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bouncing them off the deck plating like you did Jefferson’s two.” Their sour-faced commanding officer scowled as he walked right past them and offered his hand to the woman in greeting. She shook it, and his face split into a smile that stopped Jason’s question right there on his lips.
    Hague never smiled. Ever.
    “What happened to those two by the way? I don’t want my boys here broken, you hear? They’re good lads.”
    “Hey boss, what’s going on?” Jason asked as Drew looked on with obvious curiosity. “Not that I don’t like the nice scenery during an after-action review, but you’ve never let anyone sit in before.”
    Hague turned, and looked ready to shit a brick as the woman next to him just chuckled.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever been referred to as scenery before,” she said.
    Hague sighed. “Get used to it. You’ll spend half your time wanting to slap the grin off his face and the other thanking god you can send him out on a mission that might just kill him.”
    Ignoring Jason as he made kissy-faces, the grey-haired Colonel sat in the seat at the head of the table and faced them.
    “Gentlemen, and I do use that term loosely, I would like to introduce Co—”
    “I’m Arita Rhade,” she broke in, settling into the chair next to Hague and eyeing them with a speculation that was both cool and professional. Any hint of playfulness was gone, and Jason found he mourned the loss. “You have both come to the attention of Section Three, so I’m here to offer you a job.”
    Jason’s jaw dropped for the second time in quick succession. Drew grunted in surprise but was quick to recover and shot Jason a look to shut his mouth.
    The woman they rescued. The one who had been an artist with a machine gun…who had asked him to stay with her when she was wounded. The woman he wanted beneath him moaning and writhing in ecstasy… She was the head of the legendary Section Three.
    “Fuck me…” He muttered under his breath. The big guy in the sky had a twisted, sadistic sense of humor. Was this some sort of sick audition? No, it couldn’t be. Her wounds and pain had been real. The fear and her emotions had been real. She had been in real danger and his protective instincts had recognized that right away.
    Drew was more eloquent. “Does this mean that Section Seventeen is being retired?”
    She shook her head and Jason again found himself caught by the delicate curve of her neck as it headed into her shoulder. Rhade’s shoulder.
    Fuck.
    Colonel Rhade was a legend they terrorized recruits with. He’d never expected the dried up, old harridan they all joked about to be fucking hot.
    “No, Section Seventeen will continue. Hague is looking over some potentials in case you take up my offer.”
    Jason’s mind reviewed everything that had happened since that night and this morning when she sauntered in the conference room. He reviewed every thought, every word and every action. Operationally he had been okay, same way as he always worked in the field. However things were a little different when it came to the black haired beauty sitting next to his scowling boss. Well, soon to be former boss if he and Drew took the offer.
    Hell… Section Three was the most sought after assignment in all of the Special Ops sections and any covert operator in the branch would kill for a transfer there. And here they were being offered a job by Colonel Rhade herself.
    Jason turned to Drew. “What do you think buddy?”
    “Are we really talking about considering this? You know there’s only one answer right?”
    He was right. There was no other answer. An offer like this only came along once in a lifetime and there were no second chances.
    “Boss, I think I’m going to miss you yelling in my ear all the time.” Jason grinned. “Okay Colonel Rhade, I guess you can consider us your boys now. Where do we sign?”
    She grinned, flashing straight white teeth as she slid a data-pad over the table. “Thumbs on there boys, and