“Me.”
“And you aren’t going to tell us who the hell you are?”
“No. It’s safer this way.”
“For us or for you?”
“Yes.”
Great.
Ryker groaned.
Ajax turned to look at him, lifting a brow. They were either in this together or not at all.
“Fuck,” Ryker muttered.
Ajax agreed. It wasn’t as though they could tell this woman they would not be willing to go in and rescue their own men. He turned back to face the phone. “What’s the plan?”
“Pull your shit together, lay off the cookies, and be prepared to travel in two weeks.”
“Who’s paying for all this?” Ajax asked.
“I am.”
“How will we know where to go or what to do?”
“Serena will be traveling with you. She’ll be told when and where to meet up with my contact when you arrive.”
“What?” all three yelled at once.
For Ajax, the thought of this soft woman in the pencil skirt traveling to fucking Ethiopia with him was preposterous. She obviously worked hard to be taken seriously. Standing tall. Keeping her expression tight and serious. All business. But his instinct told him she was more like a dandelion underneath the fake exterior.
That wasn’t the most shocking part of Charley’s announcement, however. The part that made Ajax lift both brows and glance at Serena was that she too was obviously blindsided by this news.
“Charley,” Serena began, “at no time did you mention me traveling with these gentlemen.” She was clearly just as uninterested as Ajax was. Traveling to Ethiopia was dangerous under normal circumstances. He would have his guard up the entire time. And that would be when he was in populated areas surrounded by civilians.
As soon as he left civilization to hunt down his squad, the last thing he’d need was to worry about this feather of a woman. No way. Not a chance. “That’s a dealbreaker,” he told Charley.
Serena flinched and shot him a narrowed look that could have melted a cast-iron pan. She may not have had any intentions of going either, but she sure didn’t like the decision coming from him.
“Nonnegotiable. Serena goes with you. I’ll overnight you the details in a few days. Plane tickets and all the information you’ll need to get started. When you arrive, you’ll stay in a hotel in Addis Ababa the first night. After that, you’ll meet up with my contact and be given further instructions.”
Ryker slapped his hands onto the table again, fingers wide, fingertips white from gripping the surface. “How do we know this isn’t a trap intended to get both of us killed so that whoever fucked up this mission can wipe their hands clean of possible loose ends?”
Serena leaned forward and pushed the top piece of paper in the open manila folder to one side, her fingers moving slowly to reveal the second page.
Ajax's breath hitched and caught. “Motherfucker,” he breathed out. He yanked the entire stack of pages off the table and started flipping through them while Ryker did the same with his set of documents.
“Fuck,” Ryker muttered.
The first several pages were pictures of the rest of their squad. They were grainy and black and white, but there was no mistaking the images of their comrades. Recent images. Their brothers looked like shit. Three months of neglect.
Fuck.
Whoever this Charley woman was, she had them both by the balls. There wasn’t a chance in hell either of them would leave men behind for any reason. Even if Charley was fucking with them and intended to have the two of them killed the moment they stepped off the plane, it was a risk Ajax would have to take. And he knew Ryker would too.
Plus, why send Serena with them if Charley intended to have them both killed? That part made no sense.
Apparently, Ajax was headed back to Ethiopia.
Chapter 2
“I still can’t believe it’s you,” Ajax said as he followed Ryker into his hotel room and dropped his duffle on the floor.
Ryker turned to stare at Ajax, shaking his head. “It’s like I’m looking at a ghost.”
“Yeah.” That was an understatement. Ajax had shed tears over the loss of his brother. Lots of them. And here he was. Not dead. He lifted both hands, held one palm open, and punched it with his other fist. “I swear to God, if I ever get my hands on whoever created this entire lie…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Ryker would know exactly what he intended.
“Get in line.”
“Should we call Dad?”
Ryker shook his head and gave a half-grin. “No. I say we fly back together tomorrow and show up.” He glanced down, fisting his hands. “Man’s been out of his mind with sorrow. Mom too.”
