Live By The Team (Team Fear Book 1) (39 page)

Craft stepped between them. “That’s a shitload of supposition there, brother.”

“
I know what I know. All this time, we all went to our separate caves, worried we’d end up like them, but the company was playing the long game with us. With all the teams. They stacked the deck.” Fowler braced his hands on his hips. “We won’t turn out like Echo because we didn’t start the same. What’s more, no matter how much of that sick shit they pump into our veins, like they did with Ry, we won’t turn. We’re inherently different than Team Echo.”

“
We have a soul,” Rose said.

“
Exactly.” Fowler looked at Ryder. “Mad Dog killed himself because he couldn’t live with having killed Maggie.”

But Mad Dog hadn’t done the deed. Tension that had knotted Ryder’s gut for six months gradually eased. He’d feared he’d go as crazy as Mad Dog, but Madigan wasn’t crazy. He’d been doped and used.

“
That’s not it at all.” Lauren’s voice rose as the sole voice of dissent. “Madigan killed himself because he couldn’t live without his wife.” She poked his belly. “You might want to keep that in mind, Staff Sergeant.”

Ryder knew he couldn’t live without Lauren. He’d already planned to die before her, but he was starting to think he didn’t have to. Fear had nearly unhinged him, but it had also released him and built something stronger in place of the anger he’d carried since they’d been kicked out of the Army. He ran his fingers through Lauren’s silky hair and his heart settled into place. He had Lauren and he had the team. Team Echo was in for a big fucking surprise.

“
We owe it to Madigan to take them out.” It was a long way from wanting answers to seeking justice. Ryder looked at the remnants of his team.

Determination glinted in their eyes. “I’m in,” they answered.

Lauren pressed her hand to his heart. “I’m in.”

Emotion clogged his throat, but Ryder returned the look of every person in the room. For the first time since he signed on the dotted line, he thought he had a chance at getting out of this alive.

Rose stepped forward. “I’d die for this team.”

“
No.” Ryder stepped forward and clapped Rose on the back. “Not this time. This time, we live by the team.”

Live by the team, die by the team. It was an oath as unbreakable as his marriage vows. They were in this together. Team Fear wouldn’t fail.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to the awesome people who made this book possible. To my writing friends Beth Rhodes and Jennie Marts, thanks for introducing me to writing sprints and for holding me accountable. Working with you two has taken my writing to the next level and I am so thankful we met. To Jessa Slade, the talented editor whose work forced me to be a better writer. To L.J. Anderson, for giving me such an amazing cover design. To Karen Gault Skelly for letting me use her last name for my DB and for being my first reader for this project. To the fabulous people at the Pikes Peak Library District for being supportive, for answering my unusual and random reference questions, and for dedicating themselves to providing books and access for everyone in El Paso county. Library people are the true rocks stars of our world. To librarian Christine Dyar for never blinking an eye at my weird writer questions. To Nicole Deemes for her amazing close reading that catches so many of my errors. And, as always, a lifetime of thanks to my children, Brianna and Noah, who support my dreams and give me the time and space to write. For you, I would drink the Kool-Aid.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cindy Skaggs grew up on stories of mob bosses, horse thieves, cold-blooded killers, and the last honest man. Those mostly true stories gave her a lifelong love of storytelling and heroes. Her search for story took her around the world with the Air Force before returning to Colorado. As a single mom, she’s turning her lifelong love of storytelling into the one thing she can’t live without: writing. She has an MA in Creative Writing, three jobs, two kids, and more pets than she can possibly handle. Find her on Facebook as Cindy Skaggs, Writer, @CLSkaggs on Twitter, or
www.CSkaggs.com
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