“Alien? Quiet?” He forced down a fear that rivaled anything he’d felt on the battlefield. “Yeah.”
He squeezed the cheese out onto the cracker and stuffed it in his mouth. Tasted like crap but it was familiar. Safe to eat.
Safe.
The word tripped him up.
When had he started playing life safe?
Cuervo rolled up his empty food pouch. “We need the ones like you to stick around, the ones who put everything into the job. Too often it’s the jackasses who only look after themselves that stay in. And how bad does that suck for those of us still left?”
“Is that what this is all about? Scaring Rachel off and convincing me to stay in the service so some jackass isn’t in charge?”
“The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You can have Rachel and the career.”
Liam stared the kid down. “How old are you again? Twelve? Thirteen?” Anger roiled in his gut. As if the decision to leave the service had been made lightly.
“No disrespect meant.” Cuervo stood taller, an invisible wall forming between them as surely as if the rain had started pouring through a crack in the porch roof.
Liam shook off his shitty mood. No good would come from taking it out on Cuervo. Wasn’t his fault. “Hey, kid, seriously. I’m old. It’s my time to step out of the field whether I stay in or not. Would you really be content to hang out in some war room watching the action go down live on a big screen?”
“Honestly, they’ll have to bury me before I would quit.” The darkness in the younger man’s eyes made him look decades older.
Liam angled off the porch post and clapped the junior team member on the arm. “Don’t joke around about crap like that.”
“Without the missions”—Jose shook his head—“I don’t have anything else. Don’t want anything else.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You’ve read my file.” His throat moved in a hard swallow. “It’s all in there.”
And it was, the real reason no one ever saw Jose James with a drink in his hand, the sad irony behind his call sign, Cuervo. “You had a drinking problem, but you completed the rehab program. At our last feedback session, everything seemed cool. Or is there something you need to talk about?”
“I’m dry. Solid for today. One day at a time, you know?” Jose’s hand slipped into his pocket and he stared at his five-year-sober coin, flipping it between his fingers. “This job keeps me level, gives me discipline and a reason to stay that way.”
“And you’re sure you’re not having a problem I need to know about?”
“Seriously, I’m cool. If I’m ever having a rough patch, I just run another marathon.” He laughed darkly. “I’ve never been healthier.”
“In reading your file, I learned a lot more that you can be proud of. You broke a family cycle of alcoholism. It stops with you. That’s huge, man.” Liam dug up every ounce of insight he’d gained from all those marital-counseling sessions. It came in handy sometimes when leading his team. “Your nieces and nephews, your own kids someday, they can look to you as an example of how life can be.”
“Thank you. Your opinion means a lot to me.” More of that humidity-filled silence hung in the air before Cuervo continued. “Although, I still think it’s utter horseshit that you’re retiring, dude.”
Liam let the tension roll off and smiled. “That’s still ‘dude, sir’ to you for now.”
Laughing, they settled back into the routine of just hanging out. No need to talk. They’d spent hours on training ops and missions, silent, waiting, watching. He would miss this most of all, the team, mentoring.
But he couldn’t dwell on that. Cuervo’s words would have to roll right off like the rain sheeting from the roof. For now, he had his final mission to complete before he could move forward with Rachel. She was his future. And God help him if he screwed up with Rachel in what was clearly the chance of a lifetime.
His last chance.
Chapter 15
>Looking around sharply, she found Cuervo standing in the doorway. The lanky PJ wore a marathon T-shirt and camouflage pants with combat boots. “Just checking on you for the major. Didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Liam sent the guy to check on her? Watch over her? Touching and frustrating at the same time. She didn’t enjoy being pushed aside. She wanted to help. To do something. Anything.
She swung her feet off the edge of the double bed. “I’m not actually tired. Just bored to death after the frenzy of the past couple of weeks.”