“Berlin,” said Kian. “The CIA got a tip that someone’s traveling from New York to sell military secrets and they’re meeting the buyer tonight, in a parking garage in Berlin. They want us to identify the seller, then grab him after he’s made the sale and get him out of Germany.”

“Why don’t the CIA just ask the Germans to handle it?” asked Bradan.

“They don’t want it getting out that someone’s stolen US secrets. The Germans can never know we were there. We’ll go in on fake, civilian passports. I’ve got fresh ones coming from Lily.”

“Tell her not to give me a name that sounds like a dentist, this time,” said Colton. “Harold?”

“All you’ve got to do is stake out the meet and take some photos,” Kian told us. “Then grab the guy—Colton, that’ll be your job—and bring him home.

“We’ll have guns but only as a last resort,” said Kian. “This one’ll be quick and simple: you’ll be home by tomorrow. Everyone good?”

We all nodded.

“Okay. Wheels up at noon.”

9. Erin

9

ERIN

I’d come to The Factory to see JD off. He introduced me to the team: the huge but quiet Cal, the charismatic Gabriel, Kian and Bradan, the two Irish brothers, and Colton, the heavyset, bearded guy from Missouri. They were a friendly bunch and I took to them immediately. But one person was missing. Where’s Danny?

I knew he’d probably just been flirting with me in the garage like he flirted with everyone. I knew that the nearly-kiss hadn’t even happened and maybe it wouldn’t have meant anything if it had. I knew that I was just the geeky little sister with a crush on her brother’s best friend. But I still wanted to say goodbye to him before he went off into danger.

Other women started arriving to see their men off. First a woman who Gabriel introduced as Olivia, his girlfriend. Like me, she hadn’t adjusted to Colorado winters, yet: she was in a hugely thick green winter coat, woolly hat and gloves, and a scarf was wrapped over her mouth. I wondered if she was from somewhere warm, too. “You remember what I taught you?” she asked nervously from behind the scarf.

“Olivia’s been giving us first aid lessons,” Gabriel explained. He gently unwound the scarf from her face, then kissed her tenderly, and I saw her calm a little. “We remember.”

There was a bark and then a blur of fluff shot past my legs. A huge German Shepherd leapt up at Cal, pawing at his chest and demanding ear scratches. Everyone started fussing over it. A woman with long black hair followed behind the dog and, without words, she cuddled up to Cal’s side and put her head on his shoulder.