Page 188 of California Wild

Hayley exhaled, rubbing her hands over her face, voice soft, breaking. “What the fuck just happened?”

Jesse’s phone buzzed again. A sharp, insistent vibration in his pocket.

Colson.

Fucking hell.

He swiped it open, bringing it to his ear, his voice tight. “Yeah.”

“Navarro, change of plans.” Colson’s voice was clipped, all business. “Need you geared up and on base now. Deployment’s been moved up. Emergency op. You’re out within hours.”

Jesse exhaled through his nose, his jaw locking. “Understood.”

The line went dead.

Shit.

His mind was already shifting, dialing into mission mode, mapping the steps—gear up, brief, loadout, go. No hesitation. No fear. No second thoughts.

Except—

Hayley.

He turned, and she was right there, still standing in the middle of the room, the remnants of Caiden’s bullshit still hanging in the air around her.

She looked at him, eyes wide, searching, knowing.

“What is it?”

Jesse swallowed hard, stepping into her space, pulling her close, his hands on her arms, firm, steady. Like an anchor.

“I have to go,” he said, voice low, urgent. “Emergency deployment. I just got ordered immediately to base.”

“They can do that?”

“It’s what they pay me for. I just—”

She inhaled sharply, already shaking her head. “Jesse—”

“No.” He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “Hayley, I need you to listen to me right now. No arguments. Just do what I say.”

Her lips parted, hesitation flickering across her expression, but she didn’t fight him. Not yet.

“Pack a bag,” he continued. “Go to my place. Stay there. Don’t talk to anyone. Tell your band and manager you need a break. Put everything on hold.” His hands tightened slightly. “We will sort this out when I get back.”

Her brows furrowed, her hands gripping the front of his shirt. “Jesse, what the hell is going on?”

“I don’t have time,” he bit out, his pulse pounding, urgency spiking in his blood. “Just trust me. Please. I’m asking you—again—to wait for me.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her fingers tightening in his shirt. “Jesse…”

His heart clenched.

“I promise you, Hayley, if it’s the last thing I do, I will come back to you. I will protect you. If there was any way out of this deployment, I would take it.” His voice was sharp, hoarse, pleading, his forehead pressing to hers. “But I can’t. I’ll be court-martialed if I’m not on base in less than an hour.”

“They wouldn’t do that.” Her breath shuddered against his.

“I wouldn’t put it past Colson,” Jesse said. “He’s looking for a reason to finish me.”

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