She’d dumped him without so much as a goodbye.

He’d lain in agony, pretending the woman hadn’t just cut his heart out. This after the organ had thankfully remained intact when the bullet aiming for it landed just above and to the left.

Lynn hadn’t wanted to stick around for the aftermath, and not just the playing nursemaid part as Xavier recovered from surgery. She was worried about PTSD.

Much as he wanted to believe otherwise, it was a looming specter in Chris’s mind as well. Not just for Xavier, but for himself. He’d have been happy to never reveal to another soul what had transpired on that op. What he’d done to save Xavier after he’d failed to protect the others.

Pam had expressed the same fears to Chris. He’d promised to do the work.

But had he? Or had he pushed her away?

And, as far as he could tell, she’d moved on emotionally the same time Lynn did. Except Lynn made it a clean break, while Pam supposedly stayed by his side even as she took one of his closest friends as a lover.

But now he wondered, had he been the one to shut her out as he did the bare minimum needed to skate by and return to active duty? Not that anything could excuse her actions, but the thought still crossed his mind.

He shook his head. This was an op. He shouldn’t be thinking about Pam. But then, it was a messed-up op, designed to shatter everyone’s focus.

Xavier could be dead. A Fire Team was missing.

They’d been attacked on American soil, in a location that should have been absolutely secure.

He faced the men he was now leading. No more thoughts of Pam. He couldn’t even think of Xavier. No. He was Rivera. A stone-cold operator like the rest of them.

First, they needed to figure out who had killed the tango his team had found. That person had claimed weapons and was an ally.

“We need intel on the SUV you found. The one with the bullet holes and flat tires,” Williams said.

Chris gave a sharp nod. “I was thinking the same thing. Huang and I will go check it out. Phelps and Jonas, your job is to hold this position. Update the fourth team when they show up.”

Tasks set, the teams divided and set out into the pouring rain once again.

Rain continued to fall in torrents, making Audrey question her love of the Pacific Northwest and this park and the rainforest around the lodge in particular. Thank goodness she’d gotten wool socks and high-quality leather hiking boots from Danielle Baldwin, or her feet would be soaked and numb with cold as she trudged through the woods to Jeb McCutcheon’s cabin.