Page 45 of Deadly Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #2)

Less than twelve hours later, the winter sun blazed through DreamBurger’s windows so bright it made Axel’s eyes water.

Or maybe that was just exhaustion. Around him, the team sprawled across three tables, most of them demolishing their food like they hadn’t eaten in days. Which wasn’t far from the truth.

Maya, back from her girl’s week, had her head on Ronan’s shoulder, their hands linked on the table between their barely-touched burgers. She whispered something that made him smile, and he pressed a kiss to her hair.

Across from them, Kenji and Zara traded quiet comments about the op while Deke methodically worked his way through a double burger with extra bacon. The rest of the team scattered between tables, postures loose with relief but faces drawn with fatigue.

All except Olivia.

She sat alone at the far table, closest to the window, her food untouched. The sun caught in her hair, turning it to fire, but her shoulders curved inward like she was trying to disappear. The three empty chairs around her might as well have been a force field.

Axel’s stomach clenched. He should move to her table. Say something. Do something. But what do you say to someone who just?—

Axel had just picked up his burger when both Zara and Kenji’s phones buzzed. The synchronized alert cut through the quiet like a warning bell.

“News is out,” Zara said, scanning her screen. “They’re calling it a helicopter malfunction. Mechanical failure during a routine flight.”

“Classic CIA cleanup.” Kenji’s voice was neutral. “They’re weaving in hints about corporate fraud investigations, making it look like he was flying out to deal with mounting evidence against him.”

“Will it stick?” Christian asked around a mouthful of fries.

Maya lifted her head from Ronan’s shoulder. “The evidence trail’s solid. Margaret Voss made sure of that.”

“Plus who’s going to argue?” Ronan added. “The only people who know different are in this room or ...” He let the sentence trail off.

Or dead. The unspoken word hung in the air.

Axel’s gaze drifted back to Olivia. She hadn’t reacted to the news, hadn’t even turned from the window. But he saw the slight tremor in her hand as she reached for her water glass.

The bruising along her wrist had darkened to purple, visible beneath her sleeve when she moved. He remembered her fierce expression as she faced down Driscoll, tear-streaked but resolute, even with a gun pointed at her heart.

Now she looked small. Fragile. Like a strong wind might shatter her. But Axel knew better. He’d seen what lived behind those green eyes .

The kitchen doors swung open, and Lauren Daggett waddled out, one hand supporting her very pregnant belly.

Even exhausted and worried about Olivia, Axel couldn’t help but smile.

He’d heard the legend about how the hard-working small business owner who’d once served burgers to pilots and passengers passing through the small airport now owned seventeen DreamBurger locations across three states.

And won Austin Daggett’s heart the first time he saw her.

“Austin just called,” she announced, beaming. “They wrapped early. Team’s headed home tonight instead of tomorrow.”

The news sent a ripple of energy through the group. Lauren’s happiness was infectious, her whole being radiating joy as she moved between the tables, checking drinks and stealing fries from Christian’s plate.

“Stop eating my food, boss lady,” Christian protested, but he was grinning.

“I’m eating for two.” Lauren patted her stomach. “Besides, I own the place.”

“Two more months?” Maya asked.

“If this little linebacker cooperates.” Lauren’s eyes sparkled. “Which, being Austin’s son, he probably won’t.”

The normalcy of it all—Lauren’s success, her solid marriage to Austin, their growing family—hit Axel like a punch to the gut. Not envy exactly, but a sharp awareness of what he wanted in his own life. What he might lose if he didn’t?—

“So,” Kenji’s voice cut through his thoughts, “now that we’re officially a separate unit, we need a name. Something professional.”

“‘The Extremely Professional People Who Do Professional Things Professionally’?” Griff suggested with an uncharacteristic wink .

Izzy growled. “I will end you, Hawkins. That wouldn’t even fit on a business card.”

Griff nodded. “I know. That’s what makes it professional!”

The banter continued, but Axel found his attention drawn back to Olivia. She’d turned slightly, watching Lauren with an expression he couldn’t quite read. Longing? Fear? Both?

Whatever it was, it made his chest ache.

If Olivia would just look at him, maybe he could find the right words.

He mentally rehearsed them for the hundredth time.

