It took them another forty minutes to clear the area, which Cy thought was more than enough time in a cave. Some of the Colombian soldiers stayed down below while the SEALs and some of the soldiers headed up.
Getting fresh air never felt so good. Toward the east, the horizon was getting lighter. The sun would be up soon, then they would leave and head back to the States.
The earthy and sulphur scent was stuck in his nose, which was freaking annoying. Showering after a mission was absolutely necessary, but he felt like he would need to clean out his nose with a wash.
“That was fun,” Q said when they were back up top.
“Speak for yourself,” Cy said as they made their way over to the area where the rest of the SEALs were standing. When they were close, Jump shook out his arms and legs.
“What’s up with you?” Q asked.
“I feel like I have spiders and bugs crawling all over me.”
“Jesus, why did you have to mention bugs?” Foster asked.
“I hate bugs,” Bang said.
Wave snorted a laugh. “Hold it together. Our ride will be here in twenty minutes.”
“Good. I need a hot shower,” Foster said.
Relief filled him. Soon enough, they’d be somewhere they could get cleaned up. Jump mentioning the bugs made him feel like he had something crawling on him. He suppressed the shiver, but couldn’t get rid of the feeling.
They often encountered gross situations, and for the most part, he was used to it. He’d ended up in jungles, deserts, frozen tundras, and snow-covered landscapes. They trained for the worst situations, but he wasn’t sure they’d ever trained in a mine. That had been some creepy stuff being underground. If the earth above them had given way, they would have been trapped.
At least they were out and could head home. Thoughts of home made him think of Willa. He hoped she was okay. The thought of her having to face Robert alone was upsetting. He hoped the police kept an eye on her.
When he arrived back in the States, he would give her a call. Hopefully, nothing bad had happened while he’d been gone.
15
Willa stepped into the coffee shop and spied Bree. She was thankful the woman had invited her to coffee. It was nice having someone who wasn’t associated with work to talk to.
“Hey, good to see you,” Bree said as she stood and gave Willa a hug.
“It’s good to see you, too.”
“I grabbed you a latte.”
“Oh, thank you,” Willa said as Bree’s name was called by the barista. “I’ll grab those.”
“Thank you.”
Willa picked up the coffee and then took a seat next to Bree. She took a sip of the latte and moaned. “This tastes so good.”
“I love this place.”
“It’s nice.” Willa glanced around. “I don’t usually go out for coffee. This is a nice place.”
Bree flashed her a smile. “So how does it feel to not have to look over your shoulder all the time?”
“Great. I’ve been sleeping at night, which is amazing. Work has been great, too.”
“You are really good at your job. When we were there the other day, you were so nice to everyone.”
Willa chuckled. “Well, everyone there was nice, so it’s easy to be kind when no one is being a jerk.”
“Oh yeah, I bet dealing with the jerks isn’t much fun.”
