Epilogue

EPILOGUE

November 15th, 1998

" W e have movement at the foot of the mountain!"

Thank fuck, the scouts had reported back.

It was a cold morning in northern Ecuador, with fog cradling the entire mountainside, and Sid and I had been up all night, replacing flares when they burned out. We just didn't have anything else to welcome recruits home in a thick fog like this one. Following your compass was one thing, but after the hellish journey they'd been on now, we wanted to make sure they were greeted by proper signs of life at the top of the hill.

For three weeks, Sid and I—along with our crew of four field assistants—had waited to find out who was going from recruit to operator. The final selection included six exams and one two-week-long survival test in some of the harshest conditions. Minimal supplies, no partner, no MREs.

James had advanced quickly this year, so he'd become the fifth recruit to make it in this year's class of potential graduates. Once he was done, if he succeeded, Terrance was sending him to San Diego, where he'd train with a helicopter crew. He was already a pilot, but we sure as hell didn't deploy Hueys at Hillcroft. Our extremely small fleet of aircraft consisted of modified civilian models. Aside from the passenger planes, we had one helicopter in California, one in France, one in Germany, and two in Cyprus.

Nine times out of ten, we hitched a ride with US or British military when we were overseas. Depending on the assignment, we sometimes stayed on their bases too. Kind of like River and Reese would do soon.

In a few months, Terrance was shipping them to Qatar.

I couldn't lie; I wasn't wholly comfortable with it. I'd grown to care for the little shits, and I wanted them under my supervision.

Even Danny had frowned when Reese had announced the news. He liked to view the twins as his kid brothers.

I checked my watch and crossed the courtyard of our facility, a low brick building that functioned as its own fence to the helipad at the center. The rest was just gravel—and some mismatched lawn chairs and a grill in one corner.

The building was a leftover property in Arthur's father's will. There was room for dozens of people, and the areas included a mess hall, classrooms, a rec room, supply closets, shower rooms, and offices.

To this day, nobody knew the initial purpose of the property. It'd been left unused for several years until Arthur one day decided we could utilize it for training. And, as of last year, the official place to graduate.

Sid came out of the section where we had our field office. "Did I hear Ben?"

I nodded. "Scouts reported movement at the bottom."

"Someone's comin' in fast."

It better be my boy.

We trailed down to the main entrance and opened the gate, before we stepped outside of the property, where we had nothing but patches of grass and then the tree line. Right then and there was also where the hill slanted.

It was a steep climb up to get here, and the air was much thinner.

I nodded to Ben, who stood ready with his radio and a medic bag.

Sid sipped his morning coffee, and I sighed internally. I should've brought my cup too.

Come on, baby. Don't make me worried.

This was what everything boiled down to. Granted, I'd missed him an absurd amount, but I hadn't feared for his safety. Danny was so far ahead of everyone else that I'd decided I had nothing to worry about as long as he returned first with all four of the markers they had been ordered to collect in the jungle. If he didn't…? That was when I'd get scared. That was when I'd pack my own bag and begin my search for a hotheaded needle in a haystack.

I folded my arms over my chest, knowing the last climb took a while.

I wasn't nervous. I wasn't nervous one bit. My heart was beating faster because of the thin air.

Deep breaths.

It was going to be him. He'd worked so hard for this, and he'd made such good progress with his temper too. Sure, he had bursts of anger like anyone else, but he was learning how to control himself.

Besides, an exercise in survival was a walk in the park in comparison to some of the other fields. Danny was an excellent tracker, hunter, and survivor. Four thousand acres of jungle weren't going to stop him.

"There will be nothing professional about this reunion," I said. Sid could consider that his only warning.

He snorted a chuckle and took a swig of his coffee. "I wasn't expecting that anyway."

All right, good.

I checked my watch incessantly over the next half hour, and I thought back on when I'd run the course myself. Down was obviously the easy way. That didn't take more than fifteen minutes. Up, however? In addition, it wasn't just one mountain followed by flatlands. The foot of this peak led to a small river delta, plenty of thicket, and then things went downhill once more. And the recruits were coming from all the way down—two weeks' worth of ups and downs, to be accurate. No trails or anything. Just rough terrain all the way.

"Recruit Daniel Rose inbound!" Ben announced.

My head snapped up, my heart fucking pounding, and I automatically strode closer to the tree line approximately fifty feet away.

Moments later, the underbrush rustled, some ferns shook, and my fighter broke through the tree line in an exhausted jog, face flushed and smeared with mud.

My heart jumped up into my throat, and I bolted for him.

Sid handed out orders to Ben. "We're gonna need fluids and energy, stat."

"Kiss me before I puke," Danny panted.

I closed the distance between us, and an urgency I'd never felt before surged through me like wildfire. One part of me wanted to crush him in a hug, while another dove into field-medicine mode. He needed to be lowered to the ground, I had to check him for insect bites and rashes, I had to ask if he'd lost any blood, the last time he ate and drank, if he was dizzy?—

"I've got you, sweetheart." I wrapped my arms around him and eased him down till I was on my knees next to him. "You did it, Operator Rose. I'm so bloody fucking proud of you."

He whimpered and covered his face with his hands. "My heart won't s-stop racing."

"You just focus on breathing," I commanded. At the same time, I started stripping him down. I unbuttoned his top layer, undid his belt, and tugged down his utility pants. Boots off. Mud everywhere. He was soaked all the way through, down to his base layer.

Ben and Sid were quick to assist me, with one taking over the medical eval and the other preparing an IV solution of saline, vitamins, and minerals.

"I did it," he croaked behind his hands.

I cupped his face and gently removed his muddy paws, and I caught him smiling through an imminent breakdown.

