Free Surrendered (Heart of a Warrior Series Book 3) by Kariss Lynch

business.”
    “Noted.”
    With a sly grin, Colt capped the pen and settled back in his seat. “Wet your pants there, Bates?”
    “Guys, bring it on down.” Titus pulled out his headphones and plugged them into his phone.
    “Ah, T-Brown, don’t tell me you are taking old man Logan’s job on this trip,” Jay groaned.
    “Someone has to corral the kids.” He popped the buds in his ears and shut his eyes.
    “How does he do that?” Micah asked.
    “Must be some weird, get-in-the-zone thing that happens when you become team lead,” Nick answered.
    “Do you want to do that someday, Hawk?”
    Nick’s fight with Kaylan raced through his mind again. What would he do if she couldn’t fully accept his job and let him go when duty called? He knew she loved him. So what held her back? And how could he move forward in his career without her support? Short answer . . . he couldn’t. If she couldn’t get on board, something would have to give. But as surely as he knew he loved Kaylan, he knew he was called to be a United States Navy SEAL. He would have to trust the Lord to calm her heart.
    “Someday, yeah, I would. I was born to be in the Teams, man. I didn’t even realize it until I finished BUD/S and it hit me that all the late nights, sore muscles, training, and yelling didn’t kill me. Someday something will. But I would rather it come from doing this than anything else.”
    “And Kaylan? A family?”
    “The Carpenters and tons of SEAL families do it. It’s what we both want.”
    He would just have to trust the Lord to make it happen.
    *
    Their boots hit ground shortly after two in the afternoon in Afghanistan, and already the sun cast a sweltering glow. The country boasted desert landscape and harsh mountains, the difficult terrain a challenge for American military.
    “Family chat in five, ladies. Lose your gear and hustle.”
    “Bates, on me,” Nick shouted to the newbie. Talented in comms, the rookie exemplified the SEAL mantra of never quitting. After dropping out of BUD/S the first time due to an ankle injury, Bates hadn’t hesitated to dive back in to the next class. His dedication and loyalty earned him the respect of many in his class. But on his first Support Activity 1 assignment with these experienced operators, he looked young and green.
    They dropped their gear by bunks stacked in a row in a simple, long building. The floor, ceilings, and walls were all bare wood and plywood, with a fine layer of dust from the Afghani desert. It made Nick feel like he lived in a box. A couple of moth-eaten couches sat on one end of the long room surrounding a television and an old Nintendo 64, compliments of one of the other teams. Nick doubted they would be playing much. He hoped they wouldn’t be here long, but he mentally buckled down for the duration. They wouldn’t leave, wouldn’t quit until the op was accomplished.
    Nick snagged a top bunk and quickly pulled a photo of Kaylan out of his bag. He propped it against the windowsill next to his pillow. “You got a girl, Bates?” He turned to face the newbie who was eyeing Kaylan’s picture.  A couple years younger than Nick and Micah, Bates’s eagerness and excitement for the job spoke volumes to the guys around him, but his large hazel eyes exuded a nervous energy that made Nick slightly uncomfortable. Nick wasn’t worried about Bates’s capability, but in certain moments, he worried about his immaturity. However, he knew SEAL training made men out of boys. Childhood got scrubbed out of you during long nights on the beach “getting sandy.”
    Bates tugged a picture from his pocket. A younger, prettier version of himself stared back at Nick. “I got a sister. She’s my main girl.”
    “Good enough.” Nick’s mind roved to Natalie, the sister he’d never met. The sister he wondered if he ever would meet. He shook his head and moved to the door, hoping to leave all thoughts of home in the bunkroom.
    Bates matched his stride. “Do you think