Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“You’re up early.”
I turned and saw David walking out of the cottage with his gear on. In a few hours, we were going after the dictator with some of the rebels. They couldn’t offer too many of their men because there were only so many of them, but a little help could make all the difference.
“Had trouble sleeping,” I replied before turning back toward the city.
David moved to stand beside me, silence lingering between us for a few seconds before he spoke.
“Are you fine? About last night and everything?” he asked me.
I lowered my eyes, my thoughts conflicting. Nothing about this was simple to me.
“I don’t know,” I admitted as I rubbed the back of my neck with a sigh. “I hooked up with my friend’s wife. How am I supposed to feel?”
David placed his hands on his waist and nodded.
“Well, like I said before, I’m totally fine with it. I enjoyed last night, and I know Brianna did too,” he said.
I knew that he was just trying to comfort me, but my stomach twisted at the thought of last night. It was great being with Brianna, but I had a brief moment of weakness after we had sex. I looked down at her, and my heart stopped. There was this tiny spark of a connection, and it scared the hell out of me.
I told myself that I wouldn’t get attached to another woman. At least not for a long time.
“Dragging myself through my divorce with Anna almost killed me, David. This was the first time I slept with another woman after filing those damn papers,” I gritted out, my jaw tensing. I hated even thinking about that part of my past.
I was a dumbass kid that joined the military and got married right out of high school. I didn’t regret enlisting because I liked what I did and loved my brothers in arms, but I could’ve done without the marriage and the selfish wife who cheated on me while I was gone during my first deployment. After that, the thought of love made me sick to my stomach because I could be betrayed and stabbed in the back all over again.
David’s face softened.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not cool with.”
I breathed in deeply and looked away from him, my chest feeling weighed down.
“I respect you a lot. I don’t want your marriage to be ruined too,” I told him.
“I know, but this won’t ruin my marriage. I liked what happened last night,” David assured me. “Don’t let a worry like that stop you from being with Brianna if you want to be with her.”
Part of me wanted to be with her again because it felt incredible. She was sexy and sweet, and I was entranced like the others. But I had a lot of past shit to get over too.
After I nodded, David patted my back before heading back inside to make sure the others were getting up.
I stayed outside until it was time to grab my gear so that we could head to the house where Dimitrik was hiding. Of course, Brianna emerged from the bedroom at that time, our eyes meeting. When she smiled at me, my chest ached. I should’ve been able to smile back or even say something to her, but I was scared like hell to get attached and get hurt again. So, I turned away and grabbed my things before leaving the cottage.
The others followed, and we fell behind David and Erick as they led everyone around the outskirts of the city toward the other side. I focused on the mission at hand, clearing my mind of all personal troubles as best as I could.
“You alright? You need to be focused,” Bowen asked me as he nudged me.
I nodded with a tense jaw and kept my eyes forward, lingering in the back of the group once we met up with a few of the rebels. Once we saw the two-story estate with its vast green yard that was gated all the way around, we split into two groups.
Two rebels, Amir, Andre, Elijah, and Mo were on the distraction team and went toward the front of the property. The infiltration group was me, two other rebels, David, Bowen, Aziel, and Erick, and we headed toward the back.
“Let’s go,” David said before hopping the gate.
I reached up and grabbed the top of the metal gate, sucking in a breath before I hauled myself over the top. My boots thumped against the wispy grass before I took off running, lowering myself into a crouch as I heard shots fired from the front of the property. The distraction team were doing their part, giving us more cover to hit the house from the back.
I lifted my gun as we approached the back door, my heart thudding heavily. We had no idea who all was waiting for us inside of this nice, white house, but we were about to find out. When the others were lined up and ready to storm inside, I slammed my foot against the wooden door, making it splinter near the handle as it flew open.