Chapter 7
Sonny woke up with a start and looked around. The last thing he remembered was Skyping with Davis, but the laptop was nowhere in sight. Sonny sighed and laughed at the sight of Jason asleep next to him. He had no idea, but he didn't really care.
Jason stirred in his sleep as Sonny woke up and got out of bed. He rolled over and opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling.
"You know. I don't usually mind waking up to a tan, fit, brunette. But you're not really my type Jason." Sonny joked.
"You're not my type either, Sonny." Jason said, throwing a pillow at Sonny's head.
"That's hurtful. And a lie. I'm everyone's type." Sonny said, laughing and throwing the pillow back to Jason.
"Sure thing, Cowboy. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Jason said, chuckling.
"So, what do I owe this honor? Last time I checked I was alone last night." Sonny said, searching Jason's face for answers.
"Just checking on my team, that's all." Jason said.
"Uh huh. And?" Sonny prodded.
"And, I was worried about you. You and Clay are tight. I wanted to make sure you were good. When I came in, I picked up your laptop. You must have just fallen asleep..." Jason said, trailing off.
"Davis. You talk to her?" Sonny asked, keep his voice as even as possible, not ready to talk about his relationship with the team yet.
"Yeah. She seems to be hanging in there at OCS." Jason said.
"Yeah. She's gonna make it." Sonny said, thinking back to his own conversation with Davis.
"She's worried about you, you know." Jason said.
"I'm good, Jason. It's time to kick down some doors and crush some skulls. We've got to get these guys, whoever they are. We owe it to Clay." Sonny said, fire in his eyes.
"I know. We will. Mandy is working on getting us a name." Jason said, meeting Sonny's gaze. "Let's round up the guys."
Sonny and Jason walked into the makeshift command center 10 minutes later, and were quickly followed by Ray, Trent and Brock. There was an energy in the room that all could feel. Mandy stood at the front of the room, looking like she hadn't slept since the first bomb blast. The monitors behind her and Blackburn displayed photos from the bar and surrounding area.
"Listen up, gentleman." Blackburn said, clearing his throat, immediately commanding the team's attention. There wasn't the usual back-and-forth ribbing and laughter that usually accompanies Bravo. Everyone on the team was laser-focused on the task at hand.
"We are still working on figuring out who is responsible. We have three suspects," Mandy said, pointing to the screens behind her, which flashed to three graining photos. "Based on the photos we have collected from before the first bomb, these three are our likely suspects. They are not in the system, but they are out there, and someone knows who they are."
"And that is where you gentleman come in." Blackburn said, looking at each in turn. "If we want to find out who these three are, we need to start asking questions. Anyone you have met, anyone you have spent time with. If they know anything, we need to know."
"I don't care if you know their names or not, if you spent time with them, you question them." Blackburn said, looking directly at Sonny. "And yes, I'm looking at you Quinn. Believe it or not, you're not the only one that enjoys the nightlife. These guys might have their own favorite dancer in town."
With that statement, the meeting ends, and the team disperses. Sonny hangs back, taking extra time to gather his water bottle and laptop.
"Get some rest Ellis." Blackburn tells Mandy, turning to leave.
"Commander, can I have a word?" Sonny asks Blackburn as they leave together.
"I was serious, Sonny. If your stripper girlfriend has any knowledge of who these guys are, we need to know." Blackburn said, a fire in his tired eyes.
"That's the thing." Sonny said, looking around to make sure they were alone in the hallway.
"I don't have a stripper girlfriend, sir." Sonny said, taking his hat off and running his hand through his hair.
"Cut the BS, Sonny. You told Spenser you had a girl." Blackburn said, pointing a finger in the center of Sonny's chest. "Who is she? Where is she?"
"Back home." Sonny said with a sigh, leaning against the wall.
"Virginia? So, you really haven't been going out alone? You haven't been going out at all?" Blackburn said, taken aback.
"Not exactly Virginia." Sonny said, looking up to meet Blackburn's eyes. "She's currently in Rhode Island." Sonny added, looking down.
"Are you telling me what I think you are telling me, Sonny?" Blackburn said.
"Honestly… I'm trying really hard not to tell you anything." Sonny said. "I need you to know I'm not hiding anything that will help find the guys responsible for that bomb. And, I need you to keep this conversation between us."
"Okay. But I'm not doing this for you." Blackburn said, glaring at Sonny.
