By the time Alyssa was in bed and already had been asleep for two hours, Tank was in a C-130 heading back to Kirikhanistan. This would be his first mission with Bronte. She was on the seat next to him, prone, her head on her paws as if this was second nature to her. Nothing seemed to faze her, and damn if that didn’t remind him of Echo.

When he’d arrived at the ready room, Ruckus had explained they were tasked with going back in and clearing the rest of the minefield. They had strong intel that the rebels were holding the captured SEALs in the heart of the city. There were pockets of rebels giving the NATO forces and the Green Berets a hard time.

When they landed, they loaded up in Humvees and drove through the eerily quiet town that had already been secured. When they passed the place where Blue had disappeared, and Echo had been injured, Tank clenched his jaw against the rush of anger and remembered fear. He buried his fingers into Bronte’s fur. He was already in love with this K9, too, and they had jobs to do. He wouldn’t dwell on what could happen to her. They were SEALs and would do what needed to be done.

Even with her calm presence, he missed Echo like hell, and it escalated his worry over Blue. He’d been missing now for almost six weeks.

When they got to the camp, there wasn’t much there, no real security perimeter. They spent nights sleeping under Humvees and patrolling. An hour of sleep here and a twenty-minute power nap there was about all the shut-eye anyone got. Nearly every moment was punctuated by gunfire, shouts, or some other disruption. By the third day, sleep deprivation was taking its toll.

The clearing operation they were doing to neutralize mines and remove other obstacles was particularly difficult. This time, Ruckus got his way and they moved together as a team. Ryuu “Dragon” Shannon—the sniper who had done that pilot extraction in North Korea with them while Kid had been vacationing in Bolivia and who had lost Justin “Speed” Myerson from his team—was assigned to them to fill in for Kid who was on sniper duty in a different sector. They also had the Bravo Team medic, Robin “Hood” Ballentine, whose brother had been captured by the rebels. It must have been difficult without their tough LT, Ford “Fast Lane” Nixon. So far, other than Charlie team members, none of the Bravo SEALs had been found or bodies discovered. The rebels were being tight-lipped about their prisoners.

Tank could imagine that Hood was as worried about his teammates as Tank was about theirs. They pressed forward with determination, hoping for any clue as to their whereabouts.

They were taking a break so Tank could water and rest Bronte. “How you holding up?” he asked Hood as they rested their backs against one of the walls of a half-erect house.

“Staying positive that we’ll find out where Pitbull and the others are and go get them. My brother Pirate and I knew what we were getting into. So did Pitbull.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier to have team members missing, especially with one of them being your brother. I have two and I would be out of my mind.”

“No, it doesn’t. I’m trying to stay positive.”

Bronte rose, her attention fixed on a house that was across the street from them. Her intent focus had Tank and the rest of the team rising. “LT, she’s onto something.”

Tank approached the doorway. Immediately, Bronte’s ears pricked forward, then went back and she sat down.

Ruckus motioned for Hollywood and Scarecrow to head around back.

“LT, caution, there’s ten rebels inside,” Hollywood said. “They’re heavily armed. Doesn’t seem like they know we’re here.”

“Copy that,” Ruckus said. “Do you have a clear shot, Dragon?”

“Affirmative. Clear shot.”

“Take down as many as you can. Hollywood and Scarecrow be ready to catch any of them fleeing from the back.”

“Copy,” Hollywood said. “LT, hold! Friendlies inside. I repeat, friendlies inside.”

“How many?”

“Two, no three. Maybe more. I can’t fully see into the next room.”

“Our guys?”

“I can’t tell. It’s too dark in there, but it definitely looks like prisoners.”

Tank wasn’t going to get his hopes up. They had missing Army and NATO soldiers as well. The intel on their guys was, according to LT, solid.

“I can send in Bronte,” Tank said. “She can distract them while we breach.”

Ruckus stood there for a few minutes, then nodded. “That’s a good idea. Send her in. Dragon, take out tangos at will. If our guys are in there, they’ll know to keep their heads down.”

Tank knelt down and unclipped the leash, his hand in her soft fur. In that split second, he closed his hand over her ruff. He’d always put his trust in Echo. It was unwavering, and his love for his injured partner would never die. There was no more holding back, no sense of betrayal as his will solidified. He took a breath and let it out—success depended on his bond with this dog. When he finished releasing his breath, he had no doubt that she could do the job.

“Tank, send her in.”

“Bronte, seek,” he said, and she shot through the door. Immediately after her entrance, they heard shouts and Bronte growling. Then shots as Dragon started to pick them off.

“Breaching,” Hollywood said as he and Scarecrow went in the back. The rest of them went in through the front.