"You did it," I murmured thickly. Ben extended a flashlight to me, and I accepted it wordlessly and leaned closer to my boy again. "Open your eyes, love." I shone the light in his eyes, checking the dilation of his pupils, and they became smaller as they should, to my relief. "Have you had fresh water today? Any injuries, open wounds?"

He coughed and managed a nod. "Filtered water around dawn, went through the last before…before I…started climbing. N-no open wounds." He blew out a breath and winced at whatever Ben and Sid were doing. "My stomach's cramping—don't f-fuckin' sit on it."

I glanced back, and nobody was putting any pressure on his stomach. Sid was merely checking Danny's skin for rashes and bites.

"We'll get you to a bathroom," I promised. "How's the nausea?"

He groaned and promptly rolled over to throw up.

"Pulse is slowing down," Ben said. "No open wounds, his color is good, no rash that we can see."

I blew out a breath as I held Danny in position, and I gently combed my fingers through his hair.

I'd kiss him silly later.

August 1st, 1999

I watched him with a dumb grin on my face as he sipped his cappuccino and got foam on his upper lip.

"It's too hard to decide," he muttered. "On the one hand, this one is closer to the city, but it's got less space."

I smiled and wiped his mouth with a napkin first, and he grinned sheepishly.

He was too adorable for words. How fucking love-sick was I if one smile from him could tune out an entire coffee shop in the middle of the morning caffeine rush?

"Focus." He narrowed his eyes playfully.

Right. I could focus.

I crammed the last of my bagel into my mouth and draped an arm along the back of his chair. "It's not that much less space if you think about it." I pointed to the printout to the left and brushed some crumbs off my tee. "The house is smaller, but the land is the same size as that one."

We didn't need a big house, was my point. We needed a good portion of land to build a safe haven for Danny's rescue dogs. Or our rescue dogs. I was admittedly growing increasingly fond of the idea of taking in rescues that nobody else wanted.

I'd prepared sketches for a yard with individual houses for twelve dogs, including additional areas for dogs that didn't go together.

"That's true," he conceded. He leaned closer to me and dropped a hand on my leg, and I kissed the side of his head. "We don't need more than two bedrooms—at least if we have the home office and den downstairs."

Exactly. A home office we didn't even need. It could easily become a guest room. My nieces and nephews visited about once a year, but my mum was incredibly fond of Danny, so she wanted to fly out often.

"And it would be nice to shorten the commute," he reasoned.

"Definitely," I agreed. "It'll also be easier to find people who can work on short notice if we're not completely out in the sticks."

Because when we took a contract, we usually left within twenty-four hours, and we'd need someone on the farm full time while we were gone.

"Good point," he said. "I think…" He trailed off when we heard a familiar Tenley voice in the coffee shop, and we looked up to see Reese heading toward our table, with his brother right behind. They removed their shades, and Reese handed River their pack of smokes. "Well, look who's home!"

"Hey." Reese grinned and sat down across from us. "You're one to talk, travelin' lovebirds."

He actually was. Danny and I had just returned from a month in Libya. River and Reese had spent four damn months in Qatar. The two didn't compare.

"It's good to see you, boys." I smiled and registered some minor changes in their features. They looked…sharper, in a way. Every training mission seemed to remove some of their innocence, of which I wasn't sure they'd had much to begin with. "I hear I get to ride your asses in counterterrorism the next three months."

I was looking forward to it. We'd get a semblance of what used to be normal for a while, even though they didn't live with Danny and me anymore.

"Don't be gentle with us. We've learned a fuck-ton," Reese replied, cocky as ever.

I'd missed them. So had Danny, who didn't waste time quizzing River about their latest adventure. In the meantime, Reese stood up and said he'd get them coffee.

"Get me a Danish too," Danny said. "I had a tiny breakfast."

Tiny? I lifted my brows at him. Pancakes, one bagel, and a muffin made a tiny breakfast?

"Ah, Danish. River and I shared one of those in London." Judging by Reese's expression, he wasn't talking about the pastry.

If we were ever in Europe together, I'd have to take the twins to a kink club. I bet Danny would like that as well.

"Yeah, we can hear about your slutscapades later," Danny said. "Training comes first. Hurry back with my Danish."

I huffed a chuckle and finished my coffee.

Truth be told, I wanted to hear about their training too. Even though I got frequent updates and remained their CO on paper, they'd evolved so much while traveling that I felt I was missing out. All I knew was…they were practically operators at this point. TJ had already sent them on minor assignments on their own, and they'd passed every test that led up to the final selection. It was just a matter of finding the time.

Last I heard, Terrance was willing to move the November date to another month if it fit the boys' schedule better—because I knew they had a seminar in Brussels and a guard duty gig in Mali coming up this fall. It'd been scheduled since January.

"Are you finding a balance between physical training and hitting the books?" I asked.

River smiled and nodded once. "Yessir. I realized it was better to just get the physical outta the way, 'cause the theoretical ain't goin' anywhere. I'm never gonna be done."

A realization we all had to come to. I'd never be done either. We could never be too sharp or know too much.

"Just make sure you don't lose the physical shit," Danny advised. "We still gotta pass the annual evals."

"Yeah, no. Reese forces me to work out with him every week," River assured. "I go to the shooting range twice a month too, wherever we are."

"Glad to hear it," I said. "So other than that, you're just collecting skills, huh?"

He chuckled. "Well, you did say we could never have too many tricks up our sleeves."

True. I was full of words of wisdom like that.

July 27th, 2000

"Slow down—" I sucked in a breath and gripped his hips tightly. I wasn't ready to get off yet, and he was too fucking beautiful in the morning sunlight filtering through the blinds. "Just let me look at you."

