Page 104 of Wandering Souls

Abi fiddled with oneof her pocket zippers as the wall clock ticked. Her heartbeat had slowed to match its rhythm but her right leg bounced at twice the speed. Seated outside the Commander’s office, she’d placed herself opposite a bank of windows overlooking the base’s airfield. Not that she could see anything.

Coincidentally, Tropical Cyclone Damien lashed the Queensland coast, bringing gale-force winds and sideways rain. Water streamed down the glass panes, obliterating the view and the low, heavy cloud cover had all but blocked out the sun.

The universe had a wicked sense of humor.

“He shouldn’t be too much longer. Sorry for the wait.”

Abi smiled at the secretary and shrugged her shoulders. “He’s a busy man.”

“You can make yourself a coffee, if you like.”

“Thank you, but no.” She did not need caffeine to add to her jitters.

The quiet office gave her time to reflect on the last week. If she were honest, it had exhausted her. They had her running every cadet drill in the book and then some. She felt like she was back in training. Hell, they’d even thrown her in with a batch of new recruits.

Abi suspected it was a ploy to put her off, which only made her more determined to succeed. In a bid to beat them all, she ran the obstacle course quicker than she ever had and while it had been nice to cross the line in first place, her thigh didn’t hesitate in spending the rest of the night reminding her why she was here to begin with.

The nights had been long and painful. And lonely. Too many times she questioned why she accepted their treatment of her. Proving herself in combat time and time again and having a clean record appeared to count for nothing. The only thing that mattered was the one blemish that wasn’t even her fault.

Abi glanced beyond the secretary’s desk to her left to the door, willing it to open so he’d face her, but while the clock kept ticking, and the secretary tapped on her keyboard. The lightning speed of her taps suggested she too, was a busy woman.

She had to wonder if this was all part of the circus. Was he keeping her waiting on purpose? Or had something really come up? Whatever it was, Abi hated the delay. With a sigh, she stood and crossed to the windows. The cyclonic conditions outside had brought the usually fast-paced base to a standstill. At least, on the outside.

She had no doubt cadets were being put through their paces indoors while mechanics serviced aircraft engines and squad leaders brushed up on Tactical Ops 101. She wondered where Marco had got to, then concluded the self-styled Adonis was probably in the gym, keeping up that magnificent physique of his.

All the while, she cooled her jets here, waiting to hear the results of the assessors who’d determine her fate.

Behind her, to the right, the door to the corridors opened and closed. Expecting it to be another important matter that needed the Commander’s attention, she didn’t bother turning around and focused on the rivulets of water running down the glass. For almost midday, the darkness outside was spooky.

A body appeared in her peripheral vision, coming to stand beside her. Abi shifted her eyeballs to see black cargo pants and a black shirt. The slightest turn of her head gave her a clearer view and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Damien?”

His smile released the tension in her muscles. Sheer relief flowed through her when he stepped sideways, closing the gap between them. “Yes, honey, it’s me.”

She couldn’t stop herself and glanced behind them, trying to deny the force with which she hoped to see Ray. “How?”

His eyes narrowed in question.

“How did you know when to be here?”

He leaned closer and bumped his arm against hers. “I asked.”

She doubted it was as easy as he made it sound but arguing the point seemed inane. He was here and it filled a need she couldn’t quite articulate. “Thank you.”

“There is someone else here to see you.”

Her heart stuttered and threatened to come to a stop, but the cautious anticipation glittering in his eyes settled her over-active imagination. “Penny?”

“Would you like to see her?”

Genuine appreciation filled her chest. She nodded. “I’d love to.”

“I’ll be right back.”

He wasn’t gone more than a minute before he returned with Penny. Dressed in a flowing white pantsuit, the woman damn near looked like an angel. She crossed the room, her gaze never straying from Abi’s face, before wrapping her in a warm hug. Abi held on, amazed by how much she’d missed them in six days.

“I’m sorry, I should have called,” she said through a tight throat.

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