Page 5 of Blade and Arrow Origins (Blade and Arrow Security)

RYLAN

Please let this be the right decision.

Let this be the change I so desperately need.

It seemed so obvious when Cole asked me weeks ago.

Stay in my hometown, surrounded by memories of a life I’d left in the past? Work a job I never wanted, each day in the shop a stinging reminder of everything I lost? See the pitying expressions on people’s faces, the surreptitious glances as they tried to figure out just how badly I’d been injured?

To be seen as the wounded warrior, no longer able to protect his country.

To miss my friends so badly sometimes it hurt to breathe.

Or.

I could join my teammates on this new venture. A new company. Something that could bring me back to life again.

I wouldn’t have to give up on my dreams of helping people.

I could be more than the man whose leg and back are too damaged to serve in the Army anymore.

Or can I?

As my car idles in the driveway of the future company headquarters, I look through the window at the large office building and the nerves I’ve been battling for days come back with a vengeance.

What if I can’t do this?

What if my knee doesn’t hold up?

What if end up a liability instead of an asset?

The words of my doctor keep haunting me.

Even after multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy, he couldn’t give me the answer I wanted.

At my last appointment, I asked him how much longer until I could expect to be one-hundred percent again.

New therapies. Exercises. Even herbal supplements—which I’ve always scoffed at—if there was a chance they’d work.

But Dr. Davis just looked at me, his apologetic gaze telling giving me the answer before he ever said a thing.

And then he said the words I’ll never forget.

“I’m sorry, Rylan. But you’re never going to get back to where you were before.

Not completely. The damage to your knee was too great.

But if you keep up what you’ve been doing, you should reach seventy, maybe even eighty percent mobility.

You should be able to participate in all the activities you want. ”

But that’s not true.

I can’t be a Green Beret anymore. I can’t run for miles anymore. If I land on my leg wrong, my knee threatens to crumple.

What if we’re on a job and my knee goes out? What if I get a spasm in my back and lose my focus?

What if I let down my team?

I can’t. I couldn’t bear it.

And that’s why I’m still in my car instead of going inside to greet my friends. It’s why my car is still running, so I can turn around and make a quick getaway.

Before now, I never doubted myself.

Before that awful day when everything blew up in our faces, I never would have considered backing down from a challenge.

I wouldn’t be afraid of something like this.

A light rapping on the passenger-side window nearly gives me a heart attack, and I jump in my seat in spite of myself.

I look over to find Cole peering into the car. He’s smiling, but it’s not enough to fully hide his concern.

Concern for me.

Great. What a way to start things out. I’m supposed to be here as a member of Cole’s new, elite security team, not someone who startles at small noises.

Forcing a small smile in return, I lower the window and lift my chin at him. In a carefully casual tone, I say, “Hey. I was just about to head in.”

He studies me for a moment, and his eyes darken with understanding. “It took me a minute, too. When I first got here. I know it doesn’t look like much…”

Then I see it.

The emotion he’s trying to hide.

Uncertainty. Worry. Hope.

In a flash of clarity, I know I’m not the only one struggling.

I should have known. But I was so wrapped up in my own tangle of feelings, I didn’t think. Of course, Cole is worried. This is a huge thing for him. He left his job in Texas. Invested all his money. Spent months trying to pull this together.

And he’s trusting me—our team—to have his six.

The Special Forces creed I learned when I joined the Green Berets comes back to me.

I will not fail those with whom I serve.

Maybe we’re not in the Army anymore, but we’re still a team. And whatever it takes, I will not fail them.

Determination chases away my hesitation.

“It looks great,” I reply. “I can’t wait to look around. Let me just park the car.”

His expression brightens. “Unlock the door. We’ll park in the garage and I’ll show you the secret passageway I had installed.”

“A secret passage?”

“Yeah.” Cole grins at me as I put the car in drive and continue down the driveway. “It’s great. I got the idea from an article I read about old bomb shelters. Not that I’m expecting a bomb to go off or anything, but still. I thought it would be good to have an additional egress from the house.”

Once I park my car, I get out and eyeball the shiny new Bilco doors in the corner of the garage. “So this is it?”

“It is.” Like a little kid showing off a new toy, Cole hurries over to them.

With a flourish, he pulls the doors open.

“They’re made from reinforced steel, fireproof and blast-resistant.

”He gestures to the stairs leading down.

“The passage leads to the basement. Why don’t we head in that way?

Zane and Nora are putting together the last pieces of equipment in the gym.

Then we can check out the shooting range.

I’m sure you’ll want to spend some time in there later, figuring out what else we need. ”

“So you decided to put it in after all?” We head down the short set of stairs and into a long, concrete hallway. LED lights are set along the ceiling at regular intervals, keeping the enclosed space from being too dark.

Cole nods. “I did. The closest range to here is ten miles away. We don’t want to have to drive out there every time we practice. And the basement has room, so it just made sense.”

“Nice.” A flutter of excitement moves through me. I haven’t been on the range in months, and I miss it. Having a space here to keep up my skills… Even if I’m not the fastest or strongest of the team, as a trained sniper, I can still pull my weight.