It was over in ten minutes. Rebels down. Tank followed Ruckus inside at the all clear. Bronte came over to him, and he went to one knee to check her over. She had blood on her muzzle but otherwise was unharmed. “Good girl,” he said, rubbing her head.

“Blue?” Tank asked, looking up as Ruckus came into the main room. He shook his head.

“He’s not here. As far as we know, there’s a second group of prisoners at the outskirts of town. We’re headed there now.”

Tank tried to swallow his disappointment. Every single one of them worked at keeping it contained. He wasn’t going to give up hope. Not for a minute.

Their team pushed ahead, moving toward their Humvees. Once inside, they convoyed their way out of the city. When the lead vehicle stopped, Tank exited with Bronte. He saw a structure some distance away. He walked along the rutted road to where Ruckus was looking through a pair of binoculars. “We’re going to wait until nightfall, then we’re going in. Get some sleep,” Ruckus said.

Tank took the time to remove Bronte’s harness, give her a quick brush, feed her, and play tug with her for a bit. Then he leaned against his pack and closed his eyes.

He missed Alyssa with a deep ache. Bronte made a soft sound and settled her head in his lap. He immediately rubbed her head. She was feeling his longing, and her comforting eased his ache for Alyssa, if only slightly. It drove home to him that he could get past Echo’s wounding, work with another dog, and move on with his professional life.

He had Alyssa to thank for opening his eyes, not only to the possibilities of working with a new partner, but his own blindness to opening his heart to the kind of love he thought was too risky to grab for.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that her dad hadn’t shown up just for Thanksgiving. His gut told him Kyle St. James had a hidden agenda.

He’d never thought he’d be here. In the same boat with Ruckus, Kid, and Cowboy. But watching Cowboy fall in love with the lovely Kia Silverbrook had affected Tank. Deep down, he had wanted what Cowboy had found with her.

It was as simple as that, and he wasn’t going to fight something that felt so amazingly right to his heart and emotions. He’d denied himself long enough, and he admitted it was a huge, life-altering revelation, both scary and exhilarating, but he was a SEAL, and they didn’t back down from anything. The status quo could go to hell. He wanted to complicate the hell out of his life.

But Alyssa had her own demons and her own personal achievements to fulfill. He wouldn’t dismiss that at all. She was a dedicated and phenomenal veterinarian. She’d saved Echo’s life, hadn’t hesitated a moment to go all the way to Texas.

She was all woman, tough and beautiful, but she ached for the love and approval of her dad, searching for a way to make her duty to her country, to her profession, and to herself count. She wanted a life that was stable and safe and filled with unconditional acceptance.

He wanted to commit to her, throw away the empty sex and the life he’d been living like he could control a damn thing, least of all how he felt.

He shook his head at how ironic it was that he was the one who now wanted that white picket fence and everything that came with it.

He finally understood what his teammates had found with the amazing women who were now in their lives, two of them married, one of them engaged. Tank had been afraid of opening his heart, and he’d masked it with a gigantic lie—the only family he needed was his brothers and the brotherhood. He knew what he’d been missing by giving in to the control he thought he needed, the resistance to change he thought he could avoid, and the emotions he’d buried to stave off the fear of intimacy. But what he hadn’t realized was how easy it would be with the right woman.

He had fallen hard and fast for her. Whatever decision she made, he would support her because he could do no less. But he also wasn’t going to just let her go without a fight. It wasn’t in his nature.

He just hoped he hadn’t run out of time.

* * *

Blue paced, the hair on the back of his neck in a permanent state of prickling. Elena was due back an hour ago. It had grown dark, and he had a nagging feeling that he was being watched. He should have insisted he go with her, but she’d been adamant that she would be more invisible alone. He hated that her cell phone, and her landline were probably not safe. She had to go into the capital to speak directly to her government contact.

He couldn’t wait around anymore. He realized that he was a man of action, that he had always been, the kind of man that did what needed to be done. Memories assaulted him, the soft sand beneath his feet, the ache in his body from sleep deprivation, trial and test, one after the other. BUD/S. The acronym came to him in a flash—Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL. He was a Navy SEAL.

He walked to the door and grabbed his coat. He wasn’t going to leave her out there by herself for one more minute. Just as he reached for the handle, the door swung open.

“Blue,” she rasped, breathing hard. “You must go. Now.”

He clasped her upper arms. “What is it?”

“I was delayed in coming back because they are coming for you. I don’t know how they found out, but they were on the outskirts of the property. I’ll cover for you, but you can waste no time. She pressed a card into his hand. “This is my contact. Go to him. He will help you.”

“I’m not fucking leaving here without you. I’m certainly not going to leave you defenseless against those bastards.”

The sound of vehicles coming up the driveway had him looking out the front door. Men with automatic weapons were jumping from the vehicles. He slammed the door. “Guns.”