My heart hammered in my chest as I pulled him down for a kiss, and he smiled and wriggled his sexy little ass over my cock.

I exhaled unsteadily and broke away, and I peered up at him. We were…in a phase of sorts, where all we wanted was for him to ride me, because he moved so goddamn sensually and, frankly, I was still out of commission.

It came with the job. Sometimes you tore something in a hasty escape from Colombia.

He swiveled his hips and pressed his forehead to mine.

I just stared. I let my hands roam his perfect body, up his abs, his chest, over his defined shoulders, down his biceps. I could never get enough. Fucking never.

"My beautiful boy," I whispered.

"Mmm…my sexy-as-sin Daddy…" He flicked the tip of his tongue over my upper lip, and I groaned when he clenched down on me. "You sure I'm not hurting you?"

I nodded and deepened the kiss. Another week or two, and I'd be back to normal.

There was something about this morning. I'd sensed it from the moment I'd woken up with his mouth on me. It happened sometimes, when I simply lost my words because I was too happy. Settled and overjoyed.

I'd waited over forty years, and I was being rewarded for it.

"What?" he whispered with a curious smile.

I shook my head, still unable to express myself properly.

I touched his cheek, then slipped my fingers into his dirty-blond hair. Every now and then, a few strands fell over his eyes, and he gave me this look that screamed of both affection and mischief. The blue seemed bluer today too. Maybe it was the sun. Maybe it was everything.

It was normal, right? To sometimes get overwhelmed by all of it? Love of my life, whom I got to work with every day, whom I shared this farm with, whom I got to wake up with morning after morning.

I let out a breath. "I wish I could marry you."

He swallowed, and the pinch of soft amusement left his eyes. "Me too. Maybe one day?"

Yeah. Maybe one day. But in the meantime, I wanted a ring on his finger. I'd go out and buy one today after work. And one for me too.

We got lost in another kiss, and this one didn't stop. I needed more and more, and pain be damned, I flipped him over, gathered his legs around my hips, and slammed into him.

"Holy fuck!" he moaned. " Fuck , Daddy."

I gnashed my teeth and fucked him into the mattress.

The bed creaked, and the frame thudded against the wall.

"I love you," I gritted out.

"I love you too," he whimpered. He scrunched up his face and stroked his cock quickly, then let out a long moan and arched his back.

Just like that.

All mine.

Out in the backyard, the dogs were waking up. Zeb was always the first one to bark, setting off Leia and Taft. The youngest pups weren't as loud, nor was old Rocky.

They'd settle down after we'd taken them on their morning walk.

"You're almost there, baby boy." I ground my cock deeper, watching the pain and pleasure flit across his face, and that did it.

He choked on a moan and went rigid, eyes screwed shut, and he started coming.

It was the sexiest fucking sight. Burst after burst splattered across his abs, setting me off too.

The orgasm washed over me, each wave intensified by my boy clenching and unclenching around my cock. His breathless pleas echoed in my mind, and I soaked up the attention when he clung to me.

Goddamn.

Perfect start to our day.

I shuddered violently as the last of my release filled his ass, and he pulled me down on him and locked his arms around my neck.

"What a mess you made, love." I kissed his neck.

He hummed and shivered. "You like it when I make a big mess, Daddy."

I sure fucking did.

I planted an openmouthed kiss along his neck before I nuzzled our noses together. "Quick shower?"

He nodded and nipped at my jaw.

It actually needed to be a quick shower, because we had a meeting with TJ and Terrance at ten, and we couldn't just stroll a few blocks to get into the office anymore. It was a half-hour commute— if we avoided rush hour. Sometimes we got off right when everyone else did, and then we'd be stuck in traffic for an hour or more.

After getting ready for the day, we headed downstairs. Danny took the dogs out for a walk and some mental stimulation, and I packed our bags and prepared breakfast. We had a sparring session and target practice today, and I'd brought our workout clothes home for laundry.

One of my favorite features about the house was that the kitchen faced the backyard, which we'd poured an entire summer into turning into a great spot for the rescues. The shed was there for the colder months, but most dogs slept outside in the summer. Right now, we didn't have any dogs that needed to be kept separated either, so that made everything easier. They had a big yard where they could roam free, shade when they wanted, plenty of sun too, toys, a pond to play in—except for Zeb; he hated the water—and a small agility course where Danny trained them.

It might not be the most beautiful place with a six-foot wooden fence closing us in, but it allowed us to be gone for a whole day without locking them up. We had a dog sitter who stopped by to check in on them, energize them a bit, and make sure everything was okay, and that was all. We'd really managed to combine Danny's dream with our jobs.

And I could admit I loved sitting on the porch with a dog or two at my feet. I also always had a companion when I went out for a run.

The front yard was the human space, though we only spent time there when we had someone over for a barbecue. We preferred the porch in the back.

I grinned to myself as I watched Danny through the window. He was on a mission to provide more structure for our latest, Taft. A rowdy Rottweiler mix who'd been abandoned because his previous owners thought you could tire a dog out with a leisurely stroll in the park. But Danny knew better. He was all in. His passion for animals shone through every moment he spent out there. It was the one reason we sometimes got to work a bit late.

He might be my sweet brat with a subby streak, but he was the dogs' pack leader.

I grabbed two apples and sliced them up, then added them to the oatmeal with cinnamon, some honey, and a handful of walnuts.

My breakfast still hadn't earned the stamp of approval from the twins, but Danny liked it, and that was all that mattered. As long as I didn't serve plain oatmeal. That was the rule. My boy had given me a stern talkin'-to last year. The plain oatmeal had to go.

I was fine with that.

