Page 81 of Master's Rise

He agrees with a hug. “Thanks, Pres.”

I shake my head. “Cort or Boss. I never feel like I fit in those Pres’ shoes.”

“Becausewesee and hear you, to us, you do. To you, it’s just who you are. Crow was a good leader, but you’ve always been smarter. He told me that himself.”

“Huh. Thanks. He looks so big from where I stand.”

He smiles and it’s real. “Because he taught you everything he knows and sent you to school for what he didn’t. He told me that too.” He laughs.

“Fucking Brothers. He didn’t tell me.”

He shrugs. “You didn’t need to know, I guess. He wasn’t stupid.”

“That he wasn’t. You coming tonight to get furniture?”

“Yeah. The cowboys must love you.”

I nod grabbing my laptop and walk out. “We need a steakhouse here.”

~*~*~

Herman is a fucking bear to train with. Raid and Falcon are on with me today. Herman has pushed us so fucking hard I’m sweating out buckets. I sit, breathing heavy, just trying to get to a place I can drink the water in my hand. Raid is flat on the mat, not moving. I’d check for pulse, but I’m tired.

“You alive, Raid?”

“Mmm, my lungs are caught in my throat. You can’t fucking see?” He’s growling so he’s breathing.

Falcon laughs from somewhere behind me. “You’re on the mat. I see your legs not moving. Thought I’d check.” Finally, I drink. When the bottle is empty, I reach for another. I sat so I could lean on the cooler, it’s an easy reach.

“Throw me water.” Raid moans.

Fucking Falcon is still laughing but he’s closer now. I pitch a water back.

“Fuck!” Shit. “It bounced way the fuck over there. Roll one.” He’s got pain in his voice.

I know that feeling and roll a bottle to where his feet are.

“Fuck, Brother, it’s five feet away.”

I feel like I can move and not fall over so I do. The bottle is like three fucking feet away. I don’t see the other. “You’re a fucking whiny bastard. Get up and get one of them.”

Falcon is still chuckling over there but walks over and kicks the bottle closer. “Hurry up. We’re running the lake. I’m getting hungry too.”

He’s out of his fucking mind. “I’m not running the fucking lake now. I run it in the morning after pop ups and the simulator.”

I hear the fucking bear’s feet and want to hide. “Hydrate and move out, soldiers. GI Janes didn’t bitch this much and I had three of them. Let’s GO!”

“You trained for Green Berets?” Fucking women could move after that workout?

He smiles at me. “I was a colonel and led a team but we trained regularly. Five miles is the cool down after workouts. You got the lake, you’re not used to real training so I’m going easy.”

What? I look at Falcon. “Is he fucking kidding? How the fuck are you standing? You train with us all the time.” That’s not fucking normal.

He laughs at me. “It is, Boss, but I didn’t set your training up. I followed what was already here and added what I thought you could handle. I train twice a day, you do once and run. Military get pushed a lot harder than the Brothers. Officers don’t need that stamina. Our battles are short and we walk away while Security and cleanup deal. Military works until the job is done. Colonels work with the team so they train the same.”

“Sonofabitch. He just called us pussies, Raid.”

Raid sits up moaning. “He did, but it was in a nice way.”