She ran to the corner of the room and pried up the floorboards. “I found this with you. There’s not much ammunition.” She pulled out a handgun and clips, slamming one into the magazine. “We’ll do this together.”

He grabbed her around the waist, his mouth captured hers. “Thank you for risking your life for me, Elena.”

She cupped his face as a voice shouted from outside. “Make this easy on yourself and just come out with your hands up. We won’t harm the woman.”

Their eyes met. Everything flowed back to him. The fact he was a special operative, a Navy corpsman, and there was no way he was going down without a fight. Faces flashed through his mind. Men he’d served with, men he would lay down his life for—members of his team. He had pledged to serve, and he would do that now. He would do everything in his power to protect Elena.

Or die trying.

* * *

Someone kicked Tank’s boot. He woke with a start. There was frantic movement around him. “What’s up?” he asked Hollywood.

“We just got word. Blue is just miles from here. We’re going after him.”

“What about the other hostages.”

“Team Bravo is on the way. Let’s move.”

They ran to the Humvees and they pulled onto the main road.

Ruckus swore from the front seat.

“What?” Tank asked as their leader turned to look back at him. “They just got a satellite image. The house where Blue is…it’s surrounded by rebel forces.”

“Fuck!” Tank said.

“Move it,” Ruckus said to Wicked, who was driving. He hit the gas and the armored vehicle sped up. This couldn’t be happening. They couldn’t be too late.

Blue was coming home with them…tonight.

* * *

Elena was a crack shot, Blue thought as he popped his head up and discovered that the rebels weren’t deterred.

“I’m almost out,” she said. “Maybe we should take our chances and make a run for it. We could go through the barn. It leads to the fields beyond. It’s our only hope.”

Blue nodded. “I’ll cover you while you make a run for it.” His voice was solemn.

She grabbed the lapel of his coat. “You’re not coming with me, are you?”

“It’s me they’re after.”

She shook her head, her gaze terrified and frantic. “They’ll use me against you. I can’t have that. I won’t be the person who makes you give up your secrets.” Tears streamed down her face. “You have to go. We don’t have any choice.”

He pressed his mouth to hers, his heart aching. He’d just met her and now he was going to have to let her go to keep her safe. As they parted, Blue lifted his head, the faint smell of smoke drifting through the walls of the cabin. The bastards had set it on fire.

The whole side of the cabin near the bed ignited into a wall of flame. The wood crackled and charred, the flames hot against his exposed skin. They couldn’t stay in here. He rose and grabbed her arm. Pulling open the front door he came out shooting, spraying the area in front of him. Several rebels went down, and he shoved Elena towards the barn. “Run and don’t stop,” he shouted.

She hesitated for only a moment as more rebels came running. “Elena, go!” She turned and started to run, but one of the rebels stepped out from the corner of the house and grabbed her around the waist. She fought and struggled. Blue started for her, but three rebels surrounded him. He dropped the empty weapon. They came for him as they dragged Elena toward one of the waiting vehicles. The house behind him was now a conflagration lighting up the night.

Fear for Elena gripped him, and without conscious thought, he started to move. The first man went down after a palm strike to the nose. Blue’s training came back to him from one breath to the next. He whirled, keeping his enemy off balance, striking hard and moving away. A punch to the windpipe removed the second threat as the man choked, backed up, and fell to his back.

The third man threw a punch, but Blue blocked it and, quick as lightning, stepped behind him, grabbed his head, and with a quick jerk, broke his neck.

The man dropped at his feet, but three more rebels came at him. He lunged, going for another throat punch when a gun discharged. Blue looked toward the noise and saw the man who had fired off the shot point his gun and press it against Elena’s temple. The rebel holding her smirked at him. The two rebels had her effectively captured.

He dropped his arms to his side. The look on her face was heartbreaking, and as their eyes met, he could see she was horrified and angry that she had been the reason he was captured.

In that moment, she got a determined look on her face, and that was his only warning as she stomped on the boot of the man holding her, grabbed the weapon from the rebel, and shot him, then her captor. The three rebels who had frozen with him, fumbled for their weapons. Blue dispatched two and Elena shot the third man. He rushed toward Elena, grabbing her arm. They raced to the barn, then through the interior to the back. Bursting through the back door, Blue could hear the shouts and angry feet in pursuit.

They ran across the field at a breakneck pace. Elena stumbled, but Blue caught her arm. They headed for the hills to hide themselves, but Elena tripped again and went down hard. Their pursuers caught up, and when he turned to face them, one of their weapons discharged and the bullet hit his arm. He dropped the gun out of nerveless fingers. Before he could recover, the leading rebel hit him in the jaw with the butt of his rifle and he went down.

The rebels bound their hands roughly, hauled them back to the road, and threw them in the back of one of the trucks. Elena snarled at one of the men, but he just laughed and backed out.

