Page 23 of Inevitable
“You knew you could die doing what you did,” I said shakily.
“I did,” he confirmed. “But it was better to lose one guy than a whole damn team. I was their commander. I sent them into that shitshow. It was my job to get them out alive if I could.”
I understood his sense of responsibility and moral obligation, but…
“That was completely insane,” I told him. “You weren’t afraid you were going to die?”
“I didn’t have time to think much about that,” he explained. “The whole scene was chaotic. I just did what I had to do.”
What kind of bravery did it take to just run into a dangerous situation like that without thinking about it?
But I knew it didn’t simply take incredible bravery to do what Colin did.
It took…heart.
He’d cared about the guys under his command, and he’d put the lives of those men before his own.
“You’re an amazing man, Colin Marshall,” I said honestly.
“I was just doing my job, Emma. I knew what I signed up for when I became a SEAL.”
It was risky as hell, but he’d still signed up knowing how dangerous it could be for him.
My admiration for Colin had reached new heights.
Yeah, I’d suspected he was military, but I’d never known his life was probably in danger on a daily basis.
I realized just how much I hadn’t known about him back in Virginia Beach.
We’d known each other’s bodies, but there were so many things wehadn’tshared.
“Sleep, Emma,” Colin said as he ran a comforting hand over my hair. “We can talk more once I get you to safety. That’s my main concern right now. The hike out of here isn’t going to be easy, and you’ve been through a lot over the last three days.”
I let out an exasperated breath.
Probably no one on Earth had been through more than Colin, yet he was still worried aboutmysafety.
His concern for hostages had probably been ingrained in him throughout his time as a SEAL.
Strangely, I hadn’t had a moment of fear since the moment I’d heard his voice.
Yeah, I was apprehensive about escaping, but being with Colin had pushed most of the dark thoughts right out of my head.
It was probably his calmness and his confidence.
He was treating this situation like something he’d done many times, which he probably had.
“I’ll be fine,” I told him. “I’ve done long hikes in the woods before. I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life.”
“You didn’t do those hikes half-starved and sleep deprived,” he pointed out. “You’re physically depleted, Emma.”
I let out a yawn before I said, “Okay, I’m sleeping.”
Surprisingly, comfortable with being held tightly by Colin, I was doing just that a few moments later.
Chapter 8
Marshall
