“Yes, sir.” She crept deeper into the copse of trees attempting to walk on soundless feet. The temperatures had dropped well below freezing, and her extremities no longer had any feeling. Her breath and pounding heart were loud in her ears. Could he hear them? Bending, she slithered between the branches of a large, prickly shrub then pressed her back against the massive trunk of an oak tree.
What had the manual said? “Shadows are the most difficult problem in the whole of camouflage, whether a man or airplane factory, but once their importance is realized, half the battle is won.” She felt like she’d already been in battle.
Stifling the urge to massage the aches from her back and calves, Emily straightened her spine and peered into the dim woods. She stepped forward, and a branch snapped underfoot, loud as a firecracker. She cringed and waited for the major’s shout of derision that she’d failed again.
What sort of assignment would have her traipsing through the woods like a modern-day Daniel Boone? She was a translator not a Sherpa. There couldn’t be any possible use for training her to ford rivers, trek through forests, or scale mountains, but all recruits received the same instruction.
“Miss Strealer.”
Emily jumped at the voice only a foot away. Major Lucas managed to reach her side without making any noise. She sighed and anticipated his reprimand.
He removed the black wool cap from his head and ran a hand over his closely shorn hair. “Miss Strealer, you’re a slender woman. How is it that you make the noise of a man three times your size? Have you studied the chapters I asked you to?”
“Yes.”
“Then why can’t you conceal yourself correctly? You seem intelligent enough, yet you’re the only student who continues to fail at this assignment. What is the problem?”
His eyes, normally shards of blue crystals, were black and unreadable in the darkness that had fallen over them like a cloak.
“I don’t know, okay?” She frowned and flapped her arms. “I’ve practically memorized the book, yet when I try to implement the techniques, I’m all thumbs…or in this case…feet.” A giggle escaped, and she clamped her lips together.
“Now is not the time for joking.”
“You’re right, but I have no answer for you. Granted, I wasn’t in the Girl Scouts, so I didn’t have a chance to earn a wilderness badge. I bet you were a Boy Scout and even made Eagle Scout. I’m a city girl. I can weave through the thickest crowd of pedestrians without injury or secure a cab with a flick of my wrist. Who knew the forest could make so much noise? It’s a mystery. And as to finding my way? There are no landmarks to speak of. It’s a wonder I haven’t been lost, never to be seen again.”
“Are you finished?” Arms crossed, his breath came out in puffs of steam.
His musky scent of Bay Rum assailed her nose, and the planes of his face were silhouetted in the moonlight. How could he be so maddening and so attractive at the same time?
She mimicked his stance. “Apparently.”
“Look, I think you can do this, but you have to believe you can as well, otherwise it’s never going to work. Ninety percent of learning a skill is in your head. Once you tell yourself you can do it, execution follows.”
“You’ve never struggled with anything, have you?”
“What?”
“Has every task you’ve ever tried to do come easily? Frankly, I disagree with you about mind over matter. Sometimes a person doesn’t have the innate ability.”
“But it can be taught.” Major Lucas tilted his head.
“Perhaps, but you didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Have you always excelled at anything you’ve tried to do?”
He ducked his head and shrugged.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Emily rubbed her forehead. “I want to get this right, but despite your best efforts and mine, I continue to mess up.”
“The bottom line is something has to change in order to succeed. I suggest you start with your attitude.”
She stiffened. This venture was no different than being at home. Someone judging her abilities and telling her what to do. Treating her like a kid. Maybe she should quit and find somewhere else to serve. Somewhere they would value what she could do.
j
Gerard shoved his hands into his front pockets. He’d made her angry. That was obvious from the way she’d drawn herself up and lifted her chin. He couldn’t see her face in the inky darkness, but her posture told him what he needed to know. The girl was smart as a whip. Too bad she couldn’t seem to get out of her own way. He’d seen other recruits with the same problem. Dangerous in combat, that trait proved to be fatal in an operative.
“You’re upset because you feel like I’ve insulted you. That’s not the case. I’m your instructor. It’s my job to qualify you for fieldwork. The kind of work that puts your life and the lives of others on the line. The only way to cheat death is to be fully prepared for any contingency, no matter how remote the possibility is of it occurring. If you’re ready when the worst scenario actually occurs, you’ve got a chance to make it out alive.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “Focus that anger, and prove to yourself that you have what it takes. If you think I don’t believe in you, prove me wrong.”
“Why are you being nice to me? I don’t deserve special treatment.” Her voice faltered and came out in a whisper.
His heart squeezed. Who had hurt her to the point that she had little trust in others or herself? “Everyone should have a second chance.” He almost laughed out loud. His presence here was evidence of that. “I see potential in you, and I’d like to help you reach it. We’ve done enough physical training for tonight, so head inside and get cleaned up. Then grab your manual, and we’ll review it over a cup of coffee. How does that sound?”
She stared at him for a long moment, but he couldn’t see her expression. Finally, she nodded, and he released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
“Excellent.” He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and turned it on with a click. “Follow me.”
“Isn’t tutoring me cheating, Major?”
He chuckled. “Perhaps, but sometimes that’s the best way to win.”
j
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Major.”
Gerard turned, and his eyes widened. Freshly scrubbed, Emily’s face shone. No makeup colored her complexion, yet her beauty would give any Hollywood starlet a run for her money. Dressed in a skirt and blouse, she wore flats, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail.
He blinked. He was staring like a schoolboy. She must think him a simpleton. “It’s no problem.” For a second, he held out his arm to escort her, then he motioned toward the hallway on the other side of the foyer. “With any luck, we won’t get the dregs in the coffeepot.”
“If we do, I’m sure you’ll come up with a solution, Major.”
“Or perhaps this will be another test of your ingenuity, Miss Strealer.”