Danny made a final round to throw out liver snaps, and then he came back inside with a smile on his face.

"You're making progress with him," I said.

"Yeah. He just needs his brain activated. People seem to forget dogs have those."

I chuckled and brought our bowls over to the bar, where we always ate breakfast before work. We couldn't do it on the porch, because then we'd definitely be late.

Danny sat down and picked up his spoon. "Ooh, extra cinnamon? Someone made Daddy happy this morning."

I laughed softly and shook my head. What could I say, I was whipped.

"By the way, I talked to Arden yesterday," he mentioned. "He asked when we're coming up to visit."

"Funny—my sister asked the same last week," I said. "I guess we can go up there soon. Maybe get a night or two at the cabin too?"

"Fuck yes." He grinned around a mouthful of oatmeal. "We'll bring Taft and Leia."

"And Rocky," I said. I liked that old mutt. He liked me too. We were a team. "I'll call Tina once we've set a date." She and her sisters ran a dog-sitting service and a grooming business not far from here.

My new cell phone buzzed with a message, and I sighed internally, hating the damn thing. If you wanted something, fucking call me. Some of the guys were tapping away on their phones at work, and I didn't get it. It was a security issue, and it took forever. Much quicker to just pick up the phone, say what you had to say, and hang up.

"Who is it?" Danny asked.

"TJ," I muttered, squinting at the text.

My old man is in a mood.

"Daddy, I think you might need glasses."

What the— I scowled at him. "The fuck I do. It's the phone—it's tiny."

He cranked up the goofy smile and placated me with an "Okay, Daddy."

Hmpf.

Glasses, my fine ass.

"Finish your breakfast, then go brush your teeth," I told him.

When we arrived at work, I quickly came to understand that TJ's warning had been an understatement. Terrance was livid because the twins' final selection had been postponed once more, and he was ranting about insurance purposes, recognition, and pay grades when Danny and I reached the top floor.

We slowed our approach down the hallway.

"…because we need more people in the field, boy!" Terrance snapped.

"We have more than ever—including the Tenleys!" TJ argued. "Fuck the damn exams. They're already operators! Do you think we just send them to shadow officials and agents from other firms?"

"You lower your damn voice," Terrance threatened. "I know they're operators—but they can't help train others until they wear the titles, and we're in the middle of a large recruitment process, son."

Terrance wasn't wrong. With TJ and Quin working full time and joining the management, Hillcroft had entered a new stage. We were preparing for the years to come, because we knew shit was about to hit the fan at some point. I was still a firm believer that we'd see a new war within a few years. Even if it didn't include the US properly, a war in the Middle East would always include contractors and the private corporations that wanted us there for one reason or another.

TJ gnashed his teeth and said nothing, which was probably wise.

Terrance pointed at him. "Make it official. I want them in Ecuador within six months, and then you place River in intel and Reese next to Sid in the fighter unit. We will have twenty-four new recruits joining us at the end of the year. They need instructors."

Danny leaned closer to me and spoke under his breath. "This is a bad time to tell Terrance I don't wanna train DoD newbies in detaining suspects in public spaces, right?"

I gave him a look. Definitely a bad time—and he was doing it. It was part of the job. We had to pull our weight in between contracts.

April 12th, 2001

"Should I give them good-natured shit or just hug them till they're uncomfortable?"

I chuckled and slipped on my ring again. Danny did the same before closing his locker.

"I vote for the hug. They deserve it," I replied. I shrugged on my jacket and grabbed the gift bags we'd picked up for the twins, and then I shut my locker too.

"I knew you were a Sadist." He smirked.

"For thinking it's a hugging moment?" I laughed.

He grinned and slipped his hand into mine. "No, but for wanting them uncomfortable."

Well. I wasn't sure anything could make Reese uncomfortable. River, on the other hand, might've been born that way.

Danny and I took the elevator down and walked out, and he grabbed the gift bags right before we reached the garage across the street.

"Should we have at least bought some gag gifts?" He dug through one of the bags. "Maybe they'll think we're too sappy. I mean, the folders are engraved and everything."

I furrowed my brow. "Did you think I was too sappy when I gave you your gift?" Dammit, I'd put a lot of time into his gift. A new watch, a new Beanie Baby, and a romantic weekend in Mexico on the way home.

"Definitely," he confirmed, the brat. "The difference is, I love it when you get sappy. That's when you have your most brilliant ideas, like when we made our own porn and when we got engaged."

I smiled wryly.

I was quite fond of his sappy moments too.

When we reached our truck, I got behind the wheel, and he sat next to me, still sifting through the gifts we'd picked out. Most of which would hopefully add a nice touch to their very empty condo. They'd lived there for two years now, and they were like Darius. It could be emptied in twenty minutes.

After having moved in with Danny and then buying a house with him, I could never go back. I'd even let my mum hang drapes and buy us rugs and tablecloths. Our house was a home, with memories on the walls and trinkets on the shelves. The fridge was a shrine to the drawings my nieces and nephews sent us.

River and Reese needed a home too. I was damn proud of them for working so hard, but they needed to remember not everything was about assignments and training.

For their official graduation presents, we'd bought them each a nice Glock and a folding knife, which they could get their hands on next time they visited. The gift bags were filled with smaller items. Socks, deodorant, cologne, a nice tie—because I knew they didn't own any—and gift cards to actual restaurants, not fast-food joints. The only picture I had of the twins, Danny had framed and added to one of the bags too. He had also added a few packets of ramen for River and a book of recipes for Reese. Last but not least, cuff links with a Celtic symbol for brotherhood.

