He shook his head. Any compromise would have been entirely on him. She wanted him to give up what he did, what he was designed to do, to completely change his career path and go live where she lived. He couldn’t do that. Right now, what his team did, how he led them through it, and what his country required of him served as his sole purpose. He couldn’t just leave it behind. He couldn’t even imagine a compromise that would work.

Perhaps Bill had a point. Maybe figuring all of that out now would save him extra heartache in the future.

The door opened and Peña stuck his head out. “Colonel wants a word with you, Cap. Chief Hanson is already in there.”

He took a deep breath. The fresh air didn’t help. Work would help. That was where he needed to focus right now.

“Thanks,” he said, standing and walking toward him. Peña had on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with an alligator on the chest, so he obviously wasn’t on duty. “When are you headed out?”

“In a few. McBride is riding with me. We’re hauling his motorcycle behind my truck. He’s loading it right now.”

“You’re not helping him?” Rick asked.

“Sure I am. I’m hauling that gaudy hog about eight hundred miles behind my truck.”

Rick chuckled. “Okay. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Yeah. See you, sir.”

Back in the ready room, Rick shook hands with Hanson. His assistant commander was tall with olive skin and dark eyes. His mother and father had met when his father was stationed in Okinawa. He could speak Japanese fluently.

“Hey, Chief. How was leave?”

“I put on seven pounds.”

“Having eaten your wife’s cooking, I can understand.”

Hanson laughed. “It’s like I didn’t have any control over the hand that put food in my mouth.”

Colonel Jenkins finished talking with a lieutenant from supply and approached them. “Gentlemen. Hate to make you hit the ground running, but we have a situation in Syria. Looking for the man responsible for those hotel bombings yesterday. Intelligence thinks they’ve pinpointed a possible locale. I emailed you a link on SIPRNET, and you can review the files in the SCIF,” he said. “I’ll be at Campbell next Tuesday. Be ready for a briefing.”

“Yes, sir,” Rick said. “Do you want us to say anything?”

“No. We’ll know more then. Let the team get settled without the added stress.”

“I was going to stay, sir,” Hanson said. “Our movers aren’t scheduled to come until Monday.”

Colonel Jenkins smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You know I understand, Mr. Hanson, but we need the full team. I’ll have my wife call your wife. The support system will be mobilized. She can do it without you.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the colonel left, Rick turned to Hanson. “You good?”