Page 9 of Wrecked
Shame flashed in Karen’s eyes. “You don’t need to embarrass me.”
Addison wanted to laugh. Karen had done that all on her own. “Let’s take it outside.”
“No,” Karen whispered. “I get it. It won’t happen again.”
Karen walked away, leaving Addison standing there alone. Across the room, Hawk caught Addison’s eye and winked.
After tossing him an acknowledgment nod, she swigged the beer, the ice-cold beverage cooling her throat. Across the room, his penetrating gaze stayed anchored to hers. She couldn’t look away, didn’t want to either. It was like an invisible force was always pulling them together. The only thing better than staring at him from across the room would be standing by his side.
I can think of something even better…
“We’re a competitive group,” Cooper continued, and Addison shifted her attention from Hawk to their boss.
“Every year, the drills get harder, the saves are more intense. We’re role playing, but it doesn’t feel like that when one of our own is tied up and left in a dark room. I want to thank Hawk for his helo drills. Roping out of the chopper was great, but I gotta give a shout out to Addison for climbingupthe rope.”
He paused while the team broke into applause.
She smiled, her gaze sweeping the room. Sliding down the rope was easy. Climbing back up was hard as hell.
“Great job, Addison,” Cooper said. “I’m officially closing out our week. Some of you are leaving tonight. Most of you are taking off in the morning. Have a fun night. You deserve it.”
As Cooper stepped down, more hoots and hollers filled the room as the line for the buffet formed on both sides.
Addison got in line behind Emerson, then Danielle and Slash stepped in behind them.
After getting their food, they sat together at one of the long tables. She glanced around for Hawk, who stood in the buffet line with his guys. Hawk, Cooper, Stryker, and Jericho were like brothers.
Slash leaned close. “You got a loose cannon with the new hire.”
Addison nodded. “She wants to work with Hawk, so I think she’s frustrated she’s got me as her mentor. They’ve got the pilot thing in common.”
Addison loved hanging with these women. They were smart Operatives who had each other’s backs. She was all about girl power, so she was disappointed when Karen had resisted her guidance.
The conversation continued through dinner. At nine o’clock, Addison said her goodbyes.
“Are you going home?” Danielle asked.
“No, to a beach party,” Addison replied.
“Costumes?” Slash asked.
“Absolutely,” Addison replied with a smile. “I’m ready to go a little crazy. I love retreat week, but this year was super intense.”
“I thought so, too,” Emerson added.
She needed to grab her backpack out of Hawk’s car so she could change in the bathroom. But Hawk wasn’t sitting at his table. She swept the room. He and Cooper were huddled together by the door.
As she made her way over, both men turned in her direction.
“Hey,” she said. “Sorry to interrupt. I need your car keys so I can grab my backpack.”
“We’ve got a problem,” Cooper said.
“And I need your help,” Hawk replied.
2
THE MISSION
