Chapter 18 #2
Then I turn my attention back to my phone, which is now showing an empty security feed. Because by now, whoever entered my property is likely halfway up the driveway and seconds from pulling up behind my truck.
Possibly identities of the driver run through my mind in a blink.
It could be Dorothy, the mail carrier. It could be a politician doing early canvassing for their upcoming campaign. It could be someone selling something, like popcorn for Boy Scouts or a magazine subscription.
All innocuous explanations for an unexpected visitor.
Or.
It could be the fourth accomplice we missed, coming to finish the job.
It could be some sick asshole who saw Hazel’s photo on the dark web and decided he wanted to take her for himself.
Just because Owen, Wyatt, and Kyle claimed they had no intention of kidnapping Hazel and selling her, just because there was no evidence on any of their computers…
Shit. Have I let Hazel down again?
A soft rattling accompanies the car working its way up the driveway. I grab my Sig from its belt holster and hide it behind my back, not wanting it visible in case the visitor really does have an innocent motive and not the sinister one my gut is insisting.
My muscles tense as the car draws closer.
My pulse speeds, but I take long, slow breaths, forcing it to slow down.
If this is an enemy, I need to be ready. Focused. I can’t let myself think about how quickly a simple Saturday morning could shift to violence. I need to think like a warrior. A defender. The hero Hazel believes me to be.
As I wait, the rattling gets louder.
The faint chords of country music join in; some man singing about broken hearts and whiskey.
My hand tightens on the hand of my Sig.
Then the car appears.
I only catch a brief glimpse of the driver. It’s a man. Tall. Blonde hair. Wearing a sweater rather than a hoodie to conceal his face. But it’s not enough to identify him. Not from where I’m standing, more than twenty feet away.
The car shuts off. The driver’s side door opens.
Despite my best efforts to remain calm, my adrenaline surges.
But Hazel’s inside. Safe. She knows what to do if there’s trouble.
Unless she tries to come out to help. Unless she thinks I’m in danger and she—
A man gets out of the car.
As I suspected, he’s tall—at least six foot four. He’s lean, verging on skinny. His face is covered with a thick, blonde beard.
Recognition tugs at me, but it’s gone just as quickly.
His hands are empty of weapons. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one on him.
“Stop,” I call out. “Don’t come any closer. Why are you here?”
The man just looks at me.
Then he raises his hand to his head.
“Stop,” I snap. “Don’t move. Tell me why you’re here.”
He pushes a thick lock of hair back from his forehead before dropping his hand. “Alec,” he says. “I know you have a gun behind your back. Are you really going to shoot me?”
This time it’s not a flash of recognition. It’s a damn tank smashing into me.
I wasn’t looking before. Wasn’t expecting. But now—
I see it.
The unruly hair.
The height.
The angles of his features.
The glint of amusement in his eyes.
And his voice.
Low. Rumbly. With a hint of a Maine drawl.
But it can’t be.
I stare at him in shock. “Sawyer?”
He jerks his head. “It’s me.”
“What—”
But the shock quickly shifts to anger. To betrayal. To worry.
I thought he was dead.
Everyone said he was dead.
But then how is he here? Why? Was the initial betrayal not enough? Is he here on the directives of the enemy?
I pull my weapon from behind my back and aim it at him. My voice is harsh as I bark, “Don’t move.”
Sawyer freezes mid-step. “Alec?” Hurt laces his voice. “What are you doing?”
“Why are you here? How are you here?”
He blinks. Grimaces. Slowly, he raises his hands in the air. “I came to see you, Alec.”
“Why? I thought—” My jaw clenches. “I thought you were dead. Everyone said—”
“I’m not.” He gives me a sad smile. “Obviously. Though I’m getting the feeling you wish I was.”
“No.” It’s immediate. Without thought. And true. Because no matter how terrible the betrayal, there’s too much history between us to want Sawyer dead. “So you’re not dead,” I continue. “Clearly. Did your buddies send you? Figure you could kill more of us on home soil?”
Sawyer flinches. “I would never. I didn’t—”
“You did! You nearly killed all of us. Because of you, Garrett is dead.”
From behind me, a soft voice says, “Alec. Should I call Enzo?”
Shit.
Why did she open the door? Why, when I explicitly told Hazel not to?
In a low tone, I hiss, “Hazel. Get. Inside.”
“But Alec. He’s not—”
“Hazel.”
“Is this your girlfriend?” Sawyer asks. “Shit, is she your wife?” His hands fall to his sides. “Hey, I’m—”
Terror grabs hold of my heart and rips it from my body.
Sawyer is a marksman. A sniper. One of the very best I’ve ever seen. And if he has a weapon on him…
“Hands up!” I shout. My gun raises. “Don’t fucking move!”
Reaching behind me, I clamp my arm around Hazel and drag her against my back.
“Alec.” He sounds sad. “Please. Just let me talk.”
“About what? How you betrayed us? How you sold us out? How you didn’t give a shit about us? You’re a fucking traitor, Sawyer. How dare—”
“I didn’t.” Sawyer takes a step towards me. “Alec. I didn’t. I would never.”
“You did.”
“Alec, let him talk,” Hazel whispers.
“Get back inside,” I tell her. “Call Enzo. And don’t come back out.”
“Alec,” Sawyer says. No. Pleads. “I was set up. It wasn’t me. It was that fucker, Harrington. He took the money. He sold you out. Not me.”
