Chapter 33
Saint crawled on his hands and knees toward Knight, who clutched his leg. Patch ran toward Cole as a missile exploded. Hollywood held his gun on one man while Apollo pinned down another.
“You all right, brother?” Saint yelled to Knight.
“I’m hit. It’s my leg,” Knight yelled. “Where’s Patch?”
“He’s patching Cole,” Saint said. “Our coms aren’t working. The bastards set us up.”
“Where’s the rest of the team?” Knight asked, grunting, as Saint checked his leg.
“We have backup. Apparently, someone alerted them. They’re taking everyone into custody. Will you be all right while I check in with Leo? I haven’t seen him,” Saint said.
Shadow held a gun on one man while he watched another soldier tie his hands and lead him to the truck. The blast's heat intensified as he saw his team limp toward Hollywood.
“Hey, where’s Leo?” he shouted toward them.
“I haven’t seen him since he yelled for me to get down,” Hollywood said as he checked on Apollo and held Striker.
Fear ran through him as he scanned the scene, searching for his leader and friend. Jogging toward Shadow, Saint called, “Where’s Leo?”
“He might be checking on Taco. One of the rebels got him in the vest. It hurts like a mother,” Shadow replied as he lowered his weapon and scanned the crowd.
“Our coms went dead. We need to spread out and find Leo,” Saint said. “It’s not like him to not be down here barking orders and taking names.”
“We’ll start on this side. You go in the other direction, and we’ll meet in the middle,” Shadow suggested. “Let out a whistle when you find him.”
Saint approached Knight and Hollywood. “None of us has seen Leo. Can Apollo track him?”
“Do you have anything of his?” Hollywood asked.
“No. I’m getting worried. Stay here, Knight, and tell Patch we can’t find Leo. We’re searching for him. Shadow will take the other side.
When the team met in the middle with no sign of their leader, their eyes met, conveying their concern.
“All right. Before we panic,” Saint reasoned. “Let’s scour the area where we last saw him.”
Cole cried out as two men lifted him onto a cot and took him to one of the trucks. Two more assisted Knight as Saint started up the mountain.
“Damn it, Leo. It’s time for us to finish this and go home. I’m calling Bryanna from the plane and telling her I want a big batch of snickerdoodle cookies.”
“Leo,” Shadow shouted, glancing in Saint’s direction.
“Shit,” Saint muttered, his tension rising.
Shadow let out a whistle. Saint came running as Taco slowly approached. The circle of men glanced down at a pool of blood and Leo’s bloody pack. His phone lay broken next to a rock.
Saint swallowed. “Did they take him already?”
“No,” Taco said quietly. “I just came from the trucks.”
Nodding, Saint said, “All right. He can’t have gone far. We’ll take this back with us.” He picked up the gear and phone.
Shadow palmed his forehead. “Wait. We’re idiots. Call Tex and ask him to locate Leo. If he sends us the coordinates, we can get to his ass. Obviously, he’s hit.”
“We can’t,” Saint confided. “He forgot it. Grace took it out of his bag when he repacked everything. She put it in her mouth, and he left it out to dry.”
“Fuck,” Shadow whispered. “Split up. Does this appear like footsteps here?”
Saint knelt, studying the indent. “It might be Leo. There’s blood splatter over here. Maybe he fell to his knees?”
The men searched the area until dark. Bringing out their night sights, they scoured the area where they last saw the leader and friend.
When the sun rose over the desert, Saint called a halt. “We need to work in shifts. We have to check on the rest of the team. I’m calling Rebecca. She may be able to get us some help. Leo’s name opens doors.”
“We can’t leave him,” Shadow said.
“We’re not,” Saint denied. “We need to regroup. We’ve scoured the entire area, and there’s no sign of him. Someone knows something. We need Sparky to talk to the rebels. Maybe they will know where Leo went or who’s holding him.”
“Good idea,” Shadow said. “Leo would want us to take care of each other.”
Saint shoved Shadow. “Don’t talk like that. He’s not dead. It’s Leo. He’s probably figuring out a way to get back to us. Someone has to have him.”
Shadow shoved Saint back. “We will not tear each other apart. He’s our brother, and we won’t do him any good by thinking with our emotions. Take a glance at the puddle of blood and his belongings. They’re coated. No one can lose this much blood without receiving medical help, right, Patch?”
The group turned toward their corpsman. “It’s a lot of blood,” he said quietly. “We’ve searched for hours. Without medical intervention, chances are slim he made it. Let’s be real. What kind of care will he get from anyone around here?”
“Leo will fight,” Saint said. “He has a family.”
“We all have families,” Taco said. “We know the risks of this job.”
The men stood in silence, unable to comprehend Leo was gone.
