Page 48 of Burn for Me

“Hear that? In and out. We’re almost done with all of this,” he murmurs. For some reason, that disappoints me, and I feel a twinge of fear at the thought. I open my mouth to speak, but Sam grabs the mask from my hands and slides it over my head.

“Alright, Sam, there are two guards up front. They do rounds in five-minute intervals and then alternate with the one at the back. You also have a maid in the kitchen and a womanpacing upstairs.”Moe's voice goes serious,and the clacking of a keyboard vibrates my eardrum.

“Alright, we need to find the opening at the back.” Sam pulls his mask on while I tuck my hair and the hem into my shirt.

“It seems like a tight squeeze, but I can loop the footage when you enter and then let it resume.”

Sam slides out of the car, and I follow, rounding to the trunk, where he pops it open. He pulls out our tactical vests and tries to put one on me, but I smack his hands away.

“Alright, we’re on the move,” Sam grumbles, looking me over again before leading us over leaves and broken branches. I feel around my vest, ensuring I have all the necessary equipment. Even though I know Sam packed our gear, I’m still running a mental checklist in my head.

Pistols, bullets, magazines. Check. Smoke grenades, night vision goggles, flares. Check. First aid kit—

“Feels like recon in the desert all over again,”Tide laughs, cutting off my thoughts. Seizing the opportunity, I glance at Sam, but it's harder than ever to read his expression with the mask on.

There’s a grunt but no response.

“That was the first mission Father let me witness. It was bloody insane. I still don’t know how you found Terrell in the woods.”Tide continues, but his words are slower this time. There’s a subtle flex in Sam’s hand around the trunk as he squats to look at what seems to be a vast garden.

“I got my callsign that day,” Sam mutters.

“I didn’t get to watch, but Father said it was because once you have your sights on someone, it’s like a red X highlights their chest, and there’s nothing they can do to hide from you,”Moe says quietly, clearing his throat as if he wants to say more but refrains.

There’s a moment of silence before Tide speaks again.“Like a reaper.”

Sam turns his head in my direction. For a moment, it seems like he’s trying to gauge whether I’m listening, but his focus is on my knees, making it feel like he’s lost in his thoughts.

I lower myself into a squat, hoping to draw his attention, but his gaze remains downcast. I don’t like this internal moment he’s having. I can manage not knowing what’s going through his mind, but it feels almost like he’s completely shut down. His fists flex against his lap, and his shoulders rise and fall with his breathing, reminiscent of the way he had Jeremy in his grasp. I try to change the subject.

“What’s my callsign?” I ask quietly. Sam’s head jerks as if my voice startled him, and he clears his throat to cover it up.

“You already know the answer to that,” he grumbles, looking away while raising a finger to point. I follow his gesture to see a guard rounding the corner to replace another disappearing around the bend.

“‘Jasmine’ is no fun. Everyone else’s callsigns have meaning.” I mutter as I glance down at my watch to start a timer.

“Jasmine comes from the Persian word ‘Yasmin.’” Sam whispers, but it’s so quiet that I unintentionally lean closer to hear him better as the numbers flip on the screen.

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

“Gift from God.” My brows furrow as I turn my head towards him, finding his face just inches away from mine.

“I thought you said I was—”

“The devil was an angel once, too, you know.”

Suddenly, my watch begins vibrating against my wrist, causing me to look at it in surprise.

“Seven and a half minutes.”Tide says, while Moe continues,“That’s a five-minute shift. It only gives you a minute and a half at most to get in without being spotted.”

Sam stands up, wrapping his hand around my bicep, and pulls me around some brush until we’re crouched by a large water fountain.

“Moe, systems down on my count,” he mutters quietly.

Slowly, he begins counting down from ten, but my mind feels hazy with each number. I’ve been desperate to focus on our assignment, do right, and prove to everyone that I can be a valuable asset to this team. The only person I thought who recognized that was Sharkie.

She used her words to express what I needed to hear. I never thought to analyze every little move, glance, or word from Sam because I always figured—

“Systems off.”

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