Page 39 of Faded Rhythm

“Don’t worry about it.” I turn back to my screen. “Do you know how to get in contact with The Texican?”

She’s quiet for a minute before she nods.

“Good. First thing in the morning.”

She sighs, then asks, “Are you hungry?”

There’s that thing again. That energy. But it’s pointed at me this time.

“I’m good,” I say. “No appetite.”

What I don’t say is that it’s because ofher. I feel strange around her. There’s a low, steady buzz under my skin. Adrenaline, maybe, or anticipation. It’s hard to pin it down. My jobs are always cold and efficient. But this is something else. Something messier. Something that pulls.

She picks up her phone and calls her sister to check in. I stare at my screen as she talks, the words and letters blurring together.

“No word from Brett,” she tells me. “That’s a relief. For now.”

I don’t answer. I don’t turn around. I don’t move until I hear the shower running.

Then I call AJ.

“I’m not compromised,” I say by way of greeting.

He bellows out a laugh. “You’re already gone, bruh. I knew it.”

“I’ma let you gloat for now, but if shit gets hairy, I need to know you got my back.”

“Always,” he says without hesitation. “We been in them trenches together. How could I not?”

How, indeed.

As the line goes dead, memories flood my mind. I still feel the heat from the sun beating down on us in the village. We were searching for a weapons cache that intelligence said would be tucked inside a certain compound.

AJ saved my life when that kid ran out with wires trailing from his vest. The world blew up around us as he tackled me into the dirt that day.

Another time, nighttime in Fallujah. A night op gone bad. We had bad intel, then hit the wrong building. We were stuck in a pit with no exit and enemy soldiers bearing down. I cracked a glow stick with my teeth and tossed it like bait. When they veered off to investigate, we killed them all.

But thatotherday…the woman…

I force my eyes open. The room is still quiet, but I feel the old tension winding up my spine again. AJ knows me—too well. He saw this coming a mile away.

Fuck.

I shake my head and glance toward the closed bathroom door. There’s a faint sound above the running water. It’s melodic and pretty.

It’s her.

Humming something.

I cock my head like an animal, straining to hear. I can’t make out the melody, but I don’t really need to. The water is off now. A few curls of steam escape through the crack at the bottom of the door.

I’ve been in firefights, crawled through sewage tunnels, been ambushed, betrayed, and buried men I respected. But this…this woman, her life, her problems, her ability to pull me in…it has me off balance.

She’s wearing a blue silk robe when she comes out. Her hair is tied in a blue and gold scarf. The fabric clings to her body, catching the light as she moves. Her nipples strain against it, and I make myself look away before my body reacts.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna share the bed?” she asks again.

I’m about to decline again when I shift in the chair. This bitch is hard as fuck after two hours of sitting. I don’t wanna imagine the pain after four or five hours of sleep—that’s if I could even doze off in this shit.

---