He shakes his head. “He doesn’t know how to say those words.”
“He doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel them. Don’t die.”
He leans in. “You want to find out what it’s like to be between two men? Because that’s what he was promising. It means if he doesn’t make it, I need to find another. Priest or Hargrave will join in without needing a second invitation.”
“Is that right?” I can’t imagine having two guys…so four? But I want to try.
I’m tired of playing it safe and having to be twice as good as any man to be seen as equal. So many people have thought I couldn’t do this job. I want more than what is polite to take. “Bring him back, and the five of us can find out.”
Colton lifts his eyebrows and considers me for two heartbeats. “I intend to. And I’ll hold you to that.”
I nod. We’ll either be celebrating or commiserating. He turns, and disappears into the night with Hargrave.
Then it’s me and Priest and the rain.
And the weight of my promise.
CHAPTER17
Priest
“You want to be with them.”Her words are soft against the rain.
If something goes wrong, one more might make a difference, but I can’t drag Ashley back there, as she’ll be a liability. She can’t fight, and she’s the target. “Yeah.”
I sent Reed out yesterday. I’d said it as a threat, but also because he needed to get out. If he dies, the blame is on me. I may have already lost Reed, and I don’t want to lose more men.
For a moment I doubt the wisdom of only the three of us doing this job, but I don’t trust the others. We’re contract security hired to make sure there isn’t another incident. We’ve been vetted so thoroughly by the company we work for that they know what I ate for breakfast on my first day of school. Yet, we failed because this was definitely an incident. Though not the kind that happened before. “We didn’t expect you to rescue yourself.”
She smiles. “There was nothing else to do…”
That she is maintaining a sense of humor is a good sign. Even though her hair is plastered to her head, and she is as rain soaked as me, she is alluring.
Maybe it’s her determination and courage. A willingness to push on is something I’ve always respected in the people I serve with.
“I’d like to offer you a place to shelter and get dry…but…” There’s no dry ground for miles. Everything is muddy and I’m not hiking back to the vehicle. Assuming it’s still there and the guys are still with it. They didn’t know where we were going or what we were doing. But it’s not hard to guess. And if they are selling information, then the men at the campsite will expect Colton and Hargrave.
“So we stay here?”
Every option is miserable and involves waiting while being wet. “Yeah. If they can grab him—”
“Don’t say that.”
I frown at her, even though I can see the hope in her eyes. She wants me to tell her it’s going to be okay. That Reed will walk out of this with nothing more than a few more scars and stories.
“He might be dead.” Or they might keep him alive, hoping she hasn’t gone far and is watching, and that’s much worse. “This is serious. I’m glad you ran when you could. It’s what he wanted. And while I don’t want to believe that it’s too late for him, I have seen this shit go sideways faster than you can think it. I try not to let my hopes rise, but that isn’t the same as giving up.”
Those who went in, always thinking the best, were the ones that got hurt. Their hearts were too soft, and their skin didn’t thicken. They broke and quit. Which is sometimes the right thing to do. Those that didn’t quit because they wanted to prove themselves were the ones that put their team in danger. That’s why Colton took his fist to an officer’s face, repeatedly. Dishonorable discharge, sure. For the right reasons, definitely. He’s a man I want on my team. I’m the reason he got this job.
Her teeth worry at her lip. “I don’t want him to be dead.”
“Neither do I.” No doubt Reed was charming, even as he was bleeding.
“I’ve got a tarp we can put up. Can’t do much about the ground, but at least it will give us a bit of shelter.”
She nods as though resigned, and I select a tree that will give as a clear view of the road without making our position known. It doesn’t take me long to pull it out of my pack, most of which is dry thanks to the cover, and string up the black tarp, just high enough that we can both sit under it. On both sides there are shrubs, so we’ll be almost concealed.
I hack off some of the large leaves and lay them down as a mat so that we don’t get mud on our asses, then I invite her to have a seat in the slightly less wet shelter. I put my pack in with her but keep my rifle. “I’m going to make a quick sweep of the area, then I’ll be back. Okay?”
