by Dwayne Gill
“Do you want to see a photo of your biological father?” Lynks asked Cane.
“Do we know if the guy’s still alive?” asked Cane.
“Yep,” said Calvin. “He is. He’s been in hiding for a very long time.”
“I’ll wait to see him in person then,” said Cane.
“I’ve been wanting to meet him for a long time, too,” said William.
“I’ve got something to say,” said Mathis, walking in from another room.
“Oh, hell,” said Bowman. “Don’t get him started.”
Mathis smiled. “I don’t know all of you well yet, but I’ve been serving with William for years. He’s the best soldier I’ve ever known.” Dirk threw his arms up as if to say, What about me? Mathis smiled and continued walking until he stood in front of the room beside Calvin. “I’m damn proud of all of you, and it’s my honor to defend this country by your side.”
Cane didn’t know the man but had already been impressed by the colonel, who reminded him of Bowman.
“Bowman started Red Delta with Cane and Lynks,” said Mathis. “After the program shut down, I started Red Alpha with William as my star ranger. William’s squad was named Red Dog. In that same spirit, I’d like us to continue the tradition and name our bunch of misfits.”
“Red Lion?” asked Daniel.
Mathis grinned and shook his head.
“Red Blood?” Daniel tried again.
“Not quite,” said Mathis.
“Red Ass,” said Bowman, which elicited chuckles,
“Red Omega,” said Mathis.
“Forever,” said Natalie. “I like it.”
The rest of the room showed their approval, and with that, Mathis excused himself.
Daniel stood. “Hold up, Corporal.”
“It’s Colonel,” said Calvin. “And you’re saluting with the wrong hand.”
Daniel switched hands. “I’m sorry, Colonel. I have an announcement. As the eldest of the Omega brothers, I think we’ve all studied and grieved enough for one night. It’s time for some ‘us’ time.”
Mathis nodded. “What do you have in mind?”
“Pictionary!” shouted Taryn, to everyone’s delight.
Cane let out a big sigh as the room looked at him. “Just wait until you see him draw,” said Daniel. “It’ll give you a good laugh.”
“Give me the stupid pencil,” said Cane. “I’m on my game tonight.”
He wasn’t, though. As was the case the last time, Cane managed to butcher an otherwise easy drawing that no one could discern. “Angry,” said Cane dejectedly after everyone exhausted their guesses. “That’s a fist,” he said, pointing to the crude drawing.
They had been doing more laughing than guessing. “I thought it was a mushroom cloud,” said Mathis.
After playing a while, everyone returned to the den to watch movies and relax, but people were mostly talking and joking around. Cane had gone to get a drink from the kitchen and returned to find Daniel tickling Kristy, who was laughing uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath. She looked up at Cane and begged, “Help! You’re supposed to protect me!”
Though she was joking, Cane removed his taser from his jacket and fired the barbs into Daniel’s back. The effect this time was a little greater, for before, the big guy was half-consumed by his darkness. Cane watched Daniel jerk slightly and make a funny noise before looking over his shoulder. “You tased me? Again?” he asked. “And do you just keep a taser with you at all times? Weirdo.”
Full-blown laughter erupted now, and the show wasn’t over. Calvin had found footage of the Miami club undercover mission, and he played a clip of it on the television. On display was Layla dressed in her stripper attire, walking through the room full of Russians like she owned the place. When Daniel saw the screen, he stood agape. “Layla?”
She grinned. “It’s Arya to you.”
As everyone laughed, Natalie walked over to Lynks and asked for the floor. “What about the little comment you made while I sat on Voronoff’s lap? Did I sense jealousy?”
Lynks turned red with embarrassment. “I was just concerned for your safety.”
“Uh-huh,” said Natalie, smiling at him. “I can take care of myself.”
“She’s not kidding,” said Calvin. “You should have seen her with a gun in her hands.”
“Hey, speaking of that,” said Kristy. “Didn’t you say that because Marcene injected Cane, Daniel, and William with the DNA modifier while they were in the womb, Marcene was technically enhanced too?” She was asking Shaw, who had addressed the question posed earlier.
“Yes,” he said. “Her DNA wasn’t altered on the same level as the boys, but because she shared their blood while she was pregnant, she showed some enhanced abilities.”
“Kind of like the marked men,” said Calvin. “They inject men with their own blood, so in a way they’re sharing themselves.”
“So wouldn’t that mean Natalie was altered too? Like Marcene?” asked Kristy. Everyone looked stunned by the thought, including Natalie, who looked at her hands in wonder, like she was just realizing the strength she wielded.
“Little sis,” said Daniel. “You’re a monster too?”
Natalie shrugged. “I bet I can beat your ass,” she said, smiling.
“Fantastic,” said Calvin. “Is there anyone here that’s not tougher than me?”
*
Eventually the party ground to a halt, with almost everyone passing out on the den floor as a movie played in the background. Cane and Kristy seemed to be the only two awake, and they lay on the floor facing each other. “I’m glad you’re back,” she whispered. “I missed you.”
Cane smiled at her. “I’m sorry. I needed time to work out my stubbornness. I’m back for good.”
Kristy yawned. “I can’t sleep on this floor. Brings back bad memories. I think I’m gonna crawl in my bed.” She got to her knees, but as she was about to stand up, she glanced back at Cane. “You want to come sleep in my bed?”
Cane studied her. Kristy had been through a lot of rough moments in her life and had every right not to want sleep alone, but Cane didn’t think she was typically afraid anymore. “Are you scared?”
Daniel raised his head up. “She’s busting a move on you, idiot. Just follow her to the damn room.”
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed Friction!
Now, I need a quick favor from you. Would you mind leaving me a quick review on Amazon and/or Goodreads? It would only take a moment of your time, for I’m not asking for anything elaborate.
Reviews are extremely helpful to young authors like myself. More reviews mean more people that are willing to take a chance on my novel. I would so greatly appreciate it!
The series isn’t done! I’m currently working on the next prequel, and there are at least two more full-length novels coming. If you’re liking the series Written By Blood, there’s plenty more to come.
To stay up-to-date on new releases, news, and giveaways, just sign up to my mailing list. I promise to never spam you. I send out one email per month, which is usually filled with exciting news and free stuff. You’ll also receive a free copy of the short story CaneDemnation, which is awesome. In fact, it’s the only way to access the story, for it’s not published anywhere.
To get your copy of CaneDemnation, just click HERE to sign up.
Thanks for your support and I’ll see you next time!
Dwayne Gill
About the Author
Dwayne Gill is a new, up-and-coming author with a big imagination. He first thought of the premise of his series Written By Blood when he was just twelve years old. Growing up, he loved action movies and larger-than-life heroes, which is evident when reading his writing.
However, as he got older, he became bothered by the typical action figure tropes and the predictability of the plots, causing his series idea to evolve further.
If you like action thrillers, unlikely, conflicted heroes, twists, and character development that has a
much deeper moral than most other thrillers in its genre, you’ll want to follow the series Written By Blood.
Written By Blood: Conviction Prequels, was released in 2018, and included the short stories Cane’s Detour and Daniel’s Darkness. The first novel of the series, Conviction, was published in December 2018.
Written By Blood: Friction Prequels was published in March 2019.
Written By Blood: Friction was published in June 2019.
Dwayne Gill lives in Louisiana with his wife, son, and his yellow Labrador Retriever.
You can connect with me on: https://dwaynegillbooks.com
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Also by Dwayne Gill
Written By Blood: Conviction Prequels
Written By Blood: Conviction
Written By Blood: Friction Prequels
CaneDemnation
