nodded. “Well, I did write the articles. I still do, actually. But now Lynn and I hire out a lot of the stuff. I told him in the beginning I wasn’t really interested in the whole business aspect of it. It’s my brainchild and all, but I just write. I travel a bit to talk to those I write about. But Lynn handles all the other stuff. The expenses. The ads. The everyday bullshit that comes with owning a business. But he keeps me apprised as much as I want to be apprised.”

“Which isn’t much at all,” Ares said. “She gets a fat check every month, and probably wouldn’t even notice if it wasn’t there.”

That was true.