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“Yeah, well, I may haveaccidentallyset the base’s airfield in Kabul on fire. Oops.” She shrugged a non-repentant shoulder. “It really wasn’t my fault. Not entirely, anyway. And no smoking on my plane.”
“It’s not lit,” Nik growled. “And aren’t we about to crash this bitch?”
“Don’t remind me,” she said with a soft sigh. “The things I do for you, Brax.”
Ryland smothered a smirk. He hadn’t expected a woman pilot and he glanced from her over to Braxton.Hmm.He wondered what their history was exactly. Musings left for another time and place.
“I owe you, Pyro,” Braxton stated.
“That’s an understatement.”
Braxton moved to the door and when Hunter gave a nod, he opened it. The cabin filled with the whoosh of air currents and the entire plane shook.
“We’ve got less than five minutes before this bird is nothing more than a burning hole in the ground,” Hunter stated. “Let’s punch out.”
“You heard her,” Braxton said and motioned for Zane, the first in line, to jump. He stepped right out of the plane, quickly followed by Inda and then Gray. Zero hesitation.
Nik glanced down, squeezed his eyes shut, and grumbled a low, “Fuckit,” before jumping out.
Ryland moved them up and Harper gasped as he positioned her in front of the open door.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he promised. “Ready?”
“Yes…no!”
Pressing a quick kiss to her temple, Ryland stepped out into thin air and Harper squealed. All sound seemed to be sucked away as they fell, and only the rush of the wind currents filled their ears. A moment later, he pulled the ripcord and they snapped upright.
As they floated down to Earth, he marveled at the peace and serenity so high up. It was time to move forward with their mission and that meant focusing on the present and letting go of the past.
And, most importantly, keeping Harper safe and close by his side.
The ground grew closer and Ryland focused on the plane which had become a dot in the distance. It would be crashing any second now and they would all be officially declared dead.
“Legs up,” Ryland reminded her as they came in for a landing. His boots hit the ground hard and he guided them to a stop as smoothly as possible. Once Harper was standing, he unbuckled their suits. “You did so great. I’m so damn proud of you.”
They shared a quick kiss and he started gathering the parachute blowing out behind him. The desert ground seemed to momentarily shake and, in the distance, flames and smoke rose up into the blue sky. Now they were officially ghosts.
It was a strange feeling. But they needed to be one step ahead of The Agency and if they were assumed dead, Ryland and his team would have the upper hand. Then they could sneak in like wraiths and bring everyone on their list down.
Their enemies wouldn’t know they were coming or what hit them.
As Braxton and Hunter touched down, the rest of the team gathered their chutes and prepared to jump into the waiting SUV that Hunter had set up for their quick evac.
In the meantime, Ryland turned to Harper and yanked her into his arms.
“Maybe it’s selfish, but I’m really glad you’re here with me.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” she murmured. “Who knew my surfer neighbor would turn out to be a former SEAL who would involve me in the adventure of a lifetime?”
“And now I’m your husband.” He searched her face for some sign of regret. But there wasn’t any.
She grinned up at him, her aqua eyes glimmering in the sun like jewels. “Wherever our future leads, I’m all in, Mr. Mills.”
Ryland’s mouth edged up and he cupped her face, pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, “Me, too, Mrs. Mills.”
Nearby, the team stood waiting by the SUV and watched the black smoke rise in the distance. It was strange. Even though they were officially dead to the world, Ryland had never felt more alive in his entire life.
And that was all thanks to the beautiful woman standing by his side.
His love, his wife and his forever.
