Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Jesus Christ. It was impossible not to run with the amusement, but this boy had problems.
“You got arrested, didn’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” he replied. “Two cops came and broke up the fight, then kindly escorted me outta there. I spent twenty minutes in their car, promising it was never going to happen again.” He scratched his nose and grinned to himself. “The next day, T’s mom showed up on base, and she gave me a come-to-Jesus talk, fists waving and all, before she smacked me upside the head and gave me a container of cookies.”
I rumbled a laugh and scrubbed a hand over my face, and I shook my head. Bloody fucking hell. I adored that he had his heart in the right place—full stop. We just had to work on how he let his temper get him into trouble.
“My little hothead.” I draped an arm around his neck and pulled him in quick, and I kissed the side of his head. “Were the cookies good?”
“So good that I cleaned the Tupperware and sent a thank-you note.”
I grinned and just stared at him.
Part of me had half expected things to change once we left the cabin, but I still felt like we were in a honeymoon phase, a bubble of sorts, where I was soaking up every word he spoke. I mean, it was how it was supposed to be. This thing between us was only a week old, but the cabin belonged in another world. Far away from work and Hillcroft. And yet, now we were in the lion’s den, about to meet with Terrance, and all I could think about was my boy.
“After we’re done here, I wanna take you out on a date,” I admitted. “A real one.”
He flashed a cute grin, and the surprise was clear in his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” He smiled and kissed my shoulder. “And then we can—”
He stopped talking, and we put some distance between us when the door opened and two men walked out. I swallowed and shook the lovey-dovey haze I was trapped in—and I cursed myself. This was work, for fuck’s sake. Even though I had no intention of hiding anything—I’d leave that for Danny to decide—I was a professional.
“Payne, you out there?” I heard Terrance call.
“That’s us.” I rose to my feet and motioned for Danny to walk ahead of me.
Once in the doorway, I spotted Terrance sitting behind his desk, and he gestured for us to come on in.
He leaned back in his seat and clasped his fingers over his stomach. “So this is the super soldier.”
“I don’t remember using the word super.” I smirked and walked over to him, and we shook hands over the desk. “Good to see you, boss.”
“You too, Emerson. Have a seat. I wanna hear all about this Danny Rose.” He had the file on his desk already, the one I’d faxed over yesterday. “Born in 1970, huh? You’re only two years older than my son, and you’ve already racked up some medals.” He shifted his gaze to me. “Is it even worth sending him to Ecuador?”
Oh, we’d definitely send him there. “He wouldn’t accept being treated differently.”
All our recruits now went through their final selection at the training facility in Ecuador, and Danny would be no exception. The property used to be more of a low-key place for field training, but as of last year, it was the location one finally earned the title of operator.
“Glad to hear it,” Terrance replied. “But I expect him to pass with flying colors.”
Of course he did. With Danny’s résumé, the bar was set high.
“So what makes you wanna go private, Rose?” Terrance asked him.
Danny cleared his throat and sat straighter in his seat. “I believe I can get more done with less of an Army entourage on my tail, sir. And also, the money.”
He was honest.
Terrance chuckled and returned his gaze to the file. “I assume you like a good challenge too.”
“Definitely,” Danny confirmed.
Terrance hummed, and after a moment, he dropped the file on the desk before he leaned back once more.
“With your background, a standard interview is pointless,” he said. “I already know what you excel at. My question to you is…how do you view the world today? After your deployments and covert ops—and with current events in mind—do you see war on the horizon? In which case, where?”
Hm. Good questions. He’d asked me something similar when I’d joined, and I’d struggled to find a balance between what I genuinely believed and what the conspiracy theorist in me feared. Call it a work hazard. I tended to see problems brewing everywhere.
Politicians talked about peacetime and treaties, and my coworkers and I at Hillcroft… We didn’t.
Danny shifted in his seat and hesitated. “Do you want me to be frank?”
“Always,” Terrance said with a nod.
I side-eyed Danny, very curious about his thoughts.