We tended to shy away from personalization with initials or anything that could be tied to them unless you knew them very well. It was why Danny and I had engraved our engagement rings with "Our story is without end" rather than names and dates. The twins' knives… I guessed that was where I got extra sappy. I couldn't help it. They just read "From family," because that was what I felt.

I'd never wanted children of my own, but they came damn close to filling those shoes.

Why else would I cross a line and use the emergency key to their place so I could stock their damn fridge? And maybe buy them new bedsheets.

Fuck.

I cleared my throat and checked the rearview before I switched lanes. "Do you think I'm being too much with the boys? Too personal."

Danny frowned and looked at me. "No? They need us, hon. They will die without us."

I snorted softly. "We both know that's not true."

He shrugged and returned to the bags. "Whatever. When it comes to those two, I think they will always only need each other for survival. But when we remind them of our existence, they light up in a different way. They let their guards down around us."

I nodded slowly, letting his words settle. He had a point. A big one. Around Danny and me, River and Reese could be more carefree. Like kids.

"When they get older, I will guilt them into coming for Sunday dinners and shit," Danny added frankly. "It wouldn't surprise me if they end up dating the same person. And lord have mercy on that guy."

I chuckled under my breath. To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me either.

A comfortable silence fell over us, and I checked my watch to make sure we weren't late. The traffic wasn't too bad, but the boys were landing any minute, so we wanted to be there in time.

Sid and whoever was in the crew that'd helped out had stayed behind in Ecuador for a training exercise, so the twins were flying commercial and on their own. Their last transfer had been in Houston, and I assumed they were beyond exhausted.

We'd give them that hug, congratulate them properly, then probably get them pizza or some other takeout before we drove them home.

"I don't know, Daddy," my boy sighed. "I feel like we at least should've gotten them glow-in-the-dark rubbers or something."

I side-eyed him, then shook my head in amusement.

We were finally at the airport, and I cut off a cocky cab driver on my way to the arrivals.

Don't get any ideas, you fucking git.

"I don't think we're allowed to park here," Danny said.

"I have a fake permit that says otherwise," I replied.

Actually, it wasn't fake; it just didn't apply to airport pickups. But whatever. We'd be here ten minutes instead of five. Big whoop.

These were the perks of working with government agencies from time to time.

As I pulled over to the curb, I leaned over to open the glove compartment, and I dug out my "for government use only" permit that included parking in no-parking zones. Cheers, DoD.

"My Daddy's a bad guy," Danny mused. "And all this time, I thought I was on the right side of history."

I smooched his cheek before leaving the permit on the dashboard. "Leave the gifts. We can hand them over later."

"Yes, Sir."

With no time to waste, we headed inside the airport as people streamed out, and we aimed for the busiest?—

"Over there!" Danny pointed toward a crowd, and I spotted two identical copperheads with duffels thrown over their shoulders. One had a hoodie slung over his other shoulder, and…

I narrowed my eyes. Who the fuck had gotten a tattoo on his neck?

There better not be anything that could identify them.

I bet it was Reese. It seemed like a Reese thing to do. Oh yeah, it was Reese. He spotted us and smirked the way only he could, and he nudged River, who pulled off a signature faint smile instead.

"What is it with this generation and tattoos?" I muttered.

Danny scrunched his nose. "You like mine."

"I'm biased," I said.

"You mean blessed," he said and walked off. "Welcome home, operators!"

Brat .

The twins grinned and accepted a big hug from Danny, and I was quick to join them.

"Thanks, bro," Reese said.

I eyed the ink on his neck, spotting the skull of a longhorn, some vines, and what looked like a Christmas ornament half submerged in a river that disappeared behind a classic car. Nothing that could be used to pin down their names. Good.

I pulled him in for a hug next, and I clapped him on the back. "Congratulations on your graduation, operator. It's good to have you home."

"Thank you, sir." He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck as I eased off, and I went to give River the same treatment.

"Operator. I heard you finished in second place." I gave him a squeeze. "I'm damn proud of you both."

"We couldn't have done it without you, sir. And thank you for pickin' us up."

"We would've insisted," Danny told him. "Now, we propose pizza before you get some rest."

"Perfect order of our priorities." Reese yawned and threw an arm around Danny's shoulders. "Y'all're welcome to spend the night at our place if you leave the door open."

I laughed. That fucking boy. Some things never changed.

September 11, 2001

"Well, it's too late now, innit? He's already made up his mind." I signed the last form and handed it over to Paul. We were almost at the cafeteria, and I was in need of coffee and breakfast. Danny and I had overslept, so we'd missed out on my stellar oatmeal creation. "But between you and me, he should've opted for the second location in Jordan. Now we gotta cross into Turkey in order to?—"

"Shut the fuck up!" I heard Danny and Reese yell at the same time.

I lifted my brows and exchanged a quick look with Paul. He was as confused as I was, so we hurried into the cafeteria and were met by the strangest sight. Maybe fifteen or so people stood around—no one was sitting—and watched the TVs that were set up here and there.

"Em!" Danny saw me and was seemingly rooted in place. There was something in his eyes that put me on edge. Something was wrong . Something was really fucking wrong.

I strode over to him and saw a similar look on other guys' faces too. Shock, resignation, jaws clenched in anger?—

"Why the fuck are they talking about small propeller planes?" someone blurted out. "You fucking see the second passenger plane right there!"

Danny grabbed my hand tightly, very tightly, and I followed his gaze to the nearest TV mere feet away.

"…another eyewitness report saying there was, in fact, a second plane—and we're going to… Yes, there we have the other angle. Both towers have suffered explosions, and as Tony said, it seems to be around the eightieth floor…"

I swallowed dryly and tightened my hold on Danny's hand.

"And here we see—this was just moments ago—how the second plane hits the World Trade Center…"

I scrubbed a hand over my mouth and jaw, and only two words existed in my brain, and they went on a loop.

