Kai murmured his name in his sleep, shifting closer, his body warm against Hogan’s side.Hogan let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, torn between gratitude and fury—that pieces came in flashes, never the whole picture.He pressed his lips to Kai’s hair, closing his eyes.Keep fighting for it, Ace.Don’t let it slip away again.
He wrapped an arm around Kai and held him tighter, unwilling to let the moment go.Outside, the others still talked quietly, music drifting, but for Hogan, the world narrowed to the man in his arms and the war still to come.
Chapter Six
The sun was sharp overhead, bouncing off the tarmac and the gleaming wings of the jet parked on the private strip.Hogan shaded his eyes, his chest tight as he watched the plane taxi to a halt.He didn’t recognize the make at first, but he knew enough to appreciate the lines—a sweet bird, fast, sleek, built for men who needed to move unseen but still move in style.
The stairs dropped, and they came.
Each Pathfinder carried a pack on his back and another in his hand.The moment was cinematic—men he had fought beside, bled beside for more than a decade, walking toward him like something ripped straight from a Marvel flick.His heart thumped in his chest, pride and relief punching holes through the exhaustion still lodged in his bones.
Behind him, Luca let out a low whistle.“Holy hell.Did anyone else see that in slow motion, or was that just me?”
Keanu grunted.“Just you.”
Tane added dryly, “Might want to get your eyes checked, Luca.”
But Hogan didn’t look away.Every face was familiar, every stride carved from memory.All of them—Bateman, Dale, Ricky, Marsh, even Ty and Oren, Dale’s partners.Seeing Ty and Oren among them felt right.Just like Ezra, Ricky’s husband, and brother to their fallen Pathfinder Van, they belonged.
They drew up in front of him, sharp grins cutting across the Hawaiian heat.Banter came first, as it always did.
“Look who crawled out of his hole,” Ricky said, voice edged with sarcasm.
“Didn’t think you’d remember how to call us,” Marsh added.“Ezra wanted to come, too, but one of us needs to stay with Sophia...”
Dale stood a little off to the side, arms crossed over his wide chest, voice dry.“You vanish, go dark, then suddenly remember we exist?You’ve got some explaining to do, Hogan.”
“Get in line,” Ricky muttered.“I’ve got questions, too.”
Hogan felt Kai step forward beside him, ready to speak, and without looking he put out a hand, halting him.This was his to say.
He walked straight to Dale, met his eyes, and for the first time in a long time let honesty through.“I had to do it alone.I have to get back what injury stole from me—my memories, my ...Kai.But the second I needed you, I knew my brothers wouldn’t let me down.”
Dale’s mouth curved slowly, a grin spreading.“Damn right we wouldn’t.Never have, never will.But next time?Maybe a little warning before you go cowboy.”
“Cowboy?”Hogan snorted.“I fly planes, I don’t ride horses.”