Olivia, I need to tell you something ?—

Ugh. Too demanding.

Olivia, I was wondering if ? —

Yuck. Too hesitant.

Olivia, I ? —

“What about ‘Shadow Team’?” Ronan’s suggestion yanked Axel from his internal dialogue. A blessing, for sure.

“Could you be more cliché?” Kenji groaned. “Why not just call us ‘Ninja Squad’ and be done with it?”

“Better than ‘Puppy Team,’” Zara pointed out. “Which someone keeps threatening.”

Ronan raised both hands. “Hey, we’re the young ones. Might as well own it.”

“Junior Varsity,” Maya suggested with a grin.

“Knight Tactical’s Little League,” Kenji offered.

Izzy looked up from her burger long enough to roll her dark eyes. “Why not cut to the chase and go with Power Puff team? With added Unicorn Sprinkles.”

Lauren’s laugh rang out, rich with memory. “You should have heard some of the early names we tried.” She settled into a chair, one hand absently rubbing her belly. “I think Chance once suggested ‘God’s Green Berets.’” She shook her head. “Probably a good thing they just went with Knight Tactical. ”

And then it hit him. They should honor Tank.

His mind flashed to their SEAL days—Tank’s booming laugh during late-night card games, his steady presence during firefights, the way he’d pull guys aside when he saw them struggling. The big man had been their backbone, their conscience, their unwavering moral compass.

The team’s conversation faded to background noise as Axel’s gaze drifted back to Olivia.

She’d finally turned away from the window, but her eyes stayed fixed on her plate.

The others had learned to give her space, but Tank .

.. Tank never let anyone retreat into themselves.

He’d have been right there, speaking truth with that gentle voice that somehow carried more weight than any drill sergeant’s.

The same voice that had talked Axel through his darkest moments after Kandahar.

Tank never hesitated to tell people what they meant to him. Never let fear stop him from living his faith out loud.

While here sat Axel, running conversations in his head he was too afraid to have in real life. Paralyzed by what-ifs, while Tank had never wasted a single moment being afraid to love.

The memories surfaced, both painful and uplifting, of Tank charging into danger, of Tank taking the time to pray with a terrified civilian child. “ Because perfect love casts out fear ,” Tank had said later, shrugging off the medal citation like it was nothing.

“Team Tank,” he announced, his voice cutting through the banter.

The conversation died. Everyone turned to look at him.

“What?” Kenji asked.

“Team Tank.” Axel sat straighter, conviction growing. “We’re building something new, but we’re building it on what Tank believed in. Unshakeable faith. Unwavering courage. Being bold in what matters most. ”

“T-squared for short,” Ronan added softly. His eyes met Axel’s, understanding passing between them.

Maya nodded slowly. “It’s perfect. Shows we’re carrying forward the best of what came before.”

“While making something new,” Zara finished.

Zara’s eyes glistened. “Tank would have loved it. Probably would have made some terrible pun about being ‘tanked up’ for missions.”

Quiet laughter rippled through the group. Even Olivia’s lips curved slightly.

“Team Tank,” Deke repeated, testing the weight of it. “Yeah. That fits.”

Axel watched the name settle over them like a mantle. Like a promise. And somehow, in that moment, he knew what he had to do next.

Tank had never let fear win. Neither would he.

His gaze drifted back to Olivia, who’d finally looked up, her eyes soft with something that might have been understanding. Or memory. Or maybe just that spark that had been there from the beginning, the one he’d tried so hard to ignore.

He wouldn’t be her patient. The break-in at her office had settled that question permanently. But he could be ... something else. Something more. The way she’d looked at him these past few days, before he’d shut her down so completely—there’d been possibility there. Promise.

And he’d crushed it, trying to do the right thing. No. Not the right thing. The safe thing. Trying to protect himself from her insights.

Tank would have called him ten kinds of fool. Would have told him that sometimes doing the right thing meant being brave enough to reach for what mattered, even if you might get hurt.

Axel straightened, his decision crystallizing. No more hiding behind professional distance. No more rehearsing conversations in his head. He was going to channel his inner Tank, man up and tell Olivia exactly how he felt.

Today. Before he lost his nerve.

Before he lost her.