“It’s going to be a late night then,” she said, looking at Ava, who nodded.
“I’ll host a girls’ night at our place,” Quinn offered. “It’ll be a little rustic, though.”
“We could all go to Butler Ranch,” said Merrigan.
Striker excused himself. He didn’t really care who went where as long as he didn’t have to leave Aine alone.
“Got a minute?” he asked Razor, who followed him out of the crowded kitchen.
“What’s up?”
“Can we still track the girls’ phones?”
“By girls, do you mean Ava’s group of friends?”
Striker nodded.
“Affirmative.”
“Penelope is pretty concerned about Tara.”
“Say no more. I’ll get on it.”
Striker knew he should get up and go back downstairs. But with Aine asleep next to him in the king-size bed, he was having a hard time motivating himself to do so.
When he heard the door open, though, he shot out of bed and went to see who had come in.
“How’s she doing?” whispered Razor.
“Asleep for now. Any news?”
“We got a ping from the plane.”
“Where is it?”
“Coordinates indicate Macuira National Park. There’s a team headed there now, but with the storm, I don’t know if they’ll be able to reach it.”
Striker ran his hand through his hair not wanting to say out loud what both of them knew this meant.
“I don’t know if you’re a praying man, but if you are, now’s the time to ask God to watch over our crew,” Razor said before walking back out the front door.
24
Aine turned around and went back to the bedroom, but too late. She’d already heard what Griffin wouldn’t have wanted her to. She couldn’t lie or hide it from him, though.
“I heard you and Tabon talking,” she said when he joined her in the bedroom.
He scrubbed his face with his hand. “I was going to tell you anyway, as soon as we knew anything.” He cupped her cheek with his hand. “It appears the K19 plane went down in a forested area in the northern part of Colombia.”
“Who was on it?”
“Onyx, Corazón, Tackle, and Halo.”
She’d heard all those names before and had met everyone but Corazón.
When Griffin crawled into bed next to her, Aine slid back under the covers, wrapped her arm around his waist, and rested her head on his chest.
“It could have been me on that plane. Maybe it should’ve been,” he said a few minutes later.
“Why do you say you should have been?”
“It was my mission they were carrying out.”
“But you weren’t on it, because you were with me.”
She felt him nod. Was he thankful, or did he regret that he hadn’t been there in place of one of the others?
“If it went down, it’s unlikely there are survivors,” he murmured.
Aine nodded too. “I know.”
He tightened his arms around her. “Am I hurting you?” he asked, pulling back.
“Not at all,” she said, tightening her own grasp on him.
Again he was quiet for several minutes. When he did speak, he asked her to look at him.
“We have so much unfinished between us,” he murmured. “I love you. You know that.”
“I love you too, Griffin.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
“What about?” she asked.
“The test.”
Aine reached up and kissed his cheek. “Whatever you want to do, I’ll support.”
“I’m going to do it.”
“I will too.”
Regardless of the combined outcomes, chances were that one or both of them would be unable to have children—him by choice, and her by her inability to get pregnant.
“What’s involved?” Aine asked when Griffin didn’t say anything more.
“I have the kit with me. I’ve had it for weeks.”
“Do you have to go to a hospital?”
“No. I just swab the inside of my cheek, put it in the container, and drop it in the mail. Can you believe something so simple could irrevocably change my life?”
“Both our lives.” She rested her head back on his chest. “How long before you get the results?”
“Three to five weeks.”
“I have to wait six weeks before I can even take the test to see if my remaining ovary is functioning.”
“How long for the results?”
“I don’t know.”
Griffin kissed her forehead, and then both sides of her face, her eyelids, and then her lips. When a tear ran down her cheek, he kissed it away.
“We’ll wait and find out the results of both together.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“And, Aine?”
“Yeah?”
“Whatever the outcome, we face it together too.”
She smiled at his use of the words she’d said to him at the hospital. “That’s all that matters to me, Griffin. That we’re together.”
“There’s something else I want you to do for me. It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to research bipolar disorder as well as schizophrenia. Not for me. I want you to have a clear understanding so if we decide to make a go of this relationship, you know what kind of baggage I might be bringing along.”
Aine nodded again. She understood what he was asking her to do and why. If their situations were reversed, she’d like to think she’d suggest the same thing.
“I may do further research, if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course it is. What kind?”
“Gene therapy. I won’t get into it now, but great strides are being made in that area with genetic mutations and variations.”
Griffin smiled.
“What?”
“Do you know how proud I am of you?”
“Me?” Aine felt her cheeks heat, and she looked away from him.
Griffin put his finger on her chin and turned her head back toward him. “That’s all on me.”
“What is?”
“You doubting yourself. I can’t tell how much I regret making you feel like you weren’t enough.”
She didn’t know what to say in response. In her mind, she still wasn’t, no matter what he said now. Griffin had so many more life experiences than she had.
