He saw her then, sitting on his bench with Alpha next to her. He felt like his heart was skipping every other beat. He walked over to her, intending to chastise her for being outdoors after lights out. Rules were meant to be obeyed.

Overhead, the sky was black, with a million pinpoints of light. Trees rustled in the warm spring breeze. He was standing over her and the dog. “Can’t sleep?”

“No. I gave up after an hour of tossing and turning. I guess I broke the rules by coming out here. Maybe I just have cabin fever or maybe…It’s almost time to leave. I think I’m feeling a little sad.”

Pappy took a step backward as he digested her words. It was the most she’d ever said to him at one time. “I was just going to go for a walk. Sometimes stretching your legs before you go to bed helps. Would you care to join me?”

“Sure. It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Sam said.

“Most nights are beautiful up here. It’s a shame we have to sleep through them.”

“Do you miss…what I mean is, do you ever…”

He knew what she meant. “Sometimes. Lately, I seem to miss it more, and I’m not sure why that is,” Pappy said.

“What would happen to you if you did leave here? We’ve all heard stories about you. Did you really have something to do with all that stuff that went on in the Golden Triangle? They say you were the most famous spook of all time.”

Pappy chuckled. Sam thought it a sad sound. “Every year the stories get better and better. There are people who know I’m here. People who shouldn’t know. They just can’t get to me. It’s a life I chose way back when. I knew the consequences.”

They were walking behind the firing range. “You’re a good shot, Sam, the best of the group. You surprised me, being a woman and all.”

Sam didn’t take offense. Pappy didn’t exactly have a way with words. “Having a target in mind really helped my arm,” she said. “Well, not a target so much as a face.”

Pappy wanted to ask her if it was his face when she turned and said, “I imagine you think it was your face, but it wasn’t,” she lied.

“Oh,” was all he could think of to say.

They continued to walk in silence until they were at the wall. “Tell me, in this line of work, how often will any of us be required to scale a wall like this or climb that damn rope?”

Pappy grinned in the darkness. “Probably never. I told you all, it’s about endurance, stamina, and skill. The wall is just a wall, and the rope is just a rope. Do you want me to apologize for that first time at this wall?”

“No.”