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her. I’ve asked for divorce papers. She needs to be free to live her life.”
    “And she agreed to it?”
    “No, but she will. It will take time for me to wear her down, but she’ll leave because I tell her too.”
    “She loves you.”
    “Jerry, we’ve been through this. In this situation, love doesn’t matter. She’s only twenty-seven, just like me. This is as good as it’s gonna get for me. I don’t want to hold her back.”
    Zinsser tried to find words to change his friend’s mind, but he came up empty.
    “You don’t have to come by every day, you know.”
    “What? You don’t like my conversation skills?”
    “What I don’t like is you coming here to make yourself feel bad.”
    “I come here because you’re my friend.”
    Brian sighed. “We made good teammates, but let’s face it, we never hung out much.”
    “What we’ve been through creates a bond. You can’t deny that.”
    Brian pursed his lips. “That’s true, I guess.”
    “Well, you’re going to get your wish. I won’t be around for awhile. I’ve been reassigned.”
    “The docs really said you’re fit for duty?”
    “Since I am fit for duty, they had to.” Zinsser’s words carried an edge.
    “Who did they assign you to? Another special ops team?”
    “Yeah. I requested it. I’m on Eric Moyer’s team now.”
    Brian thought for a moment. “I’ve heard of him. I hear he’s a good man and a great soldier.”
    “I’ll try not to hold him back too much.”
    “When do you deploy.”
    “Tomorrow. Early.”
    Brian looked thoughtful for a moment. Zinsser knew he wanted to ask about the mission but was too much of soldier to do so.
    “Are you sure you’re ready?”
    “I’m ready, Brian. I’m more than ready.”

CHAPTER 5
    “I ALMOST FAINTED WHEN I walked in,” Tess Rand said as she slipped into the corner booth of Tio Leo’s Mexican restaurant, one of Columbia, South Carolina’s upper-end eateries. She and J. J. had come here on their first date. He’d been trying to impress her, and she’d been willing to let him do it.
    “It took me aback a little too.” J. J. slipped into the booth beside her. “At first I thought the guys were pulling a joke and got you to go along.” He paused. “They weren’t, were they?”
    “Sorry, I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
    “So that’s how it’s going to be.”
    “Of course. It’s part of the sneaky woman’s code of conduct: Keep the men in your life guessing.”
    “Men? Plural?”
    “Relax, soldier, you’re the only guy for me.”
    A waiter approached and offered to take their drink order, but only after he suggested several types of margaritas. Tess and J. J. both ordered Dr. Pepper.
    “Do you think we offended him by not ordering something with alcohol?”
    “I’m sure he’ll survive.” He took her hand. It felt good.
    “This is awkward.”
    J. J.’s eyebrows rose. “Holding hands is awkward? We’re going to be married six months from now. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be moving beyond the hand-holding stage.”
    “Not that, you goof. The work situation.”
    “Ah. You know, you’re the only significant other that has an idea of our mission.”
    “Actually, I don’t know that much. You know how compartmentalized this stuff is. I advised Colonel Mac and a few other of the brass, but they never discussed the mission with me. I’m still pretty much in the dark.”
    “That makes two of us. Moyer will give us the details tomorrow.”
    Tess stared at J. J. “He’ll give you the details. I’m out of the loop until they call me in.”
    “It’s better that way.”
    The comment irritated Tess. “How is it better?”
    “What you don’t know—”
    She raised a hand. “Don’t even go there. Not knowing means my imagination can take over, and I can imagine some pretty horrible things.”
    J. J. gave her hand a squeeze. “Do you remember when I proposed to you?”
    She scratched her chin. “Can’t say that I do. Was it recent?”
    “Very