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“Why?” I had to ask.
“You like to work, and so does Logan.” He fell in step with me as we trailed Mark and Cole.
What he’d said was true. Besides, socializing, especially in groups, just wasn’t my scene. I stepped into the office, and Cole closed the door.
By the time we were finished, I felt confident I had a better picture of what we would be dealing with. The Cartel was gaining speed with their new operations, and for us to have any effect, we needed to cover the whole country and work with our informants over there. Once my team was fully functioning, Frank wanted us to focus our attention on Rosarito and the rest of the west. Dusk’s team would handle the east, and Blackstone would focus on mid-country.
I had much to learn and was glad Cole was an excellent teacher. He was a cut and dry detail kind of guy, and I liked it. The Cartels had many similarities with the Taliban, but on a much higher scale. They had endless amounts of money. They were ruthless with their kills, showed no mercy to their own people, and their government sounded totally corrupt, with a lot of politicians in their pocket. The fact that they were in our own back yard rather than in the middle of a third- world country starved for freedom made it that much harder to swallow.
“All right,” Cole stood after he turned off the projector he’d streamed from his laptop, “let’s call it for the night. Ty, stay for a moment.”
“Yes, sir.” I stayed in my seat while the others left.
“Fifteen minutes, boys.” Mark chuckled from the hallway.
The moment the work talk stopped, my head shot right back to Hill and Brown. I blinked and tried to clear it, but it was a struggle.
“I appreciate your desire to jump right in and learn this stuff, and I know you’ve been cleared by Doc Roberts, but I have to ask, will you be up for our next mission if they need us, say, by tomorrow?”
“Yes.” I didn’t miss a beat, and he rubbed his bottom lip while he thought.
“I can see it on your face.” He studied me. “You’re carrying a lot.”
“I am.” I nodded. “I’m sure you understand when I say it’s the price of being a leader. You can’t predict the outcome in our line of work. Shit happens at the worst of times.” I took a deep breath to stem the rage that still threatened every time I allowed myself to go there. “I’ve been a soldier nearly my entire life. It’s what I know. I’ve worked my way from the bottom up because I need to challenge myself. But I know my limits. I gave you my word I’m right for this job, and I intend to keep it.”
He eyed me for a moment and seemed to come to a decision, and his face cleared.
“Okay, good to hear.” He stood and checked his watch. “I have a few emails to send off, and,” he smiled at the door that had just opened a crack, “Savi is here to show you to your room.”
“See you tomorrow, then.” I got up and smiled at Savannah, who took my arm as we walked down the hall.
“In case the guys forget to tell you, that’s Dr. Roberts’ office.” She pointed to an open door on my left. “Don’t skip his appointments. He will find you.” She spoke in her soft voice and followed it with a laugh. “And this here,” she pointed to a closed door, “is Dr. Ivy Knight’s office.”
“Got it.” I peered down at her and saw her attempt to hide a grin as she eyed the door.
“I want to show you something else you might benefit from.” I followed her to the kitchen, and we stopped at the island. “I’ve had my fair share of mind-numbing headaches.” She closed her eyes and swallowed as though she pushed back a dark memory. “Right here, top shelf, are some pain meds. If you need something stronger, ask Doc Roberts, but it might require an extra session.” Savi chuckled as she handed me a bottle of water and two painkillers.
“You sure have a pulse on this place, don’t you?”
“They’re my family and helped me through some very difficult times. It’s the least I can do.” She smiled warmly.
“It’s in you, dear, to be mothering.” Daniel Logan placed a hand on her shoulder as he set a radio on a charging block. “It comes naturally.” He moved his attention over to me. “Headache?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t going to lie. “Nothing a few pills won’t fix.”
“Well, if they get worse…”
“I heard Doc Roberts was the man to see.” I gave a pointed look at Savannah.
“Hey,” John nodded and pulled a beer from the fridge, “did you get the tour?”
“I did.” I welcomed the change in topic. Suddenly, Mark came in, and John flew to the other side of the room.
“Was it something I said?” Daniel looked at the two of them. “What’s going on?”
“The guys watched this ridiculous movie last night called Tag,” Savannah explained. “Now it’s exploded, and everyone is involved.”
“It’s true.” Mark nodded. “We even got the staff in on it.”
