Page 16 of Under Pressure

Delta’s thick paw was on her waist, stabilizing her, and he quipped back, “Thinking is cool and all, but have you ever rappelled off a building?”

“I’ll be lucky if I never do,” she countered, swinging her leg over the top.

“Well, have I got a surprise for you.” He chuckled as he heaved her over the fulcrum. His support and encouragement were all that kept her moving, thawing her frozen limbs.

“Oh God.” Her grip tightening in abject fear, she wanted to scream as she observed all the people below. They were like ants.

“You’re almost there,” Delta assured her. “Just get the other leg over. I told you that I won’t let you fall. I’ve got you, so just trust me.” His words hit her hard, and they locked eyes. She let out a tense breath, taking in his stunning brown gaze that was caught in sunlight as their bodies swayed on the ropes.

Trust him?

“Okay,” she replied, her voice shaking. “Okay.”

She followed his commands as he directed her, and next thing she knew, she was on the other side. She let out a little yelp of joy, followed by Delta chuckling to himself. Once he was over the top and on the other side, he began climbing down next to her.

“Nice guy,” Delta grumbled sarcastically, his eyes narrowing on her staff sergeant before turning back to her. She tightened her hands on the rope, watching Hunter moving fast through the next obstacle, like he’d forgotten she existed.

“And people ask me what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated job.” Kendra exhaled as she shakily lowered herself down onto the next rope, moving slowly down the structure. “You’re always on your own, at least by my experience.”

Feeling Delta’s presence beside her, he said, “On my team, you’re never alone.”

She froze, but this time for a different reason. If only she’d had someone whispering those supportive words to her at police academy and throughout her career. Connecting with him, she couldn’t deny that he lit something in her that she couldn’t explain—a confidence to push forward, to push herself.

More determined and more focused, she moved methodically down the ropes, watching Delta climb down beside her and mirroring his movements. He was much, much better at it than her, obviously. She was unstable, to say the least. But she was trying and, surprisingly, she was still alive.

She was overjoyed when her feet landed on the grassy ground. Delta jumped off the ropes, thumping down onto the ground beside her. He held up his palms for a double high-five, beaming at her.

“Good fucking job, tiger,” Delta chuckled as she enthusiastically smacked his hands. “You aren’t so bad at this. I don’t know what you were all worried about.”

She grinned in return, feeling a high. Shooting him a look, she replied, “Thanks.” Her gaze flitted around, realizing they were the only two people left on the course.

“This is why they put me at the end,” she sighed as they jogged toward the next obstacle. “They knew I would suck.”

“Nah, it’s just saving the best for last.” He reached over, squeezing her shoulder into him, literally melting her against his rock-solid body. I’m the best? A little smile tugged at her lips, and for the first time, she felt like less of an outsider and more like she belonged.

With that newfound sense of confidence, she leaped at the next obstacle, letting Delta help her again. He pumped her up, lifting her at her waist so she could grab the metal bars at the top, swinging herself across the structure like playground monkey bars that crossed over a swampy mess below. She stopped caring that everyone was watching them and seeing how much fun they were having together.

As he kept her pushing through the rest of the course, Delta laughed behind her as she slipped and fell off the last bar, but at least managed to jump to the side into the sand.

“It’s a tough one,” he said, pulling her up and dusting her off. “Let’s keep at it.”

He hoisted her back up to grab the last bar again so she could complete it without fail, making her feel like it didn’t matter how long she was taking. He was going to see her finish it. He didn’t seem to give a fuck what anyone else thought, either, showing that he was clearly a confident leader in the group.

“I can do this,” she told herself as she leaped off the last bar, completing another obstacle.

“Damn straight,” he called behind her, “with a goddamn vengeance.”

As they finished up the course, having crushed one obstacle after another, her heart was beating faster and faster. Her muscles were growing exhausted, but she didn’t care—something about being next to Delta made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time. Everyone else had expected her to quit, to flunk it—but she wasn’t. She was doing it.

With his final encouragement, they sprinted toward a tall tower. She nearly stopped before it, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. He apparently wasn’t going to let her fail now, and he wasn’t going to leave her behind. Taking the narrow, winding staircase upward, Kendra gathered that the entire group at the training facility had crowded around the bottom of the rappelling tower—some cheering her on, some not.

As she and Delta made it to the top of the tower, she lost her breath, collapsing and taking a knee on the metal. Three stories high on an open structure was pretty fucking scary. If the rope climb had seemed high, this was practically a skyscraper. Even though she logically knew that wasn’t the case, her fear of heights spiraled out of control. Delta put his arm around her, pulling her in. He beamed down on her, having way too much fun with what he was putting her through.

“Holy fuck,” she squeaked, feeling that unadulterated vertigo.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go down with you.”

“I’m freaking out.” She blinked back at him, trying to not look around at the danger right before her. “I think I’m going to pass.”

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