It's begun.

I watched once more as a plane flew right into the second tower, at the same time as someone behind us muttered that there was no way this was an accident.

"How many people work in those towers?" someone else asked.

"Thousands—and at this hour? People are already at work," Reese replied quietly. "You think we have jets scrambling yet?"

I saw James from the corner of my eye. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to respond, but Sid came into the cafeteria, and judging by the look on his face, he was up-to-date with what was going on.

"Just talked to my guy at the White House," he said. "The president's canceled whatever he had planned for the day. I suspect he'll be in the air soon."

Jesus fucking Christ. I released a breath and was momentarily distracted by the low murmur of questions and guesses from the men around me.

River was one of them. "What would put any pilot in that area? Which airport is the closest?"

" No pilot belongs in down-fucking-town Manhattan," James replied grimly. "When you fly into LaGuardia, you get maybe two or three miles out, but…" He shook his head.

"Let's not pretend we don't know what this is," Danny said abruptly. "They've fucking warned us for years, and it ain't the first time the Trade Center was targeted."

The FBI was mentioned in the breaking news coverage, and everyone piped down again.

"…we don't know for sure, of course, but the FBI is investigating a possible hijacking of two commercial jets…"

"Ahh," Danny exhaled and flinched.

Oh fuck. I instantly released his hand. "I'm sorry, baby."

He shook his head and stepped closer, and his gaze never left the TV.

Frustration and impatience built up rapidly over the next several minutes as the eyewitness reports rained in, while the anchors had absolutely nothing solid to go on. Everyone was speculating, and it was happening on live television. New Yorkers who phoned in spoke of pandemonium and chaos, thousands of people running away from the Towers, and smoke and debris everywhere.

Danny checked his watch, and I saw it was 9:27?—

"…with US officials now talking about this as an act of terrorism."

"You don't fucking say?" Danny yelled.

I squeezed him to me, a silent hush, and kissed the side of his head.

I felt a pressure on my chest, and I couldn't stop flicking a glance at the nearest clock on the wall, because it was only a matter of time, wasn't it? If our operations handlers didn't announce something over the PA system, then Terrance or TJ would. I mean, were we going to New York? They were going to need help, and most of us had experience in rescue ops, military, and/or first response.

They had to be closing the airspace, if they hadn't already, and my next question was whether they'd close all of Manhattan.

"Do the higher-ups upstairs know anything yet?" I heard one of the recruits ask.

"They'll know before the reporters do, and we'll know when Terrance has enough to go on," I responded firmly.

"This is so fucked up," someone mumbled.

The footage changed to cover the attacks again, but I was more focused on Sid. He'd walked away a bit and was currently on the phone, and as if sensing my watching him, he met my gaze.

"They're shutting down airports," he stated.

That could only mean one thing. Bloody fucking hell, I wanted to know what was going on in air traffic control. They would know. They did know, and now airports were closing? Yeah, definitely a hijacking.

We were under attack.

I swallowed a bout of queasiness, and I could no longer stand here and do nothing. First things first—I pulled out my phone and sent a message to the only one I figured could tell me something from the Air Force. She was part of the senior leadership at a DC squadron.

Good timing to catch up? Do you have anything for me? Is anyone in the air?

"Shit's gotta be bad if my man's sending a text message," Danny mumbled.

In another time and place, I would've laughed.

"Anyone who knows someone, start reaching out for intel," I ordered, turning around to face the others in the cafeteria. "I don't care if you were with the Navy, if you know someone in the NYPD, or if you picked up trash at JFK. We gotta collect all the information we can."

That lit a fire under their asses, and everyone pulled out their phones.

I had one more message to send, to Kane, who was back in London, but he was close to the power. He was working with the ambassador.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long for Jen to message me back.

No official orders yet. We're flight ready but working to figure out what the airspace is like. We don't know who's still up there. I'll get back to you when I know more.

A beat later, someone announced they were evacuating the White House, and Sid ordered for the channel to be changed to CBS.

"The Pentagon's been hit," he finished, clenching his jaw.

"Holy fuck?—"

"Are you serious?"

"Change the damn channel!"

"Shut up!"

"Everybody calm down," I growled.

And there it fucking was. Smoke billowing from the Pentagon, and a news ticker scrolling by with the words terrorist attack, third plane flew into the Pentagon, White House evacuation, and the president being in the air.

Sid and I exchanged a quick look, and I nodded with a dip of my chin.

He turned to everyone. "I want everybody to get ready and stand by for orders! When we—" He was cut off by crackling static coming from the PA system, soon followed by Quinlan's voice.

"All senior operatives report to the fourth floor for briefing. I repeat, all senior operatives report to the fourth floor for briefing."

That was me. I eased away from Danny, and he quickly grabbed my hand.

We didn't say anything. Our gazes locked, and I could feel to my core that we were thinking the same thing.

The world had just changed right before our eyes.

We were at war.

May 28th, 2002

I adjusted my earpiece and snuck another glance around the corner. The street—or dirt road—was quiet at three in the morning, but that would change as soon as the air-raid sirens sounded in approximately six minutes. Local rebels would run for their antiaircraft stations on the outskirts of town, and US forces would add more holes to the low buildings.

"Roof's clear," Danny stated in my ear.

I looked up toward the roof where he was positioned.

After making sure my gun was covered at the base of my spine, I made my way across the street. "Start heading down."

"Wilco," he confirmed. "I've received the coordinates for our pickup. They're eleven minutes out."

Good. I couldn't fucking wait to get out of Afghanistan. We'd been here for four months, leading an operation in gathering intel from informants that the military didn't trust. It was our job to find something valuable in a fucking minefield. But sometimes it paid off.

