“We buried someone they claimed was Stefano.” Valerio scratched at one eyebrow and scrubbed his hand down his face. “There was just something about one of the men who rescued me that felt familiar.” He pinned Gunnar with a stare. “Do you know who Toro is, and what he meant to my brother?”
Shit. He had known that, but had never mentioned it as he’d been sworn to secrecy by Marco.
“You do not need to answer,” Valerio said after a moment. “I can tell by your face that you do. I will not make you break a promise.” He glanced at the ceiling as if figuring out how to say what he wanted to.
Gunnar braced himself when Valerio blew out a breath. He had no idea what was going to come out of the otherman’s mouth, but he made a mental note to remember it in case he needed the information in the future.
“Toro left with this man,” Valerio said. “Now it is as if he too has disappeared off the face of the planet. People do not just disappear. Italian Intelligence members do not just disappear.”
“Unless they go undercover.”
“My security clearance and his connection to my family means while I might not be able to know the details, I would be told he is undercover and out of reach,” Valerio said. “This has not happened.”
“I don’t know, man.” But he understood it. If it was one of his brothers and he had doubts… he’d burn the world to the ground to find the truth, and one way or the other, someone would pay.
“I know what you do.”
The silence stretched between them. “Ah.” There it was, the elephant in the room.
“I want to hire you to find Toro and Stefano, if he is still alive. Will you do this for me?” Valerio asked.
Shit. That’s going to be a whole lot of laws and security breaches.
“I don’t know that we can or will find anything.” He couldn’t say no. How could he? Valerio was not only a friend, but he came with the rest of his team every single time Marco or he called. Saying no would be a kick in the balls and would fracture bonds forged in bloody battlefields over almost a decade. “But I will have Remi dig and see what he finds. But…” he warned, “I’m not promising you what we will find will make you happy.”
“This I know.” Valerio shrugged. “I need and want answers. If you cannot find them, then I don’t know where else to look.”
Just like some of the photos from when he and the guyswere deployed, some secrets were better left in the proverbial box.
“Are you coming with us to Morocco?” They had one night here on base, then thankfully they could take the asshole Zombie had caught to one of The Four X’s bases. Agadir, Morocco, had holding cells, and he planned to fill one of those in the morning.
“No, I have to go back to Italy,” Valerio replied. “I have trainings to plan. It was just pure luck that we were heading this way and would be working near the AF-PAK border when you needed a ride out.”
“I appreciate it, brother.”
“You have one of mine with you.” Valerio grinned. “I only allow you to borrow Midas. I shall ask for him back at some point.”
Both cocked their heads to one side, tensed, and exchanged glances when shouting erupted further down. When the yelling was followed by laughter they recognized as Marco, Valerio winced and reached for his wallet.
“I change my mind; I will pay you to keep him.”
“Hah, put that away. Marco is ours now. We will keep him.” Gunnar grinned at his friend when Zombie’s furious barking filtered toward them. “If Talon and Zombie don’t eat him, that is.”
“Per favore, Capo posso prenderlo a calci? Per favore? Solo cinque minuti prometto.”Boss, can I kick him? Please tell me I can beat him, just for five minutes.
“Che cazzo, that is one of mine,” Valerio grumbled, then raised his voice to yell, “Midas, piantala scemo!”Midas, stop fucking around.
“Non sono stato io!”It wasn’t me.
“Cazzo si! Tutta colpa tua!”Yeah, it was your fault,Valerio yelled. “We should go see what he’s done now.”
“Gunnar.” Talon’s normally tanned face was white withrage. “If you don’t kick his ass, I swear to fuck, Imma be sending Zombie after him just for shits and giggles.”
Talon had obviously called the dog off already as his furry sidekick bristled at his side. “What did he do now?”
Talon turned around and pointed to his ass. Gunnar frowned at the mess there. “Did you shit yourself, Tal?”
“No, I fucking didn’t,” Talon snarled, and Zombie joined in to emphasize his handler’s point. “Fucking Midas put eggs on mine and Cesare’s bunks, and we sat on them because the bastard put them under the blankets where we didn’t see them on time.”
