The Sunday morning air was crisp and sharp, which helped clear Decker’s head. Not only was he shocked to be taken seriously by the Malone brothers, he was still reeling after kissing their baby sister.
Theo handed him a Glock 19, standard issue for the team.
Theo pointed to the target. “Ten rounds.”
The weight of the pistol felt familiar in Decker’s hands. He hadn’t held a weapon since he left his SEAL team, but muscle memory took over as he checked the magazine, chambered a round and settled into his stance.
As he raised the weapon and took aim…
Fuck.He was right back there again, listening to Delilah’s voice cutting out mid-transmission.
Then he remembered why he was being tested, and his mind went quiet. This wasn’t Afghanistan. This wasn’t a life-or-death extraction gone wrong. This was just him, the target and ten rounds to prove he belonged here.
The first shot rang out, clean and true. Center mass.
Nine more followed in quick succession, striking the targets lined up at the back of the range, each one finding its mark. When the last shot found the center ring on the target, Decker lowered the weapon and turned to Theo.
“Pass,” Theo said simply, but there was approval in his voice.
“What’s next?” He had no doubt that he’d pass the test, yet he still felt pleasure wash through him.
“Physical. Doc’s waiting in the infirmary.”
“On a Sunday?”
“Can’t have an old injury pop up.”
They returned to the lodge. As Decker headed to the infirmary, Theo gave him a single nod.
Dr. Stanford looked up from his clipboard when Decker entered. “Physicals. My favorite,” he said dryly, eyes creasing with amusement. “Strip down to your underwear.”
He sounded far too cheerful about the prospect, reminding him of being put through similar tests when he joined the Navy. And even more tests when he applied for BUD/S training to become a SEAL.
The examination was thorough. When the doctor spotted the still-healing knife wound on Decker’s shoulder, he paused.
“What happened here?”
Decker stared at him in answer.
Dr. Stanford nodded slowly, understanding that he wasn’t going to get a direct answer from him.
“Decent work on these staples.” He probed gently around the edges. “Tell me you didn’t do this yourself.”
“Willow did it.”
The doctor went still, then issued a chuckle. “Is there anything Willow can’t do?”
The question hit Decker harder than it should have. Because the answer was no—there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. Fix wounds, manage a ranch, hold a family together…
Make him want to be a better man than he’d ever thought possible.
“Healing nicely.” The doctor moved away to scribble notes on his chart. “You’re cleared for field work.”
The words hit him like a shot of electricity straight to his core. For months he’d been in limbo—not quite broken, not quite whole. Now, officially, he was neither patient nor outsider. He was part of the team.
When he stepped out of the infirmary, he was feeling better than he had in months. The tests were going well. Maybe he actually had a shot at—
Something slammed into his chest hard enough to knock the breath out of him. His reflexes kicked in automatically, hands shooting up to catch the object before it could hit the ground.
