Chapter 9 #2
“Oh, Patch. I know about that mission. And what you have failed to understand about yourself is that you’ve always been the kind of man who absorbs the impact of death.
Of other people’s suffering. You hold on to it like a damn badge of honor.
But up until that mission, you were always able to let it go, eventually. ”
He opened his mouth, but she hushed him with a kiss. “I get why that one was hard. The mothers. The children. It was a lot, and you’re one man. You could only be expected to do so much.”
Running a hand over his face, he let out a long breath. “Technically, we were together for five years. But between both our deployments, all we had were stolen moments. That didn’t stop me from falling in love with you. However, there were things about your job that you couldn’t tell me.”
“It always seems to come back to the fucking 73.”
“Maybe, but I didn’t want to stop you from going after what you wanted.
” He chuckled. “I went into that mission believing that when I came out, you and I were going to have the talk… as in the love conversation. For the first time in my life, I thought about things like a family and the future. But that mission stopped me dead in my tracks. I still have nightmares about it.”
“I can only imagine.”
“What’s even wilder is when Hannah told me she was pregnant, I realized what a fool I’d been. I had every intention of banging down your door.”
“But then she was gunned down,” Savvy whispered.
“Yeah.”
A slow silence spread between them. But this time, no distance hung over them. Nothing to separate them. Nothing to keep the raw emotions at bay.
“Of course, Langley happened after that,” he added softly.
“But I spent a lot of time out here in that very cabin.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
“Thinking about you… about us… and what I’d do if given a second chance.
I never believed for one second that was possible.
When McGuire called and you needed my help, I still didn’t think in those terms. Even that first night we had in my cabin, it was all some wild, blurry dream because in my mind, you were always going back. ”
“I still have things I’ll need to deal with, even if I don’t stay with my current post.”
“I know.” He nodded. “And I’m good with that. But I need to know two things.”
“And they are?”
“Is this our second chance? And do you love me?” He peered over her shoulder. “Do you hear that?”
The hum of an engine in the distance tickled her brain. “I do.”
He made a weird noise from deep in his throat. It sounded like a frog. Or maybe a combination of a frog and a gator. She wasn’t sure. It came off like a horn… one long, two short.
“Want me to get McGuire?”
“Nope. I just called him.”
The same noise repeated back, only this time it was two long, two short.
“You boys seriously communicate like that now?”
“When you live in the swamp and your only friends are the creatures that occupy it, you learn their language.” He pressed her onto her stomach as he lay flat on the ground, snagging his rifle.
“Goddammit. One of these days, I will accidentally shoot that man.” He jumped to his feet and raced to the dock.
She was right on his six.
“Rodney, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me?” Patch waved his gun.
“Sorry.” Rodney pointed upstream. “Thought you’d want to know those two strangers are coming downriver. They are by my place, so you’ve got ten minutes before they swing by the bend.”
“Thanks.” Patch handed her his weapon.
“And I got a look under their tarp. They got guns, and not just any kind of weapons. They got machine guns.”
“Fuck,” Patch muttered.
“Want me to run interference?” Rodney asked with a toothless grin.
“Absolutely not.” Patch shook his head. “Those men are dangerous and not my kind of dangerous. Keep heading downriver. We’ll come find you when it’s safe.
If we don’t, just keep going until you get to my new place.
One of my buddies will be there. Tell them what’s going on. They’ll know what to do.”
“You’re the expert.” Rodney nodded before giving his boat a little more gas.
“Go get your brother.” Patch took Savvy by the shoulders. “Tell him we’re going all gator on these assholes, and I need you three to have my six.”
“I don’t understand.”
“McGuire will, and he’ll tell you what to do. Now go.” He turned her, patted her bottom, and gave her shove.
She took off running. Suddenly, the cabin seemed a million miles away, even though it only took a minute to get there. She barreled through the front door, nearly knocking over her brother.
“Jesus, sis. What the hell—”
“Patch is going gator.” She gripped the rifle, sucking in a deep breath. Her lungs burned. “What does that mean?”
“Good fucking Lord,” McGuire mumbled, pointing toward the door.
Savvy turned and gasped. “Is that an alligator skin he’s draping over his body?”
“It is.” McGuire nodded. “He’s going to dip into the water, swim like he’s that dead creature on his back, get under their boat, maybe work out a rivet so it takes on water, or maybe flip it, but we’re to make sure he doesn’t get eaten or shot.
And if he flips that boat, we need to haul those assholes in so we can find out who they’re working for. ”
“That’s a lose-lose scenario.”
“Everything in the swamp is lose-lose,” McGuire said. “But you of all people should be used to that by now.”
“Sadly, that’s true, but I do not want to watch Patch become gator food.” She spun on her heel and made a beeline for the shore, scanning until she found the perfect place to lie down and wait.
Her brother flanked twenty feet upriver and Riven, ten feet below.
Jesus, she saw two sets of eyes in the water, and she couldn’t be sure which one was Patch.
This was not good.