Page 50 of Broken Oath

“We should be down there.”

Rook closed his eyes.

“I know.”

“We should be standing with their families.”

“I know.”

“We should be carrying them.”

Every word cut deeper.

“I know.”

Sniper’s hand tightened around the door handle.

“We left them on that mountain.”

Rook turned toward him.

Sniper continued staring through the windshield.

Guilt had hollowed out his face.

“We followed your order,” Sniper said. “We ran while they died.”

Rook felt the same guilt every time he closed his eyes.

But he wouldn’t let it destroy the only brothers he had left.

“We survived because they made sure we did.”

Sniper said nothing.

“Bishop held the ridge for us. Ridge destroyed the storage building. Viking stayed behind because he knew we wouldn’t leave him otherwise.”

Rook’s voice grew rougher.

“They didn’t die so we could sit here wishing we were buried beside them.”

Sniper finally looked at him.

“They died to get us off that mountain. So we could find who betrayed us.”

Rook leaned closer.

“We don’t dishonor them by living. We dishonor them if we do nothing with the life they gave us.”

The words settled inside the vehicle.

Hard.

Painful.

True.

Fathom put his glasses back on.