She turned to Blue. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“We’ll get through this. Just stick with me. We’ll get through this.”

Wearily, she leaned her head against his shoulder as the truck lurched into gear. From the back they had a perfect view of her burning and demolished farm, now completely engulfed. A few miles away he could still see it. They’d destroyed her life—again. The bastards had taken so much from her.

But most of all, she’d risked it all for him.

He couldn’t let her down.

* * *

Tank saw the fire and smoke ahead of them, anxious and eager to get there. “Stop driving like an old man, Wicked. Step on it.”

“I have it all the way down,” Wicked growled. They sped up the driveway to an ominous sight as they piled out of the vehicle, but there was no one left standing. What had once been a structure was completely burning to the ground; dead animals and men littered the area.

Hollywood ran up the road a bit and shouted back. “Tire tracks, LT!”

“Back in the vehicles!” They followed the tire tracks, Wicked driving just as fast, his face determined. They were so close to Blue and they weren’t giving up.

Finally they came around a bend to a contingent of rebels who had blocked the road. Everyone piled out of the vehicles and took cover behind the doors. Returning automatic gunfire with the rebels, Ruckus sent Dragon into the small ravine next to the road to belly crawl and get a bead on the shooters.

Suddenly, the door erupted with bullets and Tank ducked. Bronte remained close to his body.

It was clear when Dragon was in place. Rebels started to drop. Distracted from the fire to their right flank, the rebels started firing on Dragon’s position. Hollywood rushed forward and threw a grenade and it blew the hell out of the remaining rebels. One more shot from Dragon’s weapon and everything was quiet.

He took Bronte in to make sure nothing was booby trapped, and with the Humvee, they punched through the line. After driving like a complete maniac, Tank holding on to the side as they bumped over the rutted road, Tank spied a truck ahead of them. He shouted, “Vehicle!”

They were now right on their asses and gaining. The Humvee was much faster than the truck. But unexpectedly the truck veered off the road into a field, and in the distance Tank saw a chopper approaching.

“They’re taking him out by helicopter.” The Humvee reached the cut off just as the chopper landed. Two people where hustled out of the vehicle. Blue!

The Humvee came to a halt, and all of the SEALs piled out, running for the truck. Several rebels returned fire as Blue fought against his captors, dragging his feet. But two burly men had him and a woman by the arms and they were almost to the chopper.

Dragon sighted and took out one of the rebels holding the woman, but it was too late. They were to the chopper. Suddenly, the woman broke away.

They could hear Blue shout from across the field. “Elena!”

The woman never slowed. She bravely kept running, her long blonde hair a stream of sunshine in the dark. One of the rebels put his gun to his shoulder a split second before Dragon got his shot off. It was too late; the woman fell to the ground and didn’t move.

Now Blue was struggling fiercely, his face ravaged, contorted in pain, shouting “Elena!” over and over again as he fought like a madman to get to her. But he was hit, then forced into the chopper.

The SEALs were halfway to them when it lifted off. Together they stared helplessly as the engine gunned, the rotors spun, and it banked and then sped off into the distance. Scarecrow erupted into a rage, screaming at the top of his lungs, going to his knees. Wicked walked over there, knelt down and grabbed him by the back of the neck, speaking in soft tones to him.

For a minute they just stood there, unbelieving that they had been so close to their teammate but lost him. Blue was gone, this time in enemy hands. The Golovkins had taken him. A sick, hollow feeling welling up inside, he watched as the speck disappeared.

Hood was kneeling beside the woman when they all approached. She was breathing hard, blood at her mouth, a wound to her chest. Hood was working fast and efficiently as blood soaked through her coat.

She gasped, her voice hitching with the effort to get the words out from her bloody lips. “Blue,” she whispered.

He knelt beside her and took her hand as she reached out to him, clasping it firmly. Tears welled in her eyes. “He’s gone. They have him,” Tank said hollowly.

“No, those monsters will do unspeakable things to him. I couldn’t let them use me against him. Save him. Please. Save him,” she rasped, tears flowing freely down her face. “I tried to keep him safe, but I couldn’t. He can’t remember who he is, and I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have trusted him.”

Tank got the immediate sense that last sentence didn’t refer to Blue. “Who?”

She closed her eyes, her breaths going shallow.

“Hood!”

“I’m losing her!”

Her grip weakened in Tank’s hand, her blue eyes imploring him. Then she closed them as if garnering all her strength. “I had a government contact. He must have betrayed us. Working with the rebels. There was no other way for them to know.” She took a deep, labored breath. She stared up into Tank’s face. Instead of telling him the vital information on who her contact was, she whispered, “Tell him I love him.”

Her breath expelled, and her eyes went glassy as life left her.