“Honey, I have to go. We all do. This is much bigger than we originally thought. This involves cartels, drugs, weapons, all of it. And we still don’t know a damn thing about Rita and what she’s planning.”
“But it’s too dangerous,” she said staring at him. He took her hand, leading her toward the sofa.
“Lennon, this is what we train for. We’ve got a lot of people going down there with us to ensure everyone comes home safely. We have more weapons, better weapons, than anyone there.”
“But they have weapons, Brooks. That’s my point. Bora will have some of the technology that you have. You said that you sell weapons to the military and you know that he’s taken some of those weapons!”
“He probably has. But listen to me, we don’t sell all of our technologies to the government. Some, we save just for us. He won’t know what we’re carrying or what’s available to us.
“We also have a number of secret weapons. The animals.”
“The animals? You’re going to use the animals in a war zone?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” he chuckled. “Lennon, you know that this place is different. It’s special in so many ways. We thrive here. We live longer, healthier lives than most of the world. We don’t even know why, but we don’t take it for granted.
“Some here, are given very special skills. Gaspar, Luke, and Trak seem to be able to communicate with the animals in ways that none of us can understand. I’m not crazy.”
“I know that,” she said matter-of-factly.
“You know?”
“I’m not stupid, Brooks. I’ve watched Gaspar and Luke speak to the animals as if they’re human and the animals seem to respond. They do exactly as they are asked. I’m a reporter, I’m curious. I’d love to know how that happens but I also know that in the end it doesn’t matter how it happens. Just knowing that it does makes me have faith that our world is still full of surprises.”
“You amaze me,” laughed Brooks hugging his new wife, kissing her passionately.
“I amaze you but you’re still going to Bolivia,” she frowned.
“Yes. I have to. But you can help from here. Help the team find information on Margarita.”
“That’s easier said than done,” said Lennon. “Even while I was working for the magazine I was trying to find information on her and couldn’t. It was like one day he wasn’t married and the next day he was.”
“That’s what the guys are saying as well. Like she dropped from the sky,” frowned Brooks.
“I’ll dig in a little more. I’ll need to keep busy or I’m going to lose my mind.”
“I’ll come home to you. I promise.”
“Can you promise that? I mean, I know that things can happen.”
“Nothing will happen. You have my word,” he said not sure he actually believed himself.
Lennon nodded at him, watching as he packed his gear. The cache of weapons alone that was being loaded on the choppers was staggering. It truly looked as if they were going to war.
“They’ll be alright,” said Ajei hugging Lennon. She hugged the older woman back and smiled.
“You know, I think I actually believe you. They’re definitely confident in their abilities,” she smirked.
“For good reason,” said Sophia Ann. “They train all the time, Lennon. Repeat scenarios over and over again to ensure everyone comes home. We’ve done this a million times. Trust them.”
“What do we do? While they’re gone, what do we do? Do we just sit around?” asked Lennon.
“Well, we do movie nights complete with wine, decadent treats, and laughter,” grinned Kate. “We do them out at the Sugar Lodge.”
“That sounds fun,” smiled Lennon.
“Yep. Or we do a book reading with Charlie, complete with a fashion show of her new lingerie for the season.”
“Ohhh, I like that one,” smirked Ajei.
