Johnny laughed. He seemed to be as genuine right now as Jed could remember ever seeing him. All the bravado and snark were gone.

“You know, the thing is, I don’t even want to lead a team. At least I don’t think I do. But Eli—he was being groomed and next in line. CAG operator, born leader, amazing fighter, humble. Then you roll in and now he’s serving under you. Since when does that make sense?”

Jed nodded again. “Johnny, I don’t have a good answer for you. I was as surprised as you when they assigned me to a leadership position. But here’s the thing, bro. We’re both SOF operators and we understand big-boy rules. We don’t pick the team; the team picks us, just like back in the military. What I’ve learned from Ben’s leadership and David’s spiritual counsel is that our Higher Authority is calling the shots. We need to yield to His purpose to succeed at our mission. He decides our maximum and our minimum contributions. Remember the Scripture David shared about the first being last and needing to serve others before the journey can begin? That resonated with me, because in the SEAL Teams, the leaders I most respected were just like that—servant leaders. They put Team and mission before themselves. Servant leaders never ask anything of their teammates they aren’t already giving themselves. That’s what I’ll always try to do at the helm of Joshua Bravo, Johnny. Mission before self, team before self—always.”

Johnny’s eyes softened further, but he looked down, perhaps not sure what to say.

Man, I really screwed this up. I treated Jed like he was no better than my jackass father, who left us.

Jed shut the words out, not wanting to invade his teammate’s thoughts.

“Johnny, here’s what I can offer you,” he said, leaning in now. “There’s a place for you on this team as long as you want it. I will stand shoulder to shoulder and serve at your side. But if you believe that you’d be more productive and fulfilled somewhere else, I can get you transferred to another team. I’ll take the heat for it—say it was my idea and my inability to provide the leadership you deserve.”

Johnny looked up at him now. “You’d take the hit? Make it look like your fault?”

Jed shrugged. “Team before self.”

The sound of footsteps to their right drew both their attention.

“Hey, Jed, sorry to interrupt, but Ben’s here,” Eli said, jogging up.

“Thanks for the heads-up.”

Eli turned to Johnny, sensing he’d interrupted something, perhaps. “’Sup, Johnny?”

“Eli,” Johnny said with a nod.

Jed pressed to his feet. “Think about it and let me know.”

The younger operator nodded slowly—in understanding, not in answer—and Jed felt something pass between them. He followed Eli out of the hangar and watched the inbound Gulfstream G700 corporate jet taxi around the bend at the north corner of the military side of the Atlantic City airport and then head their way.