Her pulse thundered past her ears, a pulsating wave of sound that made it difficult to hear what Collins said next.
Collins stood and took his seat back behind his desk. “I’m not letting that happen.”
Her head snapped up. “Sir?”
“Listen, I’m not going to put you in a position where you have to lie to me, nor will I put myself in a position where I have to lie to anyone else. If you and Ryker have sorted things out between yourselves, I support you.”
Her eyes widened. “S-sir,” she sputtered.
He held up a hand. “This is probably a good time for you not to speak and just listen.”
She nodded.
“The team is moving out. We got orders less than an hour ago.” He made a sweeping gesture at the papers and maps spread across his desk. “We leave in an hour. Now, I can take your replacement, who just walked off the transport less than four hours ago and hasn’t had a lick of decent sleep in over twenty-four hours, or you can volunteer to join us. I have enough clout to shelve Vane’s temporary assignment.”
“What about Ryker’s replacement?” She’d been told not to speak, but if their team was down two people, it couldn’t function at full effectiveness.
“He arrived yesterday and has at least seen his pillow.”
“Good,” she said.
“Yes, it is. What I’m proposing is simple. Rejoin the team. I can make whatever excuses I need for Vane and his damn exclusive interview. It removes you from his scrutiny, keeps you separated from Ryker, and eliminates any rumors, perceptions, or reality of what might or might not be going on. Ryker will be busy playing for Angel Fire the rest of this deployment, and you can’t afford an investigation for fraternization.”
“Sir, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, T. Be smart.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good,” he said. “Your ruck is packed. Collect your personal things. I suggest you make no contact with Ryker before you leave.”
“I can’t just leave him.”
He tapped his finger on the desk. “I get it. I really do, but I need you to listen. I can’t protect you if someone sees something they shouldn’t. If a good-bye becomes more than a professional exchange, you’ll tie my hands. Regulations are regulations, and I won’t violate my integrity to save you. Come on this mission. You’vegot less than a month on this deployment, Major Meyers. Don’t fuck it up by making poor choices.”
She gulped and swallowed down her fear. He wasn’t going to turn her in. He was doing exactly the opposite—protecting her in the only way he could.
“I understand.”
“Good,” he said. “And don’t worry; I’ll make sure Ryker knows theentireteam got called out.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said. “I really appreciate this.”
THIRTY-SIX
Gone
RYKER
“Gone!What do you mean, she’s gone?” Ryker stomped around the stage, kicking wires and looking to trash something. Anything. Only none of these things belonged to him.
He couldn’t wreck Bent’s guitar. He couldn’t kick in Bash’s drums. He couldn’t toss Noodles’s keyboard off the edge. The only thing he could do was walk in circles and take his anger out on the thick ropes of electrical lines.
“Why the hell didn’t she come say good-bye?” He thought he’d been clear about what he wanted, and while he understood Tia’s fears, they were simple obstacles to overcome.
Forest shrugged. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.”
“But why you? Why say good-bye to you and not me?” He bit his lip to prevent himself from saying something he would regret, but damn it, why had she left?
