“Like the dog food?” she blurted out. “How’d you get that?”

“It stands for alcoholic libations procurement officer,” he replied.

“And?” she prompted when he said no more.

“And,” Griffin jumped in, “that man can sniff out booze anytime, anywhere. It’s a gift. We’ll be in a country where liquor is completely forbidden, and he’ll still manage to find a case of beer or a fifth of whiskey.”

Anna laughed. “That sounds like a heck of a useful field skill.”

“You have no idea, darlin’,” Kenny drawled at her. “I’m a man of many talents.”

Anna shot back, “Composing song lyrics not being one of them.”

He crooned, “You’ve done broke my heart with your cruel, cold words. I’m a man on the edge, and I’m sinking fast.”

The guy really did have a good voice, rich and soulful, perfect for country music.

Sherri asked, “Have you ever considered singing professionally, Ken? You have the voice for it.”

He shrugged. “Maybe someday when I’m done with this gig.”

Anna added, “Just promise you’ll hire a songwriter and not try to write your own.”

In a flash, Ken swerved and bumped into Anna, knocking her off balance.

Jojo jumped forward and caught Anna’s elbow, steadying her in a display of reflexes so fast Sherri wasn’t exactly sure what she’d seen. Dang, it was so easy to underestimate these men. They loped along, joking around like a bunch of goofballs, and then in the blink of an eye, they were stronger and faster than she could believe.

The pace Griffin set pushed her very close to her maximum speed. Unfortunately, she got the impression the guys had at least one more gear in them, if not several more. Her running watch said this pace also met the pre-BUD/S qualification time for a fifteen-kilometer run.

But the guys seemed unimpressed and plowed onward like they did this every day. She had a sneaking suspicion she, too, would be expected to do this daily from now on. Yikes.

Finally, a year or so after they left the compound, the white clapboard buildings and rusted Quonset huts came into sight. The men peeled off, running directly into their barracks, and the women jogged into theirs. As soon as their door closed, the women collapsed on their cots, panting.

Sherri didn’t even have the energy to unlace her boots and kick them off.

Anna commented, “Am I the only one who had a hell of a time keeping my mind on running out there? Did you see Trevor’s ass? My God. I have needs, and that man’s accent makes me think dirty thoughts.”

Lily laughed. “I don’t know about an Englishman. I kind of like American guys who are big and cuddly.”