Page 38 of Fighting for Family

Hollywood turned his head toward her. He touched her cheek with his bandaged hand. “I saw Grace holding the rattle.”

“When?” she asked, thinking he hallucinated with the second dose of morphine Patch administered.

“Before we left. Grace dropped it on the ground. Leo picked it up and stuffed it in the diaper bag. I saw the rattle,” he slurred.

“What the hell will we do now?” Patch exclaimed. He turned to Knight. “You need to go. Keep pressure on his hand and check his leg. If it starts bleeding⁠—”

“Whoa,” Knight said, holding up his hands. “I know nothing about this kind of stuff. If it starts gushing again, he’ll bleed out before we ever land.”

“Come on, man. I gave all of you a class on basics,” Patch argued.

“This goes beyond basics. Take a gander at his hand,” Knight pointed to Hollywood’s bandages.

“Shit, he’s bleeding again. Let’s get him on the plane,” Patch said, picking up the mattress to spare his patient any more pain.

Knight grabbed the other end, and they went up the steps.

“Victoria?” Sparky called out.

“Yes, darling?” Victoria answered her.

“When they make it on the plane, take off. I’m going back with Shadow. We have to find something. Patch and Knight deserve to go home. Take care of Hollywood,” she said.

Victoria chuckled darkly. “Usually, people don’t give me orders, but this time, I believe you’re right. What will you tell your new leader?”

“I’m part of the team. Hollywood’s life depended on it. I can’t help Patch. Knight can. Shadow and I know the language. The villagers already stopped us. We must continue the search,” she pleaded.

“Go, darling. Shadow’s coming toward you now. I’ll have the door closed before he figures it out. You need to stall him for five minutes,” Victoria said, turning and running up the steps.

“Shadow,” she called. “I figured out what Hollywood tried to tell us. He saw a rattle. It’s Grace’s.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Shadow asked as he grabbed her arm.

“We have to go back. Hollywood thinks he saw Grace’s rattle. It might be the reason he got shot.”

The door shut on the plane, and the engine roared to life. Shadow glanced at it and jerked his arm from Sparky. “Do you know what you’ve done? Saint will have your ass.”

“I’m telling you, Hollywood saw something. I need your eyes. He started bleeding again. I can’t assist Patch. Knight will. Victoria will get them to Germany. We need to head back to the rest of the team,” she insisted.

Shadow propelled her toward the truck. When she stumbled, he slowed down and loosened his grip on her arm. Ushering her inside the truck, he said, “You’d best have a plan. Disobeying orders can get you fired. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me physically. You’ve taken my pride and thrown it in my face. I may be blind, but I have ears, and Hollywood saw something. Maybe I’m worth something after all.”

“It was never about your worth. You represented a safety risk. Your stubbornness will get you killed,” Shadow gritted out.

“Then I guess I belong here after all, since you’re all stubborn jack asses. You won’t even listen to me now,” she argued.

“Tell me how Grace’s rattle made it all the way to Afghanistan,” he said. “Soldiers bring small toys and candy to these areas to help build trust with the villagers. So, what if he saw the identical rattle? They probably make a million of those a day.”

“Hollywood seemed sure of it,” Sparky said, now doubting his claim. Maybe Shadow made a few good points. “We haven’t found one damn lead. What if someone didn’t want us to discover it?”

Shadow tapped on the wheel as he thought about her argument. “How will you explain Knight leaving? Saint has every right to boot him, too.”

“Victoria decided to leave. Do we need any more of an excuse? He knows how stubborn she can be,” she reasoned.

“Hmmm, it seems like you two share a common trait,” Shadow said as he raced back to their new base.

Sparky smiled and relaxed against the seat. At least Shadow didn’t seem furious. She’d figure out a way to convince Saint on their way back. If he fired her, she’d accept his decision. It only lasted a short time, but with Leo gone, maybe it was time for her to move on.