Ajax ran his hands over his head and through his ridiculously long hair. He hadn’t cut it since he’d arrived in the US. Apparently, Ryker hadn’t either. He had no interest in sitting down. Too much pent-up energy.
“Why didn’t you contact them?” Ryker asked, his voice lower.
Ajax knew who “them” was. Mom and Dad. Frank and Nancy Holt, their foster parents, the people who took Ryker in when he was five and Ajax when he was twelve. The people who loved him and turned him into a man.
Ajax started pacing. “Navy fucked with my head, man. Told me inexplicable shit about that mission. Made it seem like I’d be shunned if I ever showed my face to Mom and Dad.”
Ryker was breathing heavily. “Sounds about right. Only I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Not with my head on backward. Not gonna lie, I’ve thought about taking my own life a few times.”
“Me too.” Ajax stared at his brother for long moments.
Fuck. The anguish was indescribable. “What did you tell them? What did Dad say?”
Ryker swallowed. “Told Dad the truth. That I had no memory of the mission. That the Navy insisted I had gone rogue and that my entire team had died because of it.”
“And Dad? Was he disappointed?”
Ryker scratched his head. “Funny thing is he wasn’t. I don’t think he believed it. He didn’t say as much, but his brow was furrowed while I told him the absurd tale. He stood a few feet away, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Never said a word while I told him. When I was done, he took a breath and said, ‘Nothin’ you can do about it now, son. Let’s get your life back on track.’” Ryker rubbed his eyes as he finished speaking.
Ajax swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d been spared that conversation.
“You’ve been at your sister’s all this time then?”
“Yeah. She offered me a place to stay, didn’t nag me for answers, and let me grieve. She doesn’t have much. Her trailer’s a shithole. I’ve been helping fix her roof and trying to help her out as much as I can.
“At least when I was doing physical labor, I wasn’t thinking as hard. Every time I slowed down, ghosts would haunt me. I drowned myself in beer and whiskey most nights. Tried to hide it from her kid. Jock’s only eight. He didn’t need to see his uncle having a drunken meltdown on the fucking couch. He’s had it rough so far.”
“Damn. That sucks.”
Ajax pulled in a long breath. “Yeah, but Kelly’s clean, ya know. She’s never done drugs, never smoked, doesn’t even drink. She’s got a job at the diner. She’s a good mom. I wish I could do more for her. Her dad’s a piece of work. Man fucked with her head. Almost feel sorry for the devil when that asshole shows up at the gates of hell. At least he’s in prison now and unable to wreak havoc on her life from behind bars.”
Ryker smirked. “Kelly did get a raw deal, but you’ve always done right by her, man. You’re a good guy.”
Ajax wandered over to the window and stared down at the parking lot, seeing nothing. Kelly was his stepsister. Ajax’s mom had married her dad when Ajax had been six and Kelly had been four. Man had been an asshole, and Ajax had spent the next six years protecting Kelly from her own dad.
It was possible he might have even been able to save her from a lot more heartache in the
long run, but his own mom had died when Ajax was twelve. His stepfather hadn’t wanted to raise the bastard child who’d been living in his home, so he turned him over to the state.
Ajax rubbed a hand down his face.
Ryker spoke from behind him. “When you gonna stop beating yourself up over Kelly? You were twelve, man. You couldn’t have done a damn thing differently. On top of that, you’ve always gone above and beyond keeping tabs on her. Sending her money even. She wouldn’t be the woman she turned out to be if you hadn’t been there for her.”
“Yeah, I know. I just wish I could have done more.” Ajax turned around and leaned his ass against the window sill. He shook off thoughts of Kelly and centered himself. “What a clusterfuck. I wish I had a clue what happened that day we got ambushed.”
“I don’t remember a damn thing either. Woke up in Germany, got sent home, discharged. It all happened so fucking fast.”
“Same here. I don’t even remember the day. Nothing. I’m not even sure I remember the previous day. They all run together. Fucking psychiatrist said it’s normal, but it’s bothered me all this time, and now I want to kill someone.”
