Final Strike

by Jana Leigh

  His brother fought for control of the gun, and Dario held fast, turning it enough so it was not pointed at him anymore.

  “Die!” Diego yelled and pushed hard against him. Dario held on and twisted his brother’s wrist when he felt his hand tighten.

  “You first,” Dario said and the gun went off. He watched as his brother realized that he had shot himself. Slowly he slumped against Dario who held him up. With dispassionate eyes, Dario watched as the life left his brother’s eyes and he fell to the ground.

  He looked up and saw Thane and the others surrounding a man lying on the ground. He couldn’t see who it was and Dario got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Vince had been standing right there when he last looked. He could hear crying and roars of anger as they tried to help whoever had fallen.

  Dario ran for the gate, and as he drew near, he heard Thane yell. “No!”

  “Let me through,” Dario called to the two men who were still standing guard but frozen in place. They had no clue what they were supposed to do. “Open it, damn it.” Dario screamed and one of them pushed the button.

  Two men lay on the ground; one had covered the other as Diego had fired the shot. As he ran, he saw both men had silver hair and Dario felt an icy hand squeeze his heart. Then he saw Vince move a little, groaning.

  It was the Commander who wasn’t moving. Thane leaned over his leader and was covering his chest with his hands as the others tried to help him. Blood seeped through all of their hands.

  Vince sat up and yelled, “Why did he do that?”

  Dario saw the pain on his father face and he stopped. His family had destroyed so many people’s lives. For what? Hate?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Clean up was a major understatement to what the next week was. All of them had been taken into custody. It had taken seventy-two hours for them to sort out the clusterfuck Amani left behind. Dallas and Noah hadn’t been able to help much, but once Alex assured them it was a debriefing, they backed off. Each of them had been able to call and speak to their families.

  The only thing that helped Dario was the drive he had found. It was a detailed accounting of what his mother and Javor had done over the years.

  It would take years to follow every single thing they had their hands in. So many questions had come up, like who in the US was on their payroll. And there were men from the US under their control. The detailed reports Amani had written only missed one thing. The actual names. Instead, they were written in a code of sorts. Currently every agency under the sun was fighting over the opportunity to decipher it.

  News of what had happened was still buzzing when everyone was released from custody. Although none of them wanted to hear what they were saying, they knew the truth. Finally, at the end of their time in custody, the group had been brought together to go over the details.

  Dario had been shocked when he had been allowed to be at the meeting. Mel had refused to let him go once he walked into the room. The lead investigator explained although the FBI still had questions for Dario, they had solid evidence to prove his innocence.

  Thane got up into his face before the meeting even started.

  “How could you have thought I was expecting you to turn yourself in?” he yelled.

  “The same way you thought it was all your fault,” Dario yelled back. “I was a dumbass.”

  Thane had backed down, and Mel knew they would be talking more in private. “As long as we are clear on this.”

  “We are,” Dario said grimly. He looked over to where Vince was sitting stiffly and nodded. They were also going to be talking. Blood tests had proven he couldn’t have been the son of the man he thought. Vince was his father, and so far, they had not been able to talk.

  “All of you are to remain at the address you have provided until this is cleared up,” the investigator said.

  Mel looked at Thane with a question in her eyes. “At the farm,” he whispered to her. She looked at him in surprise, they hadn’t even really talked about it. “Please?”

  Mel nodded and turned to Dario and smiled. “You too?”

  “If he will let me,” Dario said dryly and Thane rolled his eyes.

  “This is what we have found,” the investigator began to tell them how this mess all began.

  It seemed many years ago, Javor and Amani met at a terrorist camp, him for training and her as the cook. They had Amani’s diary, which she had graciously had transposed onto the hard drive. The couple had outgrown the group, claiming they were shortsighted. Since both had a hatred for the US, their sick love concocted a plan. From different countries, they had shared their stories of loss at the hands of the US. Javor never knew Amani had lied to him in order to manipulate their relationship.

  They were married in secret, because their families would never have approved the union. Dario had been surprised to learn that his grandparents were still alive and were upstanding members of the community in their homeland. Apparently, Amani had wanted more than they could provide.

  They began with selling drugs, moving them over borders to countries that bred hatred and greed. Their business flourished, and soon they moved onto bigger things. Guns, but then Amani wanted more. She wanted recognition for being so rich and powerful, it wasn’t enough to sit in the back. Diego was born, but because of their mixed heritage, he would never be allowed in the political arena, which was where Amani wanted to be, so she could put fear into the people. She thrived on it.

  Slowly their plan formed, at first, at first everything was going smoothly, until Amani met Vince. The smooth handsome foreigner that she thought she would be able to control, and then throw away. It hadn’t worked out like that for her. But she adapted. When Dario was born, and had the last name of a man from the country she was born, he was slated for greatness. Only Dario had a mind of his own, and even though his mother tried to mold him into a politician, he had refused and went into the military. Amani adapted and overcame each obstacle that was thrown at her until her husband was taken. Then she lost sight of her goal and sought revenge, it was her downfall.

