Page 85 of Rescuing Ally: Part 1

A frustrated sigh escapes before I can stop it.

“Forgot something?”

The voice comes from behind me, low and amused.

I turn to find a tall, lean man with sharp features and observant eyes watching me with undisguised curiosity.

“My charger,” I admit. “Left it at Hank and Gabe’s place.” I check my battery—still at 75%, but I worry it won’t last long.

“You’re Ally Collins,” the man says, extending a hand.

I shake his hand, noting the firm grip and assessing gaze. “That’s me. And you’re?—”

“Ethan, team leader of Charlie team. Those two troublemakers work for me. We’ve met before, although I doubt you’d remember,” he says. “I was there, at your first rescue, at the motel.”

“You carried me out,” I realize, memories clicking into place. “And you led the Kazakhstan extraction.”

He nods, a small smile breaking through his solemn demeanor. “That’s right. You were a lot more…awarethe second time around.”

“I guess that’s one way to put it.”

“The guys mentioned you’d be joining us today,” he continues.

“Hope that’s okay,” I say, suddenly uncertain.

“More than okay. It’s good to put a face to the mission.” He glances at my computer. “Having trouble?”

I sigh, frustrated. “It’s been acting up. Batterydraining faster than normal, everything’s sluggish. Your tech team is going to look at it later.”

“Mitzy will sort you out,” he says confidently. “Meantime, make yourself comfortable. We’re about to put on a show.”

Before I can respond, a commotion draws my attention. Hank and Gabe jog over with three other men, all in workout gear, engaged in what appears to be good-natured ribbing.

“All I’m saying is that if you’d been watching your six instead of showing off, you wouldn’t have caught that round to the vest,” one of them says—a compact, powerful-looking man with close-cropped dark hair.

“And if you hadn’t been so busy counting your shots, you might have noticed the second target,” Gabe retorts, but there’s no heat in it.

“Ladies, ladies,” drawls a tall blond with an easy smile. “Can we save the bickering for after I embarrass you all on the wall?”

“In your dreams, Blake,” says the fourth man with an intense focus that reminds me of Hank.

Ethan clears his throat, and the group straightens almost imperceptibly. “Gentlemen, Miss Ally Collins is joining us today. Try not to embarrass yourselves.”

Five pairs of eyes turn to me. I resist the urge to shrink back from all that testosterone. Instead, I lift my chin and offer a small wave.

“Dr. Collins,” Ethan continues, “meet Charlie team. Rigel—” the compact dark-haired man nods, “—Blake—” the tall one grins, “—and Walt.” Malia’s beau. He offers a respectful nod.

Blake steps forward first, extending his hand. “Heard a lot about you.” His smile is genuine, though a twinkle in his eye tells me he knows more than he’s letting on. “Nice to officiallymeetyou.”

“Rigel,” the next man says, his handshake firm and efficient.

Walt approaches last, his expression warming as he takes my hand. “We have someone in common.”

“Malia,” I say immediately, remembering how she talked about him during our captivity. “She mentioned you…a lot.”

His smile widens. “She’s been asking about you. Wants to meet up when you’re settled.”

“I’d like that,” I say, genuinely pleased at the prospect of seeing a friendly face.

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