In the Likely Event

PRAISE FOR REBECCA YARROS “A gifted storyteller.” —Kirkus Reviews “Rebecca Yarros writes words that are pure, sweet, sizzling poetry.” —Tessa Bailey, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author “Readers will be wowed.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review), on The Things We Leave Unfinished “A haunting, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspirational love story.” —In Touch Weekly, on The Last Letter “Thanks to Yarros’s beautiful, immersive writing, readers will feel every deep heartbreak and each moment of uplifting love.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review), on The Last Letter “Rebecca never disappoints—she’s an automatic one-click for me!” —Jen McLaughlin, New York Times bestselling author OTHER TITLES BY REBECCA YARROS Stand-Alone Titles Fourth Wing The Things We Leave Unfinished The Last Letter Great and Precious Things Muses and Melodies (part of the Hush Note series, written with Sarina Bowen and Devney Perry) A Little Too Close (part of the Madigan Mountain series, written with Sarina Bowen and Devney Perry) Flight & Glory Full Measures Eyes Turned Skyward Beyond What Is Given Hallowed Ground The Reality of Everything Legacy Point of Origin Ignite Reason to Believe The Renegades Wilder Nova Rebel This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Text copyright © 2023 by Rebecca Yarros All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781662511554 (paperback) ISBN-13: 9781662511561 (digital) Cover design by Shasti O’Leary Soudant Cover image: © Angela Lumsden / Stocksy United; © Dacian Groza / Stocksy United To my sister, Kate. I’d go to war for you. Love you, mean it. CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE NATHANIEL CHAPTER TWO IZZY CHAPTER THREE NATHANIEL CHAPTER FOUR IZZY CHAPTER FIVE IZZY CHAPTER SIX NATHANIEL CHAPTER SEVEN NATHANIEL CHAPTER EIGHT IZZY CHAPTER NINE IZZY CHAPTER TEN NATHANIEL CHAPTER ELEVEN NATHANIEL CHAPTER TWELVE IZZY CHAPTER THIRTEEN IZZY CHAPTER FOURTEEN IZZY CHAPTER FIFTEEN IZZY CHAPTER SIXTEEN NATHANIEL CHAPTER SEVENTEEN NATHANIEL CHAPTER EIGHTEEN IZZY CHAPTER NINETEEN IZZY CHAPTER TWENTY NATHANIEL CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE IZZY CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO IZZY CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE NATHANIEL CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR IZZY CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE IZZY CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX NATHANIEL CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN NATHANIEL CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT IZZY CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE IZZY CHAPTER THIRTY NATHANIEL CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE IZZY CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO NATHANIEL CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE IZZY EPILOGUE NATHANIEL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR CHAPTER ONE NATHANIEL Kabul, Afghanistan August 2021 This was not the Maldives. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back toward the blistering afternoon sun. With the breeze, I could almost pretend the moisture racing down my neck, soaking into my collar, was water from a recent swim instead of my own sweat. Almost. Instead, I stood on the tarmac in Kabul, wondering how the hell my boots weren’t melting into the concrete at this temperature. Maybe missing my trip was karma paying me back for going without her. “You’re supposed to be on leave,” a familiar voice said from my right. “Shhh. I am. See?” I opened one eye just enough to glimpse Torres standing beside me, his thick brow shaded by his multicam cap. “See what? You standing on the flight line with your head thrown back like you’re in a Coppertone commercial?” The corners of my mouth quirked upward. “It’s not the flight line. It’s a little bungalow over the water in the Maldives. Can’t you hear the waves?” The rhythmic beat of distant rotors filled the air. “I hear you losing your mind,” he muttered. “Looks like they’re here.” Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and searched the horizon for an aircraft on final approach, spotting the plane within seconds. Here we go again. As much as I used to love the action that came with my job, I had to admit that it was getting old. Peace sounded so much better than constant war. “How the hell did you let yourself get roped into this, anyway? I thought Jenkins was on this assignment,” Torres asked. “Jenkins went down with some kind of virus last night, and I didn’t want to ask Ward to skip his leave. He has kids.” I shifted the shoulder strap of my rifle as the C-130 touched down on the runway. “Now I’m on babysitting duty for Senator Lauren’s aide.” “Well, I’m with you, like always.” “I appreciate that.” My best friend hadn’t left my side since Special Forces selection. Hell, even before that. “Hopefully by next week, Jenkins will be on the mend and I’ll be on my way to the Maldives before the actual senators get here.” I could almost taste those fruity umbrella drinks right now—oh wait, that was the metallic tang of jet fuel. Right. “You know, most guys I know use their leave time to go home and see their families.” Torres looked back at the rest of the team as they strode our way, straightening their patchless ACUs, like it was possible to unfuck their uniforms after four months in country. “Well, most guys don’t have my family.” I shrugged. Mom had been gone for five years, and the only reason I’d willingly see my father would be to bury him. The rest of the team reached us, falling into a line as we faced the aircraft. Graham took the spot on my other side. “Want me driving?” “Yep,” I answered. I’d already selected the guys I wanted with me until Jenkins got back. Parker and Elston were waiting at the embassy. “Is everyone here?” Major Webb asked as he reached us, scratching his chin. “Holy shit! I can’t remember the last time I saw your actual face.” Graham grinned at our commander, his bright smile contrasting with his deep-brown skin. Webb muttered something about politicians as the plane taxied to the directions of