Trigger Discipline (Team Oh Sh!t Book 1), page 25
BUGGING OUT
The Judge was a shallow-hulled little boat that bobbed along the waters of the Potomac at a decent pace. It was a pleasant little vessel, making good time through the cold, dark river. Gabriel tried to keep his eyes open, one hand on his gun as he surveyed for danger, but between the rocking of the boat and the gentle splashing of waves on the hull, Gabriel’s head kept bobbing forward, eyelids heavy.
Once they got underway, he had a chance to take a breath and with it, the adrenaline from the last week or so drained away, leaving him feeling exhausted and brittle. With everyone else busy, he meandered toward the stern of the ship, sitting on the fantail with his legs swinging over the water.
It felt strange to just be sitting, watching the landscape change from city to wealthy riverside homes with sprawling double-decker docks, to the countryside. Occasionally, the river would narrow or widen, the rapids shaking the little boat, but Tommy had apparently spent a lot more time with this ex-boyfriend than he’d let on, or he was a natural sailor because he was expertly guiding them north.
His arm still ached, but Tommy had wrapped it for him, releasing the tourniquet. It wasn’t great, and Tommy told him he’d need some antibiotics, but that felt far away with the sky turning sherbert and the sails snapping above him.
Boots squeaked on the deck behind him as Blake joined him, taking a moment to unlace his. He rolled up his pant legs before letting his legs dangle beside Gabriel’s, toes wiggling in the spray from the river.
“How’s Judd?”
Blake leaned back on his hands, tipping his head up to the sky. He closed his eyes and breathed in, chest expanding with each deep breath. “As good as he can be,” Blake finally answered. He’d obviously washed his hands, but they were still stained red, his cuticles and the creases in his palms darker than the rest of his skin.
“He needs a real doctor. Preferably, one in a hospital with a surgery suite and blood transfusions. But I’ve got him comfortable, hydrated, and most of the bleeding has stopped.” His lips curled in a small smile. “Victoria is sitting with him.”
“So she can smack him when he regains consciousness?”
“Probably.”
Gabriel turned back to the river. He’d been trying to ignore the haze of smoke on the horizon over DC. He was surprised by how difficult it was to leave the city behind. There were surely still people there, hunkered down in apartments and buildings, hoping for a rescue that wasn’t coming.
Irving said that the government was gone, the country in ruin, but…what did that mean for them? They were operating on assumptions that refugee centers were in place, that they’d be able to get help and reinforcements, but that was looking more and more like wishful thinking. If there were safe zones set up after the Off Formers arrived, wasn’t it just as likely the Monkey Cats had destroyed those from orbit along with the cities?
What if they were completely alone?
Which was a prospect Gabriel wasn’t ready to comprehend. Not when the enormity of it was too great. For once in his life, he wasn’t ready to accept another burden.
At least not yet.
Once the boat docked and they could make their way toward Bethesda, he would resume command. He would tackle the big problems and do whatever it took to get, and keep, his team safe.
But for now, the sun was setting. The waters were calm. And Blake looked radiant. His face was serene, the sun illuminating his messy hair in a halo. Gabriel’s mouth went dry, and for a moment, he forgot about everything.
Sliding his hand forward on the smooth deck, he tangled their fingers together so he could hold Blake’s hand. The medic smiled, opening his eyes. They were the color of spring.
“I’m sorry about your crochet hook,” Blake said, squeezing Gabriel’s hand.
“That’s okay.” Gabriel lifted their joined hands and tugged Blake closer. “I think I found something equally as distracting.” He tilted his head and kissed Blake, soft and slow. It felt right, and suddenly everything seemed so unimportant—his arm didn’t hurt, DC wasn’t burning, and life as they knew it hadn’t been irreparably changed.
Because Blake was kissing him back, leaning into him, with his soft hair brushing Gabriel’s cheek, his skin warm and alive.
When the future was uncertain, Gabriel was going to hold onto the only good thing that had come out of all of this. He was going to hold onto Blake with all he had.
After all, Blake was his mission.
The invasion continues in…
Rally Point Zero
ALSO BY JACQUELINE MCCALL
Stand Alone Novels
Delta Delta Flyboy
His Country
Sword and Scale Chronicles
Blood Fist
Say Her Name Series
Call Her Filly
Glow in the Desert Series
Hurt
Shrapnel
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
And another one down! It’s crazy to think that when someone asks me about my books, it’s plural. As in, I have multiple books out there. I took a harebrained concept, turned it into a harebrained idea, and then somehow wrestled it into a book. Or at least, book adjacent.
The idea for Trigger Discipline is directly from my mom. I’m not sure how much she would love to be credited with that, but she was the one who started my love of sci-fi and disaster movies. I can vividly remember spending rainy afternoons (or school days when she allowed me to skip!) watching disaster movies. Everything from Independence Day, Dante’s Peak, Volcano, The Core, and Armageddon. We would criticize the star’s actions, complain about how realistic it was…and then watch it all over again.
It’s some of my fondest memories.
Which led me to think, what if I wrote something like that…but with more boys kissing?
And here we are. Blake, Gabriel, and the entire Team Oh Shit have really wormed their way into my heart. And I hope yours, too.
But like every project, I couldn’t have done this without some help.
First and foremost, my mom. As mentioned, she not only sparked my love of disaster movies, but even as a single mother working full-time, she made time for those afternoons. The ones that still make me all warm and fuzzy. She has been the backbone of my entire life, supporting me through every crazy idea. She has always been my biggest fan, and there is not enough thanks and love in the world.
Thank you, Mom. I love you.
Second, to my husband. My grumpy partner with sparkling eyes. Thank you for listening to all my stories, poking holes in all my ideas so they’re better, and never being afraid to tell me ‘no’ when I have a particularly desperate idea. And for always prioritizing our family. All the nights you took point on parenting so I could spend time writing, thank you. I love you. I couldn’t do life without you. I wouldn’t want to.
To Tabitha (Ragdoll Reads), without whom this manuscript would be nothing more than a jumbled mess of hopes, dreams, bad puns, and confused em and en dashes. Thank you for managing to clean up this mess without losing my voice. Your patience is without equal, and I am unworthy of your time. And I’m sorry about the commas, please never leave me.
To my many, varied friends on the internet, I’ve never met—thank you for always being just a screen away. You’ve listened to me, helped me work through plots and sex scenes, and, more importantly, cheered me on.
To Clarinda, T.M Delaney, Brennan Grey, Luke Wilde, and the many, many others…thank you.
And to my readers. Thank you for taking a chance on this book. For taking a chance on a harried, sleep-deprived mom, who writes down the convoluted fantasies in her head. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
—Jacqueline
www.jmccallwrites.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacqueline ‘Jayke’ McCall is a displaced Texan, living on a farm in Central Florida. Raised as an only child by a single mother, she was often left alone. To fill her time, she picked up reading. When hyper fixating on characters wasn’t enough, she started creating her own.
Like her characters, she never pulls punches. Preferring to write characters that aren’t being rescued by the knight on the white horse, but rather a beaten, bloody, morally grey savior.
Basically nocturnal, she prefers long naps behind blackout curtains and energy drinks. She can never remember keyboard short cuts and hates when her phone updates. When not writing, she enjoys riding her horses, being judged by cats, and cursing.
For updates, freebies, extra content, and general shenanigans you can sign up for Jacqueline’s newsletter on her website!
https://jmccallwrites.com/
Jacqueline McCall, Trigger Discipline (Team Oh Sh!t Book 1)