“You and me both, but we gotta pull it together. Get our shit straightened out. Get our asses back in Ethiopia and find our Goddamn teammates.”
“You think this Charley woman is legit?” Ajax shuddered. “Half of me thinks we’re walking into a trap and we’re going to be dead less than two hours after setting foot in Africa. I mean, we’re a liability to someone. They gotta know eventually I would’ve gone home. We would’ve found each other. Reconnected. Known we’d been lied to.”
“Yeah, but what good would that have done us? You know exactly what we would have done next.”
“Yep. Hunted down the families of the rest of our squad. Learned they were all supposedly dead.”
“Exactly.” Ryker sighed. “And who the fuck were we going to contact about it? I doubt our commander knows anything. I refuse to believe he had a thing to do with this. We were set up. And the coverup goes deep.”
“You suppose we were all meant to die and we fucked that plan up by arriving too late or too early?”
“Don’t know, man. It’s hard to imagine why someone in the government would want to kill off eight Navy SEALs. Maybe we were all meant to be captured instead and you and I fucked that up by getting knocked out. They had to have been covering up something huge to go to all this trouble.” Ryker shrugged. “But we’re talking about fucking Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the word. What’s so important there?”
Ajax didn’t have answers. “Something, or someone, was important enough to send in a SEAL platoon. Our squad was obviously lead and the other was on backup. Were we rescuing an HVT?” he asked, referring to a high value target. “Or were we killing someone?”
He stared at Ryker for several long moments, unable to remember. He needed to change the subject. “I still can’t believe we’re standing in the same room. I’m wondering if I’m dreaming.”
Ryker smirked again. “I know.” He tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling a moment before lowering it again, an odd expression on his face. “What do you suppose is up with Pencil Skirt?”
Ajax chuckled. “I don’t know but the woman has damn fine legs that go on forever, especially in those heels.”
Ryker cocked his head to one side. “You thought she was hot?”
“Like you didn’t?”
Ryker shrugged. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. She’s not really my type.”
Ajax laughed. “Because she’s got black hair?”
“Yep. Still prefer blondes.”
“Yeah, but did you not see that woman’s ass? All tight and firm in that fucking skirt? She had a damn fine figure.”
“For a flight attendant,” Ryker added. “Or even a lawyer. Imagine stepping into the courtroom and having to face her.”
“Nah. Not a lawyer. She’s too soft.”
“You thought she was soft? She looked pretty firm to me. Her calves were shapely. Her biceps looked pretty hard.”
“Aha, so you did notice. What’d you do? Ignore her head so you wouldn’t have to notice her silky black hair and porcelain skin?”
Ryker laughed. “I saw her. Just because my dick wasn’t hard doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate her. What I can say is that I don’t need her strapped to my side in fucking Ethiopia.”
“Ain’t that the truth. And for the record, it wasn’t her body I thought was soft. It was something inside her. She was working hard to appear to be tough. I bet she’s not so tough at the core.”
“I agree. She has a story,” Ryker stated.
“What the fuck is Charley’s agenda?”
“I don’t have a clue, but I do know there’s a lot she didn’t tell us.”
“Agreed.” Ajax rubbed his temples again. “Let’s order a damn pizza and some beer. I’m starving for the first time in three months. Might even be able to taste the damn thing now that I’ve seen your ugly face is alive.”
Ryker smirked. “Dad is going to shit himself. And Mom is going to ugly cry for an entire day.”
Chapter 3
When the Uber driver pulled up to the farmhouse where he’d spent the six most formative years of his life, Ajax climbed out, grabbed his bag, and stared at the front porch for a moment.
He was glad no one was outside. He needed a second. Everything looked exactly as it had the last time he’d been home. Granted, it hadn’t been that long. Less than a year, but that year had been a lifetime.
Ryker clapped Ajax on the back. “Come on.” He nodded toward the house and then took the six steps up to the porch two at a time.
It was noon. Dad would probably be in the kitchen with Mom having lunch like they did every day.
