That broke the moment. Boone smirked, Hawk rolled his eyes, and Blade just kept scribbling notes like none of this surprised him.
Logan tapped the map. “Decision’s made. Raine, you take Echo sector. Adam, Foxtrot’s yours. We reconvene at 0200.”
I clenched my fists, forcing the word out. “Fine.”
The meeting broke, chairs scraping, boots echoing across the hangar. I turned away, but I could feel Adam watching me, that steady, unshakable stare like he was memorizing the way I breathed.
And damn it all…part of me wished he would stop.
5
Adam
The night was alive with noise—rushing water, splintering wood, the low roar of the river chewing through Foxtrot sector. My boots sank ankle-deep in mud with every step, gear strapped tight, rifle slung.
Russ and Boone fanned out on either side of me, steady as always. Russ moved like a tank, quiet but immovable, Boone more of a wolf—sharp, cocky, restless energy in every stride. We’d been together long enough that I trusted them without thinking.
But my head wasn’t on the mission.
It was on her.
Raine Carter. Back in my orbit, back under my skin, like she’d never left. I’d watched her storm out of that briefing with fire in her eyes, and I knew it wasn’t over. She’d fight me at every step. And hell if I didn’t respect her for it.
A snapped branch cut through my thoughts. I lifted a fist—halt. Boone froze, scanning the tree line. Russ shifted his grip on the shotgun slung across his chest.
“Movement,” Russ murmured.
The river surged louder, pulling our focus toward the half-collapsed houses along the levee. Windows half-submerged. A roofline sinking inch by inch. Somewhere in there—people.
“Two o’clock,” Boone said, low. “Attic window. Flash of light.”
I saw it too—a flicker of reflection, maybe a phone. Survivors.
“Russ, give us some light,” I ordered. “Boone, with me.”
We waded chest-deep through icy black water. The current tugged like claws, dragging at my legs, threatening to pull us under. Boone cursed under his breath, shoving through.
“Raine should be here,” Boone muttered. “She’s got the eyes for this. Damn stubborn woman.”
My jaw clenched. “She’s in Echo. That’s where she belongs the water isn’t as strong there. She hasn’t stopped since these floods started.”
But the lie sat heavy. She belonged everywhere—especially here, with me. And I hated myself for thinking of her when I needed to be all about saving people.
We reached the house. Boone boosted me up to the window, where a man’s terrified face pressed against the glass. I forced it open, hauled him out first, then the woman clutching a child to her chest. One by one, we got them onto the makeshift raft Russ had secured.
The kid sobbed into my shoulder as I clipped him into a harness. His tiny hand clung to my vest until I had to pry it free.
“Got you,” I said, steady, even though my heart was racing. “You’re safe now.”
Overhead, rotors thundered—the bird circling for extraction. And that’s when I saw her.
Not where she was supposed to be.
Raine.
Silhouette sharp against the floodlights, braid plastered to her back, climbing down the opposite rooftop with no line, nobackup. Heading straight for a house already tilting into the river.
My stomach dropped.
