“We all agree on one thing—that Cullen, if it is him, cannot survive much longer. The rescue attempt must be immediate if he is to be found alive.”
The men nodded their agreement.
“Which means we cannot waste another minute,” Philip said and stood. William rose with him.
“You need to rest first,” Burke said.
“The few hours they rest could mean your brother’s life,” Storm said. “Are you willing to risk that?”
“It’s as much a risk sending them on little rest. A couple of hours’ sleep should help revive them and then they can be off.”
“It also could be enough time for the soldiers to regroup and return,” Storm suggested. “So which then is the better choice?”
“Are you leaving the decision to me?” Burke asked, surprised.
“He’s your brother.”
She hadn’t considered that when she made the decision to send the men in the first place. She hadn’t even consulted him, so why did she do so now?
“Let the men rest,” he said.
Storm nodded and looked to William and Philip. “You leave shortly; get ready.”
Burke jumped to his feet, the two men hurried off, and the other men drifted away from the campfire.
“Why give me a choice when you had no intention of honoring it?” That he was annoyed resonated in his gruff tone and his stoic stance.
“I wanted to see what you would do.”
She sounded as if she judged him, and his annoyance grew. “And you don’t like what I did?”
“You thought of the men, not the prisoner.”
“I thought of both.”
“There is only one who can be considered,” she said sharply. “His life depends on it.”
“If the men are too tired—”
“They’ll get over it and do what they must.”
“Like Tanin?” Burke challenged.
To his surprise, she smiled.
“Are you angry because Tanin did what was necessary and you could not?”
That fired his defenses. “I would not have slapped you. I would have handled it differently.”
“And gotten the same immediate results?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I need my men to follow my orders without hesitation. It could mean the safety or loss of a life or lives. Each one of them understands this and does what he is told. You, Mr. Longton, find it impossible to do.”
“There is a simple answer for that, Storm.”
“And what is that?”
“I don’t follow; I lead.”
Chapter 9
