Page 100 of Fighting for Family

“Give me ten minutes, and I’ll meet them in the conference room,” he ordered. He dreaded opening his office to see a mound of paperwork. When he entered, he let out a surprised grunt to find his desk clean and organized. Stormy entered and set down his agenda for the day and a cup of fresh coffee.

“Whiskey already handled the purchasing orders, and Bryanna called and asked if you don’t mind sending Saint home after you finished with your meeting.”

“Of course. Did she say if anything’s wrong?” he asked.

“She didn’t sound stressed,” Stormy reported.

“I’ll send him as soon as we finish.” Taking his mug, he went to meet the men Whiskey hired.

When he entered, he saw Rocker speaking with the team. “It’s Leo’s first day back. Don’t give him any shit and pick up after yourselves. Demon, pick up your quarters. Sawyer, you’re on kitchen duty. Tess took over the cooking. You guys clean. Put me into the rotation.”

Seeing Leo, the men stood at attention. Instead of sitting behind the desk, he walked to the seat beside them and sat.

“It’s nice to meet you all. Whiskey gave me a rundown on you, but I’d like to put names to faces,” he said, sipping his coffee.

“I’m glad you’re up and around, Leo,” Rocker said.

“Thanks, Rocker,” he said. He watched as the men glanced at Rocker for guidance. When he gestured toward Tuck, the man shook Leo’s hand. “I’m Tuck.”

Leo nodded. The men went down the line. Sawyer, Demon, Grinch, and Blade.

“Welcome to the team. I’m giving you a day off today. I’m asking you to leave the facility. I have meetings scheduled with my team, and they can’t wait. You may return after lunch. We will be gone for the remainder of the day.”

The men immediately dispersed, waiting for Rocker to lead them.

“What do you think?” Whiskey asked.

“They already have a leader. He just doesn’t know it yet,” Leo said, observing the men. “We’ll see what happens. Can you call everyone else in here?”

“Stormy has already messaged them, and they’re on their way,” Whiskey said, pouring a cup of coffee from the side table Stormy set up with breakfast foods.

When the team assembled, Shadow glanced around the room. “What’s up, boss?”

“We received some footage we thought you might like to see,” Leo said, prompting Saint to put it on the big screen.

“Today, we bring you some breaking news out of Afghanistan. The military has arrested seven soldiers who participated in a plot to overthrow the base. In addition, a highly ranked official, Maryam Alizai, and Sergeant Grant Ford were arrested in connection with the deaths of several officers. Sergeant Ford faced espionage charges. Ms. Alizai’s father was taken into custody after authorities found him in possession of several stolen items from the American base. He was charged with the murders of the American soldiers after the release of his video confession. Unfortunately, on their way to the States, Ms. Alizai and Sergeant Ford were killed in a motor accident. Details are pending.”

Saint shut the video off. “Cole, you finally have your justice. Rayven disappeared yesterday morning. We received word this happened hours ago. Amena has accepted a job with Doc. Cora Banks will be released from her military service and plans to meet with Julio about an open position there.”

“Thanks, Leo,” Cole said, moved by finally getting justice for his friend. Stormy held his hand, and Hollywood clasped his shoulder and squeezed it.

“We need to talk,” Leo said, making his men shift in their seats. “I’ve come to a conclusion. We started out as one team, and then we made Team Hawk. I’m proud of each and every one of you. You didn’t let me down, and you will always have my undying gratitude. Saint reported a few issues.”

Sparky shifted and sank lower in her chair. Shadow glanced away, his jaw ticking.

“While on a mission, it seems Sparky took to joyriding in the desert with the help of Shadow. Then she deliberately disobeyed orders and returned to the team after being ordered to return home.”

Shadow interrupted. “It’s my fault, Leo.”

Leo glared at him until Shadow sighed.

“Sparky, you and Shadow will share latrine duty for two weeks for putting yourselves at risk. When you get a direct order, I expect you to obey it. Saint, however, says your insistence led you to discover Rayven with Shadow. You also wrestled a snake and pretended to get kidnapped by your own men to extract information. Saint reports you showed bravery and courage despite him riding your ass. Without you, I might not have lasted much longer. The team felt you deserved a little something for your extraordinary efforts.” He took out a pair of keys from his pocket and handed them to her. “You have my gratitude. At your house, Ty is unloading a yellow jeep with orange flames. He has a back pasture you can drive on at any time, and we can all see you coming.”

Sparky jumped up and hugged him, squealing with delight.

“When we finish our meeting, we will head to Bear’s for a family picnic. Then, you’re free to go play on your new toy.”

“Thank you, Leo,” she gushed. Leo smiled as she clutched the keys to her chest.