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I waited till after the packlist inventory, because that was the final step before the trek. We shouldered our backpacks and walked through the back section of the facility, and then we had nothing but jungle and mountains in our view.
Coach sent the first three recruits off and logged their starting time.
“In five minutes, it’s Gray Quinn, Ames Wilde, and Finnian Kelley—get ready and remember to activate the glow sticks at night! Do not become your fellow recruits’ targets!”
Nerves tightened my stomach, and I checked and rechecked my gear, retied my boots, and zipped up my hoodie. Priciest hoodie I’d ever owned. It was thin, hugged my body, and was made from wool, but it was really soft. Totally worth the money.
Come on, you big worriers. Why were they stalling? They’d stayed in the courtyard, but they better show up before I was up.
Deep breaths.
Two weeks in this humid hell, and I’d be all alone. Seven checkpoints. Waterproof map. A new compass. Five emergency energy bars, each one providing 800 calories. Wehadto hunt while we were out there.
Adrien and Darius came out from the back door—and thank fuck, so did River and Reese.
“I’m up next.” Gray jogged over to Darius, who hugged him tightly and tried to hide his discomfort at the whole ordeal.
“You be fuckin’ safe, knucklehead, you hear?”
Crew wrapped himself in Adrien’s arms, and I hurried over to River and Reese on the stoop.
“What you did before was dumb,” I told Reese. “Don’t ever pass me without laying one on me.”
His relief was instant, and he finally got his shit together and pulled me in for a tight hug. And a hard kiss.
“I’m sorry.” He squeezed me tighter and buried his face against my neck. “We’re tryin’ to come off like we ain’t worried sick.”
My big oaf of a man—that was one of the reasons I loved him so much. “Your fussing makes the hard work more worth it.” Yeah, this year had been dedicated to my recovery. But I wasn’t alone. We were a unit, and I never wanted them far away—or even remotely closed off for the sake of being professional. “I love you.” I cupped his cheek and kissed him. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you.” I meant that in more ways than one. Rescue was more than saving me in Colombia. It was about being there every step of the way as I’d battled my anger, my anxiety, my fears, my doubts.
In their case, it was about being part of my training too. Whether I’d been pushed out the door to go work out with Reese at the ass-crack of dawn, or if River had shoved another book about military strategy under my nose.
“I love you too, li’l fighter,” he murmured. “We’re so goddamn proud of you.”
I smiled at him and got a couple seconds of just watching him and resting our foreheads together.
Their voices never left my head.
You got this, sweetheart.
You’re strong, pup.
We believe in you, little one.
My name was announced once Gray and the other two were off, so I shifted my focus to River, and he almost crushed me in a hug.
He pressed his lips to my temple. “We’ll keep an eye on you in the command center every day. You’re never alone, you got that?”
I nodded and closed my eyes.
Never alone.
“I love you.” I kissed him hard. “I love you so much. I’ll see you in two weeks.”
“We’ll be countin’ the days, pup. Love you.”
* * *
River Tenley