I ducked between two buildings and started running down the alley. Every goddamn structure looked the same in these desert towns—mostly three-story apartment buildings that'd always looked worse for wear—but this one was way behind enemy lines.

A dog barked in the distance.

I peered up at the moonlit sky and slowed down. Almost there.

"On the ground," Danny said quietly.

"Copy that." I snuck closer to the house wall as I approached the back of our point of interest. It was the kitchen entrance of a café, and the owner lived in the apartment above. According to three sources, he wasn't home, but his wife and elderly mother were.

Come on.

I slipped a long pin between the door and the doorframe, and it never ceased to amaze me how these countries just didn't care about simple things like home security. Especially nowadays. It was just a latch I had to lift, and then the door was unlocked.

I tested the door, and it opened soundlessly.

"I'm in," I said under my breath.

"Starting the clock," he replied quietly. "Be careful."

Nice. Scattering roaches on the tiled floor. Out of the kitchen, I looked into the café area and veered the other way. The office should be—right here. I snuck inside and hurried over to the desk.

"We have movement next door. So far, so good," Danny reported.

I found the memory card in the third drawer, and I deduced I had enough time to take pictures of the rest of the contents. Documents, notes, most of them written in informal Dari, indicating that?—

"Time's almost up, Em," Danny reminded. "Shift change at the bases soon too. Come on."

All right, all right.

I closed the drawer again and made my way out, avoiding thresholds and anything that might creak.

"I'm out." I carefully closed the door. "Now, we run."

We were about a minute's sprint outside of town when the sirens blasted through the area.

We kept running, taking cover in the darkness, until we reached a small valley. Not a place you wanted to get stuck in. The shrubs and low trees didn't provide protection.

"Do you hear that?" Danny asked, out of breath.

I did. Now that he'd mentioned it. A helicopter. I looked up and scanned the sky, but it was impossible to see anything. Then we couldn't hear it either, because the air raid began. We watched from afar as our jets lit up the town.

I would never get used to that sight.

It would never sit right with me either, even though… Nope, not going there now. We had to make it to safety.

Danny tugged on my hand, and I followed his gaze.

I'll be damned . Our pickup was actually a helicopter. We were used to rusty Jeeps from the last bloody war.

"Let's go home, baby." I picked up the pace. God knew how long we'd get to stay at home. Probably not for more than a couple of months.

We ran for the center of the valley, where the helicopter touched down.

I ducked for the blades and squinted as we kicked up a surge of desert sand.

"Holy shit," Danny laughed over the roar.

He jumped in first, and I followed.

Only then did I see who was in the front. Oh, fucking hell, it was good to see the twins. It'd been months, for chrissakes.

River handed us helmets and communication devices while Reese got us up in the air again. But not on his own. River was doing his part too. What the fuck?

"I didn't know you were in the area!" Danny exclaimed.

"Everyone's in the area now," River chuckled. He had a point.

I strapped myself in and double-checked that Danny was secured too.

"I have a better question," I said. "Where the fuck did you steal a Black Hawk, 'cause I know you didn't get certs to fly it."

In fact, it wasn't feasible. The amount of training required, not to mention flight hours in other helicopters?—

"You know how you're always tellin' us to acquire skills we don't advertise?" Reese hollered. "Yeah, this isn't one of those."

Danny cracked up.

I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just say Reese is good at networking," River drawled. "We have thirty flight hours, though. We're not brand-new."

Thirty? Thirty?! I was flying across the desert with two newbies who didn't have pilot certs or a coordination crew?

Fuck me, put me down right now. I wanted to walk back to safety.

"So, what's new?" Reese asked happily. "How's the farm? How're the animals? How's the kinky sex?"

"This is how I'm gonna die, isn't it?" I asked no one in particular.

Danny laughed and grabbed my hand. "You're too funny, Daddy."

Oh, there was nothing funny about this at all. Two young men simply did not fly a Black Hawk on their own. Couldn't they have found a Cobra or something?

"Don't worry. We're four minutes away from our hideout," Reese stated.

"Who're you with?" Danny asked.

"Split special recon detachment from the Army," River answered. "Quinlan's there too. He set it up."

No surprise. He'd built up an impressive network from his time in the forces, and Terrance was lucky to have him full time now. Danny and I were currently under TJ's command, but when we hadn't been informed of who was picking us up tonight, I'd suspected he and Quinlan were joining forces.

"Does anyone else have ‘Fortunate Son' on repeat in their head?" Reese hollered.

"I'd rather you fucking focus on getting us back on the ground," I barked out.

Three hellions laughed.

I was getting old.

Thankfully, we survived the ride, and we touched down on a lower plateau in the mountains. The hideout consisted of two twelve-person tents that housed our operations, and we had two soldiers in full gear meeting us as Danny and I essentially hit the ground running.

We descended the mountainside, and Danny communicated with one of the soldiers, presumably in an attempt to find out what they were here for. Given their field, it was undoubtedly similar to our task. Finding intel, clearing the way for advancement of troops, which…obviously explained Danny's urgency. This was his past. He used to be part of one of these detachments. They were his Special Forces comrades. They spoke the same language.

When we reached the tents, I took charge again, spotting Quin in the tent reserved for working. He stood by a large table with lanterns in each corner of a massive map, and he was glad to see us, that much was clear.

"We lost comms an hour ago, so I can't get through to TJ," he said. "I'm relieved to see you survived and that the twins didn't crash the bird."

"That would suck on our part," one of the soldiers said gruffly. I assumed the helicopter was their ride in and out of here.

I handed over the memory card to Quinlan and let him know I'd taken an estimated hundred photos too.