The screen door squeaked like it always did, and then it slammed shut behind Ajax as he stepped in behind Ryker.
When Ryker dropped his bag in the entryway, Ajax did the same. He followed his brother into the kitchen where he found his parents exactly where he’d expected.
Dad was reaching into the fridge, so he wasn’t the first to see Ajax. Mom had a glass bowl in her hand, and thank goodness it was empty because she dropped it on the floor as she screamed.
Ryker rushed forward to grab her by the arm.
Ajax remained in the doorway, knowing no more sudden moves would be in everyone’s best interest for the next few moments.
Dad spun around fast and then stopped breathing. His eyes went wide. His hand came to his chest. “My God. Ajax?”
Ajax smiled. “I haven’t changed that much, have I?”
Mom started crying, sobbing really. She took a giant step over the broken glass and rushed across the room to grab Ajax by the biceps and look into his eyes. “Is it really you? You’re here? Alive?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He wrapped his arms around the woman he’d thought of as Mom for twenty-three years and held her tight, pressing her head against his chest.
She gripped him as if he might disappear if she let go.
“I can’t believe it,” Dad stated as he finally shook out of it and joined his wife next to Ajax.
The moment Nancy leaned back, Frank pulled Ajax into a similar bear hug. When he released Ajax, he was grinning. “Someone better start talking because I’m at a total loss.”
Mom leaned into Ajax’s side and patted his chest. “Give the boy a chance to breathe, Frank. He just got here. And all that matters is he’s alive. Let’s sit down and have some lunch.” The woman’s life’s goal was feeding people. And she was damn good at it.
Ryker had grabbed a broom and dustpan from the mudroom and was sweeping up the broken glass. “Sorry about your bowl, Mom,” he said. “I hope it wasn’t one of your favorites, but mostly I’m just glad the pasta wasn’t in it yet because I’m starving and it smells so good,” he joked.
Nancy waved a hand through the air. “Don’t care about any stupid bowl.” She hugged Ajax again and then wiped her eyes. “You boys sure do
know how to make a woman cry with all this dying and coming back to life. For the love of all that is holy, please don’t do it again. My heart can’t take it. I’m getting too old for this sort of thing.”
Ajax wiped her cheek. “You’re sixty-five. That’s not old. Don’t talk like that.”
She shook her head at him and then dragged him to the kitchen table. “Sit. You want a pop?”
“No. I’m good. Water is fine.” He patted his stomach. “I need to shed a few pounds and fast.”
“You and me both,” Ryker added. “But I’m going to start after we eat this pasta.” He leaned over the pan and inhaled long and slow. “I love your red sauce more than life itself, Mom.”
“Don’t even talk like that,” she said as she released Ajax finally and bustled across the room to find another bowl and serve the pasta. There had never been any doubt she would have enough food for two unexpected lunch guests. The woman didn’t know how to cook for less than a dozen.
Nancy and Frank had never had kids of their own, but they’d fostered eleven over the years. Managed to get every one of them to adulthood. The long butcher-block table where Ajax took a seat could hold fourteen, and it often had, especially if any of them had a friend over.
“Give me the CliffsNotes for now,” Dad said as he sat across from Ajax. “You boys can fill me in on the details later. I’m sure you’ve got things to say that would make your mom have nightmares.”
He wasn’t wrong, and the man had always doted on his wife and done everything he could to protect her. She was the strongest woman Ajax had ever met in his life. She could rub four backs all night long when several of them had the flu. She could wipe away tears, bandage skinned knees, run through math tables, and recite Shakespeare when it was needed for school. But there was no way Ajax would ever subject her to the kind of atrocities he’d witnessed in the Navy.
Dad on the other hand had been in the Navy himself. He’d served in the Gulf War where he’d taken shrapnel to the calf. He’d been medically discharged and still walked with a limp after all these years, but he never complained, and Ajax suspected Nancy had been so damn glad he hadn’t been killed in that war that she’d dedicated her entire life to ensuring the house ran like a tight ship.
Shadow in the Desert (Shadow SEALs) Page 2
