Dal snored softly in the bunk beneath Leo. His friend had been asleep within seconds of his head hitting the pillow.
Anton and Bruce had the bunk across from them. Tate and Jim had the third set of bunks that sat in front of the window.
This was the bunk Leo had used since he was a kid. He kept a notebook and pencil stuffed between the mattress and the side of the bunk, along with a small flashlight.
He pulled them out, holding the flashlight between his teeth so he could see. He flipped through the tiny notebook, which was filled with page after page of football plays. Even as a kid, he had enjoyed designing plays.
He stopped on an empty page and sketched out the plan for tonight. Even though he’d been over it a hundred times in his head, seeing it on paper helped cement it in his brain.
The Russians might have the upper hand, but the Snipers had the ultimate sneak play. They had the Statue of Liberty. And they had Nonna’s bombs. The Soviet bastards would never see them coming.
He had everyone up and moving a little before midnight. They dressed in plain jeans with dark shirts and jackets. Nonna was waiting for them in the kitchen with cups of espresso.
Those who knew how to handle a gun—which was everyone except Jennifer—grabbed weapons. Leo gave Jennifer a small .22 caliber, just in case.
“Just make sure you’re close to your target if you fire,” he said. “And make sure none of us is nearby in case your bullet goes wide. Okay?”
Jennifer gave him a hard stare. “I’m going to hold you to your promise to teach me how to shoot.”
“Later. After the mission.”
She nodded and took the .22 from his hand, her fingers grazing his palm during the exchange. For once, he wasn’t pulled back to the shiny days of his youth when he was near her.
He was learning it was pointless to dwell on the past. Leo wasn’t going to do it anymore. He’d spent the last two and a half years angry and resentful. It was time to look forward. He had a new team to lead and a homeland to defend.
He threw a rifle over his back and grabbed a few extra magazines, shoving them into his belt. “Headlamps for everyone, then grab a bike,” he called. It had been decided they’d take bikes. It was easier to travel quietly that way, whereas horse hooves would clomp on the paved streets. Besides, the animals might spook in battle.
Leo was the first to ride out, lighting the way for the rest. He kept his eyes and ears peeled as he rolled down Pole Mountain.
It took them twenty minutes to ride to the bottom of the mountain. They reached the apple orchard at the back of the Cecchino farm without incident. Even in the dark, he saw ripe fruit dotting the ground. He hated seeing the fruit rot even more than he hated picking apples. At least his father wasn’t here to see their hard work going to waste.
Jennifer pedaled up beside him as they rode underneath the apple trees. “How are you doing? You know, with everything?”
She was talking about his dad. Leo shrugged. Honestly, he was just glad to have a mission to focus on. It made it easier to push grief to a distant part of his brain.
She glanced over her shoulder at the others, who were a ways behind them. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when your mom died.” Her words came out in a rush. “That was really shitty.”
Leo was hit with a wave of remembering; of aching with grief for his mom and aching with longing for Jennifer. It was like being sucked into a black hole.
That pain had almost broken him. He shook himself to be free of it.
“You’d already broken up with me. You didn’t owe me anything.”
“That’s not true. I ... I should have called. Something. I shouldn’t have stayed away like that.”
He didn’t know how to respond. More than anything during that time, he’d wanted her to call. “Why are you apologizing now?”
“Because you’re my friend. Friends apologize when they screw up.”
Even if said apology was over two years late? He frowned at her. “Why? We’re exes.”
She snorted. “Everything is always so black and white with you. Just because we’re exes doesn’t mean we’re not friends.”
He looked at her, incredulous. “How do you figure?”
She stared at him as though his brain had fallen out of his head. “We took each other’s virginity.”
Leo almost went ass over teakettle off his bike. The front wheel hit a root and wobbled dangerously. Jennifer slowed beside him as he righted it.
“Look,” she said, “I didn’t get it. How I hurt you, I mean. I thought ... I just didn’t realize what it meant to be in love with someone. But I met this guy at Riverside ...” She suddenly looked small and sad. “Let’s just say I finally understand how it feels to have your heart broken.”
Leo didn’t know what to say to this. Hell, a week ago, he would have been thrilled to learn someone had hurt her the way she’d hurt him. But something had changed. When he saw the sadness plain on her face, he felt empathy for her.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said at last.
Jennifer heaved a sigh. “Serves me right, I suppose. After what I did to you, I mean.”
Leo suddenly understood why things were different between him and Jennifer since she’d walked back into his life. She was different. So was he. They’d both gone through their own shit and come out the other side as different people. That was why he hadn’t felt anything when they embraced last night.
“I just wanted you to know how sorry I am. You know, in case we don’t survive.”
Leo’s impulse was to contradict her, to assure
