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Lucky

People with cool call signs never die.

Pretty sure it’s a law of the universe.

Two months after leaving Bristlebrook

Dom’s voice crackles over the radio on my kit. “Steel Rain, this is Boss Man, do you copy? Over.”

No. Fucking. Way.

Beau looks up from his breakfast and grins, and the sunshine beats down on his tan.

Giddy laughter bursts out of me as I bounce to my feet. I press the button on my push to talk.

“Boss Man, this is Steel Rain. Hell yes , I fucking copy! Over.”

He does like me! He really, really likes me!

Jayk rolls his eyes, but he gets to his feet.

There’s only one reason Dom calls these days.

We left Bristlebrook just over two months ago, and the attacks are coming against the Reapers’ farmlands multiple times a week now.

Different places, different times. They burned our wheat fields just last week.

It’s exhausting and dangerous, and eight Reapers have died, but Dom has finally accepted the order of the universe, so he’s allowed to throw me into any damn fight he wants to.

The radio crackles back on, and Dom snorts. “Got the call. Red silo, thirty minutes. Whole team. Get your party shoes on. There’s about twenty this time—so let’s throw them a surprise, over.”

Jayk starts pulling Jasper out of his tent, and the civs filter over, tired but ready as they pull on their gear.

Sloane heads over to the truck, taking her time to warm it up because the Reapers have two whole barns full of gas that I don’t even want to know what they did to secure.

Beau ducks into my tent to grab my weapons for me.

They know the drill.

“Roger, wilco. We getting the tweedledumwits to join us this time? Over.”

The Reapers are so useless that, no matter how carefully we orchestrate an op, they’re still finding ways to fuck it up by sheer incompetence. I know we need them there, but at this point, it might be safer just to shoot them ourselves.

Beau brings me out my rifle, and I nod him a quick thanks as I take it from him. I’m still charged up over Steel Rain, and his eyes twinkle at me like he knows it.

“Sure. Bring five of them. Get me Quentin, Price, Jones, Lee, and Smitty. They’re up next on rotation, and I’ve got somewhere to put them this time, over.”

“Roger, Boss Man. Oscar Mike in five, over.”

Jayk jogs back up from his tent, his rifle over his shoulder, and Jasper hesitates as he walks past me toward the truck, his eyes still tired with sleep.

“Why is he so happy?” Jasper mutters suspiciously.

Jayk shrugs, but Beau gives him a mischievous smile.

I grin at him as I sign out. “And thaaat’s Steel Rain , over and out.”

“No,” Jasper says immediately. “ No . I absolutely refuse to call you?—”

I push past him, racing towards the truck. “Everyone! Guess what you get to call me from now until the end of time?”

Ava snorts a laugh as I climb into the wide tray beside her, and the guys walk over more slowly. Jasper looks like his head is about two minutes from exploding.

And I decide he needs a call sign, too.

My muscles ache as we head back to the truck, but I’m buzzing in all the right ways.

Dead Sinners, check.

No casualties or injuries among civs, check.

That Reaper, Price, took a Sinner bullet through the eye when he stepped out of cover, but he kind of had that one coming.

So far, so good in the reign of Steel Rain.

Sitting in the crappy makeshift bed beside me, Eden ends the call on the satellite phone and exchanges a look with me. Her hair is sex-kinked all around her face and naked breasts, her eyes glowing with the orgasm she just managed to claim before the phone rang.

It should be illegal to answer the phone during sex, whether we’re getting news of an incoming attack or not. I’m proposing it at the next Apocalyptic Council.

First step: create Apocalyptic Council.

“Sorry! Sorry, sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” Eden whispers, already pulling on her clothes.

“We’ll call it an incentive,” I agree, watching her sexy-as-hell ass disappear into her pants.

Sighing, I flop back onto the bed, and Eden kisses me thoroughly, then hurries out to find Dom.

On the upside, the prospect of going out in the cold rather than spending a night alone with her does make me want to shoot someone.

I find my kit, several straps only half unsnapped where Eden was ripping them off me, and I decide that I’m okay with it.

The Sinners can just die extra painfully tonight.

I twist through the trees, reaching for an extra mag for my rifle. Bullets slam into tree trunks near my head, and I roll behind a boulder. I pat on empty.

Ah, shit.

“Fuck. I’m out,” I shout, hearing the rock I’m crouched behind take heat. “Boss Man, some support?”

“Copy! Jayk, Jasper, Ava, Katherine, put lead down range. Hit a wedge. Suppressive fire, then break! Mag dump!” Dom shouts back from somewhere to my right. “Everyone else, support by fire. Stay behind cover.”

We were already half-fucked when the Sinners caught onto the ambush early. They redirected half their force around while they let the rest of them get nailed.

Ruthless, but smart as hell.

I really hate it when they can think on their feet.

Means I have to break a sweat.

The four of them push out from the trees near me, firing together and blanketing the forest in bullets. The barrage stops as the Sinners scramble for cover.

There’s a whistle to my right. “Hey, baby. Heard you need someone to fill you up?”

I laugh under my breath as Beau skids in behind the boulder.

Neatly catching the mag he tosses me, I grin at him as I reload. “You always get me when I’m needy.”

Beau grins back, tucking two more mags in the empty pouches of my kit. “Some more for later, too. Never say I don’t get you anything nice.”

I press my push to talk. “Steel Rain and Doctor Desirable here and clear, Boss Man. You ready for us to come round back? I’ve got a nice, big load for our new friends here, over.”

Beau snorts a laugh as the radio bursts to life.

“For fuck’s sake, Lucky,” Dom mutters. “Yeah, circle round. Watch for squirters, over.”

I open my mouth, and Beau smacks me, and I roll my eyes.

Fine. It was too easy, anyway.

“Roger. Over and out.”

We start shifting around the firefight, watching for muzzle flashes—or runners, like Dom asked us to. We take out two Sinners crawling from beneath some underbrush that made for pretty crappy cover.

I see Sloane between the trees, pushing forward beside a short, stocky Reaper who keeps stepping in front of her. Eventually, she kicks his legs out from under him and kneels on his back to take out a Sinner.

When she stands back up, she walks over the gasping Reaper with open impatience.

I chuckle softly. “She’s great, isn’t she?”

“Real sweetie pie,” Beau agrees as we duck behind a thick tree.

We fall quiet as we creep into position. There are at least ten Sinners crouched behind various trees and rocks, firing on our guys. Beau and I slow, maintaining some distance, then lift our rifles.

Katherine and Ava have pulled back to the base of fire, but Jayk and Jasper need an opening before they can move out from where they’re pinned.

Just before I fire on the Sinners, I hit my push to talk.

“Boss Man, this is Steel Rain confirming we have eyes on target. Give us two moments to clear out this mess here.” I grin, then add, “King Kong and Early Bird are in safe hands, over and out.”

“Lucien, you did not just name me?—”

Beau chokes on his laughter just as the Sinners turn, and we start to spray bullets.

It might not be anywhere close to as good as spending a night with Eden, but it feels good that we’re finally doing this. Our team is solid, and we’re hitting the wins we need to.

It’s worth it.

Because a few more months of wins like this, and we might even be able to go home.