Page 73 of Over the Edge

“Me too.” He added, “I’m sorry I left you to deal with Mansur. I thought he would wait one more night to work up the courage to take me out, especially after he was so rattled by your combat capability.”

She burrowed closer to his warmth, relishing how protected and safe she felt. Sure, she could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t nice to have someone take care of her from time to time.

He said gently, “We need to bury to body. Vultures might draw someone out here. Do you want to sit by the fire while I take care of it?”

“No, I could use the exercise. It’ll help me burn off the adrenaline.”

He laughed under his breath. “You sound just like a SEAL.”

“Trevor Westbrook. Iama SEAL.”

“I’m getting that memo. You’re doing practically all the wet work out here. I’m going to have to up my game.”

She took the folding shovel he handed her while he pulled the crowbar out of the truck. As Trevor broke up the hard soil, she scooped it away. They worked in silence for a few minutes, and then she commented, “It’s just that the men here don’t expect it from me. That’s why I’m getting all the kills.”

Trevor grunted. “I don’t care who’s doing the killing as long as you’re safe.”

“You do realize I feel the same way about you.”

“I should hope so. We are a team, after all.”

“Finally. You admit it.”

He stopped swinging the crowbar to stare at her. “I’ve never denied that we work well together. I just worry about your lack of experience.”

“How many hostiles do I have to take out before you trust the trainingyougave me?”

He went back to swinging the crowbar. The grave was fully dug before he spoke again. “It’s one thing to accept, in theory, that women can be SEALs. It’s another thing altogether to see it in action.”

She climbed out of the hole and stopped in front of him. “You’re seriously waiting until we’re standing in the middle of the most dangerous place on earth, after I’ve killed a bunch of people, to tell me you doubt my ability to do this job? Are you freaking kidding me?”

He reached for the body, but she grabbed his arm. “Trevor. Answer me. Do you think I can do the job or not? Do you trust me—as a SEAL?”

He stared at her for a long time, weighing his response. She waited him out, agony writhing in her belly. If he, of all people, couldn’t accept her as a fully co-equal SEAL partner, then none of the Reapers, and no other special operators, ever would.

At long last, he spoke heavily.

“Yes. I trust you as a SEAL.”

She sagged in relief. Thank God. All her training and suffering hadn’t been in vain. Cal hadn’t been stringing along the women purely in the name of getting female operators into the field. She really did deserve to be out here.

“Then let’s quit arguing and get on with it,” she said firmly. “We’re SEALs, we’re badasses, and we came out here to get our brother and bring him home.”

Trevor stared at her a moment more, and then broke into a smile. “I have never heard a more quintessentially SEAL-esque comment in my entire career.”

“Hooyah,” she mumbled.

As he laid Mansur’s body in the hole he asked, “Wanna say something before we cover him up?”

She sighed. “Go to your God in peace, Mansur. And be more respectful of women in your next life.”

Working in silence, they shoveled dirt into the grave. He helped Anna gather stones to put over the disturbed dirt so animals wouldn’t dig up the body and try to eat it.

“I’m not going to be able to get back to sleep,” Trevor murmured. “Do you want to catch a nap?”

“I’m wide awake and likely to stay that way,” she answered.

“Then we need to roll,” he said quietly as she laid the last stone on the makeshift cairn. “It’s time to go get Kenny.”

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