Rising Storm (Westin Force #2) - Julie Trettel Page 0,19
it mostly to themselves. We may have caught glimpses of the aftermath like now, but they really did try to keep their hands off each other on the clock, or at least in mixed company.
“New assignment?” Grant asked.
“Yeah, we were just getting started,” Patrick said. “So, we’ve had a new development. The tracker Silas was able to put on the truck that got away has finally stopped. It’s been a few days. Yes, we have eyes on it, and it appears they are settling into a new location. We need to move quickly.”
“What team’s watching it?” Silas asked.
“Elliot’s heading it up with Echo team,” Kyle confirmed.
I had assumed that’s who it would be. They often did a lot of recon work for us.
“No one gets left behind this time,” Silas grunted.
I should have known that’s what was bothering him. On Ben Shay’s first assignment with us we’d lost a bunch of shifters. Some didn’t survive a collapse they had used to distract us. The biological mother of Shay’s triplets died in childbirth. It was a mess. Still the Raglan were able to get past our perimeter with who knew how many. We weren’t exactly sure how that had happened, but Silas had been a tyrant in training for months afterwards. He took these things personally.
I supposed, given the circumstances, he was actually taking it better this time.
“So we’re going in?” Tarron asked.
“When?” Ben wanted to know.
“Do I get to blow stuff up again?”
We all groaned. That’s all Baine ever cared about.
Kyle put his hand up to halt questions. “We roll out at eighteen hundred. Get your stuff in order.”
“Silas, we’ve made this job optional for Painter, so you may be down a man.”
“Normally Elliot’s team fills in for us,” he reminded them.
“We’re aware. Do the best you can.”
I was riddled with guilt. I didn’t know what to do. I looked back at Emma like somehow, she’d give me the answers I needed so desperately.
She had a piece of paper in her hand and passed it to me. It simply read ‘go’.
I smiled. “Are you sure? We could be a few days.”
She nodded.
I still hated leaving her, but I conceded.
“I’m in,” I said.
The room stopped and all turned to me.
“Are you certain about this?”’
“Yeah. My mate says go.”
They looked around sharing silent words.
“It’s official, he’s lost it. If I hadn’t seen her shift with my own eyes, I’d swear he’d lost it and she wasn’t even a shifter,” Baine said.
I held up the paper. “Orders from the boss, boys. Now go get your own crap in order so we can leave, and get back sooner, rather than later. I don’t want to be gone long.”
Kyle shook his head. “Whatever.”
“We all learn differently,” Patrick told them.
I had no clue what they were talking about, but I didn’t stop to ask either. Instead, I got up, gathered our dishes and motioned for Emma to follow me out. I wanted to spend a little time with her before I had to roll out.
As we walked back by Archie’s desk, he scowled at me. I shrugged and laughed. He was being entertained by one of the shifters we’d rescued. I recognized her from the box truck on the drive to the airport.
Emma grunted and Archie jumped up on his chair. “You keep her away from me, Painter. I mean it.”
I laughed and urged Emma to keep moving. She hesitated a minute but eventually turned to follow.
Once back upstairs I flopped down onto the small sofa.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I wish you would just shift and talk to me. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. We never really know on missions. I could have Ben’s mate, Shelby, come keep you company. But they have triplet toddlers, and I don’t even know if you like kids.”
She quirked her head at me, but I didn’t know what to make of it. That was the problem. I never knew for sure what was her and what was my desire for her. The only things I truly knew was that she was my mate. She had light brown hair and big brown eyes. Her name was Emma, and she wanted me to go on this mission.
Did she want me to leave to get away from her? A stab of rejection shot through me at the thought. Maybe she just wanted me to do my job and rescue her friends. I truly hoped it was that and not that she wanted some distance between us.