Page 47 of Fighting Salvation

Hurricane looked pained at the reminder. Watchdog was a friend to them all. He was the one who got them out of the shitty situations, who was the bedrock of the team, and it was a blow to them all for him to have been taken.

“We’ll get him back.”

“Yeah, maybe but in what state?”

Hurricane walked away, his shoulders slopped, and Bás rubbed his hand over his face. Tonight he felt old, exhausted by this long battle with Hansen and overwhelmed with sadness for all the man had taken from him and was still taking.

“Hey.”

A warm body pressed against his back, slim arms wrapped around him and it was like getting a boost from the sun. He trapped her hands with his own, holding her to him as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

“You hanging in there?”

Bás pulled her around to the front and held her tight as he looked down in wonder. In mere moments she’d had him going from despair to fired up for anything the world could throw his way. “I’m better now.”

“What are your plans for me and you?”

He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face and she grinned at him, making the situation more bearable.

“Head out the gutter, boss man.”

“Fuck, Val, if you want my head out of the gutter stop calling me that. It makes my cock hard.” He thrust gently against her to prove his words true.

“Fine.” She took a step back and he let her go, even though what he wanted was to pull her closer.

“I want us to go back to my old home and have a look around. I’m missing something important and I need to know why.”

“Then let’s go.”

The drive to his childhood home was quiet but not awkward, each of them lost in thought. Images of Watchdog tortured and broken filled his mind and he shoved them away so he could do his job and think straight. Finding Watchdog was a priority but to do that they needed to find Hansen.

His heart beat wildly in his chest as they stepped out of the car and Jack Granger stepped out of the shadows with Reid beside him.

“Thanks for coming, Jack.” He shook both men’s hands as they greeted Val warmly with hugs. He fought the urge to pull her back to his side and failed when he saw Reid smirk, giving in to his need to have her close.

“I fucking knew it. You owe me a hundred quid.” Reid laughed and rubbed his hands together.

“Oh, go shit in a bag and punch it, asshole.”

Reid laughed harder and Val rolled her eyes. “Children, can we please focus?”

Everyone sobered as the reason being there was thrust front and centre.

“We’ll give you some space, but Reid and I will remain here. The rest of the team is at your disposal. Watchdog is one of us.”

Bás led Val inside and it was like stepping back in time except now, the ‘blood’ was paint.

“Do you want to do this together or alone?”

“It might be quicker if we split up but I’m not sure exactly what it is I’m looking for. It’s more of a hunch.”

“Let’s do this right and stay together. We save more time doing it properly than rushing.”

He nodded and they began the slow process of looking for a clue they didn’t know they needed. His father’s office was much the same as it was when they were alive. All his papers were secured in a lock-up in his own office but his desk and everything else was the same.

They moved from room to room, watching as the sun left the sky and night fell, the sounds from outside familiar and so different from the daytime. The air cooled his skin and if not for Val, he would have felt the aching loneliness being there gave him.

“Hey, what’s this?”