Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Major perks. Let’s be frank. He’d get to see me every day around the office. Way more money in the private sector. Casual Friday, Taco Tuesday, donuts every Wednesday. And did I mention he’d get to see me every day around the office?
“Would you like to discuss the weather?” he asked casually.
Roe laughed.
I scowled at the fucker before I refocused on Adrien. “No, I was more thinking since we agreed not to make each other suffer, you could tell me the good news.”
He let out a chuckle and gave my leg a squeeze. “As if I could resist the opportunity to boss you around at work.”
Fuck yes!
I wasn’t worried for crap; if anything, I knew he’d fuss over me when I returned from a taxing gig.
“I’m going to sit down with Elliott after Thanksgiving,” he clarified. “It seems he has big plans for the agency that involve Hillcroft, and he needs someone to take over Tariq’s responsibilities.”
I nodded, having heard Elliott and Tariq discuss the possibilities before. Elliott and Coach had talked a lot lately; Coach had even flown out to visit us at JATE. I thought it was exciting. It would be like a semi-merger of some sort. Hillcroft would always be Hillcroft, and same with JATE, but there’d be a tangible affiliation between the two. JATE would likely take over Hillcroft’s private security sector for domestic contracts, and Hillcroft would lead the way for more high-risk ops, where they were the best in the field.
“It’s gonna be fucking amazing.” I leaned over and kissed him firmly. “You can rub my feet after I’ve had a long day following some bigwig around, and you can—”
“I think you’ve misunderstood something here, sweetheart.” He tried to hide the mirth in his eyes. “I will make you my bitch.”
I blinked.
Roe and Jake found that way too funny!
EPILOGUE 3
The following summer
One misty morning
At Hillcroft’s training facility high up in the Ecuadorian mountains
Reese Tenley
I folded my arms over my chest and eyed the recruits as Coach spoke to the six men and two women. His voice bounced between the walls of the courtyard.
Shay, Crew, and Gray stood in the back row as they weren’t official recruits—though, everything they’d been put through could not have been more real. We wouldn’t do anybody a favor by being lenient. They’d asked for a selection process, and we’d given it to them.
Now they wore the same black utility pants and tees as the rest of the recruits, and they were ready for their two-week trek through the jungle.
“And I don’t wanna see anyone activate their distress signal for a fucking twisted ankle or mosquito bite,” Coach boomed out. “You’ve been training for this for a whole year, and if you fail these two weeks, you gotta do it all over again next summer. I repeat, you will not pass if you do not complete the tasks!”
That was my cue. I stepped forward and retrieved eight Ziploc pouches from one of my side pockets. “Personal belongings and anything that can identify you goes into these bags!” I stopped at the first guy, who dropped his phone, wallet, and a bracelet a kid had obviously made into a pouch. “What kind of operators does Hillcroft create?”
“The gray kind!” they all echoed. “We do not stand out. We will not be identified!”
“Who speaks first?” I moved on to the next recruit.
“Never us!” they replied.
“Who strikes last?”
“Always us!”
One by one, they left behind driver’s licenses, wedding bands, phones, wallets…
Danny was next. He joined Coach at the front.
“As you know, we’ve made some changes this year,” he said. “If we spot your beacons on the wrong side of the border, you will immediately be evacuated and escorted back to DC, and you will not have a future with Hillcroft.” He paused to let that message sink in. “On your map, you’ll find seven checkpoints, and you’ll go to them all. If you return in two weeks and you’re missing one marker, you’re out.”
Last but not least, Elliott, Mercier, and River. While the latter two handed out backpacks, Elliott positioned himself next to Coach with his own backpack.
By then, I reached the last row, and it took all my strength not to say anything to Shay—or, hell, to kiss him.
Gray had nothing to leave in a Ziploc bag. He’d already given it all to Darius.
Shay had a single item. His ring.
I love you, baby. You can do this.
Last but not least, Crew dropped a gold band too, plus his phone and a necklace with a miniature dog tag that carried his personal information.
“Recruits, you can open your bags for inventory!” Elliott ordered.
I got out of the way and returned to the others.
This sure brought back memories.
Elliott bent down and grabbed the first handful of gadgets. “As I go through the items, you confirm you have each one. Starting with a water filter system.”