Page 76 of Broken

Chapter 31

Three days later, the final logistics and contingencies had all been settled, and the plan was complete. They would move on it the next day.

Late in the afternoon, Ireland and Cole left Gunn, Mikey, Dobe and Rex executing the final pre-mission logistics, with DB and Thanatos.

As they walked down the steps of the Command Center, Ireland still felt anxious, even though she knew her part by heart.

“Shouldn’t we still be in there?” she asked Cole. “There must be more we can do. What if they need us?”

“Then they’ll call,” he said. “They’re down to how many guns they need and where to place the Ridge’s troops. Let them do their jobs.” He put his arm around her. “You need to rest, Tinkerbell. That’s the best thing you can do right now.”

She stopped, facing him. “I’m just… it’s so big. And so many people. I can’t believe I dragged you all into my mess like this.”

“You’re my mate,” he said simply. “One of us. And this is what we do. This time, if we do it right, it’s probably going to be the least dangerous mission we’ve ever done.”

Ifit worked the way they planned. But Gunn’s words from a few days ago were ringing in her ears. No plan survives contact with the enemy.

“But, everything depends on us. You and me. Especially me.”

“Worrying about things that are someone else’s area of expertise isn’t going to change that. You can do this. We can do this.”

He cupped her chin in his hand and looked down into her eyes, his voice very serious. “I’m not saying it’s not risky, but we’ve done everything we can do to mitigate that. You need to trust the plan, and when it goes wrong, you need to trust yourself.” He leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. “I trust you. My wolf trusts you. And I’ll have your back. Always.”

“I know.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I guess… I just don’t want to face a long evening trying not to think about everything that could go wrong.”

“Would I do that to you?” he said. “Hell, would Boomer do that to you?”

It turned out Boomer would not. Almost as soon as they’d walked in the door of their cabin, he and Karisma showed up. They’d brought popcorn, snacks, and a queue of epic TV episodes to watch.

“In which the good guys totally smash the bad guys and take their power back,” Boomer said. “To get you in the mood.”

Switch and Breanna arrived next, bearing enormous tubs of barbecue. Boomer’s friend Dealer was behind them, with beer.

Sanchez and Madison came in after that, with Sanchez’s cousins Cisco and Mateo. Pretty soon the cabin was full of friends and family—eating, drinking, cheering on the heroes.

Just being there.

During one of the breaks between episodes, there was a knock on the door. Cole went to answer it.

It was two people Ireland didn’t recognize—a tall, dark-haired man with a hard face, and a lovely woman in her twenties, also dark.

Cole’s face split into a smile when he saw the woman, and moved back to let them inside. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on both cheeks in the European manner.

“Who’s that?” Ireland asked Mikey, who was in the kitchen with her, pouring herself a beer. She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh! That’s Hawk and Ariana. Hawk used to work for Thanatos, but now he’s the sheriff down in Rockhaven. He’s a friend of Gunn’s. Ariana is his mate.” She waved, and Hawk waved back. Ariana was too busy talking to Cole.

“We don’t want to intrude,” Ireland heard Ariana say. “We cannot stay long. But we wanted to wish the mission success.”

They were quickly surrounded by the others, who all seemed to know them. Ireland watched from the kitchen as Ariana pulled Cole aside, talking to him quietly in the corner by the wood stove. His face had a softness she’d never seen before—except when he looked at Ireland.

What were his feelings for this woman? Ireland saw her touch the bracelet, and then briefly touch Cole’s chest, over his heart. Why had Ariana felt like she had to come all the way up to the Ridge to speak to him, tonight of all nights?

But Cole was hers. She knew that. She didn’t want to go rushing over there like a jealous mate.

After another minute, Ariana gave Cole a big hug. Hawk—who’d seemed unconcerned by this exchange between his mate and another man—wandered over spoke to Cole, giving him a handclasp and a bro hug.

They headed for the door, and then Ariana said something to Cole. He raised his head and gestured to Ireland to come over.

She had to, she realized. It would be rude not to.