Page 35 of Weston

“She has a friend, though.” Lex gave them all a shit-eating grin.

“You didn’t.” Corey shook his head and Lex only smiled wider.

“Oh, he did,” Xander confirmed.

“That has to be a record. Even for you, Battle. In and out of a city in under ten hours and you got laid, too?”

“Six hours,” he informed them smugly.

“Glad you had time to party while on Uncle Sam’s dime,” Brand commented, and they all laughed.

“What can I say? It’s the New Orleans effect.” Lex slanted a side-eye in Xander’s direction. “If I remember correctly, you seemed to be having a pretty good time, too, Hawke. With that blonde.”

Xander shrugged a shoulder. “No idea what you’re talking about, man.”

“Liar!” Lex laughed.

“Okay,” Brand said, redirecting the conversation back to the mission. “Let’s go over everything one more time. I want to find this tonight. We can’t let it fall into the wrong hands.”

They all grew serious. A nuclear warhead in enemy hands meant nothing but certain devastation.

“Murph and Corey will be in the water. Sorry, Lex, but I’ll be operating the ROV while Jayson and Hawke watch the live video stream on the monitor. You and Chaz will be our lookouts and make sure we’re not interrupted by any pirates or treasure hunters. Got it?”

“Roger,” they all said with a nod.

The plan seemed easy enough, but a small ball of anxiety twisted in Wes’ gut. He knew Ellie would be with them on the boat, safely surrounded by six, capable, former military men and one badass former CIA guy, but something had him worried. Maybe it was the fact Ellie was back in Indonesia or the possibility they could run into more pirates. Whatever it was, he pushed his worry aside and focused on getting into a mission mindset.

They could not fail. Getting their hands on that warhead was priority number one tonight, along with keeping Ellie safe. In the meantime, they had the rest of the day to themselves because they weren’t going out until sunset. As the team scattered, Ellie came down the steps wearing a tanktop, jean shorts and flip flops. Her brown hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and his heart caught in his chest when she smiled at him. Somehow, each smile she bestowed on him seemed more beautiful than the last.

“Are you done until tonight?” she asked, walking up to him.

“I am.”

Her eyes lit up. “Care to go for a little walk on the beach with me, sailor?”

“I’ll go anywhere with you, Ellie.” It was the truth. He’d follow her into the deepest, darkest, hottest part of hell if she asked.

As they moved past Corey, his friend grinned. “See you two lovebirds later.”

Wes couldn’t miss the adorable blush that stole across Ellie’s cheeks, and he discreetly bumped knuckles with Corey as he walked by. He felt like he was walking on air. Like the Prom Queen just agreed to go out on a date with him. How the hell had he gotten so damn lucky? It was a question he couldn’t stop asking himself.

They stepped outside and Wes followed Ellie through the jungle down a narrow trail that opened onto a quiet section of beach. Walking through the shifting sand was hell with a prosthetic, so they headed over to the water’s edge where it was more stable and compact.

“Is it strange being back here?” he asked, trying to get a read on her mood.

“A little. Honestly, I keep thinking about the sea turtles I used to feed every morning. I hope they’re doing well.”

Goddamn sea turtles.As much as he wished they’d all just disappear into extinction, he knew they gave Ellie so much joy. “That’s why you came here. To study and help those little bastards.”

She tilted her head up, shading her eyes, and chuckled at the growl in his voice. “May I ask what they ever did to gain your wrath?”

“Sorry. I know you love them, Ellie-Bean. But I blame them for the past year and a half of misery.”

“It’s the pirates you should be blaming.”

“I blame them and anyone responsible for taking you away from me. But most of all, I blame myself.” Guilt made his chest tighten. He stopped walking and turned to face her. “After I heard what happened here…knowing how far away I was…Fuck, I’ve never felt so helpless in my entire life.”

“You sent security with me and planned to meet me in a few days. It wasn’t your fault, Wes.”

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