“Dammit, I need to focus here, out, please, now!”I order but they just keep staring at me. I can feel their eyes on my back. They don’t leave but instead keep talking quieter.
“Sir, we had a little hitch on returning from patrol, I apologize for the delay. What can I do?”
“They are our guests, whatever they need, get it for them. Meet Major Miller and her team. I will return to my duties. Good luck!”
I don't turn around and say a barely audible hello.“No degrees in this room. I have no time to waste, when was the last time you checked these two areas?”
I feel the lieutenant approaching to the map “The first, this morning, and ma’am, nothing to report. The second, two days ago.”
I circle the second point and take my computer. “Let's start from here, I have to do an inspection.”
“When, ma’am?”
“As soon as you give me the car and I need two men, who know the area perfectly.”
“Kate?”I raise my head when Hewitt calls me. And he points his finger behind me. I turn around and I feel the floor slipping from under my feet. It can’t be possible.
“Logan, what are you doing here?”
“I work here, what are you doing here? Is it for your colleague, Max?”
“Brother,”the four of us answer in unison.
“Sure, brother, sorry.”I interrupt him by shaking my head.“No, Max is MY brother.”
“Fuck! The car refills and will be ready in 15 minutes, settle down if you want, your rooms are on the right.”
“Thanks. Go, guys, I'll see you in a moment. You too, Daniel.”I hear him snort and the boys leave me alone with Logan.
“Kate ... I can't believe my eyes, you're here!”He approaches and stops in front of me.
“Not the meeting I had imagined. And certainly not in these conditions.”
“It doesn't matter, you are even more beautiful in reality, you know.”And he hugs me. “And also very sexy dressed like this,”she whispers to me. I reciprocate the embrace and then push him away.
“Logan, I'm here to work. I have to be focused. Let's talk about it after this nightmare, please.”
“Sure,”he hugs me quickly kissing my hair.“Let’s go!”
The base was full of soldiers and I could see them stare at us but I didn’t care and as soon as the car arrived, we went to make an inspection.
When we arrive at the destination, nobody speaks, we all are focused.
I begin to probe the area meticulously and quickly. The sun starts to set and I don't want to go back in the dark. After ten minutes, I have everything.
“We can go,”I say and Logan and Marcus, his colleague, look at each other.
“Are you sure, ma'am?”Marcus asks.
“Guys, if she says something that must be done, no questions and no objections. Listen and act instantly. It always saved our backs.”Reyes explains to the two.
“Come on, let's go,”mutters Marcus.
We got back in the car and went back to the base. On the way, I write down all the new information by completing each point with drawings of things that caught my attention. I feel Logan's eyes on me and without even raising my head, I warn him“just pretend I’m not here, I don’t need eyes on me.”
Instantly, he turns around but I notice that he shakes his head while my boys smile.
We return to the base and I send the boys to have dinner and rest. I stay in the meeting room to work a little longer. Despite the air conditioning, I'm hot. I take off my shirt and stay only in a tank top and write down a fairly detailed plan on how to proceed. I highlight the two blind spots that I noticed, the exits and also the points where snipers could surely be hidding.
