40. Blaze
BLAZE
Nobody spoke.
Rain pounded the roof hard enough to shake the old farmhouse while Ava stood at the top of the staircase with four guns aimed directly at her chest.
And somehow?
She looked more exhausted than afraid.
“Which brother?” I asked quietly.
Ava’s eyes shifted to me immediately.
“Caleb.”
Every nerve went tight.
Behind me, Trigger muttered:
“Oh, this just got deeply personal.”
Yeah.
It did.
Because Caleb McDougal had never done anything halfway. Saving people included.
My older brother threw himself into danger like breathing was optional.
Last I heard, he was somewhere overseas doing work nobody officially admitted existed.
Wolf lowered his weapon slightly.
“Afghanistan?”
Ava nodded once.
“Six years ago.”
Lightning flashed through the shattered bedroom window.
For one second the room turned white.
Then darkness again.
Ava slowly holstered her gun first.
Smart move.
“I was embedded with a joint intelligence unit near Kandahar,” she said quietly. “Our convoy got hit.”
Her voice stayed calm.
Too calm.
Like she’d told herself this story too many times already.
“Most of the team died in the first thirty seconds.”
Silence settled heavily through the room.
Hersh’s expression didn’t change.
Mine probably didn’t either.
Because men like Caleb saw horrors that most people couldn’t survive.
Ava continued carefully.
“We were supposed to be transporting intelligence assets.” Her jaw tightened briefly. “Instead we drove into an ambush.”
Trigger crossed his arms.
“And Caleb?”
A sad laugh escaped her softly.
“He came out of nowhere.”
That sounded about right.
“He and two men found us pinned down in a canyon.” Ava looked down briefly. “I was hit twice. One of my agents lost a leg.”
Rain hammered harder outside.
“He carried me three miles through enemy territory after the helicopter couldn’t land.”
Wolf whistled quietly.
“Yeah. That sounds like a McDougal.”
I looked away briefly.
Because it did.
Ava’s eyes returned to me slowly.
“Your brother saved six people that night.”
Flick looked at me carefully now.
Like she was trying to understand where men like us came from.
And honestly?
I wasn’t sure anybody ever fully could.
Ava exhaled slowly.
“After that, Caleb told me something.”
My attention sharpened instantly.
“What?”
Her expression turned serious.
“He said if I was ever truly desperate…” Her eyes moved around the room. “…find the Rangers in Eagle River.”
Trigger blinked.
“Wait. We’re an emergency contact?”
Wolf looked mildly offended.
“You say that like we’re not lovable.”
“You threatened a man with bleach tonight.”
“Still lovable.”
Under any other circumstances Flick would’ve smiled.
Tonight she stayed close against my side.
Quiet.
Thinking.
I was sure she was remembering Caleb; he was always saving people, even as a boy.
Ava looked toward the scattered surveillance photos again.
And all humor disappeared from the room.
“I didn’t know Mercer was tied to Juárez,” she admitted quietly. “Not until tonight.”
Wolf frowned.
“But you suspected something.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Ava hesitated.
Too long.
My voice dropped colder.
“Ava.”
She met my eyes carefully.
“I think Mercer has people inside federal witness relocation.”
The room went dead silent.
Flick stiffened beside me instantly.
Trigger swore under his breath.
Tate would absolutely love hearing that one.
Wolf’s jaw tightened.
“How deep?”
“We don’t know.”
We.
Interesting.
I caught that immediately.
“So you’re not alone.”
Ava’s face changed instantly.
Tiny reaction.
Enough.
“There are people trying to stop him,” she said carefully.
“Off-book?” Wolf asked.
She nodded once.
No federal task force.
No official operation.
This was deeper than that.
Corruption high enough nobody trusted the system anymore.
Jesus Christ.
Flick’s voice came quietly beside me.
“My father figured it out.”
Everyone looked at her.
Tears shimmered in her eyes again, but her voice stayed steady now.
“He realized people inside the system were watching me.”
Ava’s expression softened instantly.
“Yes.”
The single word hit hard.
Too hard.
Flick swallowed painfully.
“That’s why he panicked before he died.”
Nobody corrected her.
Because deep down?
We all believed it now.
Then Ava looked toward the empty space inside the box.
And the fear returned to her face immediately.
“What exactly was missing from here?”
Wolf crossed his arms.
“We were hoping you’d tell us.”
Ava stared at the photographs spread across the floor.
Then suddenly froze.
Completely.
“Oh no.”
Every instinct inside me sharpened instantly.
“What?”
Ava looked up slowly.
Terrified now.
“Your father didn’t just hide letters.”
Lightning exploded outside.
And Ava whispered:
“He was collecting evidence.”