Six Minutes To Midnight. Elle James

      “All in a night’s work,” Harm said. “What’s the catch?”

      “Previous attempts by army rangers to recon this village were met with explosives.”

      “As in mortars and rocket-propelled grenades?” Buck asked.

      The commander’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Not so easy. IEDs and land mines. That’s why we’ll have two additional members on our team.”

      As if on cue, the door behind T-Mac opened and a German shepherd entered, followed by Specialist Kinsley Anderson, still dressed in her PT uniform of shorts, a T-shirt and running shoes.

      The woman glanced around the room full of men and lifted her chin. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got here as soon as I received word of the meeting.”

      “No worries,” the commander said. He waved his hand toward her. “Team, meet Specialist Anderson and Sergeant Agar. They will be with us on this mission tonight.”

      All eyes turned to the only female in the room.

      T-Mac’s pulse quickened. He’d never been on a mission with a female. Would having a woman in the mix change the dynamics of his team? Not that he was superstitious, but would the others be worried that a woman would jinx their mission?

      He glanced around the room at the others’ gazes. For the most part, they appeared more curious than apprehensive.

      “Anyone have any issues?” the commander asked.

      Specialist Anderson’s chin rose another notch, her gaze sweeping the room full of men, challenging them with just that one look.

      Big Jake shrugged. “I’d be glad to have a dog ahead of us. I’ve seen what one can do. They’re pretty amazing.”

      “Same,” Buck said. “Rather sniff out the bombs than step on one.”

      The rest of the men voiced agreement.

      “Then get ready, you leave in—” Commander Ward glanced down at his watch “—one hour.”

      T-Mac followed Anderson out of the building. “Do you need help getting ready?” he asked.

      “I think I can figure it out,” she said, stepping out smartly and moving toward the containerized living quarters.

      Falling in step beside her, T-Mac hustled to keep up. “Is this your first mission outside the wire?” he asked.

      She tensed and frowned. “I know my job, and I know what to carry and wear into combat. You don’t have to coddle me because I’m female.”

      He held up his hands. “Oh, believe me, I wouldn’t dare do that.” Then he ruined it with a chuckle. “I’d help out the new guy, male or female. I like to come back with all the people we left with intact.”

      Her shoulders relaxed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be so defensive.”

      “I’m sure you have a right to be.”

      She lifted her shoulders and let them drop. “I get tired of people underestimating my abilities just because I’m a woman.”

      “I’ve seen you two in action. I have complete confidence in you and Agar.”

      The dog lifted his head at the sound of his name and then looked forward again, trotting alongside his handler.

      “Well, you don’t have to worry about us. We can handle our job. We’ll keep you and your team safe from explosives.”

      “And we’ll do our best to keep you and Agar safe from loose bullets.”

      She shot him a hint of a smile. “Thanks.” By then, they were standing in front of her quarters. Specialist Anderson frowned. “I didn’t ask where we should meet.”

      T-Mac’s lips twisted. “We’ll be loading up in helicopters. If you like, I can swing by and we can walk over together.”

      Her frown cleared. “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

      “My pleasure,” he said, and left her at her door to hurry toward his own quarters, where he’d gear up for the mission ahead.

      In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but worry about the addition to their team. The SEALs trained together. They hadn’t trained with a dog handler working out in front of them. Specialist Anderson and Agar might know what they were doing when it came to sniffing out bombs, but they had no experience in hostile environments.

      When T-Mac entered the containerized quarters he shared with Harm, his roommate glanced up from assembling his M4A1 rifle with the SOPMOD upgrade. “Hey, T-Mac.”

      “Harm.” T-Mac pulled a hard plastic case out from under his bunk, extracted his rifle and pulled it apart piece by piece. He’d cleaned it after his last mission and had assembled and disassembled it a number of times since. Handling his weapon was second nature.

      “Saw you walked the dog handler back to her quarters,” Harm said.

      “Yeah.” T-Mac stiffened. “So?”

      Without looking up from what he was doing, Harm continued. “You know we were just kidding about fixing you up with a female, right?”

      T-Mac snorted. “No. I fully expect you guys to bombard me with women.”

      Harm gave a twisted grin. “You’re right. But we’d wait until we got back to the States. What with how touchy folks are about not fraternizing while deployed.”

      With a frown, T-Mac shook his head. “If this is about Specialist Anderson, forget it. I only offered to help her get ready for the mission. She hasn’t actually been on one before.”

      Harm’s head shot up. “Never?”

      His chest tightening, T-Mac pressed his lips together. “Everyone has to have a first time.”

      His roommate frowned. “I’d rather it wasn’t with us.”

      “Would you rather she went out with some teenaged infantry soldiers who are barely out of boot camp?”

      Harm sighed. “I suppose not. But I don’t like the idea of babysitting when we have a mission to accomplish.”

      T-Mac pulled the bolt from his weapon, inspected it and shot it back home, reassembling the weapon in record time. “I’d almost rather take my chances with the mines and IEDs than risk losing her and the dog.”

      “Not me,” Harm said. “Remember what happened to Roadrunner when he got too far ahead of the rest of us on that extraction mission in Afghanistan?”

      T-Mac’s stomach clenched at the memory.

      Roadrunner had been point man when he’d stepped on a land mine. Thankfully for Roadrunner, he’d died instantly. The team had been left to pick up the pieces, physically and mentally.

      “Hopefully Anderson and Agar know their stuff,” T-Mac muttered.

      “Yeah. But they’re all about sniffing out explosives. We have to worry about the snipers. A lot of money goes into training dogs and handlers.”

      “And SEALs,” T-Mac reminded him.

      Harm nodded. “That’s a given. I’d like to make it back to the States in four days. Talia will be waiting at my apartment. I let her use it for a place to stay while she’s house hunting.”

      T-Mac shot a glance toward his teammate. “I thought you two were a thing?”

      “We are. But I want her to be sure. Moving from Africa back to the States is a big deal. And dating a SEAL won’t make it much easier.” Harm lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “I don’t want to pressure her. She needs time to make up her own mind and be comfortable with herself.”

      “Before she commits to you?”

      “Yeah.” Harm grinned.