Chapter 22
The next day, Kassie kissed Chase on the tarmac and hugged him tightly. “Stay safe and be careful.”
“You have my word. We’ll all be home together soon,” he assured her. The unspoken words hung between them. All of them, except for Leo.
Rocker entered the plane, giving the couples time alone.
“I packed some snacks for the ride home,” she reminded him.
Samantha clung to Whiskey tightly. “If you have any setbacks, be sure to tell Doc. I don’t understand why you need to go. They’re all coming home.”
“I’m their leader, Sunshine. Saint will go into the field, but my men need to see our strength as a team. It will be all right. Leo never stopped searching for me, and it feels wrong for me not to at least show up for him,” he explained quietly.
“I understand,” she said softly. Tears pooled in her eyes. “Come home to me.”
“I promise,” he vowed.
The two men watched their wives climb into the car and drive away. They climbed the stairs with heavy hearts for what lay ahead.
When they entered the plane, they gasped in shock to see Joe and Jake sitting in the seats with a cup of coffee in their hands.
“Since when did the military not take off on time?” Jake demanded.
“What do you two think you’re doing here? We’re taking off any minute,” Doc asked as he stored his stuff in the overhead bins.
Joe glanced at Jake and nodded.
Jake stared at the two men. “The way I figure it, my son-in-law is gone. I’ve watched my wife and daughter struggle over how to handle this funeral. I can’t do much, but I plan to escort him home.”
Doc glanced at Joe. “You know Maddie and Kassie will have my ass for this. It’s dangerous.
You’ve only recently recovered from having a stroke.
The desert gets hot and miserable. We haven’t spoken with the team, but they know we’re coming.
We’re hoping it means they’ve made some progress locating his remains.
How about I call you and have you meet us here at the airport? You two can escort him from there.”
“Leo saved my daughter, my granddaughter, and my son-in-law. We may be older, but we’re still capable of kicking your asses. Maddie will fuss for a while, but she’ll understand our need to bring him home in honor.”
Doc sighed and shook his head as he took his seat. Whiskey stowed his stuff and sat beside him.
The pilot turned on the intercom. “Please fasten your seatbelts, and we’ll be on our way once we receive clearance.”
The engines roared to life, and the plane taxied down the runway and stopped.
“Folks, it appears we have orders from the tower to return to the gate. You forgot something,” the pilot announced.
“I kin not think of anything we forgot,” Whiskey muttered, his Irish accent deepening.
The plane returned, and the door opened. Patch and Knight entered carrying their packs.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Whiskey asked. “Your wives gave birth yesterday.”
“We talked about it last night. Leo was our leader, too. We’ll be damned if we don’t bring him home,” Patch said, tossing his bag into the bin.
“Claire and Gabby gave us their blessing,” Knight assured the men.
“You know we’re retrieving the team to come home for Leo’s funeral. If they haven’t found him since our last conversation, you’re missing out on the first days with your children,” Whiskey warned.
“We understand,” Patch said, buckling his seatbelt.
Pushing the button to the pilot, Whiskey said, “Let’s get going.”
“Wait, we can’t leave without our driver,” Knight said as Hollywood entered with his crutch.
Whiskey rubbed his forehead. “No wonder Leo went insane. Dealing with you bunch drove him there. Get your ass in the seat before the Serenity women all show up and demand to go. We’re trying to keep things peaceful, and since Victoria has trained them, I don’t doubt they’d try.”
Knight helped Hollywood with his bag, and they settled into their seats.
The pilot turned the plane around and taxied down the runway again. The team grabbed coffee, and Whiskey pulled out a map, updating them on what happened since their last debriefing.
“How long will we keep this under wraps?” Doc asked. “She’s working within our military. Who knows who else might be helping her with sensitive information?”
“Ivan’s men have penetrated the villages.
They have their ears to the ground, and we have someone on the inside.
Cora returned to the K-9 base. She agreed to act as our eyes and ears in exchange for an early discharge.
Her commander believes they coerced her into leaving.
She’s reporting to Saint. Tonight, they expect Maryam Alizai to visit the K-9 unit.
The team plans to nab her,” Saint informed them.
“Do they have enough people to pull it off?” Doc asked worriedly.
“They’ve got it figured out,” Whiskey replied. “They’re determined to make the people responsible for Leo’s death pay.”
“Hooyah,” Knight agreed.
“Maybe she’ll give up where they buried him,” Patch said hopefully.
Whiskey uncomfortably rubbed his chin. “I think they’re planning to send her home with Ivan.
They want answers. If she doesn’t provide them, she’ll go missing and head to Russia.
Ivan promised to extract the information from her and report back to the team.
We can’t be accountable for anything when we’re not there. ”
“She’s killed too many of our brothers and sisters in arms for me to give a shit,” Doc said. “Leo attempted to stop her. She killed him even if she didn’t do it by her own hand.”
Clearing his throat, Whiskey gazed at his men.
“We’ve informed Michael. It’s time to tell you.
This mission will never be over until Leo comes home.
We will send a team over monthly to maintain the search.
Catherine and Kassie will not be privy to this information.
Catherine needs closure for her family. For us, we won’t get it until he finds his resting place on top of the mountain.
He belongs with his family. We won’t stop until Leo comes home. ”
Each man nodded in agreement.
“Let’s get to work. Saint wants us to meet him here if their plans succeed. Point B will be here,” he pointed on the map.
When they finished, Hollywood propped up his leg and napped.
Knight and Patch showed pictures of Ella and Ryder Leo.
Whiskey went down his checklist. Joe and Jake played cards.
Doc flipped through his phone, recalling all the memories he and Leo shared.
He couldn’t believe his friend was gone.
A lump formed in his throat. When they returned, they’d hold a funeral and move forward as Leo wanted. Then, why did it feel wrong?
He stared out the window, praying they found and brought home his remains. He watched the team search for Whiskey and abandon friendships over disagreements. These men represented his family, and he didn’t want to lose a single one.
Glancing at Joe and Jake, he imagined the conversations when Maddie and Carol figured out what the two older men decided.
Whiskey might keep them busy until they flew home.
Leo would laugh at the absurdity. The thought made Chase grin.
Leo gave him the brothers and sisters he never had as an only child.
He gave him a family to replace the one he lost on the mountain.
Serenity needed to bring their hero home.