“Why would I believe you? I saw the evidence.”
“Harrington used my name. He planned on setting me up the entire time. And when…” Sawyer shakes his head.
“I was knocked out. During the attack. I didn’t even know until…
Shit. I didn’t know until I woke up in a cell.
That Harrington sold us out. That Garrett was dead. I didn’t know, Alec. I swear.”
“Where were you, then? All these years, where were you?”
Sawyer drops his head. When he looks back up at me, his gaze is dark and haunted. “They held me. In that cell. For four and a half years.”
Reason warns me not to believe him. It tells me he could easily be lying. That there was plenty of evidence proving Sawyer was behind everything.
But my heart wants to believe my old friend.
“How did you get out? If what you’re saying is true?”
“SAC operatives. They were investigating Harrington’s connection with the Taliban. They found me and another POW and got us out.”
“The CIA was involved?” The CIA’s Special Activities Center coordinates the most secretive operations, often sending operatives off the record to complete missions the government doesn’t want to claim responsibility for.
“Yeah.” Sawyer nods. “But only recently. I just got back to the States last week. I was up in Maine with my parents. Just… re-acclimating. But I wanted to see you.”
I’m torn.
“I should have heard about it,” I reply. “Someone would have told me.”
“Maybe,” Sawyer replies. “Maybe not. It’s not a good look for the Army, you know? Having one of their colonels outed as a traitor? But call Command Sergeant Major Wilson. He’ll tell you.”
“Just call him up?” My voice drips with skepticism. “I’m not a part of that world anymore. He’s not just going to take my call like that. I can look into it, but that’ll take—”
“I can call him. He agreed to vouch for me. After everything… Well, he knows I got screwed over. Bad. And he doesn’t want me going to the media. So he’ll talk to me.” Sawyer lifts his chin at me. “Come on, Alec. We both know you’re not going to shoot me. So let me make the call. You’ll see.”
From behind me, Hazel says softly, “Let him call. It can’t hurt, can it?”
But it can.
Still, I nod my head at Sawyer. “Fine. Call him. But no sudden moves. Or I will shoot you. You may think I won’t, but trust me, I will.”
Sawyer eyes me. Understanding fills his gaze. “I get it. You found your one. Like your parents did.”
“Just call,” I tell him roughly. “And put the phone on speaker, if you get to talk to him.”
I’m doubtful.
But five minutes later, everything I believed has been turned on its end.
The command sergeant major did talk to Sawyer. And after a brief hesitation, he confirmed every word Sawyer said.
My old friend—my best friend—wasn’t a traitor.
Colonel Harrington was the one who sold us out. The one who sacrificed Garrett in his pursuit of money. And set Sawyer up to take the blame.
Sawyer was held as a POW for four years in unbearable conditions. He was only rescued a few weeks ago, and the Army has been scurrying to cover its ass ever since.
I thought my friend had betrayed me, but he didn’t.
I spent all this time believing I failed my team, but it was never true.
The emotion is so overwhelming, I can’t bring myself to speak for a full minute.
So instead, sweet, incredible Hazel does it for me.
As I stare at Sawyer, trying to work everything out in my mind, she steps out from behind me and greets him. Invites him inside. And as he slowly approaches the house, she touches my arm and whispers, “I think you can put the gun away now, Alec. I think it’s okay.”
Once Sawyer reaches the front porch, he holds his hand out to Hazel. She takes it and gives him a warm smile. “I’m Hazel,” she says. “Alec’s girlfriend. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Then she puts her hand on my shoulder and murmurs in my ear, “I’m going to go inside. Make something to drink. Maybe some sandwiches, since he looks pretty skinny. You take some time to catch up.”
Her touch breaks me out of my stupor. “Haze.” I re-holster my gun and turn towards her. “Please don’t put yourself in danger like that again. Okay? I don’t think my heart can take it.”
She gives me a small, regretful smile. “I was watching through the window. I thought it looked safe. But you’re right. I’m sorry.”
I palm her cheek, stroking my thumb across her soft skin. “I love you, sweetheart.”
Her expression goes soft. “I love you, too.”
Then she disappears into the house, leaving me out on the front porch with Sawyer.
He stops a few feet from me. His expression is somber. His eyes are sad. “I guess I should have called first. Given everything… But… Being at my parents was fine. I missed them, of course. But I thought… I thought you would understand. What it was like.”
Shit.
“I’m sorry,” I manage through a thickening throat. “I thought… I hated you. For what I thought you did.”
“I don’t blame you,” he replies. “I would have too.”
“But four years…”
“I know.” He sighs. “It’s hard being out. Even though I wanted it more than anything.”
“Sawyer.” My eyes sting. “I missed you.”
He swallows hard. “I missed you, too.”
“Can you forgive me for thinking the worst?”
“Alec.” He takes another step towards me. “Of course.”
“Would you…” I glance at the tree and the deer and his car parked behind mine. “Do you want to come inside? Have lunch?”
“I don’t want to intrude,” he says. “It looks like you guys were about to do some Christmassy stuff. And—”
“It can wait.” I clap his shoulder and drag him into a rough hug. “Come in. Stay for a while. Get to know Hazel better.”
He smiles. “She’s the one, huh? After all this time?”
I nod and smile back at him. “Yeah. She is.”