Page 23 of Point of Contact

She gave Jesse a mock glare, and he quirked his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

“Hey, Riles. I never got to ask, how was your vacation at J-Bad?”

Riley’s face appeared as he leaned from the top bunk to peer at Jesse. “It was awesome! Two days of hot food, mostly hot showers and a phone call to my dad. Felt like fuckin’ heaven, man.” He heaved a sigh as Jesse chuckled. “Dude, I won’t know what to do with myself when we get home. All the luxury I used to take for granted is going to seem kind of...overwhelming.”

Jesse had had the same thoughts on occasion, how utterly frivolous his life at home would seem after all this, after the ultimate high of combat and the intense brotherhood he’d experienced here. It scared him a little. In a burst of honesty, he said as much.

Riley rolled off his bunk to perch on the edge of Jesse’s. “Me, too,” he confessed. “Especially after talking to my dad.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. He was talking about his wedding plans again, trying to keep it light. I mean, he knows we can’t talk about anything I’m doing over here.”

Jesse nodded, waiting as Riley struggled to put his thoughts into words.

“He was telling me about the prime rib they want to have at the sit-down dinner, and the champagne fountain. They’re gonna show up at the courthouse in a fuckin’ horse-drawn carriage.” Riley snorted. “All I could think about was how wasteful, and how goddamn stupid, it all sounded. After being up here and seeing what we’ve seen. You know? I’m afraid I won’t have anything to talk to my dad about anymore. He can’t relate to this, and I can’t relate to that. Jesus.” Riley leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I think I’ll probably make a career of the Army.”

“Really? I thought this was all just to prove something to yourself, and to make your dad proud.”

Riley nodded. “Yeah. But what about after that? I have no fuckin’ clue.” He swallowed. “While I was at the camp I talked to some dude about Special Forces.”

Jesse sat up, too. “No shit?”

“Since I have my combat infantry badge, I’m eligible to apply. The guy said he tells people all the time, ‘Get deployed and get some fucking experience.’ Well, I got that covered, and then some. I’d be competitive, man.”

“Wow.” Jesse shook his head. “Never thought I’d hear that from you, Riles. But I bet you have a helluva shot at it. You’re calm under fire. You can think under pressure, and you’re the bravest motherfucker I know. So yeah, go for it.”

“Oorah.” Riley reached out his fist and they bumped knuckles, grinning at each other, before Riley sobered. “Come with me.”

“What?”

Riley leaned forward again, his face earnest. “Apply for the Q Course with me. Let’s bring some of our PFM to the Special Forces.”

Jesse didn’t know what to say.

“C’mon, brother.” Riley’s voice was tight with suppressed excitement. “Not only are you my best friend, but the two of us together, we’ll own that shit.”

Someone nearby grunted in their sleep, and Jesse reached out to give Riley’s head a push. “Get some rest.”

Riley pointed at him as he climbed up into his rack. “Think about it, though, Byrne-Man. Think about it.”

Jesse nodded, then lay back down, mind racing. Special Forces. He’d seen the guys before in garrison, wearing their distinctive green berets. Here in the Valley they’d occasionally ghost through the outpost, scruffy and bearded, hard-eyed operators who’d done stuff Jesse could only imagine. Unconventional warfare. Guerrilla tactics. As much as he tried, for the life of him Jesse couldn’t picture himself like that. But Riley—Riley was a natural. Quick-witted and able to think on his feet at an astonishing speed, he’d proven fearless in combat and nobody ever had to give him an order twice.

Jesse jumped a mile when Riley suddenly leaned over the side of the bunk to look down at him again.

“Don’t wanna do it without you, Jess,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “We got that pure fucking magic, dude.”

His upside-down face disappeared as abruptly as it’d appeared, and the sheet of plywood comprising his bunk shuddered and creaked inches above Jesse’s head as Riley rolled over, trying to get comfortable. Jesse closed his eyes against the shower of ever-present dust that rained down on him, and eventually everything went still as Riley fell asleep.

Despite his own exhaustion, Jesse lay awake. Special Forces. It hadn’t been on his radar before, but there was no question he’d follow Riley anywhere. If he’d learned anything in the past seven months, it was that.

Jesse winced, the night at Riley’s house so long ago suddenly springing to mind. They’d never spoken about it, but the fact Riley mentioned his dad often, casually, like it was no big deal, was the best indication in Jesse’s mind he’d been truly forgiven. Releasing a long, slow breath, he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Seven

It seemed like only seconds before someone touched Jesse on the calf. He jerked to half-sitting.