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He huffed. “Fine. I just got distracted.”
I side-eyed him quickly, then refocused on cleaning his wound. I poured water over the inch-long cut below his thumbnail before I grabbed a couple compresses and pressed them tightly to the laceration.
“By what?” I wanted to know.
While I held his thumb, waiting for the blood flow to slow down, I started preparing the next few steps. His first aid kit had only good shit, at least.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged and looked at the cutting board. “I was happy, I guess. I’ve wanted this for two years, you know? But then I remembered that I know how to fuck things up, and it’s only a matter of time before you kick me out.”
Christ.
He knew how to put a dent in my jaded heart. The little prick.
“The only thing that would end our training is if you actively work against me, Danny.” I lifted the compresses, satisfied. “You’re gonna make mistakes. You’re gonna take a couple steps backward during your progress. Kicking old habits ain’t easy. That’s part of it.” I applied the antiseptic cream, then folded a new compress to the wound. “Hold here.”
He obeyed, and I snatched up the roll of tape. The fabric kind that didn’t fall off in a minute.
“Call this a lesson,” I said. “This isn’t the Army. Even though communication is vital there too, you’ll wanna go further with me. Without established units to fall back on, it’s important to touch base frequently. The more I know, the better. I’d rather you tell me too much than too little.”
He chewed on his lip as I fastened the tape around his thumb.
There, good as new.
“Looks like you’ll live.” I handed the tape back to him.
He quirked a quick, hesitant smile. “Thanks. So, um…I don’t need to tell you every time I go to the bathroom, but I should let you know if the wound gets infected.”
I smiled back. “There’s your first gold star.”
He snorted a laugh and stowed away his portable hospital again.
Not ready to end the moment, I took a few steps back and leaned against the doorframe. The sun hit my shoulders, and I could watch Danny finish up breakfast.
He concentrated as he sliced the rest of the bacon and dumped the strips into a skillet.
The cabin was already beginning to smell of coffee. My stomach tightened with hunger.
“Will you train me with the twins or separately?”
“Little bit of both.” I scratched my jaw. Danny joining us would change everything, because River and Reese would get to see a Special Forces soldier in action. I wanted him to be his own brand of role model for the twins. Just like I hoped Danny would pick up a thing or two from them.
At the same time, they were on completely different levels. River and Reese had just started shaping their mind-set and building their knowledge. Danny was fluent in Farsi, Russian, Spanish, and German. His expertise lay in counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, special recon, and hostage rescue. Skills highly coveted and constantly honed by any PMC worth his salt.
But we needed to add infiltration to his already impressive résumé. The ability to blend in and disappear was sometimes our only cover.
River had, in a short period of time, proven to be somewhat of a natural when it came to infiltrating and hiding in plain sight. I wasn’t sure I’d met such an observant kid before. Not without proper training.
Danny brought the bacon over to the fireplace and removed the pot with what I assumed contained eggs. “Can I ask you to do something and let it go afterward?”
I folded my arms over my chest, curious. “Not at all.”
He sent me a scowl over his shoulder, and I smiled.
Why would I agree to anything before I knew what it was?
“But you can trust me to have your best interests at heart.” I threw that out there.
He mulled it over and brought the eggs to the counter. He let them sit in the hot water while he wiped the cutting board clean and took out the loaf of bread he’d bought.
