“I’m afraid we can’t help you,” Leo said, turning his back to retrieve his soap for a quick shower.
“Fine. Let it be on your conscience if more military people die because you didn’t do anything about it,” she said quietly, moving past him.
Saint stopped her. “We’re here to fix weapons. I don’t know what you expect from us,” he said, playing ignorant.
“I’ve waited for you to arrive because Colonel Rutherford said to trust you. Obviously, he was mistaken,” she said. “Move out of my way.”
Leo scratched his neck and nodded for Saint to relax.
“What else did he tell you?”
“They send the messages the day before the attacks,” she gazed heatedly at Leo. “They’re leaving in two days. Which means whoever’s passing information will do it tomorrow.”
“You gave me a folder, but it only gives us the names of the units with specific weapons. Did he have a lead or a suspicion?” Leo asked.
Sargeant Taylor’s lips pursed in a firm line, making Leo chuckle. She reminded him of his wife when Kit Kat got frustrated with him.
“Listen,” Leo said, sitting down and gesturing for her to sit on the cot across from him. “Your boss didn’t mention anyone working with him. In fact, he assured me he stayed mum to preserve his job. Yet here you stand, warning me that someone is listening in on our conversation. Then you said to expect you atmidnight. You’re four hours early, and how did you get past my men?”
“No one pays attention to me. It’s why Colonel Rutherford gave me the job. He said they underestimated me. I loosened the wall in the back of the main room three nights ago. I slipped in while you gave orders to your men,” she admitted.
“What the—” Leo stopped, swiping his jaw. It appeared they all needed a wake-up call. If this little bit of a woman managed to enter without his team knowing, he didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened.
“Saint, call the team. Run another sweep through the place,” he ordered, feeling aggravated. “You’ll stay here with me.”
“Do we have to? No offense, but you stink like shit,” she said, honestly.
“May I remind you, I’m in my assigned bunk, and you hid under the cot,” Leo growled.
“Exactly. Most people go to the head,” she sneered. “Can we at least go to the common area?”
“Come on,” he said, holstering his gun.
The men gathered in the small, cramped area. Shadow and Taco stood shoulder to shoulder, and Knight and Saint blocked the exit. They stared at her curiously until Hollywood and Patch returned.
Leo paced the room. His jaw ticked, and his eyes shot fire as he stared down his men. “I know we have shit going on at home. Guess what, Dorothys, we’re no longer in Kansas. We’re in fucking Afghanistan. Get your heads out of your asses. I will literally go to hell and drag your asses with me to watch the devastation on your wives’ faces when I tell them you died because you’re dumb asses.”
“It’s not only their fault, sir. You didn’t notice me when you gave them orders. When you returned from getting chow, I spenta good freaking hour under your bed getting gassed while you shit your pants. It’s as much your fault as theirs.”
The men’s jaws dropped at her boldness. They peered at her sheepishly as Leo chewed them out.
“She got past all of us. What the hell else might’ve happened if we keep our heads elsewhere?” he shot back.
“Damn Little Britches, how did you do it?” Taco asked. “It’s not often someone gets past Shadow, Saint, or Leo,” he said in awe.
“Do you find this entertaining?” Leo growled.
“No, sir. I don’t. I’m thinking she can be of use to us,” Taco said respectfully. “I saw you earlier in the dining hall.”
Shadow nodded. “The men here seem on edge. They don’t like outsiders. She moved from the chow line to sitting at the table where the first asshole told us to get fucked. Then she followed us while I bought cigarettes.”
All eyes turned on the woman. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she stared at her feet.
“You obviously know why we’re here. Why all the cloak and dagger shit?” Leo asked her.
“I wanted to make sure you lived up to your reputation. Right now, I can only say you’re all a bunch of assholes. If I didn’t care what happened to the teams, I’d keep my mouth shut and finish out the next couple of months,” she said stubbornly.
“Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot,” Saint said, attempting to smooth things over. “It’s not often someone slips past us. Don’t take offense.”
