At the sound of his name, Kael wandered closer, head tilted.He stepped into the light and into view of the phone, grinning faintly.“You talking about me again, Bateman?You know I love hearing my name.”
Bateman’s smile was brief but genuine, familiar.“Surge.Been a long time.”
Dale leaned into frame, curious.“Wait—you know each other?”
“Yeah, I know him and his team, tried to get them as Pathfinders a few years back,” Bateman confirmed.“Didn’t stick.”
Surge’s grin sharpened.“Why trade down, my friend?We were already the best.”
Dale barked a laugh.“Best, huh?Maybe you should prove it.Ever play combat chess?Pathfinder tradition.Strategy, speed, and good old fashion punishment when you lose.”
“Anytime,” Kael said smoothly.“You’ll regret it.”
Bateman chuckled, shaking his head.Then his eyes narrowed as Surge leaned closer to the phone.“Give me an honest answer, Bateman.”
“Shoot.”
“Is Hogan good for Kai?”Kael asked bluntly.
Hogan’s stomach dropped.He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer—or the implication that everyone else already knew something he didn’t.
Bateman didn’t look shocked.He was quiet for a long moment, then spoke steadily.“You want honesty?Hogan and Kai ...they had something.Three years ago.Committed.Stupidly so.They fell fast—like a riptide, one second standing and the next pulled under.I saw it.We all did.Kai would wait for him after missions, no matter how late.Hogan would push through exhaustion just to catch an hour with him, sometimes on the damn catwalks above the hangar.
“Once I walked in on them eating takeout on the floor, still in their gear, too busy laughing and stealing bites from each other’s cartons to notice me.They burned hard and fast, but it wasn’t reckless—it was deliberate, every choice pointed toward each other.Hogan doesn’t remember, and the docs told us not to push it.Memories might come back, or they might not.But what I do know is that he chose Kai before.And from the look on his face now, he’s already halfway there again.”
Dale nodded.“I remember the way Hogan looked at him.It wasn’t casual.”
Heat flushed Hogan’s neck.Pissed didn’t begin to cover it.“And no one thought to mention this to me?”
“Doctors’ orders,” Bateman said calmly.“Forcing memory doesn’t work.You either find it on your own or you don’t.”
Kael gave a mock scowl.“I’d have told you.I mean, you had the right to know.Hell, sounds to me like you’d do better as Black Tide.You could jump ship and step over to us, and I’d make sure you knew everything.”
“Fuck off,” Bateman said with a laugh, shaking his head.“He’s not leaving the Pathfinders.”
“Damn right,” Hogan said, finding his voice again.“They’re my brothers.Doesn’t mean I can’t kick their asses when they need it, but I’m not trading teams.”
Bateman smirked.“Good to hear.”
Hogan leaned forward, tone sharp.“You guys need to come to Hawaii, LT.Kavaci are bringing in extras, and they are trained and they are loaded for bear.This is bigger than we thought.”
Bateman didn’t hesitate.“We’ll be wheels up in less than twelve hours.Dale and I will rally the others and talk to Dev about sending some of Bravo over to the Ridge.You’ll have backup.”
Kael nodded, grin returning.“Then Black Tide will meet you at the airport, Pathfinders.We’ll roll together.Looking forward to it.Pack light, we have everything we’ll need.”
Hogan knew that he meant firearms, ordinance, and anything else one might take into a war zone.He had no idea how, considering their house was still no doubt smoldering twenty miles away, but he had no doubt that Kael meant what he said.
The call wound down with sarcastic goodbyes, sharp wit masking the weight of what lay ahead.Bateman rolled his eyes at Kael’s dramatics, Dale promised to beat him in combat chess, and Kael promised he’d film the victory.It was family talk, the kind that filled the cracks left by the fire and the loss.
When Hogan ended the call, the circle outside felt quieter.He glanced at Kai, still asleep under the blanket, hair mussed, face peaceful despite everything.Hogan crouched beside him, shaking his shoulder gently.
Kai stirred, eyes half-opening.“Could’ve left me here,” he murmured.“Was happy enough.”
“Fuck that,” Hogan said softly, pulling him up.“I wanted the bed.And I’m used to you sleeping beside me.”
Kai smiled faintly, too tired to argue.Hogan guided him to their van, where he’d already lowered the bed, and pulled back the covers.He helped Kai strip to his boxers and then into the bed, before he stripped himself and slid in beside him.As Kai drifted off, Hogan felt a flash—memory, love, heat—like a ghost sliding through his chest.The sensation hit hard, pulling him into the half-lit corridors of recollection.He saw Kai leaning against a sun-bleached railing, hair damp from the surf, grinning as he said, “You’re all anger, Ace.Someone’s got to teach you to smile before your face cracks.”Hogan had barked back something sarcastic—he couldn’t remember the words, only the way Kai’s laughter had rung, easy and bright, like waves slapping a hull.
Hogan’s chest tightened.The memory felt jagged, unfinished, but real.He whispered under his breath, almost afraid of breaking it, “We had this once, didn’t we?”
