Chapter 20 #2
“There might be more missions coming up as Junta gets our voluntary database up and running,” Crash emphasizes the word voluntary, and I hear both Erick and Sly grunt their approval.
I exchange a look with Packard, because I told him no one would be okay with chipping shifters or enforcing registration, especially in the closed communities.
He nods and fights not to roll his eyes.
“Otherwise, per Agent Castor, the FBI has more than enough evidence to link Vantz and Sethegh to a couple of billionaires and US Congressmen, but he said we’ll have to wait to see it break on national news to find out who they are.
Also, we recovered footage from your necklace, Doralee.
Everything from the auction to the moment Lucas yanked it off your neck made it onto the SIM card, and the FBI will be handing it over to a trusted individual within the Executive branch so the corruption within DHS can be cleaned up.
He said to call him when you are ready.”
“Okay.” My mate squeezes my fingers and nods.
“That’s it. Any questions?” Colonel Packard asks.
I shake my head. While I’m in no shape to ride my motorcycle back to Broken Falls, I would like to take my mate away for a long weekend. I’ve yet to wine and dine her, and there is our future to discuss.
All the SpecOps guys stand, but Crash pauses and waits for the active duty guys to walk out. “Could I get ten minutes, Cricket?”
Pressing a kiss to Doralee’s cheek, I push back from the table and nod. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Come on, Doralee. Let’s find some food.” Erick lets me know he has my mate with those five words, and Sly follows them out of the war room.
“Let’s take a walk.” Crash points to the door.
“If you kill me, my mate is going to be really mad. I watched her shoot Sethegh in the junk, just saying.” I follow him out, trying to keep the mood light.
Honestly, after everything that has happened, I’m ready to leave the past in the past. Maybe this is a product of finding, marking, and claiming my mate, but I can’t be bothered with petty shit at this point.
I’m looking forward to starting a family and filling my mate’s belly with kittens.
He snorts. “I’m not going to kill you, and not only because I one hundred-percent believe she’d kick my ass.”
We walk through a set of double doors and down two flights of stairs to the medical bay where surgeries and shit happen.
I was recuperating on the main floor, and although I’m sure I was down here for surgery, I’ve never actively walked down here.
He uses a badge and accesses a secure area, holding the door open for me.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about our last conversation. ”
“The one on top of the containers?” I presume that’s what he’s talking about because everything else has been mission-related or operation rescue Doralee.
“Yeah.” He stops in the hallway and slides his hands in his pockets. “For years, Mom begged me to fix things with you.”
Staring at my brother’s face, I wait patiently while his eyes search the ground. Finally, I speak. “I didn’t know you kept in contact with her after you left.”
He nods. “She tracked me down at school, chewed my ass, and refused to let me cut her out of my life.”
I shake my head, a well of anger and grief filling inside of me. “She never told me.”
“I asked her not to, but I saw you many times in those last few weeks at the hospital. I’d scent you getting off the elevator and would duck out of the room before you arrived.”
My mind flips through memories of that time, the antiseptic in the air, beeping machines, terrifying alarms—it was a lot for a shifter with acute senses to take in. “Holy shit. Old Spice. You’d drown yourself in that shit to throw me off.”
He brings his eyes up. “Mom used to bitch about it too, but I knew you hated it enough that you wouldn’t try to suss it out—only air it out.”
I close my eyes, hot tears building behind my eyeballs as I remember her last day.
“You were by her side when she died. I was late that morning because I overslept after spending the night searching for all her paperwork—bank accounts, insurances, and the deed to the house. The lawyer was scheduled to meet us later that day with a notary, so I could get everything split between two trusts—one for you and one for me. But when I walked into the room, it reeked of Old Spice. The nurses said I missed her by three minutes. They weren’t even done unhooking her from the machines. ”
Crash nods, tears rolling down his face. “Yeah, I was with her. The last thing she asked me to do was tell you she loved you.”
I can’t stop myself; I grab fistfuls of his shirt and slam him against the nearest wall.
Hot tears stream down my cheeks as I bury my head against his chest—half shaking and half clinging to him for dear life.
“Fuck you, Crash! I thought she died alone. I’ve hated a part of myself for letting her die alone. ”
His arms hang uselessly at his sides. “She wasn’t alone, and she loved you very much, Cricket. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for everything. You were right. I am jealous. I’ve been jealous of you our whole lives, and I have no excuse.”
He sniffles and I take a step back, pulling him with me.
I let go of his shirt and wrap my arms around his shoulders, the tears falling harder when he wraps his arms around me.
We hug for an ungodly amount of time—although it might be less than a minute—but it’s long enough for the tears to stop falling.
He drops his arms and takes a step back, his eyes on our feet.
“You made yourself a nice family, man. Another thing to be jealous of,” he chuckles mirthlessly. “Erick and Sly would kill for you. I’m guessing the rest of them would too. So, I have something for you and your family in Broken Falls.”
“What?”
He walks down the hallway and motions for me to follow with a wave of his hand. “More family.”
Wiping my eyes, I follow him to an observation room with a giant window where a huge Kodiak brown bear, almost as big as Kade, sits in the corner staring at the wall.
“Who is that?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
“It’s Kash. He was deployed in Ukraine when a rocket strike took down a building.
The best we can tell, he took either shrapnel or a chunk of concrete to the head, shifted to protect himself, and then got confused.
I know Kade has been calling Colonel Packard, but we didn’t want to report on Kash until we found him.
We had two teams searching the Carpathian mountains for months looking for him, but we only found him in a cave two weeks ago, and we only got him back here a few days ago.
” Crash presses his lips together as I stare at Kash being kept like a zoo animal.
“He is Colonel Packard’s big problem… the reason he left the compound early,” I guess.
“Yes. He wants a chance to fix him before calling his family.”
“What? No.” I shake my head. “Packard needs to tell Kade now. What’s wrong with him?”
“According to the doctors, he has a TBI, but there’s no swelling in his brain and no permanent damage per the scans. He should be able to shift, or at least speak to us telepathically, but he can’t seem to remember how to do either.”
Crash waits for me to pull my gaze off Kash and look at him.
“I promise I will protect him here. Meanwhile, borrow my truck, load up your bike, and take your mate on a leisurely romantic trip back to Broken Falls. When you get there, give me a call. I’ll give you a status update on Kash and answer any of Kade’s questions. ”
I shake my head. “He’s going to wring my neck and then storm this facility.”
Crash nods. “I expect nothing less. If Kade wants to come, I’ll let him in myself.”
“Packard could court martial you for telling us this.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Then why are you telling me?”
“Because, like I said, you’ve made yourself a nice family, and I’m not going to stop you from being whole.”
I turn my gaze back to Kash, who doesn’t look anything like the bear I remember. Even in his animal form, he was fun and a bit goofy. This bear is miserable, and it breaks my heart.
“You know, you could come visit us in Broken Falls. I think you’d like it up there,” I say without looking at him. We’ve been more vulnerable and emotional with each other in the last fifteen minutes than I think we have our whole lives.
“Yeah, man. Maybe someday.” Crash slides his hands in his pockets again and walks toward the entrance. “Take your time here. I’ll grab my truck keys and a couple changes of clothes for you, and set them on your bed.”
“Is that it, Crash? Is this goodbye?” I stare at his retreating back.
He pauses in the door and looks back at me. “I hope not, Cricket.”