Page 5 of What I Should Have Done

“And lastly, here’s your temporary team member for this deployment,” Colonel Duke said and slapped down a final manila envelope.

Dom inhaled deeply and leaned back. “What’s the brass got for us this round?”

“Corporal Scottie Aleck, sniper. And yes, your captain is aware of this, even though the corporal comes from the Army. It’s a…” He paused, chewing on his thoughts for the right words. “Let’s just say, they want to test some things out.” Colonel Duke slid out a single white sheet and placed it on top of the folder. I quickly scanned the minimal words on the paper and furrowed my brows.

“It doesn’t mention any special ops training at all?” I questioned, running my eyes across the short list of qualifications again, hoping I’d missed something.

Dom leaned forward and picked up the paper. “You’re assigning us a kid who hasn’t been through any sort of special forces training outside of the Army sniper course?” His eyes widened as he lifted his shocked gaze to the colonel. Even my mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on. BUD/S training was the bare minimum for Navy SEALs.

“Look,” Colonel Duke began and sighed heavily. “Your captain didn’t have much say on this. The upper brass from the Navy and Army are wanting to make a political statement, and honestly, your team has denied every previous possible recruit, so, given the nature of this mission, the Army reached out and you got stuck with this. Be happy that at least this corporal was top of their class and you aren’t saddled with someone who’s not as qualified.”

Stepping back from the table, my eyes scanned my team. Bernie pursed his lips but said nothing as Dom placed the paper back down on the folder. He, too, kept his mouth shut.

“Alright, go unload your gear, meet your teammate who’s already at your quarters, and be on standby because the moment the intel comes in, you’ll be choppered out,” Colonel Duke said and gathered up the files. He whisked out of the tent without another word.

Silence filled the space between us as the flap settled back down, only moving once in a while with the scalding desert heat seen rolling across the sand. “Well, let’s go find our tent and meet this Corporal Scottie Aleck,” Dom finally grumbled and cracked his neck.

Ford ducked out of the tent first, and I followed him out into the sun. There wasn’t much logical organization to this outpost, especially since it was small, classified, and temporary. Every structure here could be torn down in a matter of minutes, packed away, and all traces that we were the ones huddled behind the HESCO barriers gone within a single command from the colonel.

“We’re not cocky,” Bernie grumbled, breaking the low rumble of voices chatting, mixing with the faint pops of gunfire and grunts from whatever physical training was going on. We weaved around dusty-colored tents serving as temporary sleeping quarters.

“You’re cocky, the rest of us are just confident,” Ford retorted, and Bernie rolled his eyes.

As we passed several soldiers stationed here, many of them nodded or shouted simple greetings my way. Too often our team joined up with other branches of the military, and apparently my reputation preceded me—though I never quite understood it. I offered a simple nod in return but didn’t say much. My mind was clouded enough with the information we were given.

“The ever-popular Mikey.” Bernie bumped me with his shoulder, and I raised a brow, glancing over at him.

“Why is it that everywhere we go—” Duncan began.

“Bitches always know!” Ford interrupted, singing at the top of his lungs.

“That Johnny—” I started to join in.

“Anyway,” Dom emphasized, quickly shutting down the conversation turning dirty, and turned. He stopped walking and shot a silencing glare at all of us. “This one’s it.” His voice lowered, drawing us all in. “So, shut up, fools, before your first impression on this new guy is fucking immature and the brass decides to send us someone even less qualified next tour if we decide to not keep this one.”

My stomach churned, anticipation for whoever was joining our team roaring hot in my veins. Part of me wished Griffin would come out of retirement so we weren’t constantly trying to mesh with someone new. The other part, well, I was annoyed to say the least, that we’d been assigned someone who hadn’t even been through BUD/S.

Dom scanned us once more and then grabbed the flap of the tent and lifted it wide open.

“Welcome to your first day in hell, Corporal!” Bernie called out to the lone figure standing in the corner near a bedroll, as he ducked in behind Dom. I followed him inside and my feet froze immediately. Duncan smacked into my back, but my body barely swayed as the crooked grin on Bernie’s face immediately crashed to the floor along with his jaw.

My teeth snapped together, and every sound became a distant hum.

A woman.

Corporal Scottie Aleck was a woman.

Long, slender fingers worked hair as black as obsidian into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. The movement that had my stomach buzzing like television static slowed as she turned around. Her calculating, amber eyes danced across the silent group of us, and there was not an ounce of self-control available for me to keep my eyes from wandering down her body. My heart had never pounded as heavily in my chest as it was at this moment. Each movement of her athletic figure exuded a wall to keep all those around her at bay, and my competitive side roared at me to start destroying it. Every drop of blood in my veins flowed hot down my spine, prickling as my eyes slid back up her figure, and her gaze rested against mine.

She lifted a single brow, her high, prominent cheekbones as sharp as the razor-like glare of disapproval that she sliced my way. Never before had my eyes been graced with a woman like her. Not once in my life had I ever come across someone who looked as enticing and cunning as she did.

And it pissed me the hell off.

“Fuck this,” I stated flatly, blindly tossing my rucksack into the tent and turning on my heel. So much for not having to deal with untrustworthy women on this deployment. So much for freedom and an escape from a world that held something I had no faith in.

I needed to blow off some steam.

Chapter 3

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