“See you soon!”
I hung up and turned back around. Climbing in my car, I felt a horrible sense of dread wash over me. There was something going on with Zane, that much I knew. But I couldn’t imagine what it could be. In all the time we’d been dating, he had never been so much as two minutes late. Never. He always blamed the fact that he was obnoxiously early on his military training. So whatever was going on had to be pretty big if it meant he was deviating from his prompt nature.
As I drove toward Kellan’s, I told myself it couldn’t be anything bad. Zane sounded happy on the phone, and only something really amazing could make him sound like that.
Zane was sitting at our usual booth when I walked inside. My drink was already sitting on the table when I slid in beside him.
“Hey, you,” he said with a grin. He kissed me quickly, the grin never leaving his face.
“What’s up with you?” I laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”
“I don’t know that I’ve ever been this happy,” he admitted.
“Well?” I prompted. “Tell me what’s going on. I can’t take the suspense any longer!”
“I’ve been chosen to go on a mission for the Savage Soldiers.”
The words left his lips and hit my ears like a brick. I heard him, but I couldn’t quite comprehend what he was saying.
“I got the call today,” he continued. “This morning actually. My C.O. said everything is in place. I start my official training in a few days.”
“Training…for a mission?” I sputtered. I blinked and tried to focus on his face, but I felt like I was floating underwater. Everything seemed far away, blurry, and out of reach.
“It’s in Coronado,” he nodded. “I leave the day after tomorrow. Alicia, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am! To be chosen for something like this means I’ve climbed the ranks.”
“California?” I interrupted.
Zane fell silent and stared at me for a second. He frowned and slid an inch away from me in the booth. “Do you understand how big of a deal this is for me? You know how dedicated I am to the Savage Soldiers, right? I mean there what this entire town is about. The base, the brotherhood, it’s all here. And I’m finally in!”
“Of course,” I managed to say.
“You don’t seem to happy for me,” he said, still frowning.
“I’m just trying to wrap my head around it,” I explained. “I had no idea this was going to happen and it just…”
“I’m in the military, Alicia. You’ve always known there was a chance I would be sent off the Savage base eventually to move up. It’s part of the job.”
“I know,” I said. “I just didn’t think it would happen right now. So soon.”
“But it’s a good thing!”
“Yeah, for you.”
I watched his expression shift from slightly confused to completely annoyed. I knew he’d been hoping I would be impressed. He had imagined me throwing my arms around him and congratulating him.
But I couldn’t do that, not after finding out he was leaving me.
I had always held out hope that he would just wind up permanently stationed at the Savage base in Colorado, never far away. Never having to relocate and turn into an actual hard and battle-scarred soldier.
“Damn, Alicia. I thought you’d be happy for me. This is a major accomplishment.”
“I am happy for you! But you don’t have to sound so damn cheerful about it!”
“Why wouldn’t I be happy?” he demanded. “Being a Savage Soldier, and everything that it entails, is what I’ve always wanted! I thought you knew that. I thought you understood this was going to happen someday.”
“Zane,” I began slowly. My voice shook slightly and I had to close my eyes to focus properly. “I’m happy for you, and I do understand that traveling is just part of the job. But can’t you see how upsetting this is for me? You just told me you’re leaving and you don’t seem the slightest bit upset about it.”
“Why would I be upset?” He threw his hands up in frustration. “I have everything I want! I’m a Savage Soldier—an important one. I’ll be training in Coronado by the end of the week. I’ll get to see the world. And—”