Page 7 of Blade and Arrow Origins (Blade and Arrow Security)

COLE

We did it.

Blade and Arrow Security is officially open.

From a flicker of an idea to reality.

It’s hard to believe how much has changed in only a few months.

The office building that languished on the market for years has been turned into the headquarters of our new company.

Our company. Because I meant what I said at that meeting last week.

Just because I came up with the idea of starting a security company doesn’t mean I consider it mine.

Blade and Arrow wouldn’t exist without each one of us.

Rylan’s expertise with weapons, Zane’s martial arts skills, Finn’s skill with explosives, Leo’s experience with computers, Nora’s fluency in half-a-dozen languages, and my training as a medic—together we make one heck of a team.

And that’s not even taking into account the bond we have. The absolute trust. I’d put my life in any of their hands, and I’d guard theirs with my own.

We’re going to make a difference. I know it.

Looking up at the front of the building, seeing the small sign by the door that proudly proclaims it as Blade and Arrow Security, knowing everything that’s gone into making this happen…

I think my parents would be so proud to see what I did with their money.

I never spent it before, because nothing seemed important enough. A new car? A vacation? A boat? None of those could come close to honoring their memory.

But this? A company that will hopefully save lives? That will protect people so they don’t end up like Clara or Dana? I can’t think of a better thing to spend the money on.

And as I’m learning, Blade and Arrow isn’t just going to help other people.

It’s helped me. It’s helped my friends. After that terrible day in Afghanistan, we were all broken in different ways.

I thought that part—the best part—of my life was gone.

But this new adventure has brought hope back to all of us.

I walk up the path to the entrance of Blade and Arrow, pausing in front of the gleaming metal sign. The name of the company is in bold letters, but it’s something much smaller that my eyes are drawn to. Something tiny, that most people would never notice.

Down in the very bottom-right corner, two sets of initials. AM and JM .

Amy Mitchell and James Mitchell. My parents.

Not for the first time since this idea took flight, my eyes burn with unshed tears.

But not now. Not when there’s so much to celebrate.

Pushing through the double doors, I smile as I take in our newly refinished reception area, the walls painted a blue-ish gray color Nora said is supposed to be soothing.

“If we have someone waiting out here, a potential client, they might be nervous,” she explained while we were standing in Home Depot, picking out paint samples.

“If it’s one of our pro-bono clients, they might even be scared.

So a welcoming reception space might help. ”

Looking at it now, with the comfortable armchairs for clients to rest in, end tables with books and magazines to browse, the large cherry desk with a brand new computer sitting on it—it does look welcoming. It looks like the people who run this place know what they’re doing.

We don’t actually have a receptionist yet, but that’s okay. For now, if we have any clients come in, one of us can greet them.

The subject of hiring a receptionist came up a few weeks ago, but I hesitated.

The idea of bringing someone new into our close-knit group didn’t sit well with me.

After everything, my trust in other people has been bruised, and I know I’m not the only one of the team who feels that way.

So there was no complaint when I suggested holding off on hiring office staff, and everyone was happy to volunteer to help with administrative tasks in the meantime.

Maybe one day, I’ll feel differently. Maybe I’ll find someone I trust enough to let into our circle. But not now.

Now, I’m happy to just be with my team.

As I move through the reception area and into the hallway, I almost run smack into Leo, who’s walking with his head down, gaze intent on his phone. I take a quick sidestep to avoid him, and he jerks his head up, an apologetic expression moving across his face.

“Sorry!” he says quickly. “I was checking our email. We have two more requests for security training—one from a CEO who lives in Scarsdale, and the other from an investor out in the Hamptons.”

“That’s great.” My initial concern that we wouldn’t find enough paid work to fund our pro-bono cases is turning out to be the complete opposite.

Thanks to referrals and an impressive website outlining our credentials—six former Green Berets with over sixty years of combined experience—we’re already getting more than enough requests.

“I forwarded them to you,” Leo says. “And I’m sending you two pro-bono applications as well. A blackmail case in New Hampshire and a stalking situation in Connecticut.”

“Okay.” I lift my chin. “I’ll take a look, and we can discuss them at our next meeting.” After a beat, I add, “Thanks for handling all the email and website stuff. I know it’s extra work, and if you’re getting bogged down—”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. I like doing that kind of thing.” He slides the phone in his pocket. “Are you heading out to the patio? I think Finn’s already out there, making some kind of special drink.”

“I am.” Clapping Leo on the shoulder, I urge him along with me. “Come on. I know you were going to just get back on the computer again. Take a break. Have some burgers.”

Leo shoots me a sheepish look. “I was just going to check a few things with the security. But—” His eyes light up. “I have some beer I was going to bring out. My dad sent some IPA from this great brewery in Waterbury. You’ll love it.”

Inwardly, I grimace at the thought of drinking more beer that tastes like a pine tree, but I try to sound enthusiastic as I say, “Oh. I can’t wait to try it.”

Leo chuckles. “I know what you’re thinking. But this is a Northeastern IPA. It’s fruitier. Less piney.”

“If you say so.”

We walk through the building, passing office doors and the elevator that finally got the green light after some last minute electrical work.

I thought about not fixing it at all—we’re all more than capable of taking the stairs—but then I thought about how Rylan might want to rest his knee after a long workout and how the elevator could help.

