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FIFTEEN
“Hold steady, HunterOne,” Dorian said. “I have visual on enemy target.”
Impatience vibrated against his skin, the urge to rush forward strong. Rook waited for Dorian to signal the all clear. His gaze stayed on Kjar who had yet to move. Kyele hadn’t stopped the simulation so it couldn’t be a severe injury.
The mech suits tracked their vitals and would give him the details necessary to make a determination as to whether they needed to stop the training.
“All clear. Hunter One, you are clear,” Dorian said.
On his feet in a flash, he raced toward Kjar and grabbed the other man under his arms. He dragged him behind the cover of an adjacent building. Using the infrared scanner in his helmet, he ran a diagnostic on Kjar. It didn’t flag any anomalies. He tapped Kjar’s face. “Nap time over.”
A swath of Kjar’s hair wrapped around Rook’s wrist and yanked his hand away. He dropped back on his heels and laughed as relief eased the tightness in his chest. He brushed at the mutinous white strands swirling about him. “Get off me.”
“That’s my line,” Kjar muttered, his eyes blinking open.
Rook moved away, remaining on his knees beside him. “What happened?”
Flushing, Kjar rolled to his side and sat up. His hair settled about his shoulders and back. “Tripped and hit my head on the ground.”
It took a moment to process his meaning. Rook’s lips twitched. His cheeks hurt as he tried to hold it in without success. The laugh burst from his chest uncontrollably and he couldn’t stop the sounds of mirth. “You...t-tripped...and h-hit your head?”
A section of Kjar’s hair looped around Rook’s neck and tightened. Rook pushed at Kjar’s chest as he stood. “This is Hunter One. Hunter Two is good. He...tripped.”
There was silence on the comm then Dorian and Hahn exclaimed at the same time, “He tripped?!”
Both started laughing only stopping when Kyele’s voice cut through the line with a heavy sigh. “There are still hostages to rescue, Ghost Unit.”
After making sure Kjar really was fine, they resumed the session. The rest of the training went off without a hitch and while the time ran over, they managed to save the hostages and eliminate the assailants.
When they were done and back in uniforms fresh from the showers, Kjar bumped his shoulder against Rook’s. “Thanks for helping me back there.”
“Not a problem. You were slow. And tripped.” He grinned as he jabbed Kjar with a sharp elbow.
Laughing they entered the control room on the lower level. Smaller than the main conference room they tended to use upstairs, it was standing room only. Kyele wasted no time in getting to the point. “We know where Tempest is. Or where she’ll be.”
Rook froze. Unexpected worry and fear collided as his pulse skyrocketed.
Kyele continued. “Chatter on the dark site claims someone using Tempest’s name purchased a transport ticket to Pi Vista. She’s going after Niehl as we thought. He’s Jarad’s right hand and the only one of his top men left. Niehl Quai is giving a public address on their home world at the Assembly Hall.”
“What are our orders?” Rook asked, holding his breath for the answer.
“Powers that be have sent down a retrieval request. Ghost Unit leaves tonight. Once she’s in our custody, we turn her over to proper authorities.”
Where she’d disappear and Rook more than likely would never see her again. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that but he met Kyele’s intense stare and nodded. Inside, he fought the order. He wanted to tear apart everyone who threatened Tempest.
As Rook held his silence through the rest of the meeting, he constantly struggled to contain the need to react. Fought not to growl and attack those around him making plans to go after the woman he couldn’t shake from his mind.
How did this happen? How did he become obsessed with her so soon? He didn’t fall for women. He froze. Fall?
No. His mind instantly denied it but he knew. Tempest wasn’t just a mission to him. She was more. He just needed to figure out what this meant for him.
Kyele wrapped up and dismissed them. Rook hurried from his seat, eager to blow off this building pressure in him somehow. He only had a few hours until they had to grab their gear and prep for tonight.
On his way out, he kept his head down and ignored everyone else. Hahn, theebo, called out to him, stopping his rushed exit. Rook paused and waited for his teammate to catch up to him.
Hahn’s lips quirked. “Why the rush?”
“I’m going to study the layout of the Assembly Hall on Pi Vista.” Not necessarily a lie since he would look over things at some point.
