“I appreciate that, Lyons,” Collins said. “Initially, I told them no.”
“You did?” Tia asked.
“I did. Usually, a lieutenant colonel wouldn’t get away with that against a colonel, but I had the backing of the medical group commander.”
“Then, why are we going?” she asked.
“It was Mr. Summers actually. He told me to give him names. Said he’d make it happen. Of course, I didn’t believe him, but…”
“But Forest came through,” she said, completing Collins’s statement. “Forest always gets what he wants.”
At least when it came to business. His quirky personality made him a shrewd businessman. Emotions had no place in business. Unfortunately, that was a problem in his personal life. He failed to connect with people. There were a few, like Skye and his foster rescues, he had friended, but he remained a lonely outsider in most things.
“He did?” Lyons’s brows nearly climbed his forehead. “How is that even possible? And what do you mean, he came through?”
“Simple,” Collins said, “I tossed out some names. People I’ve worked with before. I knew there was no way he’d get them to agree to a short-notice deployment. Hell, the paperwork at the losing units alone…” Collins waved a dismissive hand. “Anyway, he made it happen. Don’t know how, but I’d laid out my terms, and he met them.”
“And we’re going on tour with Angel Fire,” she said.
“Looks like it,” Collins said.
“Damn,” Warren piped up. “Wish I played an instrument. I’d love to piggyback on that.”
“Say the word,” Lyons said, “I’m sure Tia can make it happen. She has an inside track with Forest.”
Warren’s brow lifted, and he glanced between them. His lips twisted, as if he were thinking something through. “Nah, I’ll leave it to the two of you.”
The convoy consistedof a troop carrier, several half-tons, a deuce, and a handful of Humvees.
Forest stood with Colonel Vane and directed the loading of Angel Fire’s gear. They took only the bare essentials, leaving most of their electronic gear behind. Ash had opted for his acoustic guitar. He called it Baby. Spike insisted on keeping his as well. Bent had his guitar slung over his shoulder, not convinced it wouldn’t get destroyed when packed in with the other cargo. Bash hovered over the loading of his drum kit, complaining about having to pare down to the basics. Through it all, Tia stood with Lyons, suffering through an awkwardness that hadn’t been present before.
He stood a few inches too close. They weren’t touching, but his overwhelming nearness had her looking around to see if anyone noticed.Did they see the hunger in his gaze when he looked at her? Did they see some telling emotion scrawled on her face? Had they already given themselves away?She moved to the side and placed a few inches between them.
Don’t look at him.
Her wandering eyes shifted to the right, turning her chin and the rest of her face.What had that been now? Ten furtive glances at the man who’d invaded not only her body, but also her entire night of dreams?
Warren jogged up, huffing with the weight of his pack. “Hey,” he said, “looks like a nice-sized convoy.”
The convoy followed a schedule of resupply to the smaller, outlying posts. Once a week, they headed out, bringing ammunition, bombs, food, sundries, and troops. A constant turnover of personnel was simply the state of things—people coming, going, transferring from here to there, relieving this group or that. People arrived in theater to replace those who had served their term. Depending on the airman, a deployment was either a prison sentence or the time of their lives.
For her, it was a little of both. The job allowed her to practice her skills in situations unheard of in civilian practice. It also exposed her to the horrors of war. Soldiers shot to hell. Kids blown to pieces. None of it was good. She focused on making horrible things better. Everyone had their way to cope.
Forest placed his hands to his hips but then shielded his eyes from the bright morning sun. “Lover boy,” he called out.
Beside her, Lyons stiffened, but Ash was the one who answered, “What?”
“Where’s your wife?”
“Where’s your sister?” Ash returned with a volley. “I’m not her keeper.”
“Then, who the fuck is?” Forest bellowed. “We’re taking off in less than half an hour. Go find her.”
“Relax,” Ash teased. “She’s enjoying her last few minutes of hot water. I left her in the showers. She’ll be here.”
Tia looked forward to chatting with Skye during the long trip. It had been far too long since she had a woman around to talk with. The men were fine and all, but it simply wasn’t the same.
Collins called the team together, doing a head count. Warren had been the last to arrive. After double-checking their gear, they grabbed their packs and loaded onto the bus, heading to the back. The premier spots up front would go to Angel Fire and their crew. They even paired down the roadies, bringing only gruff, old Smiley and two younger men with them. She really should introduce herself and learn their names.