“I thought you’d like it.” He flicks a quick glance at me. “I didn’t order anything yet, so the room is basically a blank canvas. Once you decide what it needs, let me know, and I’ll order it.”

As we come up to another door—a single one, this time—Cole opens it, explaining, “This is a safe room, essentially. So if there’s a breach, not that there will be, we can come in here. There’s another one upstairs, as well.”

I look around at the shelves of supplies, food and guns and ammunition all neatly organized on them.

A small sink and toilet are tucked into a half-hidden nook in the corner.

One wall is covered with screens, showing different vantage points of the property, and I spot Leo on one of them, his large body hunched over a desk as he types away on a computer.

“Leo’s upstairs in the computer room.” Cole nods at the screen.

“He’s been working on the security system since he got here.

” As we exit the small room, Cole continues, “He’s almost done.

We have cameras and alarms all along the perimeter fence, plus the exterior of the building.

There are another fifty or so inside, but we won’t monitor those as often. ”

“Fifty?” My brows lift. “That seems like a lot for the inside.”

“I know.” He chuckles. “But as Leo says, we don’t want to chance leaving a hole in our security. If someone does get into the building… this way, we can find them anywhere.”

We walk down the basement hallway to another door, but this one is wide open. Beyond it, Nora and Zane are trying to maneuver a giant treadmill that looks to weigh at least five hundred pounds.

As we walk into the gym, Zane grumbles good-naturedly, “Do we have to move it again ? I thought the last spot was fine.”

Nora puffs at a strand of hair hanging loose from her braid, ineffectually trying to get it out of her face. “ Yes , Zane. The other spot would have been too close to the elliptical. I showed you the diagram I made. This way, everything is perfectly symmetrical.”

Rather than greet them right away, I hang by the doorway to watch for a few seconds.

There’s a lightness in Zane’s posture that wasn’t there the last time I saw him; several months ago when he flew out for a visit. His features aren’t shadowed like they were before, and there’s a sparkle in his eyes that’s been missing since that fateful day in Afghanistan.

He looks happy.

And Nora.

She almost looks like her old self again. Not frail like she was when she got back from New Mexico, but toned, with her muscles nearly back to our Army days. Her cheeks are pink and dusted with freckles, a welcome contrast to her pallor the last time I saw her.

Nora’s the one I’ve been most worried about, and to see her healthy, smiling, bantering with Zane…

My throat goes thick for a moment.

This could be a good thing. For all of us.

Cole glances at me, then his eyes jump to Nora. In a low tone, so only I can hear him, he says, “She’s been good. Happy. Being here… I think it’s what she needs.”

“I think it’s what we all need,” I reply, gritting my jaw against the wave of emotion sweeping over me. “It’s good to be here.”

Cole claps my shoulder as he meets my gaze. “It’s good to have you here, Ry.”

“Rylan!” Zane nearly shouts my name, and he drops his end of the rowing machine with a heavy clunk.

Bounding over to me, he gives me a quick hug.

“Glad you made it. Maybe you can tell Nora to stop making me move each piece of equipment at least ten times?” He smirks as he throws Nora a mock-glare. “I think she’s doing it on purpose.”

Nora smiles as she comes towards me. “Ry. I’ve been waiting for you to get here.” She glances at Zane, and her lips twitch. “Zane. Would I do something like that on purpose?”

I almost hug her, but stop myself at the last second. Instead I grin as I say, “Yes. I could see you doing that, if it meant messing with Zane.”

Nora laughs, a light, happy sound, and my heart lifts along with it. “Fine. Maybe I’ve been messing with him a little bit. But it’s good conditioning.”

Zane shakes his head, but he’s still smiling. “Do you see what I’ve had to put up with?”

Cole chuckles. “Nora’s right. It’s good exercise. But since the four of us are here, we can all help move this gigantic thing.”

As we gather around the very large rowing machine, I ask, “When is Finn getting here?”

“Two more days,” Nora replies. “He had to finish out his two weeks at his old job. But he’s really excited to get here.”

A warm feeling fills my chest. “Then it’ll be the six of us again.”

“It’ll be nice,” Zane adds. “Being a team again.”

While we maneuver the machine into the perfect spot, I find myself admitting, “I almost chickened out. Even in the driveway. I was—I am —worried I won’t be able to hack it anymore.”

Nora looks at me and says softly, “I almost did, too.”

“But you’re here.” Cole’s gaze moves from Zane, then Nora, and finally to me. “Maybe we’re not the same as before. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

“Right.” Nora lifts her chin at Cole. “Sometimes, going through something hard just makes us stronger.”

Maybe it does.

Once we’re done moving the machine, I step back to glance around the gym. It’s not complete, but there are weight machines and punching bags and benches and plenty of mats for stretching. There’s cross-training equipment like tires and ropes, and even a pilates machine set up in one corner.

And like a video fast-forwarding, I see my life here. Working with the best friends I’ve ever had. Helping people. Realizing that just because one dream is over doesn’t mean I can’t have a new one.

I can get stronger here.

I can be happy.

Turning to Cole, my voice is rough with emotion. “I think this is really going to work.”

“Me too,” Nora says, smiling.

“Me too,” Zane echoes.

“I think…” Cole pauses. “With the six of us, I know it will.”