“We’d been split in Katangela. Half of my team got folded into another team of twelve to do a bigger mission. They got back to Yambuli about a week before we did. They would have just stayed and waited for us, but your father’s detail kind of took up the space. As soon as we got on those helicopters, they took off.”

“They were waiting to make sure they didn’t need to come help you?”

“Pretty much. Knowing Chief Hanson—who you haven’t met but he’s my assistant commander—they were sitting on the tarmac waiting for the green light to head into the jungle.” He wiped his fingers on a paper napkin and sat back.

“Is Fort Campbell the Army base I saw driving here?”

He thought about the route she would have taken and shook his head. “No. The installation here is Fort Breckenridge. I use the PX and commissary sometimes, but I’ve never been stationed here. Not sure how I’d feel about that.” He took a bite of his patty melt. “Campbell is on the border of Tennessee not far from Nashville. In fact, the post is split between the two states. I’m looking forward to being there for a couple of years.”

They ate in silence for a moment, then she said, “Bill told me Peña’s wife works with your team.”

He nodded. “Emma. She’s a contractor with some pretty fantastic language skills. That’s how they met. She was providing translation services.” He thought about Emma Peña. “She has an interesting story. She fit right into the team, and every time I can use her, I do.”

Cynthia pushed her plate aside and rested her elbow on the table, propping her chin in her hand. “You love them.”

Eyes widening, he said, “Them?”

“Your team.”

He processed the thought, analyzed his feelings, and then tried to put them into words. “They call me Daddy for a reason. At any given time, their lives, their livelihoods, rest in my hands. I have the authority to tell them when and what to eat, when and where to sleep, and who or what to kill. They trust me implicitly, and I trust them. Together, we’re a finely tuned instrument.”

She smiled. “You love them.”

“Yes.” He chuckled and tossed his napkin onto his empty plate. “You finished?” He looked pointedly at her half-eaten sandwich.

“I ate a big chicken biscuit a few hours ago. I’m good.”

After lunch, they walked around the town square. Rick pointed out landmarks, businesses, and points of interest. They strolled down one road and ended up at the riverside park. Rick went into a little coffee shop and got them coffees, and they sat side by side at a picnic table, their backs to it, watching a barge slowly make its way down the river.