Dominic leaned back against the wall, sighing. “Ego.” All eyes went to him. “It’s not a secret that Tucker envied Doss when they served together. We know this,” he stated.
“The girls and I don’t,” Margo clipped.
“Temper,” Hayes warned.
“So what? This guy is a sociopath with a god complex? Is that it, Edwards?” she pushed, ignoring Hayes.
“Based on what we have, yes.”
“Have any of you ever met this guy?”
“Once,” Jake answered. “A gala in DC for the Wounded Warrior Project. Ash was surprised to see him there, given what he does for a living.”
“What’s the story with the scarring on his face?” Carrie asked, staring at the screen.
“Extraction mission went bad on his first tour. He hit a trip wire,” Dominic explained, eyes on the scattered files covering half the floor. “Ash pulled him out.”
“Christ,” Grayson bit off, pinching the bridge of his nose. I took a moment to look at the long scar running from his temple to his neck. A part of me wondered what his story was. The other half was too scared to know the truth.
As the others continued, Jake came to me. “Are you okay?” I asked, meeting his eyes. He said nothing, wrapping me in atight bear hug. I didn’t have the energy to be shocked. Instead, I melted into him, letting his heat surround me as I buried my face in his chest, sobbing. “Jake, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to find him,” he answered, his voice distant as he rubbed my back. “Not going to lose him again. You hear me?”
I nodded. My tears soaked his shirt, but still, he held me until I managed to get it together. “I don’t know what to do or what to think. I need to do something with my hands or I’m going to lose my mind. How can I help?” I pulled back.
Jake’s hair was down, framing his face and mine. He brushed a tear away with his thumb. “I wouldn’t recommend flipping a table,” he said, trying to get me to smile.
It didn’t work.
“What can I do?”
“Just sit tight.”
“I can’t, Jake. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I have to be in this. I have to do something. Please.”
He frowned, reading me. “Okay, Angel. I’ll find you something.”
“Murphy, pull up everything you have on Fitzgerald,” Grayson ordered.
Jake nodded and left the room. Hayes and Margo were hugging, and Grayson had Carrie’s face in his hands, talking softly to her. She was a wreck. Then again, we all were. Red Snake nearly lost Ash once, and I knew they wouldn’t survive if they lost him for good.
I wouldn’t.
He was too ingrained in my life, in my soul, down to the very essence of my being. I was he and he was me. We were connected, linked by a bond that time and distance couldn’t break.
I just hope we weren’t too late.
Four hours later.
“I’m coming with you,” I told them.
Grayson, Dominic, Jake, and Hayes were dressed for battle, taking up most of the small weapon’s locker. It was in the center of their offices. There was a large safe in the opposite wall by Jake, rows of guns, ammo, knives, and even bows and arrows, on the wall. It looked like something out of a dream, a fantasy I should’ve never been a part of. All-black outfits consisting of thermal long sleeves, cargo pants, and boots. Each of them had a mask hanging by their hip, black with delicate colored designs over each. Silver wings for Hayes, red smoke for Dominic, green claw marks for Jake, and red and white snakes for Grayson, who gave me a pained look.
Thirty minutes ago, after Jake hacked into some traffic cameras, Red Snake was able to get a location on Ash. Tucker had taken him farther inland, away from the coast. Ash was being held in an abandoned coffee packing plant. Carrie, Margo, and I were instructed to stay here. The team would be leaving on the chopper, and we were just expected to sit around and wait.
I couldn’t wait.
Not after everything.
