“Okay, but if you need anything, I’m just a phone call away,” Rex said.
“Thanks.”Micah ended the call.He knew everyone from the team would gladly help if needed.
Only twelve men and women had survived the horrific exfil that day.Twelve out of thirty.It was a loss that haunted all of them, but as their captain, Rex had taken it harder than most.The twelve who remained were Rex, Grady, Micah, Stone, Regan, Cameron, Nolan, Houston, Dina, Theo, Teagan, and Zander.
Micah mourned the loss of their team too.They shouldn’t have been ambushed that day.If things had been done properly, but they hadn’t.And good people had been killed as a result of idiots sitting behind a desk who didn’t have a clue.
He swallowed hard and thrust the thought aside.He couldn’t change the past.All he could do was push forward.Yet there was no denying his guilt was centered on the fact that he’d made it out alive when Bryn’s brother, Tommy, hadn’t.He and Tommy had joined the army together.They had been best friends.If anyone should have died that day, it should have been him.Not Tommy.Micah didn’t have family who would grieve over his passing.His mother had dumped him in foster care after his alcoholic father had died.Last he’d heard, his mother had passed away too.Not that losing either parent had mattered much to him.
Tommy did.He and Tommy had been very close.So much so that Micah had expected Bryn to hate him for being the one to come home.But she’d surprised him.Her faith in God, her acceptance that Tommy was in a better place now, had humbled him.
Even if Micah didn’t share her steadfast belief.
Traffic around him moved at a crawl.If he had paid closer attention, he’d have noticed the lane closure ahead.When his phone rang, Bryn’s name flashed on the screen.He quickly answered.
“Bryn?Are you okay?”
“I’m in the rental car, yes.Thanks for making the arrangements.”Her voice still sounded strained.“I’m currently driving south on Highway 51.”
“Good.That’s perfect.Do you know the city of Beloit?It’s on the Illinois-Wisconsin border.It’s not a huge city like Madison, but it’s not that small either.Let’s meet there.”He breathed a sigh of relief that the congested traffic eased up once he made it through the bottleneck.“If I’m late, find a public place like a restaurant.”
“Beloit?”Her tone was hesitant.“I’ve never been there.”
“Me either.”He tried to sound reassuring.“Don’t worry, we’ll be together very soon.”
“I appreciate your help on this, Micah.Thank you.”
“Hey, what are friends for?”He hoped his casual tone didn’t sound forced.
She sniffled, and he hoped she wasn’t crying.“Thanks.I’ll see you soon.”
“Bryn, try not to worry.I promise to keep you safe.”
“I know.I just hope you don’t regret it.”Her comment had him frowning in confusion, but then she added, “I’ll explain everything once I see you.”
He would have preferred to keep her on the line, but he didn’t want either of them to drive distracted, especially as he navigated the construction zone.“I’m looking forward to it.Just relax and keep heading south.”
“I will.”With that, she ended the call.
Micah frowned at the blank screen on his console but squelched the urge to call her back.She was in a rental car and would soon be out of the city.He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he felt good about the fact that she’d called him for help.
This was the least he could do for Tommy’s little sister.
As Micah drove, Tommy’s last words echoed in his mind.The ambush had caught all of them off guard.When Tommy went down, Micah had spun to return fire, then bent down to hoist his buddy to his feet.Blood oozed from Tommy’s belly, and the guy had leaned heavily on him as Micah half dragged, half carried him toward the waiting plane.Rex was standing just inside the plane, grabbing soldiers and pulling them inside between firing rounds over their heads to keep the insurgents at bay.
Then another bullet had struck Tommy, and all of Micah’s strength couldn’t keep him from falling to the ground.Micah knelt beside Tommy, screaming at his buddy to hang on, as he hauled Tommy up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
The sound of gunfire continued to echo around them.Micah still wasn’t sure how he’d found the strength and endurance to carry Tommy all the way up the plank and into the plane.He dropped Tommy on the ground, shouting for Doc, a.k.a.Regan Harmon, for help.
Tommy’s eyes had fluttered open when Doc put pressure on his bleeding wound.For a moment, his buddy looked confused, but then his gaze had focused on Micah.“Take...care of...Bryn.”
Tommy’s eyes had closed, and within minutes, his buddy was gone.
Take care of Bryn.Take care of Bryn.Take care of Bryn.
The plea echoed in his mind like some sort of mantra.But it was worse now because someone had tried to kill Bryn, and he had no idea who or why.
Beloit was still forty-five miles away.Thankfully, he was moving at a faster pace now.Micah hoped he would reach Beloit at the same time Bryn did.She’d had to backtrack to get to the airport, but from there, the ride down shouldn’t take more than an hour.
