Page 34 of Secret Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #5)

Kenji stared hard at the resort schematics spread across the old table that looked like a battlefield map, which wasn't far from the truth.

Every light fixture above them swayed in rhythm with the building's groans as the hurricane tested every joint and weld.

The place was coming apart around them. Now, he'd be fighting Vega's army and Mother Nature.

And sending unarmed, ill-prepared troops of his own into battle.

Twenty-four hours ago, my biggest problem was figuring out how to pay Vince twenty-five grand, he thought, the irony bitter as burnt coffee. How to confess to my team that I'd become exactly what I swore I'd never be—an addict who put everyone at risk.

Your ways are not my ways, he thought, remembering the verse from Isaiah. No kidding, Lord.

"Here," Sophia said, breaking into his thoughts as she distributed energy bars and water bottles from her pack. "Everyone needs to eat something. Can't fight on empty stomachs."

"Not hungry," Spencer mumbled, but Sophia pressed a bar into his hand anyway.

"Wasn't a suggestion, love. Eat."

Kenji watched the dynamic between them—Sophia's protective efficiency, Spencer's nervous energy. They made an odd team, but somehow it worked. Like all of them, thrown together by disaster and discovering they fit in unexpected ways.

Cassidy squeezed his hand, her palm warm and steady. "Ready when you are."

The simple touch grounded him. Whatever happened next, she was here. Choosing to trust him even though she had to see how broken he was. The weight of that trust was both terrifying and motivating.

Spencer shifted nervously, unwrapping his energy bar with shaking hands. Kenji caught the guy's worried expression and moved around the table to face him directly.

"Hey," he said. "You okay? I know this is dangerous, but you've proven you can handle?—"

"It's not the danger," Spencer interrupted, then seemed to catch himself.

"I mean, for sure, okay, yeah, it is. A little.

" He pressed a hand to his stomach. "I'm not into stress.

One time I had to give a presentation to Dad's board of directors about sustainable investing.

" He stopped, swallowing hard. "I spent three weeks prepping, then completely blanked and started talking about my cryptocurrency portfolio instead.

Totally different situation, for sure. Nothing like you SEALs.

" He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles.

"But that's not... I'm worried I'm going to mess up. Let the team down. Let my K-Man down."

The admission hit Kenji somewhere deep in his chest. Here was this kid—wealthy, privileged, with every advantage in the world—worried about disappointing him. Him. The gambling addict who'd lied to his team, who'd nearly lost everything at a poker table.

But he doesn't know that, Kenji realized. He sees someone worth living up to.

"Spencer," he said quietly, "you've already exceeded every expectation. The intelligence you gathered, the way you've stepped up when we needed you—you're not going to let anyone down."

"But what if I do something wrong? What if I can't figure out the boat engines, or I trip some alarm, or?—"

"I'll back you up, mate," Sophia insisted, finishing her own energy bar. "Team effort here, yeah? You handle the technical bits, I'll watch for trouble. We'll be brilliant."

Spencer looked between them, hope warring with fear on his face. "You really think we can do this?"

"I think we don't have a choice," Cassidy said, her poker player's honesty cutting through. "But I also think we're better together than any of us would be alone. Look what we've already survived."

She was right. Kenji thought about the past few days—how Spencer's random knowledge had proven invaluable, how Sophia's mysterious competence had saved them more than once, how Cassidy's strategic mind had found angles he'd missed.

They weren't soldiers, but they were something else. A team forged in crisis.

"Nothing ever goes perfectly to plan," Kenji insisted. "We'll adapt. That's what teams do. We cover for each other. Trust each other. And Spence?" He waited until Spencer met his gaze. "I'm proud to have you watching my six."

Spencer's face lit up with something approaching wonder. "Really?"

"Really."

"Right then," Sophia said, all business as she checked her improvised weapon—that commercial meat tenderizer that looked disturbingly effective in her hands.

"We should review the plan one more time.

Marina team takes the north route through the service tunnels.

Helicopter team goes up through the eastern stairwell.

We meet back here in forty-five minutes. "

"And if something goes wrong?" Cassidy asked.

"When something goes wrong," Kenji corrected, because nothing in this disaster had gone to plan yet. "We adapt. We survive. We protect each other."

Spencer straightened his shoulders, some of his natural confidence returning. "Okay. Yeah. I can do this." He gathered his makeshift spear and fire extinguisher. "And hey, K-Man? Thanks for believing in me. Most people just see the trust fund kid who talks too much."

"I see someone who stepped up when it mattered," Kenji replied. "Now go show those boats who's boss."

Spencer grinned. "On it. And don't worry—I'll use the resort's internal system to keep everyone posted. No more radio silence."

He headed toward the door, Sophia falling into step beside him with the natural ease of someone used to protection details. "Come on then, boat boy. Let's see if all that yacht club experience pays off."

"It wasn't really a yacht club," Spencer protested as they left. "More like a... okay, it was totally a yacht club."

Their voices faded down the corridor, leaving Kenji alone with Cassidy and the weight of what came next.

"They make a good team," she observed, finishing her own energy bar.

"Yeah." He grabbed his own weapons—the pruning shears that had become his signature tool, a can of industrial bug spray that could blind an attacker. Not much against trained killers, but better than nothing. "Speaking of which..."

He tossed her the bug spray, their fingers brushing in the exchange. Even that simple contact sent electricity through him.

Focus, he commanded himself. You can't protect her if you're distracted by ? —

"Don't aim at me, okay?" he said, trying for levity.

Her smile melted his heart, that perfect blend of mischief and trust that made him want to be better than he was. She arched one delicate brow. "No promises."

The joking helped, but as they prepared to leave their makeshift command center, Kenji couldn't shake the weight of everything that had changed. A day ago, his biggest fear was disappointing his team. Now he was leading civilians into combat against impossible odds.

But looking at Cassidy—brave, brilliant Cassidy who trusted him despite having every reason not to—he knew he'd do whatever it took to get them through this.

Lord, I know I don't deserve Your help, he prayed silently. But they do. Help me be enough. Help me keep them safe.

The building shuddered again, reminding them that time was running out. The storm wouldn't wait for them to be ready.

Neither would Vega.