Chapter 6
Mac O’Brady carried an empty box down the shiny corridor of HERO Force New York and headed toward his office. His leg was sore where it met his prosthesis, too much time spent standing up today, but he had a lot to do.
Two years ago, he’d been drunk off his ass in a three-hundred-year-old house in France, hoping—when he was sober enough to hope—that his wife and kids would find their way back to him.
Hawk picked him up out of the dirt, brought him back to the States, and put him in charge of the motley crew of men who became Mac’s shattered SEALs.
He’d only agreed because he thought the move would help him find Ellie, and it had.
When he discovered a serial killer in Mobile, Alabama, had murdered Ellie’s cousin, he used HERO Force’s resources to track down her extended family—a task far easier than locating Ellie herself.
The cousin’s husband had helped Ellie get back on her feet after the murder and had several clues as to her whereabouts since then—clues Mac needed to investigate in person.
But that wasn’t the only thing HERO Force had done for Mac.
Helping these men become useful again had helped him regain his inner strength, the core of who he was as a person, which had become muddled and lost the moment he lost the lower part of his leg in battle.
He understood now why Ellie left, understood exactly what it was she’d been missing.
The whole time he’d been nurturing these men, he’d been nursing himself back to health.
He was ready now to take the next step and do what needed to be done to locate his wife and family, to complete his own journey, no matter the ending.
Much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he was strong enough to make it if she refused to take him back.
Most of the guys were in town tonight, which made this a good time for the announcement he’d been waiting almost three weeks to make. Moto was dealing with his own family shit, and Mac would have to talk to him privately after the fact. There was no reason to put this off any longer.
He put the box on the floor beside his desk and began emptying drawers.
The office supplies he’d leave for Razorback.
Only the personal shit was coming home. He found an empty bottle of whiskey in the bottom drawer behind some file folders, shame filling him as he remembered the transgression.
It had to be almost a year ago, so that, at least, was good.
There was only so much you could expect from an old drunk like him.
He picked up a picture from the top of his desk, Ellie’s laughing eyes winking back at him, and he smiled.
While it was hard to leave a job he’d come to love, the reason he was leaving made it easy.
This was the right decision and the right time for it, time to focus on the only thing that mattered and put all his attention back where it belonged.
The kids were nearly grown now, the memories of his son and daughters piercing in their clarity, and his eyes stung with unshed tears. A stronger man would have hated Ellie for taking them away, but he knew all too well why she’d done it.
Self-hatred was a funny thing. It didn’t stay contained in a little box inside your chest, affecting only you.
It spilled out through your pores, emanating from your soul like a contagious disease.
He’d been terrible to those kids, with a fuse so short it was all but missing, anger and aggravation his dominant emotions.
That wasn’t what a father should be, and he prayed he’d have the chance to make it up to his children.
His eyes roamed the space one last time.
He wasn’t closing the door shut behind him, Jax and Cowboy had been clear.
This was a leave of absence, not a permanent resignation, but as Mac hefted his meager belongings onto his hip, he knew it wasn’t likely he’d be back here any time soon, and if he was being honest, he doubted he’d come back at all. He needed something different now.
A bridge to a new beginning. A final battle to find his love, so perhaps one day he could find peace.
He could see now that might be possible for him, a happy ending that had once been as elusive as rainwater through a paper bag.
He stood, throwing the empty bottle in the trash beside his desk and leaving the box with his belongings on the floor.
It was time for his announcement.
He made his way to the conference room, pleased to find the men all present and accounted for, recessed lights illuminating them like actors on a stage, and his throat clenched at the sight.
Razorback was the only one who knew what this was about, his promotion requiring Mac to prepare him for this day long before now.
“Thanks for coming.” He sat down. “You may be wondering why I called you all here on a Friday at four o’clock. ”
He looked around the table. Sloan and Trace, partners in crime, with their rich senses of humor and deep-running loyalty to the pack.
Gavin and Asher, two of the best tactical minds he’d ever had the privilege of working with.
Brett Champion, the sharpshooter, a lone wolf and consummate ladies’ man.
They were a solid team of soldiers, and while it pained Mac to leave, he knew in his heart they would get on fine without him.
“I’m leaving HERO Force.” A collective gasp went up in the room, the words seeming to hang in the air around them.
He cleared his throat. “It’s time I move on, get busy doing the things that need doing in my own life.
See if I can’t find that bride of mine.” His eyes went from man to man, soaking up the understanding he saw there.
“And my kids.” His voice cracked on the last word, and he hung his head to regain his composure.
“You’ll be missed, man,” said Sloan. “I sure hope you find her.”
“Yeah, I hope you find her,” agreed Asher.
Mac raised his head. “Thank you.”
Champion leaned back in his chair. “You deserve to have her back, Mac. Never doubt that for a second.”
Jesus Christ, he was going to bawl like a baby if he didn’t put an end to this shit. He cleared his throat and gestured to Ian at his right. “Razorback here’s going to be in charge from now on. He’s a strong leader who will look out for the team. I know you’ll be in good hands.”
Gavin stood and crossed to Mac and held out his hand. “It’s been an honor to serve with you. I’ve never had a better commanding officer.”
Mac shook it. They were no longer in the military, yet they were still part of that same team, their brotherhood knowing no bounds. “You’ll make a good one yourself, someday.” His cell phone rang. “It’s Moto. May as well get this over with in one fell swoop.” He answered it. “O’Brady.”
“We have a problem,” said Moto. “My brother’s up to his eyeballs in shit, framed for murder by his real estate client, who was using him to buy property as part of a money-laundering scheme. You’re not going to believe who the client is.”
Mac’s brows drew together. He knew Moto’s brother was in trouble, but this was bigger trouble than he’d imagined. “Who?”
“DeRegina.”
“Archie DeRegina? One of Interpol’s most wanted criminals?”
“The one and only.”
“Holy fuck.” The hair on Mac’s arms went up. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. I need permission to bring Logan in on this case.”
Every bone in his body wanted to take on the case, to help Moto go after this bad guy and defend his brother, but his eyes shot to Razorback’s.
This wasn’t Mac’s baby anymore. He wasn’t the leader of this organization.
“That’s not up to me anymore. I’m leaving HERO Force, effective immediately.
I was just sharing the news with the team. ”
“Jesus, Mac, I’m sorry…”
“No apologies. I’ve got to find my wife. There’s a time for everything on this earth, and the time has come for me to focus my attention on looking for her.”
“I understand. I wish you the best. Godspeed, brother,” said Moto.
“Thank you. Let me put you over to Razorback. He’s in charge now.” He held out his phone to the other man, their eyes meeting, the import of the exchange lost on neither of them.
“Moto, what’s going on?” asked Razorback into the phone, turning away from Mac.
Mac’s throat tightened. It was as it should be, the passing of a baton, but that didn’t make it easier.
He lifted his chin, nodded to each man seated at the table, and slipped quietly out of the conference room.
The phone didn’t belong to him any more than the responsibility he’d just left behind.
“Godspeed, my brothers,” he whispered to the closed door, then turned and walked away.