Page 28 of Bound By Valor

With a deep, steadying breath, I made a decision. It was time to take action. The thought of contributing actively, of fighting alongside Zarek and the others, ignited something within me. Although I was not fully privy to their mission’s specifics, I figured that I would be soon.

The sound of an engine slicing through the quiet triggered an immediate reaction in me. I darted toward the door, my heart hammering with the desperate hope that Zarek and the squad were returning unscathed.

Kabir entered first, and my gaze quickly swept over him, scanning for injuries. Aside from a few cuts on his face, he seemed intact. Relief washed over me briefly until my eyes caught the sight of Logan and Zarek supporting Dylan between them. Dylan’s t-shirt was pulled up over his shoulder, revealing a large patch of gauze just below his collarbone.

“Is he okay?” I asked, my voice tight with concern as I looked from Zarek to Dylan. “Are you okay, Dylan?”

“Fantastic. Getting shot for the fifteenth time now,” Dylan quipped with a weary smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Oh God!” The words escaped me as a whisper.

I helped them escort Dylan to his room. Once done, I shifted towards Zarek and leaned slightly.

“Can we talk?” I asked.

He nodded.

“I need him resting,” he commanded as we moved to his room. As he shut the door behind us, he began to shed his vest, his movements heavy with fatigue.

“I can’t be the helpless woman waiting at home for her military man,” I blurted out, the words tumbling out in a rush.

He stiffened, pausing mid-motion. I felt as though something had irreversibly changed within him, between the kiss this morning and now. Without meeting my gaze, he murmured, “I see. What do you want, then?”

“You need to train me. I need to learn to be part of the squad,” I declared, my voice firm.

Disbelief flickered across his face. “You’re not—it doesn’t work like that.”

“Tell me how and I’ll do it,” I insisted, meeting his hesitant gaze.

“Where is this even coming from?”

I took a step towards him. “I have felt this way since the night in the alley.”

“Felt what?” He asked.

“Just… me needing to be a part of something more. My life felt robotic before. And I want to feel useful here.”

He looked at me, puzzled. “You want to be a part of this squad?” His words came out slow, as if needing his own confirmation.

“Yes.”

He looked away, his shoulders slumping. “I’ll have to talk to higher ups about recruiting you. There’s a written test. You need to train to pass a mock mission and get your physical and mental exams done.” He graced me with a pained look. “It’s not easy.”

“Okay. I can try at least. I will lose my job at the Detention Centre for being absent without cause. I have nothing to do until this case closes.”

“Leora, this isn’t a life you want. It’s dangerous. You saw what happened to Squad Two. Dylan barely made it out today. And the mock mission isn’t really mock. People die in those.”

“I know what I want. And I’ve worked with criminals before. I want to help and not be helpless when I’m being targeted,” I countered, my resolve steeling.

He looked at me, his gaze burning. “No. You’re not doing this. Once this case is closed and we’ve got the tail off your back, you’re going back to your life. This isn’t what you should want. I didn’t save you, only to get you killed on a fuckingmission.”

“Did you not hear me? I can’t be that helpless woman—”

“‘Waiting for your military man.’I got it,” he interrupted, his voice suddenly distant. “You don’t have to, you know?”

“What?” My voice cracked, a sharp stab of pain threading through it as I anticipated where this was leading.

“You don’t have to wait for me. I might not even come back one day.”

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