Page 16 of Stand Fast

“I observe the fasting and charity, but the rest I’m not so strict about. You?”

“Same. Although when I’m deployed I can’t always follow the rules. I need to eat and drink when I can so I’m mission ready.”

That made perfect sense. “This year’s going to be a bugger.”

He rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. Late May to the end of June? Worst time of the year for it to fall on. I’m dreading it.”

“It’s gonna be torture.” A month of no food or drink—not even water—from sunup ‘til sundown every day during the longest period of daylight in the entire calendar year was no joke.

“You can email me to whine if you want. Misery loves company.”

She shot him a grin. Religion was such a controversial, intensely personal thing, and she didn’t like having other people’s interpretations of it shoved down her throat. So maybe she and Zaid had more in common than she’d realized. She and online Zaid shared that too.

They reached the end of the hall and Zaid opened the door to the building’s underground car park. “You doing anything tonight?” he asked.

She glanced at him in surprise. He’d been careful not to stray into flirting territory thus far, but this was dangling right on the edge of it. “Working, trying to track down Barakat so I can drag him back here and get some real answers out of him.”

“You gonna waterboard him?”

She gave a soft laugh. “I may have fantasized about it.”

His eyebrows rose. “Wow. Hardcore.”

Her lips quirked in a small smile. “Well, he’s pissed me off. Lied straight to my face, the little wanker, and ran off with our money.”

“Wow, wanker, huh? Is that like, a serious slur in England?”

“Deadly serious.”

“Okay, but after you waterboard him. You’re free then, right?”

She shrugged. “Who knows how long it’ll take? I’ve never tortured anyone before.”

“Still. You can’t workallnight.”

“Sure I can.” She’d pulled all-nighters quite a few times when an investigation became intense. Whatever it took to get the job done.

He gave her an exasperated look. “You must take breaks.”

She thought about it for a second. “When I’m working on something important? Not really. Why, what are you getting at?”

“We’re planning a get together tonight after dinner. Hamilton and I thought it would be a good idea to take everyone’s mind off being away from home at Christmas. We’re gonna break out a board game or two, have some pumpkin pie. You interested?”

She stopped walking. It wasn’t what she’d expected him to say, and it sure didn’t sound flirtatious. He hadn’t asked her to go somewhere alone, just the two of them. “Really? You want me to come?”

“Yeah, I do. It’ll be fun, and you deserve some downtime after the way this week’s gone. Even if it’s only an hour or two.”

Huh. Sounded casual and innocent enough. She’d made up her mind not to fraternize with any of them, but she’d been working nonstop for so long and a tiny break like that sounded fun. And when was the last time she had any of that? “I do like pumpkin pie.”

“Do you like it with whipped cream, or plain?”

“Whipped cream, spread over the top in a layer at least an inch thick. I can’t stand it when people skimp on the whipped cream. I mean, why bother eating it then?”

“Okay, then I’ll make sure we have plenty of whipped cream, and…” He narrowed his eyes at her thoughtfully. “Chocolate?”

Oh, she loved that even more than pumpkin pie. “Maybe I will come,” she said, and resumed walking. “Where and when?”

“Seven, in the rec room at our barracks.”

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