Free Unbreakable: A Section 8 Novel (A Section Eight Novel) by Stephanie Tyler Page B

him several feet from her. He’d obviously just woken up and his eyes were dark with anger.
    “I think it’s a guy who’s all tied up and should be shutting his mouth,” another broad man said. He was shorter than the guy in front of her, but no less intimidating. Obviously, not to Jem, the way he goaded the man.
    “Nice anchor, Popeye.”
    Popeye. Navy. Gunner. Okay. She blew out a breath. Maybe this could still be okay.
    Maybe. “You know Gunner.”
    “Why are you asking questions about him?”
    Oddly protective. And Avery suddenly knew who these men had lost.
    “The story’s true, isn’t it? Your daughter was married to . . . James.”
    “Why does this interest you?”
    There were so many things she could say, professional things. What came out was “I love him.”
    The men looked at her. Jem groaned and then suddenly he was free and slamming one of the men to the desk, pointing a gun at the other one. “Untie her.”
    “Do it, Mike,” the man on the desk grunted. Mike moved forward and undid the bindings on her wrists and then her ankles. Jem didn’t take the gun off the guy on the table, told Mike, “Move to the corner and sit your ass down. I’m asking questions now.”
    Avery stood and Jem motioned for her to grab a weapon. She did, but kept the gun down at her side. “We love Gunner. He left without warning and I think he’s doing something bad. Billie said you were asking about me . . . and then an hour later, someone nearly killed her.”
    Mike shook his head and Andy cursed softly, then said, “It wasn’t us. James was our family.”
    Mike looked at Andy and smiled and Avery knew two things then—these men loved each other, and they’d welcomed Gunner into their home, despite everything. Despite everything, they still wanted to protect him.
    Mike cleared his throat and looked at her. “Josie was my daughter. Her mom, Amie, was my best friend. I grew up here.”
    “And I grew up in Texas,” Andy said, his drawl thick and definitely not from Louisiana. His head was still pressed to the table by Jem, who was intent on listening.
    “Amie wanted a baby, but she’d been pretty burned in the past by love. She decided she could raise a baby herself, asked me if I was okay with that. I knew I’d be away a lot with the Navy, and I knew she’d be a damned good mom. So I was always a part of Josie’s life—she grew up knowing I was her dad and that I was gay and everything was fine. But then Amie got cancer—damn, it was so quick. And rather than relocate Josie, who was twelve at the time, ormake her travel with me and Andy, which would’ve been damned near impossible with our jobs as SEALs, we moved here. I was willing to come alone, but Andy wouldn’t let me.”
    “Best decision I ever made,” Andy said. “We don’t typically trade information on family, but you seem to want to help him, not use him. And you seem like you’re in as much danger as Billie.”
    “Why’d you go to see her?” Avery asked.
    “I wanted to talk to you,” Mike said. “I knew James—Gunner—left New Orleans last month. What I don’t know is why. Or at least I didn’t. Now I think I know.”
    “He’s in a bad place, isn’t he?” she whispered.
    “If he’s back doing what I think he’s doing, yes.” Mike sighed, stared at the ceiling. “He’s been in close proximity for years, but he never got in touch. For our safety, more so than his. He’s got to be ruthless about cutting ties to his past.”
    Avery rubbed her wrists where the rope bit into them.
    “Sorry about that. We’re suspicious types.”
    “Jem, you could probably let Andy up now,” Avery said.
    Jem grumbled but did so. Andy got up slowly, moved away from Gunner. Avery put the gun back into its case then and Mike motioned for all of them to follow him farther into the deceptively worn house.
    It was obvious these two men had a more than fleeting concern for security and privacy, especially once they were led through the