Page 14 of Danger Close
Chapter Three
The Ridge had changed.
Even in the few short months he had been gone, it had changed.
Reinforced gates.Cameras hidden in every corner.A fresh layer of security fencing that hadn’t been there when Ricky left.Buildings that had still smelled like sawdust and paint three months ago now stood complete, humming with purpose.And the obstacle course?Upgraded.Hardened.Built like they were training for a mission into hell itself.
It felt like coming home to someone who’d moved on.
He pulled the truck in slow, tires crunching against gravel slick with the rain that had been falling steadily for the past few hours.Figures stood waiting near the main entrance to Ridge House—Bateman, Dale, Hogan, Marsh.Spread just far enough apart that no one could mistake it for a warm welcome.
He cut the engine.
Sat there for a second, hands clenched around the wheel, the rain drumming on the windshield like it had a countdown.
Then, he grabbed his duffel and got out.No one moved at first.Marsh didn’t nod.Dale stayed still.Hogan watched him with that unreadable look he got in the seconds before a mission went hot.
Only Bateman stepped forward.
“Message was clean,” he said.Not a question.Not an accusation.Just fact.“We’ve already started recon.”He paused, eyes searching Ricky’s face for something he couldn’t name.“It’s good to see you.”
Ricky’s throat tightened.He looked away, jaw ticking.“Yeah.You, too.”
He sounded like a teenager who’d just come home after screwing up his first night of freedom.
Bateman turned without pressing.“Briefing room.”
They followed in silence, boots thudding across damp concrete, through the heavier, newer steel doors.Inside, the Ridge hummed with energy—brighter, more efficient, like the team had been grinding forward without him and hadn’t missed a step.It stung.And it made sense.
He trailed the team to the first floor, and as he stepped off the stairs, nearly collided with Blake coming down the hallway, Celia balanced on one hip and Ryan trailing behind him with a plastic soldier clutched in one fist.
“Hey!”Blake grinned wide and without hesitation.“Well, hell.Look who finally remembered where home is.”
Before Ricky could answer, Blake had pulled him into a one-armed hug, solid and real.“It’s good to see you, man.Whatever you need—gear, backup, extra rations, bourbon—it’s yours.”
Ricky nodded, throat tight.“Thanks, Blake.”
Ryan stepped forward, bright-eyed.“I got a new Recon Ranger!”he announced, holding up the scarred little figure like it was a trophy.“He’s got a radio backpack and everything.Marsh says he’s a comms guy like you.”
“Yeah?”Ricky managed, crouching slightly to examine it.“Bet he’s the best damn Ranger in the box.”
Ryan beamed.
But it was Celia who broke him.
