Page 61 of Mountain Target

“Excuse me?” Colonel Pelegrin’s eyebrows rose comically high, as if it was the first time he’d heard that word.

“No. I’m not going. I’m not going to a school to talk about the earthquake.”

“You have bigger plans, Fontaine? Is there a football match I’m not aware of?” the colonel asked, his expression somewhere between amused and irritated, but edging more towards irritated. “Someone has to go. So unless you wish to interrupt Commandant Gray’s long weekend away with his wife, or ask someone from your team to fill in …”

“That won’t be necessary,” Beau sighed, grinding his molars together. “I’ll do it.”

“Good. It’s settled, then. You’ll meet the scientists there tomorrow at ten a.m. Coordinate with Dr. Bristow, since he’ll be doing most of the talking.”

So why exactly do I need to be there?

But he didn’t say anything, because he didn’t know if the colonel would make good on his threat to bring Damien back from his holidays, and because he didn’t want to get anyone from his team involved, either.

Only one of us should be wasting their time.

Beau knew he should be content, if not happy. In the last few days, they’d had several pieces of good news come through. The scientists had concluded the measurements were back to normal, so the earthquake alert level had been brought down again.

And even though the earthquake had been smaller in intensity than expected, and resulted in little structural or life damage due to the unpopulated area in which it’d struck, Bristow and his team were ecstatic because the earthquake had proved that the Seismic Revelations model worked. Investors were apparently lining up outside their hotel to speak with them, and Bristow was letting himself be wooed by all before making any decisions.

Beau had heard all this from Ry, who was by now quite close to their photographer.

He sighed, hoping it didn’t end in heartbreak for either of them.

Beau wondered vaguely why Bristow was willing to take the time to go speak at a school.

Probably some kind of PR stunt.

He heard the voices before he even stepped off the elevator. “We hear you’re going back to school, Commandant,” Alex joked. As usual, rumors moved faster than he did, in this office.

“I’d rather go back to our previous high alert status,” Beau grumbled.

Alex’s expression sobered for a moment.

“Do you need any of us to go with you?”

Beau shook his head. “No. Somebody needs to do some work around here, wouldn’t you say? Speaking of work, Lorenz, any news about the new climbing equipment that was meant to get here last week?”

Lorenz nodded, running a hand through his spiky hair. “It’ll be here tomorrow. I’ve arranged with Gael to take it for a test-drive this weekend.”

“Good.”

Ry piped up. “Some good news. We got a call from the hospital. Michael’s been discharged. He’s going home.”

“That’s great,” Beau said, sincerely. That was another piece of good news they’d received. Though it’d been touch-and-go for a while, and it still wasn’t clear if he would recover full use of it, the boy hadn’t lost the hand.

They’d visited him the day after his surgery. Even though his bandaged hand had looked more like a football than a hand, and even though his doctors had made it clear that this was only the beginning of a very long journey to recovery, Michael had been more interested in the PGHM and in the work they did, than in his hand.

The way his eyes had twinkled, Beau had the feeling they might see the boy again ten years from now, applying to the PGHM. He hoped, at least, that thinking of the future would help him during his recovery. They’d even sent him one of their uniform shirts, in the smallest size it came in, to take back home with him.

The third piece of good news of the last few days was more personal in nature. After he and Valentina had agreed to talk, Beau still hadn’t been sure what that meant. He had her number. Did that mean he should call her? Or that she would call him?

Valentina had been the one to take the lead, knocking on his door in the evening after Ren was asleep. Every night since then, they’d sat outside on his porch—close enough where she could hear if Ren needed anything—and talked.

Yesterday, he’d brought a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

He found himself treasuring every single piece of information she shared about herself. And even though she was doing most of the talking, he found himself talking as well. It was easy to talk to Valentina, to open up with her in ways he’d never opened up before. He blushed to think of the things they’d spoken about, sitting together in the dark.

“Earth calling, Commandant. Everything okay?” Hugo asked. “Maybe we need a session together at the gym.”