Page 5 of Operation: Chosen

Ali had made that decision for him. Publicly. He’d been so sure she would say yes to his marriage proposal. They’d been perfect for each other in every way. Though looking back now, he’d noticed the seeds of what would become her selfish side. The side that ultimately took over and pushed her away from him.

She’d wanted success, security, a high rank, and a good-paying job. She’d wanted a big house with all the comforts. Even when they’d dated, she’d negotiated her contract on an apartment she never should’ve been able to afford with military pay. Before she’d finished her degree to become a lawyer, she’d been able to convince the devil to put on a sweater in July.

He’d been so proud of her then. Now all he saw was a selfish political climber.

Eric made his way to the horse barn. That’s where he could find peace, no matter what. The distant green metal roof glinted in the afternoon sun. They’d just painted the siding a fresh coat of bright red last summer. The center of the barn was taller, with a shorter section on each side for the stalls. The center aisle was usually where they would hitch the horses if they had that kind of rig.

Terrell stood in the center, his head slowly swiveling left to right as he took in the enormous barn. When Eric had first arrived, he’d been used to the large red brick stables at the Fort Leavenworth Equestrian Stables. He’d never seen active duty, glad to simply finish his basic training, then work with civilians training horses. So the Wayside stables seemed small to him. But to someone who’d never seen a horse barn, it was probably impressively large.

The boy whipped around, arms wide. “I didn’t do nothing.”

Eric held up his hand to stop any further explanation. “Until you do something to prove otherwise, you’re welcome to roam where you were told you could. We aren’t a prison.” Well, for most people they weren’t. His thoughts traveled back to the ankle bracelets the boys would have to wear.

Terrell narrowed his eyes and sniffed. “And you’re sure I’ll prove that soon enough. That’s why you said it that way. Everyone believes I will. The older they are, the faster they believe it.” He turned back around, and one of the horses ahead stomped its back hoof twice and flicked its tail.

“I don’t think it’s fair to assume that everyone of a certain age will feel a certain way about you.” Eric hung back, giving the boy space to think on his own and feel no pressure to move.

“You haven’t lived my life, old man.” Terrell tossed the words over his shoulder. “I won’t touch anything in your precious stable.”

Eric took a deep breath. This was his job. He had to make this boy feel accepted and welcome, even if inside he worried about the exact things Terrell thought he did. That was the first step in building trust. “You’re welcome to look or touch whatever. All we ask is that you not use anything until you get some training first. The horses are here for you to ride, once you know how.”

A short snort was Terrell’s only reply.

Eric came alongside him and glanced at what had caught Terrell’s attention. She was a pretty roan. What Terrell couldn’t see was the star on her forehead or her testy disposition. “That one is probably for more advanced riders, unless you like finding yourself in the dirt.”

“And would you like that? Would you like to see me put in my place? You wouldn’t be alone. Lots of people do.”

Time to change tactics. This was getting nowhere, and Eric’s patience was too thin after seeing Ali. “What are your goals, Terrell? What do you want to accomplish in your life?”

The boy turned and leaned against a stall, then tilted his head and looked to the rafters. “I want what everyone else wants. I want to be rich and have friends.”

Eric held in his scoff, barely. He certainly didn’t want wealth. Friends, yes, but he’d never been one to seek money. That was Ali’s desire. Money and security. He schooled his features to keep his anger from showing. This boy wasn’t at fault for wanting the same things as the woman who’d gutted him with her desires. “Might surprise you to know that not everyone desires those things,” he replied.

“Well, I do. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe you’re just too old to understand.”

Terrell may have meant the statement as more of a joke than anything, but Eric wasn’t certain and wasn’t going to ask for clarification and give the boy a weapon to use against him. Against his will, memories of his younger years flowed. He remembered Ali when they were both eighteen, both trying to find their way in the military. Both just kids. But she’d known exactly what she’d wanted then, even more than he had.

And he’d fallen by the wayside when her goals came into the equation.

“I’ll trust you to behave in here and not touch anything you shouldn’t.” Eric strode toward the opposite end of the barn, past Terrell. He didn’t miss the almost imperceptible widening of the boy’s eyes or the slight slackening of his jaw.

“You’re just going to leave me in here? You’re not going to assign someone to watch me or turn on a camera or something?” Terrell scuffed his tennis shoe against the concrete floor of the barn.

“No cameras. No one set to watch you. But if you do anything that makes us take that trust away, it will be difficult to earn it back.” He got to the other end of the barn and resisted the urge to turn and look Terrell in the eyes. He had to give the boy a little slack, just like a spooked horse, or he’d get stepped on. He’d been stepped on enough that day.

* * *

Ali hungup one of her suits in the tiny closet and flinched as it rubbed against her other suits. Why couldn’t they have invested a few more square feet into the closet? She still had four more suits to hang. At least she could have them all dry cleaned and pressed when she returned home.

The sudden, immediate need for her own space clawed at her senses. Her nose craved the cranberry scent of the candle she burned, her hands needed the feel of her plush throw on her sofa, and even her ears needed the sounds of the city around her very urban apartment. How had she ever thought she could manage staying in the country for three weeks? And now it could be more?

How had Eric managed this long? She gripped the door of the closet and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror hanging on the inside door. With good skincare—okay, expensive skincare—few people could guess her real age. At forty-two, that was saying something. Money hadn’t ever let her down. She’d pushed and sacrificed in her life to have the security that money could provide, and she wouldn’t go back down the road ofnot enough.

Except, chasing after money had cost her Eric. But look where she would’ve been if she had stayed with him! He neededhernow. This ranch was a mess, and he needed her to lift him out of it. Then all her work over the years wouldn’t go to waste, because if she could convince him to forgive her and start over, she could save him from a boring life. All that work would actually be a double benefit, and maybe someday Eric would look back on what she’d done as a good thing.

Ali turned around and stopped short. There was a plaque hanging on the wall identical to one in Connor’s office. She hadn’t taken the time to look closely at it then, but now there was little else to do. After all, her room was so small she barely had the space to turn around compared to her massive closet back home.

There was no preface, nothing to indicate what the numbered items were, but the first one made her want to go after Connor with all her legal might.

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