To move on was a relief. Diego didn’t want to think too much about how Joe and Ezekiel would treat him knowing he had some measure of psychic surgical ability. He would never be able to take the others hovering around him or the restrictions put on him. He needed solitude. It was the only way he found peace.
Leila’s fingertips dug into his thigh.You have me now. I can be a buffer when you need it. I won’t mind. In fact, it would make me happy.
The sincerity in her kept the knots in his gut from forming. She was willing, like Rubin, to stand for him. Or even in front of him if necessary. That revelation was earth-shattering to him. In answer, he stroked his hand down the back of her head and once more curled his palm around her nape. Physical connection with Leila was fast becoming a necessity.
“We both needed rest for a couple of days. I wanted to have time to heal her before I moved her. I’d put together a little den for us and erased all tracks leading to it. It was necessary to get rid of the scent of blood to keep any tracker with sniffing abilities from locating us. I knew that wasn’t going to last, but I just wanted to buy us a little time,” Diego explained. “I knew Rubin would be coming up that mountain after me, and I hoped Luther would be able to. I didn’t count on either one of them, but in the back of my mind, if something were to happen to me, I knew either one of them would be able to find Leila.”
He glanced at his brother. “Rubin knows me. He knows every sign of mine in the woods. I knew if I went down hard while I was working on her, he’d find us and protect her. As it was, she didn’t need protection.” He couldn’t help the pride in his voice or the growing love in his gaze as he looked at her. He leaned into her and brushed a kiss along her temple, noting color had swept into her face.
He continued his report, letting Joe know about how four out of five of the soldiers were like the first ones, unable to control the aggression and dominance they felt. “Those men seemed certain they were superior to anyone else and were entitled to have whatever they wanted. The fifth man, Terry, was very decent. It was clear he would have put his life in jeopardy to save Leila. He had every intention to interfere with their plans. I let him go and toldhim to report back to Chariot that Leila had nothing to do with the kills. I identified myself so Chariot knew who he was dealing with.”
“You thought this was a good idea?” Joe asked.
Diego nodded. “I did. I didn’t want him trying to hold dead soldiers over Leila’s head. She didn’t kill them; that was my decision.”
Leila cleared her throat. “Diego.”
Her voice was very low, but Diego knew Joe, Rubin and Ezekiel had excellent hearing.
“I hunted those other soldiers,” she admitted. “Every last one of them.” She looked up at Joe. “That’s how I tore myself up again.”
“We had a cleanup crew see to the bodies. They were soldiers. They started out with good intentions,” Ezekiel said. “They deserve to be buried decently. Their families have the right to know they died on an assignment.”
“You can go to your grave before you admit that you were involved, Leila,” Joe said. “Your injuries were enough to stop anyone from moving around, let alone hunt seasoned soldiers. I doubt the subject will come up, but if it does, when we go into a meeting, you stay quiet. If they ask you a direct question, you don’t answer unless Logan Maxwell with GhostWalker Team Two allows you to speak. He’s an excellent lawyer.”
“That’s very important, Leila,” Ezekiel reiterated. “No matter what is said, who says it, or if things look as if they’re going south, you stay very quiet and allow us to handle it. Logan is exceptional and will be your biggest protection.”
“You know they aren’t going to release me.”
She pressed her fingertips into Diego’s thigh, betraying her agitation. It didn’t show on her face, but Diego could feel the waves of distress pouring off her. He leaned into her again.
“You aren’t going back there, and we’re bringing Grace home.”He said it with complete conviction because, for him, there was no other outcome.
She gave him a sad smile. “I really don’t want all of your friends to risk their lives—or their careers—because of me. We talked about war between two factions of covert operatives, but what we didn’t discuss is the likelihood of General Pillar pulling rank on everyone.”
“Pillar isn’t the only general in the game,” Joe said. “This is about right and wrong. What was done to you was wrong. What they did to your sister was unconscionable. It was completely unethical. Immoral. Pillar is directly responsible for that decision. If he tries to double down, he’s going to hit a brick wall. He has to answer to those above him, and they won’t like publicity. Before they took you and your sister, the lab in Maryland was aboveboard in that they recruited men who wanted to join their program. They were told ahead of time what to expect, and Chariot never went beyond those parameters. Pillar forced him to take you into the program.”
“How do you know so much about Chariot’s work? It’s classified,” Leila asked.
Joe shrugged. “We’re all classified. We have several resident geniuses. They can get their hands on anything they want. I don’t condone it, and I try not to know about it if that’s possible. But being a complete hypocrite, I use the information if I need it to keep my men safe and to have a favorable outcome on an assignment.”
“In what way?” Leila asked.
“The GhostWalkers have enemies, factions who would like to see them wiped out. There have been times when our teams have been set up. We’ve been stranded, without a way home from a very bad situation. We’ve been ambushed. We’ve had men from other countries infiltrate teams we were training, just to assassinate us.It’s necessary for our backup plans to have backup plans. We rely on ourselves. On one another’s teams. We can only trust one another, and we know that. I use information to keep our families safe as well as ensuring our teams come home alive and well.”
Diego kept the pathway open between Leila and him. He needed to know if she would stand with them, even if things took a bad turn and the general refused to cooperate. There was a child involved, and a mother’s instincts were strong. Right now, she felt Grace was safe and secure with Marcy Chariot, but if the general decided to play hardball and hold Grace hostage to get Leila to return, she could so easily cave.
As if reading his mind, Joe brought up the possibility. “I know you have to be worried that they’ll hide Grace from you to force you to return. Trap and Wyatt calculated the odds, and both believe that’s exactly what they’ll do. They’ll try to scare you into complying. Before we go into this meeting with the general, we have to know you’ll stand with us no matter what they say or do.”
Diego felt Leila’s swift intake of breath. She held her air trapped in her lungs until Diego could feel her burning with the need to breathe.
He wrapped his arms around her to lend her his strength. “We would never leave without Grace, Leila. Never. Before we enter the meeting, we’ll know exactly where she is, and if we have to take her from them, we’ll do it. Someone will be on her at all times, ready to take her back.”
Leila shook her head, nearly choking with the inability to take a breath. Diego couldn’t blame her. The thought of losing her daughter was too much.
“Just breathe, sweetheart. Take a breath. In and out. You know how,” he encouraged. “First, know they won’t hurt her. Commander Chariot’s wife is looking after her, and you’ve indicated to me that you don’t worry when Grace is with her. She isn’t going toallow anyone else with your daughter. She’ll most likely be feeling as protective as you always do. You have to trust your instincts. They’ve always indicated the woman is on your side.”
Leila drew in a shuddering breath and clung to him, her fingers digging into his arm. “You might not be able to get to her. They’ll hide her from us, and she’ll be guarded if the general is going to use her to get me to come back.”
