We followed him and took off through the woods to the west side of the compound. The paintball face mask and visor were a little uncomfortable, and the gun was a foreign object in my hands.

“I vote Rhys as team leader,” Stuart said as we came to a stop. “Any objections?”

Xander chuckled. “None at all.”

Rhys assumed the role like it was a foregone conclusion. “Talkies.” He took the bag from me and handed one to each of us. “Everyone know how to use ’em?”

We all nodded.

My fake boyfriend suddenly frowned. “These are on a different frequency from the yellow team, right?”

He was so serious and into this.

It was not hot.

Okay, it was mildly warming.

“Yeah, Jackson plays fair,” Ben assured him.

Rhys gave a militant nod. “Ben, Nick, you’ll hide our flag and take the nearest position to protect it.”

Oh, all right, he was more than mildly warming.

“You radio its location to Xander and Laura, who’ll take up a secondary position as the first line of defense.” He turned to Michael, Freda, Stuart, and David. “You’re our offensive teams. The object is to take out as many of the yellow team as possible, while trying to find that flag. Parker and I are the third offensive team. We’ll take east, middle, and west respectively of the eastern perimeter. If you find the flag, you radio the other two teams for backup. Sound good?”

I’d been warm in my layers before but now I was hot.

As an organized, take-charge kind of woman, I really admired that quality in a man.

“Is this going to hurt?” Freda frowned, biting her lower lip. Genuine anxiety was bright in her eyes, and I wondered why she’d agreed to come if she was afraid to play.

I was participating because I had no choice.

Rhys studied Freda and then turned to Laura and Xander. “How would you feel being offense instead of defense?”

“I’m up for it.” Laura shrugged with a cocky smile. She was tall with an athletic figure and a natural energy that would’ve told me she was into outdoor activities if Xander already hadn’t. Her boyfriend nodded in agreement.

“Michael and Freda, you’ll be the first line of defense instead. That work?”

They nodded but Freda still looked concerned. Michael threw his arm around her shoulder and hugged her into his side. “We got this, gorgeous.”

She smiled gratefully and seemed to relax.

“Ben, Nick, go hide that flag,” Rhys ordered.

The guys took off and soon I was hurrying at Rhys’s side on high alert. “I would have to end up with you on the offensive side, Morgan,” I whispered.

He shot me a look over his shoulder. “I could have put you and Freda on defense, if you’re scared, Tinker Bell.”