  However, the destruction Javor and Amani had their hands in had been astounding. Her plan would have worked, if the rumors were true. The President admitted that he was ready to step down and name a successor. Amani was at the top of the list because of the people she had backing her, and the good she had done in the US. No one knew that she was the one who supplied the rebels the President couldn’t control, with guns. They were loyal to her, and made the President seem weak. Which was why he was going to step down, he felt it was that or be overthrown.

  Commander Greese had thrown a wrench into the plan, and that had started the crumbling of her empire. During their time in custody, none of them had allowed themselves time to mourn. That would be for another time, when they were back at home and could talk.

  As they walked out of the base headquarters that day, Thane and the others had been surrounded by members of the SEALs who supported them. A line of men and women saluted them as they left. With their heads held high, they walked down the sidewalk for the last time, knowing they were finally putting their careers behind them. After everything that had happened, they had completed their last mission. Unlike when the bomb changed the direction of the lives, leaving them no choice, this time they were walking the walk on their terms, closing the door on one chapter of their lives and preparing to start another.

  Part Three

  Healing is the key

  “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

  Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Chapter Sixteen

  They were home. Thane let out a deep breath when they landed. For the first time in his life, Thane had a place to call home and he felt it. Healing was their future, and all of them were happy to be back.

  Alex’s parents had arranged for them all to land within an hour of them. They were waiting on the tarmac. However, when the doors were opened, they hear
d more than a few voices cheering their names. The men looked at each other in surprise, and then one by one they walked to the door. The entire town of Healing had shown up to welcome them home. The men grinned as they looked at the faces of the people from town as well as their ranch. Lou and Timothy stood along with the foreman, and hands, holding six horses that were saddled. Desire and her men were cheering and yelling along with the mayor, the owner of the feed store, and the waitress from their bar.

  It seemed word had gotten out about their arrival as well as what had happened. Of course, the people would have had to be living under a rock not to hear. According to several messages from television stations, they were in hot demand. The team declined all interviews and hoped that another story would take the heat off them.

  Alex was first as they exited the plane. They could all hear Sable screaming and they caught sight of her waddling to the stairs with Slone following behind yelling at her to slow down. When Alex hit the bottom of the stairs he was met by his wife and best friend. The sight made Thane’s heart race as he thought of Mel and Dario. Maybe someday they, too, would be lucky enough to have a child. Although they hadn’t spoken about the future yet, Thane had hope.

  Gage stood at the top of the stairs and searched the crowd. Jolie and David stepped forward. David carried a squirming little girl in their arms. Sammi turned around and Gage grinned. As he ran down the stairs, David paused and set the little girl on her feet. Jolie held her little hand as she wobbled and looked at Gage who stopped and held his breath. The crowd fell silent as the little girl kept her balance and took a step toward Gage, and then she opened her mouth and yelled, “Dada!” then promptly fell on her butt. Gage chuckled and ran to scoop up the little girl who had stolen his heart.

  Mason stepped out of the plane and saw West sitting in a wheel chair arguing with Arden. He was trying to stand and salute his friend. When Arden saw Mason out of the corner of her eye, she screeched and ran for the bottom of the stairs, jumping into the air before he had even hit the bottom step. Mason had to throw his bag over the side to catch her, which he gladly did. She kissed every inch of his face and then demanded that he carry her over to West before the dumbass got out of the chair.

  Tulu waited and when Mason set his wife down finally, she grabbed her son and hugged him, whispering in his ear. When Mason blushed and nodded then turned toward the stairs, Vince stepped out. He walked slowly down the stairs and smiled when Tulu walked up to him and grabbed his jacket and pulled him into a kiss that made everyone cheer.

  Jessie was next, he didn’t pause because he had spotted his family already. Taking the steps two at a time, he hit the bottom right when Brin who was carrying his son, Marcus, and Grant reached him. Marcus was screaming because of the noise, but when Jessie took his son in his arms, the baby settled down quietly and stared at his father. Brin cried into Grant’s shoulder as they watched father and son bond again. Then Jessie lifted his head, pulled Brin to him, and kissed her soundly. Announcing to everyone they were taking applications for a babysitter because Marcus needed a brother.

  Drake exited with Harper and Joel right behind him. He laughed when Tank and the others who had headed back after everything had winded down in San Diego to help Lou and Timothy get things ready at the ranch were standing at attention in their new sweats. Black with hot pink across the chest reading Tri-X INC, Harper was clapping and punching her hand in the air. However, when she hit the bottom of the stairs the men laughed and held out a hat. Harper placed it on her head and when she turned around, Drake and Joel joined in the laugher at the printed words ‘Bitch in Charge’ on the hat.