“Remember earlier when you told me to stop thinking so hard about whatever it was that I had on my mind?” he asked.
Aine smiled. “Yes. You’re telling me to do the same thing.”
“I’m telling you to sleep.”
“I am pretty tired.” She snuggled into him and closed her eyes.
“Will you be okay on your own if I go next door for a few minutes?”
She opened her eyes and smiled. “Yes, dear.”
—:—
One side of his heart was smiling solely because of Aine, but the other was full of regret. Getting a ping from the aircraft without communication from its pilot or anyone else on board, meant they were likely dead.
This was his mission, and everything that took place in the course of it, was ultimately his responsibility. It had been his decision initially to send Tackle and Halo into Colombia, regardless of whether he pulled the trigger on it or not.
Who had was as big a mystery as he’d ever had to solve. It was obvious by Monk’s reaction that it wasn’t him. And since he hadn’t either, who in the hell had? Who would Onyx have listened to if it wasn’t him or one of the other K19 partners?
None of it made any sense.
“DEA have the coordinates of the plane. No one has gotten close yet due to the storm combined with the terrain,” Razor reported when Striker walked into the office.
Striker turned to Doc. “How soon can Cope arrange transport?”
“Do we know if we can even fly yet? What’s the st
atus of the hurricane?” Razor asked.
“Planes and crew are on standby at LAX. I’ve been told they’re cleared to fly.”
“Can we get transport arranged from here to there?” It was a five-hour drive from Cambria to Los Angeles. They couldn’t afford that kind of time followed by a seven-plus hour flight.
“Affirmative,” said Mercer. “There’s a CH-53K out of Vandenberg that can get us there in under an hour.”
“Let’s move.” Striker didn’t know who intended to follow him, but it didn’t matter. He was going in, even if it was alone.
Doc motioned to a door Striker hadn’t paid attention to. “Get as much of your gear together as you can from here.”
“What’s in there?”
“Full tactical gear, plus what’s in the safe. I’ll give Merrigan an inventory of whatever else we need while we’re on the road to the airfield. She’ll make arrangements to have it delivered to the plane in Los Angeles.”
“You mean planes, right, Doc?” asked Gunner.
“Affirmative. We’ll split into two groups. Striker, who do you want with you?”
“Me,” said Razor.
“And me,” said Monk.
Doc waited for Striker’s response.
“That’s the first team,” he said. Before he could ask if Mercer was in, he saw the man coming out of the small storage area with his arms full.
“Gunner, Mercer, and I will be team two.”
“What about Ranger and Diesel?” Razor asked Striker, who looked at Doc.
“Let me see what Cope can do. What’s their twenty?”
“Right outside DC.”
“Shouldn’t be too difficult, then. Striker?”
“We’ll head out in fifteen?”
He heard a variety of responses as he went upstairs, all confirming they’d be ready to go.
As much as he didn’t want to wake Aine, there was no way he could leave without saying goodbye to her.
When he walked in, she was walking toward him.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be awake.”
“You have to leave, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do, sweetheart.” Striker brought his lips to hers and kissed her. “I wish I didn’t have to,” he whispered. “It’s wrecking me inside.”
“I know,” she whispered too. “You have no choice, Griffin. I know you don’t.”
He looked at his watch and kissed her again, this time more deeply.
“I have to go. I’ll be in touch as much as I can, as soon as I can. If you have any questions, ask Merrigan. I love you, Aine.”
“I love you, Griffin.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “Please stay safe. Please come back to me,” she said into his ear, her eyes filling with tears.
Instead of leaving, he led her over to the sofa and pulled her onto his lap.
“What are you doing? You need to leave.”
“I can stay a couple more minutes.”
He wiped her tears and kissed her again.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
Striker sighed. “I wish I could promise you that nothing will happen to me or anyone else on our team, but you know as well as I do that isn’t a promise I can make.”
“I do know that. I’m sorry I’m making this harder on you.”
“Our conversation probably isn’t much different than others taking place right now.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Do you have your compass?”
Striker smiled and pulled it from his pocket. “I never go anywhere without it.” He kissed her one last time. “I love you.”
25
Aine followed Striker out the door and stood on the front step with Zary, Quinn, Merrigan, and Saylor. When she turned to go inside, she saw that Gunner’s mother and Razor’s mother were behind them.
“It’s never easy,” said Merrigan, putting her arm around Aine’s shoulders. “If I told you it gets more so, I’d be lying.”
When she walked inside, Ava was standing behind her with Sam in her arms.
“Auntie Aine needs a big hug, Sam.” Her sister motioned her toward the sofa, and when Aine sat down, she lowered Sam onto her lap. “Is this okay?” she asked.
“It’s perfect.”
“He isn’t hurting you, right?”
Aine rested her head against the baby’s. “No, he’s taking the hurt away.”
