“How fucking bad?” Trek asked, holding his arm. Blade saw the blood.

“I’ll be fucking fine. Tell me you’re all okay,” Morris interrupted, and cursed as he grabbed the bandages and pressed against his gunshot.

“We’d be lying,” Trek said.

“You got hit?” Blade asked, holding his gun out the window, ready to shoot anything in their path as his arm bleed and throbbed from the pain.

“My side. Clear through,” Vetter said.

“Arm,” Trek said, and hit a few bumps.

“What a fucking mess,” Morris said, sounding disgusted.

“Who the fuck is this guy we risked our lives for anyway?” Trek asked, and Blade looked at the unconscious man in the back of the truck. He looked to be about forty, was bruised and swollen.

“I don’t know, but he owes us his life,” Blade said.

It was another thirty minutes of intense fear, worrying that they could be ambushed or simply blown up by a roadside missile or something as they made their way out of danger and closer to their pick up. Blade glanced at his brothers, all injured, all bleeding, and for what? For this fucking guy who was important to someone willing to spend three hundred grand on them? “I’m done. I’m fucking done,” Blade whispered.



* * * *



Cavanaugh heard his phone buzzing. It was four a.m. He reached for it and saw it was Ace. He slid out of bed. Joanna moaned softly and Flynn pulled her into his arms and locked gazes with Cavanaugh as he squinted. “Ace,” he whispered, and then answered the call as he exited the bedroom.

“Ace?”

“Cavanaugh, sorry about the time, but wanted to give you guys the heads up before Jo gets the call from her brothers’ commander. Their mission didn’t go as planned.”

“No. Fuck, how bad?” he asked and heard the floor creak, then looked and saw Knight and Leif there, buttoning their jeans.

He covered the mouthpiece. “Morris and his team’s mission didn’t go as planned. Ace is filling me in.”

“Go ahead, Ace.”

“Seems they were ambushed. More terrorists than expected I guess. All four were injured.”

“Jesus, are you fucking kidding me? All four of them. How badly?”

“Morris is pretty bad, in the upper thigh, too close for comfort, but he’ll pull through. Was in surgery three days ago and it looks good.”

“Three days ago?”

“They have a rule about Jo and us getting any information until at least one of them is conscious and can make the decision, or five days after. I don’t know. It’s their control bullshit.”

“And the others?”

“Trek and Vetter have flesh wounds and needed stitches, but are in the best shape. Blade needed stitches in his arm, took two to the vest, so he is bruised up and has broken ribs from that.”

“Where are they now, Ace?”

“Pushing to get transported home. Danny is talking with their official commander to make plans to get them here. They’ll need a lot of help, and apparently are insistent on being in their own home and not the hospital.”

“Well, they will need to listen to the doctors.”

“Jo is going to lose it,” Ace said.

“We’ll take care of explaining things to Jo. Just make sure to keep us updated as we know what to tell her. She’ll want answers and to see them.”

“Of course. They’ll be holed up in a military hospital hopefully in South Carolina. We’ll know in a few hours. I’ll call you back. She’ll get a call from a higher up as requested through her brothers’ files. I’ll call if I get more info.”

“Got it, and thanks.”

“Take care of our sister. When she’s ready, we’ll come by later today and deal with it as a family.”

“Okay, not a problem.”

He ended the call and exhaled.

“How bad?” Knight asked.

He explained.

“That’s a close fucking call. All four injured, nearly killed, and they needed surgery? Jo is going to be hysterical with worry. She loves them so much, and worries about them all the time. She’s been emotional since they left,” Knight said to him.

“I know what you mean. She said she’s usually calmer but figures because of the abduction and what was done to her, she’s more sensitive. She tries to fight that.”