“Okay, princess, that was Paula. We have a team. Come here, we need to go over the plan,” he shouts from the other side of the room. Liz scrambles off the couch, rushing to his side where he now has a map of the base laid out.
“This is it? We’re going to get the boys back?” she asks, practically bouncing with excitement.
“If we can pull this off, yeah. We don’t have much time; we’re getting them back tonight. Lauren is going to pick us up here.” He points at a skinny dirt road on a worn-out map, “She will have uniforms waiting for us. I don’t think you have been on base long enough for anyone to recognize you, and only a few people have seen my face, so we go in as soldiers.”
“Okay, but won’t everything be super secure? How are we going to make it to the admin building?” Liz asks, eyeing the map carefully. “Better yet, if we do make it, how are we gettingintothe building?”
“Like I said, we have a small team, so we will blend in with them. Paula and Lauren have a pair about the same size as us. They are going a few miles from base while we are driving in, so guards will get a tip that a man in a mask was seen in the woods. Scott will send everyone out, and that’s when we get to where they are being held. There are plenty of people ready and willing to help us from the sidelines, so all we need to focus on is getting to that building,” Riley explains, moving little figures around the map like they are playing out an action movie.
“What happens after? We can’t come back here. It would only stay safe for so long. Eventually we would need to leave for food or supplies,” Liz asks.
“We will have a van waiting for us about ten miles out. We get the guys, get them in uniform, and get the hell out. Paula is going to keep Scott distracted and focused on our decoys while we make the trek. Ty and Alex have a cabin in Michigan. We’ll go there. If anything happens, we flee across the border into Canada. Now, go pack,” Riley says. As if hopping the border while on the run from a corrupt army general is no big deal.
Seeming to have everything worked out, Liz does what she isasked and slinks back into her room to change, packing a small bag of clothes. The moment the door closes behind her, and she is truly alone, the panic claws its way out. A million questions threaten to overwhelm her.
What if they get caught before they can get to their men?
What if something has already happened to them?
What will happen to anyone who helped them?
The last question sends a wave of nausea through her. Fighting to keep the food in her stomach, Liz takes a deep breath in through her nose, slowly exhaling through her mouth, as she continues to shove necessities into her bag. A soft knock echoes in the too quiet room.
“Ready to go?” Riley asks, arms enveloping Liz from behind, gently tugging her to rest against his body.
“No,” she says with a sigh. “Am I a monster for wishing we could just stay here, together, and not have to deal with all this?”
“No, princess, you’re not a monster. I wish this was something we could walk away from, but it’s not. I promise, when this is over, I am taking leave, and we are going to start fresh—no more trying to build a relationship on a foundation of stolen moments in the chaos,” he says, leaning down. His warm breath caresses her neck with each word, sending a shiver down her spine.
“Don’t tease me with promises you may not be able to keep, Ry. If it’s not this, it will be something else. There are enough shitty people in this world to keep you busy for a lifetime. This is your job, and mine now, too, I guess. I just need to get used to navigating everything,” she says, her voice softer, laced with a deep sorrow that kills him to hear.
“I know. Things will calm down. I didn’t know this is how everything would turn out,” Riley says, squeezing her a little tighter, wishing he could tell her he feels the same. There is no point in bringing it up only to crush her more than she already is.
In his excitement at her joining the team, he had agreed to a five-year contract, for the both of them. His only thought in the moment was having her by his side for the next five years, selfishly not thinking about if she would even want that.
“I think I’m good to go,” she says, missing his arms around her the second he pulls them away.
Walking to the elevator, hand in hand, Riley stops, wrapping his arms around her once more. They are running out of time. He spends the precious few minutes they have left doing what he loves the most, holding Liz in his arms, their lips locked in an endless kiss. This may very well be the last time they ever set foot back in their home again Riley makes sure the last memory there is a good one.
He reluctantly pulls away, leading her out the door and into the woods behind the cabin where they begin the long hike through the mountains. The silence between them stretches on forever. They march, listening to the sounds of birds chirping and twigs cracking under their feet. Liz peers at Riley, watching him trudge through the dense trees. She wants so badly to ask if he is as nervous as she is, after all, this is his first mission after being back.
His head is on a constant swivel, watching every shadow they come across as if someone is lurking behind it, waiting to ambush. The minutes tick by, each step bringing them closer to their mission.
“Will you just ask what you want to ask already?”
Liz jumps at the sound of his booming voice, so used to the quiet of the forest. “What are you talking about?” Her eyes stay fixed on the ground in an attempt to keep from tripping over roots and fallen branches.
“You get this cute look on your face when you’re thinking about something, you’ve done it since the day you got out, andyou keep watching me. You’re not subtle, love,” he says, stepping closer.
“God damn it,” Liz mumbles under her breath, followed by a string of grumbled words even she can’t make out. The restrained tantrum coaxes a light chuckle from Riley as he nudges her arm.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, too playful for the situation they are in.
“Mikey said the same thing, now I’m going to be hyper aware of any dumb thinking face I apparently make,” she says, quietly storming her way through the brush. “I was just wondering if you were doing okay, but I don’t want to push it or make you uncomfortable. This is your first mission since being back, and I worry about you.”
“What the fuck did I do to deserve you?” His hand finds hers, lacing their fingers together like they are on a romantic stroll through the trees, not hiking through a mountain on their way to break into a military base.
“I’m fine. This isn’t my first time coming back from this shit. It sucks, and I’m anxious, but I have had what, six weeks to figure my shit out. My body is healed, and my mind is getting there. I still slip into a dark place, just like you do. It takes time, but if I thought for a second I was not well enough to do this, I wouldn’t.”