A few minutes later, Penelope walked inside from the deck, looking at her phone.
“I swear I’m going to kill her,” she mumbled.
“Tara?” asked Ava.
Pen nodded.
“What’s going on with you two?” Aine asked.
“It isn’t us two; it’s just her.”
Penelope dropped into a chair and threw her phone on the table. “I’m getting so tired of her bullshit.”
“Talk,” said Ava, sitting down next to Aine and Sam on the sofa.
“I should’ve known something was up when she asked me not to say anything about the ticket.”
Ava leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
“It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but she told me she lost her credit card and hadn’t gotten the replacement from the bank yet, so she asked if I could buy her ticket to come here. I didn’t think much of it until she asked me not to say anything. I mean, who would care?”
Ava sat back and let out a deep breath. “I don’t think this is related, but did you know that Tara called Stuart?”
“About what?” Pen and Aine said at the same time.
“To tell him about your surgery.”
“How do you know this?” asked Pen.
“Tabon told me. He also told me to pay attention and let him know if anything else seemed off about her. I told him that’s just how she is. I mean, I love her, but she’s always been kind of a bitch.”
“Are you talking about Tara?” asked Quinn, coming in and flopping down on another chair.
“She called Aine’s boyfriend—”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Aine interrupted.
“Right. Ex-boyfriend to tell him about her surgery.”
Quinn nodded. “As far as her being a bitch, I don’t think she’s more of one than all of us have been at some point in our lives.”
Penelope shook her head. “No, it’s worse. A lot worse. Her moods are all over the place. I almost didn’t come, because I didn’t feel like dealing with it, but I wanted to see all of you. Today she took off with the car, and I have no idea where she is. Remember the credit card issue? Guess whose name the rental is in.”
“You have no idea whatsoever why she’s…um…bitchier than usual?” Aine asked.
“None.”
“Hmm,” said Quinn, looking at her phone.
“What?” All three asked.
“Are you aware that Mr. Emsworth is being investigated for securities fraud?”
“No,” gasped Ava. “What does it say?”
Quinn read the short article that she found online out loud.
“That explains the credit card issue, but what did she hope to gain by contacting Stuart?”
“Maybe she was trying to be nice, Ava.” Quinn looked over at Aine. “I mean, did she even know you’d broken up?”
“Oh, yeah,” Pen answered before she could. “She wasn’t exactly happy about it.”
“Because of Griffin?” asked Aine. “Nothing happened between her and him, I know it didn’t.”
“Maybe she’s jealous,” said Quinn.
“Of what?” Ava stood and walked over to the sliding glass door. “Her father’s being investigated for securities fraud. Our father tried to kill us. If Aine and I find a little happiness in this life, I don’t think anyone should wish us otherwise.”
Aine couldn’t say what or why, but something in her gut told her there was more to Tara’s behavior than her father being investigated. “Have you called her?”
“Just once every fifteen minutes. She won’t answer her phone.”
“Tabon knows where she is.”
“What?” Pen shrieked at the same time Aine and Quinn did.
“He just texted me. She’s pulling in now.”
“Where in the hell have you been?” shouted Pen when Tara walked in the front door.
“What the fuck?” Tara shouted back, making Aine cringe. She didn’t even sound like herself.
“You just take off without a word to anyone. You wouldn’t answer your phone. We were worried about you.”
Tara laughed. “Right. How long did it take before you even noticed I wasn’t here?”
“Look,” Pen said, lowering her voice. “We know about your dad.”
“What about him?”
“Don’t play stupid. The investigation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Aine tried to make eye contact with Pen. Tara wasn’t lying. This was news to her.
“Come sit,” said Aine, motioning to her.
“I have to call my dad,” Tara answered, rushing out to the deck and closing the sliding door behind her with more force than necessary.
Pen walked over and sat beside Aine. “I’m really worried about her.”
“I am too.”
“I think she might be…”
“What? It’s just us here,” said Ava. “She might be what?”
“It’s almost like she’s on something.”
Aine nodded. She hadn’t been around her mother all that much when she was younger, but the erratic behavior Tara was exhibiting seemed familiar.
Their friend came back inside, wiping the tears from her face. “I hope you’re all happy now. Thanks for blindsiding me.”
“Wait a minute,” said Pen, standing. “No one blindsided you, and why would any of us be happy that your father is being investigated?”
“I need to go back to New York,” Tara announced as though Pen hadn’t said a word.
“So go.” Pen sat back down.
“Come with me,” said Quinn, pulling Tara by the hand.
“How much do you want to bet that Quinn is buying her a ticket?” said Pen, crossing her arms.
“What would be wrong with that?” Aine asked.
“Nothing,” she muttered. “But I’m done.”
“Being her friend? You don’t mean that. She needs us now more than ever.”
Striker (K19 Security Solutions Book 6) Page 18