"Great, thank you. We'll get that to DC ASAP," he replied. He peered around me as the twins entered the tent. "Get some rest, boys. You're off to Kandahar tomorrow. Paul needs an escort."

"Copy that," Reese confirmed.

Quin bent over the table to jot something down on a note. "Give this to your ride. You're all on the same plane going to Kabul, and then you'll split up. You'll be on foot tomorrow morning. These are the coordinates to the airfield. The Marines control it."

"Mathis?" I heard Danny ask incredulously.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing another soldier enter the tent with a surprised look on his face.

"Fuckin' Danny Rose?" the soldier laughed. He was younger than Danny, but not by much. "You went private ?"

"Uh, yeah. A few years ago." My boy grinned and shook the guy's hand. "Good to see you, fucker. You lost the baby face."

"I see you're still a dick," was Mathis's response.

"Question is if you're still hard for demolition," Danny answered. "You know, we could use you at our agency."

I felt my mouth twitch. Every operator at Hillcroft was in recruitment mode to handle the pressures of wartime.

Danny reached for my arm. "This is my man—Emerson. Em, Mathis and I were at Fort Campbell together."

I nodded once and shook hands with Mathis.

He furrowed his brow. "Wait—as in, Emerson Payne ?"

"Aw, you have a reputation, hon." Danny grinned.

I smirked wryly.

September 10th, 2002

"One beer," I warned Danny. "And no whining."

We were getting up at four, so we didn't need to add a hangover to the list.

"Just one," he promised.

He was gonna ask for a second.

We walked into the pub, which was luckily not crowded, and we opted to sit at the bar. It was the place we usually went to around here. They had a rainbow flag next to the register, and it was close to work.

Given how early we were shipping out tomorrow—back to the fucking sandbox—we'd decided to sleep at Hillcroft tonight. Darius and Sid were leaving too. We'd all fly to Frankfurt together, and then Danny and I would hitch a ride with a cargo plane heading for Fallujah, and Darius and Sid had an extraction in Pakistan.

I missed the days of extractions. But Danny and I had too much history in combat zones, so TJ and Quin only sent us to military-heavy areas these days. Where we would gather intel, not shy away from direct action, and do recon on the borders between friendly areas and enemy territory.

I ordered us two pints and brought out my wallet.

"Oh, and those gross salt and vinegar chips," Danny added. "My man loves those."

I smiled and kissed his temple. He knew how to keep his Daddy happy.

Someone sat down two stools away from us, and it was close enough for us to avoid shop talk. Instead, Danny rambled about our dogs. We had a new pup joining us next month when we got back, and my boy was certain we'd manage to upgrade the shed before it got too cold.

I took a swig of my beer and—why was that guy watching me? Except, he turned away when I caught him.

Hm. He looked a little familiar.

"Are you listening, Sir?" Danny pressed.

I squinted and replayed his words—something about the food dispensers in the shed. And I knew what was wrong with them. They didn't always work.

"Replace the food dispensers?" I guessed and hoped for the best.

" Repair them," he corrected with a look . "I'm gonna repair them."

Oh. Got it.

He'd have to excuse me. I was exhausted. We'd been in training all week, and we had the first anniversary of the attacks coming up tomorrow. I could barely turn around without seeing reminders. Watching the news was currently out of the fucking question. It filled me with remnants of last year's anger every time.

"Forgive me for being out of it. I'm just tired." I draped an arm around Danny's shoulders and smooched his cheek.

He pursed his lips. "I think it's best I give you a massage when we get back to our room."

What the hell had I done to deserve this boy?

"I love you." I kissed his cheek again. "You're too good to me."

"That's a load of crap. You spoil me all the time." He got me quickly on the lips before he pushed the bowl of chips closer. "Eat your disgusting Brit chips."

I chuckled and grabbed a couple. Kids these days. They didn't know good snacks if they hit them in the face?—

"Excuse me."

Now what?

We turned toward the voice—the guy sitting a couple seats away from me.

"Do I know you?" he asked me.

I frowned. He was familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"He's hella taken, if that's what you're wondering," Danny told the guy.

I gave his leg a squeeze. Down, little one.

"No, that's…" The guy shook his head and sat a little straighter. "I think I saw you in a bar in Norfolk a few years ago. You were there with someone."

I scratched my head. It rang a bell?—

"Yeah, you were vague about not being military and not being a civilian at the same time," he added.

Okay, okay, I remembered now. Yeah. It'd been my first assignment after meeting Danny. I'd missed him like crazy.

"You were the Navy kid," I stated.

He smirked faintly. "Yeah. We'll see how long that lasts. I'm Elliott."

Elliott. I remembered that now too. The kid had grown up, which I suspected had more to do with a deployment than anything else.

"What's the Navy doing these days other than sending cruise missiles?" Danny joked. Half joked. "Gotta love war in a country that's landlocked."

Elliott snorted and picked up his beer. "Most recently, they told me I've developed a problem with authority and that I have anger issues."

That a fact?

I glanced at Danny, and he smirked.

"Fuck it all," I heard Elliott mutter. "We're not gonna make a damn difference anyway."

I turned back to him and eyed him for a beat.

In the back of my mind, I had Terrance's voice, telling all senior operatives for the hundredth time to be on the lookout for the next-generation operators who could be fast-tracked straight out into the field. Eight months of training, final selection, bam, welcome to Hillcroft.

After taking a swig of my beer, I patted the stool next to me.

"Elliott, let me tell you a story about a hotheaded soldier named Danny Rose."

Emerson and Danny will appear as secondary characters throughout the series

Next up at Hillcroft

Unmade

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Excerpt on next page.