The guard waved them through, and the men sighed.
“Here we go, gentlemen. Ready or not,” Leo muttered. They drove past the spot where Sparky suggested the attack might take place.
“We need to hide the vehicle and hike back. They’ll want to see the damage and chaos. They’ll most likely go to the highest vantage point on the rocky west side. We’ll stay back until we see them and follow them up.”
They hid the truck behind an abandoned clay hut. Taking their gear out, Leo said, “Alpha team check.”
“Shadow check.”
“Saint check.”
“Taco check.”
Leo clicked the coms button. “Team Hawk check.”
“Patch check.”
“Knight check.”
“Sparky check.”
“Cole check.”
“Hollywood and Apollo check.”
They moved silently through the desert until they approached the ridge and hid farther back among the brush. Then they waited…
* * *
Samantha turnedAddy around in the chair. Her mouth dropped open as she saw herself in the mirror. The highlights drew attention to her bright green eyes. Her hair waved down her back and framed her face. Samantha did her makeup in a light, natural style she loved.
“Oh, Samantha. You’re a genius,” she breathed out.
“Addy, it suits you,” Kassie complimented her. “You’re a knockout.”
“Thanks,” she said, rising from her chair. “I feel like it.”
Bryanna sat in the pedicure chair, getting her toes done while Lizzy enjoyed a manicure.
Addy joined Kassie on the couch. “Did you not get anything done? I saw you on the phone almost the entire time.”
“Chase sets me up with a once-a-month spa day to relax. I didn’t need anything done, and I missed Leo’s text while I argued with the new food supplier.”
“Uh. Hollywood texted. From the tone of his text, they’re busy today,” she informed Kassie.
“Hopefully, he’ll be able to call her this evening once she gets her phone fixed. If you don’t mind, I want Catherine to get a new phone sorted out first. If not, she’ll fret about it the entire time,” Kassie said, glancing at her phone.
“It’s no problem. When Sam deployed, I lived on a ship, which kept me busy. I didn’t have time to worry,” she confessed. “Waiting to hear from Liam feels like torture.”
“Oh, save it for dinner. We planned to grill you about his new call sign,” she giggled. “Chase seems extra restless these days. I think he misses his playmates. They’ve never stayed gone this long since we settled on the mountain. I’m sure they’re anxious to get home.”
“Do we need to wake Catherine?” Addy asked.
“We’re letting her sleep until the last possible moment. She’s incredibly stubborn and turns down any help we offer her. I promised Leo to watch over her.”
“Dr. Greene seems concerned about her pregnancy. Did her others not go well?” she asked.
“She’s usually the picture of a glowing, healthy mother. This one started off shaky, but hopefully, we got all the bad stuff out of the way,” Kassie said cheerfully.