Not that I said that to him. I just said something about ADA compliance and making it easier to move appliances if we need to get new ones. Which is true. Lugging all those refrigerators up to the second and third-floor apartments isn’t something I want to repeat.

Before we even open the back door, I can hear the rest of my friends outside, talking and laughing. And that prickly feeling hits my eyes again.

Leo glances at me and says quietly, “It’s nice, isn’t it? Being together again.”

“Yeah.” It’s said through a tightening throat. “It is.”

Then we step outside, and the first thing I hear is, “Cole! Leo! Come try this new drink I made!”

Finn’s standing by a makeshift bar on the patio, which is really just a folding table covered with glasses and liquor bottles and mixers. On the ground beside him is a giant cooler with a stack of plastic cups in a sleeve on top of it.

He raises a glass filled with a bright green liquid, and calls over, “Ignore the color. It tastes great. I’m calling it the Blade and Arrow. I even found little blade cocktail picks online to use with them.”

Nora tosses a beanbag at the cornhole board she’s facing and it drops through the hole without touching the edge. Then she turns and makes a little face. “Be careful if you try one, Cole. They’re really strong.”

“Is that your excuse for losing?” Zane asks her with a grin as he takes her place in front of the board. “That Finn’s drink made you lose focus?”

“No,” she shoots back. “I missed that shot—the only one, by the way—because you distracted me.”

Zane shrugs, his face a picture of innocence. “I thought I saw a blimp flying by. It must have just been a shadow.”

From the grill, Rylan laughs. Then he tosses a hot dog roll at Zane, hitting him in the back of his head. “A blimp? Really? Do those even exist anymore?”

Leo whips out his phone and taps the screen. After a second, he reports, “There are about twenty-five of them left in the world. Half used for advertising. So it’s possible Zane could have seen one.”

“Ha!” Zane picks up the bun and whips it at back at Rylan. “So I could have seen one.”

“But you didn’t,” grumbles Nora. “And I can’t believe I fell for it.”

Once I get to the patio, I take a quick look around, noticing all the additions since the last time I was out here.

Instead of a bare square of concrete, there’s now a grill, a wooden picnic table, three plastic Adirondack chairs, the corn hole board, the table slash bar, and a tiki torch stuck into the ground at each corner.

“It’s not much,” Rylan says, following my gaze. “But for a place to hang out and grill, it’s not a bad start.”

“Later, I can bring out Cards Against Humanity,” Leo offers. “And I can hook up some outdoor lights.”

“That sounds great,” Nora tells him. “But we definitely need to have some drinks first. It’s more fun that way.”

“Did you say drinks?” Finn bounds over and hands Nora a fresh glass of his speciality drink. “Here you go.”

Nora grimaces as she looks at it. Then she holds it out to me with a grin. “I think Cole should try it. Since he is the founder of Blade and Arrow, and all.”

I take the glass from her and take a tentative sip. It’s not bad, but as Nora said, extremely strong. Throat burning, I say to Finn, “It’s good. But maybe a little less alcohol on the next one?”

“Actually.” Finn grabs a bottle from the table and holds it up for display. “Now that we’re all out here, I thought we should have a toast. This is my dad’s favorite whiskey, and he sent it to us to celebrate the occasion.”

While we wait for Finn to pour the whiskey into six shot glasses, I take a moment to look around at my friends. And a feeling of rightness comes over me, like everything I’ve done in my life was leading up to this.

Maybe being a Green Beret wasn’t the ultimate goal, like I thought it was.

Maybe it was just preparation for something else.

Maybe here, in Sleepy Hollow, I’ve found my future.

Finn hands out the shot glasses, then raises his in the air.

His smile slides into some more serious as he says, “I’ll be honest with you guys.

I didn’t think I’d get a second chance. I thought my life in Colorado was going to be it.

But thanks to Cole’s idea, his hard work, all of us coming together… I’ve never felt more hopeful.”

Nora blinks a few times, but her eyes remain dry. Lifting her glass, she says, “You all know I wasn’t in a good place before. I was… lost. But I’m not anymore. Here, with my best friends, I feel like I’m home.”

Zane tugs her braid, his gaze softening as he looks at her. “I’m damn glad you’re here. I’m glad we all are.”

“I felt like a failure,” Rylan says quietly. “But now I don’t.” He smiles as he adds, “Thank you, Cole. For bringing us together again.”

Leo lifts his chin as he looks at me. “I think Clara would be so happy to see this, Cole. And Dana. To know their memories live on.”

Shit.

I take several deep breaths before I trust myself to speak.

Lifting my glass, I look around at my friends. My team. My brothers and sister. “Thank you for trusting me. For taking a chance. I know it’s a risk, but being here, working with the people I love most in the world… I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”

“Thank you, Cole.” Nora swallows hard before continuing. As she meets my gaze, everything she’s feeling is right there , on display. “I know it’s selfish to say, but I needed this.” A pause, and then she glances around our small circle. “I missed you guys.”

“Ah, Nor.” Finn’s expression softens. “I missed you. I missed everyone.”

For a moment, we all go quiet, lost in our thoughts.

Then Zane breaks the silence, raising his glass again. Brightly, he says, “Okay. We’re all amazing. And I’m so fucking happy to see all of you every day. So let’s toast. To Blade and Arrow.”

We all lift our glasses.

In unison, we echo, “To Blade and Arrow.”

And I add at the end, emotion swelling in my chest, “To a new beginning.”