Oh, no. I’m supposed to know where to go.Damn it!I hear some laughter off to my left.Thank God.I walk in and see the guys with their visors up, cracking jokes about how they got shot. I take a seat against the wall and fight the urge to cross my legs. I look around and try to sit like them. I spread my legs and lean on an elbow. I feel ridiculous; this is not comfortable. Someone on the orange team comes and sits next to me, his arm and chest dripping green paint. I wonder if Mark shot him. He holds his fist out to me.Oh, right. Fist bumps.I bump him back and give a nod. I notice he doesn’t remove his visor either. I wish I knew who he is, but his name tag is now covered in green. I glance up at the screen where the times are counting down for each guy. This place is seriously cool. Scary as hell—but frigging cool.
“You have fun last night, Black?” I feel an elbow to the ribs by Orange, who points at Keith.
I nod, hoping he won’t ask me another question.
Keith looks at me strangely then shrugs as he stands.
“Heads up, guys. Lopez says he saw Savannah by the stables.” I freeze. “So, stay clear of that area.”
Everyone nods, and I find myself mimicking them. I feel a little loved that they are watching out for me.
“Is she wearing a dress or pants today? I want to know if I should be on high or low ground,” York calls out, and I tense again.
“When will you learn, York? She’s just not into you,” Keith shoots back with a sigh. “Leave the poor woman alone.”
I jump to my feet when I see my time is up. I race out of the room, not wanting to hear any more. Just as I’m crouching under a table, a loud siren goes off, and people start walking out of the building.
As soon as I’m outside, I see why the siren went off. No way! I see that the orange team is flying the flag. They are all cheering, holding beers in the air.
Everyone comes together and removes their helmets. I almost lose it when I see the orange teammate with the dripping green on his arm and chest sitting right next to me is Cole.
“Game’s over, Black,” York shouts. “Helmet.” He knocks on my head.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.Finally, Mark comes to my side with John. Everyone stops and looks at me, then John, then me some more…
“I recruited one more.” Mark laughs and nudges me to remove the helmet. I unclip it and pull it off slowly, making my messy hair fall all around me. The looks on their faces are priceless.
“Hi.” I beam at them.
“Wait,” Keith holds up his finger at me, “was that you on the ground right before I got shot?”
I smile and repeat the wave.
“Oh, my God.” He starts to laugh but stops when he sees Cole’s face.
“That wasn’t smart, Mark,” Cole bites out. “We’ll discuss this later.”
Mark moves in front of me, blocking Cole’s stare. “He has a job to do. Don’t worry, he’s not mad at you.” He grins. “Well, fuck me sideways, how much fun was that?”
“It beats a day at the office.” I laugh, high-fiving him. “I have to admit I was going to kill you when I saw the inside of the ‘barn.’ You sent me to war!”
“Pretty cool, though, right?”
I burst out laughing again. “Yeah, it’s something I’ll never forget. Oh, wow. Thanks, Mark. I kind of needed that.”
“Anytime. All right, I’m going to go take the heat.” He hands me a beer, then leaves to face the music with Cole.
Keith comes to my side, and I ask, “How much trouble is Mark in?”
“Cole and Mark are tight. Normally, he’d get watch duty for a night, but now—” He stops himself. “He may get a little more.”
“Why?” I fumble with the beer cap. Maybe it isn’t a twist off. He takes out his wallet and removes a silver looking card. No, it’s actually a bottle opener? Cool. He flips the lid off with a smile.
“Handy little thing,” he says, tucking it away, but not before I notice the letter S engraved on it. I wonder if they all have one. He waits until it stops foaming and hands it back.
“Thanks.”
“We’re cracking down on the rules now.” He gives me shrug.