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“He’ll be ready. Watch your back, sugar. If you’re right, those men will do their best to hurt you. Don’t let them do it. You hear me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dixon?”
“Sir?”
“I expect you to watch your back as well. Don’t give them an excuse to go after you or use any of your team members against you.”
“Copy that.”
“Report again in six hours.”
“Need to make it eight hours, sir. We’re working a shift after lunch.”
“Eight hours, then. Report in on time or you’ll find Fortress operatives on your doorstep.” And Maddox was gone.
Seth cupped Teagan’s chin in the palm of his hand and tipped her face up to his. “Who is Lang?”
He would ask a question she didn’t want to answer. Bad enough that Seth knew about her horrid past. This was almost too much. She wasn’t a weak woman. She wasn’t. So why did she need to talk to the counselor now?
She’d been called cold and hard by people in her life before she joined Fortress. Where was her steel spine and frozen tundra personality when she needed them the most?
“Talk to me, babe,” he murmured. “Who is he?”
“A counselor from Fortress.”
“Why do you need a quick session with him?”
“You know why.”
“I’ll protect you no matter what happens. Believe what I’m telling you, and in me.”
“All we can do is our best. Sometimes it’s not enough despite our best intentions.” She cupped his face between her palms. “This has nothing to do with your abilities. I trust you, Seth. The session with Lang is how I can best handle what may happen before this mission ends.”
She lowered her hands and made herself ask the question causing her stomach to knot. “Do you view me as weak now?” she murmured.
“A powerful person knows when to ask for help. You’re doing what you should for your mental health. I’ve lost brothers-in-arms who didn’t reach out for help when they should have.” Seth brushed her mouth with his in a light kiss. “I’m proud of you for taking care of yourself.”
The tension in her body disappeared. Thank God. “Call your boss, then I’ll talk to Lang before we go to lunch.”
The report to Burnett went along the same lines as the one to Maddox. The LT’s response was more volatile. “Are you out of your mind, Dixon?”
“Got a better idea, LT?”
His boss cursed. “If I had more than a few seconds to come up with something, I’d give you a better idea.”
“Peters and Richardson didn’t give me time to brainstorm with my team, sir.”
“I hope you don’t regret this. How are the rest of your teammates?”
“We’re holding our own, sir.”
“Not good enough,” he snapped. “I know you, Dixon. What did you leave out?”
Seth flinched. “Peters is hitting on the women in camp.”
Silence, then, “And you just brought two exquisite women into that compound.”