I put my stuff in my locker and glanced at the calendar. The guys left in ten days. Fuck, I hated that they were going without me, but staying with Finley was more important than feeling like I’d contributed to the mission, right? Finley was my first mission, period. Being kept back—while shitty in some ways—was the biggest blessing I could have asked for, especially considering Morgan triggered every time someone said the D word around her.

Hopefully she’d relax about it once the guys were home, and as much as she rolled her eyes at Sawyer and Garrett, I knew she’d miss them, too.

“Montgomery, Captain wants to see you,” Javier announced from the doorway.

“Okay.” No doubt I was about to get a rash of shit for that little maneuver I’d pulled with the ski boat last week, but hey, everyone had come out alive.

I passed Garrett in the hallway and thrust the bag of cookies his direction. “Morgan made them, and she wants you to share.”

“Do I have to?” he questioned, already reaching inside for one.

“Unless you want me to tell her that you didn’t.” I raised my eyebrows.

He paused midbite. “I’ll share,” he promised with his mouth full.

“Good boy.” I gave his shoulder a healthy slap, then walked the rest of the way to Captain Patterson’s office. The door was closed, so I gave it a healthy knock.

“Come in.”

I opened the heavy door and walked in. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

Captain Patterson looked up from his paperwork and nodded, then removed his glasses to rub the skin between his eyes. For a man who never seemed to tire, he suddenly looked exhausted. “Good to see you, Lieutenant Montgomery. Why don’t you have a seat?” He motioned to the chairs.

I closed the door, which revealed Hastings in the furthermost one, his casted leg propped up on an upside-down trash can.

“Hey! How is it feeling?” I asked, sinking into the chair next to him.

He didn’t answer or look at me, just stared straight ahead at Captain Patterson with a tick in his jaw. Guy must have gotten some news he didn’t want, because I’d never seen him quietly pissed like this before.

Captain Patterson slid his glasses back over his dark brown eyes and leveled a pitying look on me that turned my stomach.

Oh, fuck.

“Jax, we need to talk.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Morgan

And I know I’m going to make it, because who the hell is good enough to shoot me out of the sky, right? Like I said yesterday, flying is flying no matter where you do it.

I cranked the ignition, and the engine turned over with a throaty purr I recognized all too well. Homework assignment complete for the third day in a row!

“You sure about this?” Sam asked from the passenger seat.