“Let’s return. We’ll make some calls, check on our teammates, and schedule shifts. We won’t leave him here. You have my word,” Saint said, recognizing his new status as second in charge, making him sick to his stomach.
The men climbed into their vehicles, their chests heavy with sorrow and worry.
They checked in with the guard.
Glancing at them, he handed their credentials back. “Your teammates, Sparky and Sergeant Taylor, are being held for an ongoing investigation.”
“What the fuck?” Taco said. “What investigation? We took down an entire unit of traitors.”
“They killed three men and wounded another inside your barracks,” the guard informed them.
They parked their truck, and everyone got out.
“Shadow, check on Sparky and Sergeant Taylor. I’m headed to the infirmary with Patch,” Saint ordered.
“Taco, you head to our barracks and take pictures before they kick you out. Grab as much of our stuff as possible. We don’t need anyone grabbing our computers or anything else.
Hollywood, stay with the dogs and guard the truck.
Then, circle the area. Keep your ears out on what they’re saying. ”
“Will do, bo—” Taco couldn’t say it, and Saint clasped his shoulder. “It’s only temporary. We’ll find our brother,” he assured him.
* * *
Shadow entered the area where they held the two women.
“I’m here to see my teammate and Sergeant Taylor,” Shadow informed the guard.
“I don’t have any orders saying they have visitor privileges,” he explained.
“She’s blind and has been attacked. If I don’t get to see her, I’ll be raising hell like you’ve never seen,” Shadow seethed.
“I have my orders,” the guard stayed firm.
His nostrils flared as he picked up the phone and called Rebecca Rhodes, the CIA agent they worked closely with.
“Rebecca Rhodes,” she answered.
“It’s Shadow. We got set up. We killed or injured an entire dirty unit.
Someone came into our barracks, and they’re holding Sparky.
There’s another woman named Sergeant Taylor.
She may be listed in the system as Sergeant Loser.
She helped us with the investigation. They say they killed three soldiers and injured one. They won’t let me see her.”
“I’ll make some calls. Where’s Leo?”
Shadow hung his head. “We don’t know. He’s injured, but we haven’t found him. We’ve searched for hours. We came in to regroup and check on the others. Knight and Cole have injuries. We don’t know the extent yet,” he said quietly.
“I’ll make the calls. Our team will be in the air within an hour. We’ll find him,” she assured him.
“Saint’s in charge. They won’t let me check on Sparky,” Shadow said.
“Stay there. You’ll see her in a few minutes,” Rebecca said firmly.
He walked back to where the guard stood and waited.
“You need to leave the premises,” the military policeman named Smith ordered. “Your friend will be transported out in the morning. You can sort things out then.”
“I’m not leaving,” he said quietly. “We lost people today, and I need to know what happened.”
“You can speak with her once we exchange custody,” the man smirked.
His phone rang. Keeping an eye on Shadow, he answered.
“Private Smith speaking.”
“Private Smith, you’re speaking with Special Agent Rebecca Rhodes. Colonel Harris will bring you the paperwork to release Sparky Bennings and Sergeant Taylor into the custody of Serenity Securities. I expect you’ll cooperate fully until I arrive.”
“I have no orders,” Private Smith told her. “I’m to hold them until the FBI gets here. Sergeant Taylor will be held here.”
“You will release them into the custody of Serenity Securities. I’ll stay on the phone until you receive the paperwork,” Rebecca said coolly. “I’ll take your first and last name, along with your rank, in the meantime.”
Private Smith shifted uncomfortably as he gave her the details.
Five minutes later, a man rushed in, holding paperwork.
Hanging up the phone, he opened the file, read it, and slammed it down on his desk.
“Private Kerr, take this man back to Sparky Bennings and Sergeant Taylor. They’ll be leaving with them.
He can figure out the details on his own. ”
Shadow followed the man back to the makeshift cells. Sparky sat in the corner, huddled up. Her face appeared blotchy from crying, and blood coated her clothes. When the door opened, he rushed to her side.
“Sparky, did you get hurt?” he asked.
“Shadow?” she sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck.
“It’s all right,” he said, hugging her tightly. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“They won’t tell me anything about Ice. They shot him,” she sobbed.
“We’ll find him,” he assured her. “Where’s Sergeant Taylor?”
Sparky gripped his arm tightly as he pulled her to her feet.
“She’s right next door,” Private Kerr volunteered. Opening the door, he stepped back for Shadow to enter.
Placing Sparky’s hand on the bar, he said, “Stay here. I have to check on Taylor.”
He knelt beside the cot, taking in the bruises covering her. They appeared fresh, along with cuts to her face and arms.
“Sergeant Taylor,” he said, shaking her gently. “I’m here to take you. Can you walk?”
Her eyes opened and shut as she moaned.