  Thane, Dario, and Mel exited the plane and it was the first time they had actually met everyone. He could feel the apprehension flowing off them. Thane thought they would let him get down without much fanfare, but it wasn’t meant to be. All of his team, and every man who had been in the service, turned and silently walked over to stand in front of the stairs. As Thane walked down he felt tears gathering in his eyes as they each stood at attention. The mayor, Timothy, Gage, David, West, Mason, Jessie, Drake, Vince, Dillon, and Slade, plus so many more. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Gage said, “Hooyah!” and the others repeated. Slowly Thane walked down the line with Dario and Melanie at his side and shook every single hand.

  When he reached the end of the line, the hands from the ranch were there with six horses. “Sir, we thought you would like to ride home.”

  Thane grinned at his teammates who yelled their agreement. Sable took control and ordered everyone back to the farm. She also announced a party in a week’s time to welcome them all back. With promises to come into town later, the people began to leave.

  When everyone was gone, Thane looked at his friends and grinned. “Shall we?”

  “Hell yeah,” were the replies and they mounted their horses and pointed them home.

  The men rode into the yard as if they hadn’t been gone. The peacefulness fell over them on the ride. No one spoke, they didn’t have to, each of them were feeling the same thing. The feeling of homecoming had been too long in coming for the men. Although they were short six of their team, they felt them with each step the horses took.

  As they came up over the rise and entered their land, they paused. Looking down on the valley and across, they could see their homes being built. The main house that Alex and Slone would live in was north. They could see the cars driving into the lane and the dust following the trucks that carried their loved ones.

  To the west were two homes being built, they were both in the early stages. Jessie and Mason pointed to each of their homes, showing their friends the corrals that were already being built for their horses. To the east, David and Gage’s home already stood, but there were obvious repairs happening, probably from the firefight they had a few months ago. Jolie wanted to redecorate and the men couldn’t say no.

  Closer to where they stood on horseback, there were two more houses. Drake was excited to see the plans Bailey had decided upon, then there was the new business Tri-X INC, its huge new training facility and offices were just over the hill to the east, not to close and not too far.

  Thane smiled as he looked at the new lumber that had been dropped off yesterday. The framing would start tomorrow. His house would sit on the ridge; he couldn’t wait to show Dario and Mel their new land.

  The cattle roamed free as it still was all the same ranch. And the men looked on all they owned together and knew that a year ago next week, when their lives had been changed forever, and they had been so lost, this time it had a new meaning for them, they had finally found what they were looking for.

  “Gentlemen. Welcome back to Second Chance Ranch,” Alex whispered.

  “Amen to that, brother,” Thane said and the others nodded.

  “Race you to the ranch, last one in has to brush the horses,” Jessie cried and took off. Thane waited and watched his men as they rode down the hill. He would be more than happy to brush the horses as long as his men were all still safe and whole. His thoughts turned to the Commander as he slowly trotted down.

  He wished he could have seen the ranch, known they were happy with the way things turned out. So much still had to be said, and they would. First, they had a welcome home dinner to have, and Thane was anxious to show Dario and Mel around. He hoped they would love the place as much as he did.

  Healing was special, and they had a lot of good times to look forward to there. He could feel it.

  Mel and Dario felt instantly comfortable in the small town. When they pulled up to the homestead, they were amazed at the size of the farm the men were partners in. Thane hadn’t told them much, just the basics. He had neglected to tell them how large everything was here.

  Mel got out of the truck and jumped down, the fresh air was what amazed her, she noticed it when she had gotten off the airplane as well. It smelled like earth and clean. It was amazing. The peacefulness was another huge draw. She liked the feeling of just being. Everything seemed to go at
its own pace here. There was nobody in a hurry or rushing off somewhere. They just did things in their own time.

  Dario was looking around with interest. Her eyes followed the direction he was looking. On the ridge, she could see men on horseback, she had to squint since they were so far away. It had to be the guys, and as they began to ride down the hill she grinned, yep it was them. One sole rider stayed behind the others. It was Thane, he was still watching over them.

  Lou and Timothy were showing them around, pointing things out to them as they walked toward the house.

  “The guys all have their own suites. The previous owners liked to have family close. So each room has a bedroom, sitting area, and bathroom. Gage moved in with David and Jolie whose house is just down there. So we have enough rooms for ya’ll,” Lou said curiously.

  Dario leaned around Mel and smiled, “We are with Thane.”

  Lou’s grin got wider when she saw Mel’s red cheeks. “I’m so glad you said that. He needs people to keep him in line.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Mel argued but Lou put an arm through hers and pulled her toward the house.

  “Oh don’t you worry, the girls have a handle on how to deal with two overbearing males. We have started a club,” Lou laughed. “We older women are honorary members, Timothy is enough for me to handle.”

  Mel shook her head and followed. As they walked into the chaos of the kitchen, laughter and happiness flowed around her and Mel was instantly drawn in. Sable clapped her hands and yelled, “Okay let’s get this over with before the guys come back.”