Page 74 of Fighting for Family

CHAPTER 22

The next day, Kassie kissed Chase on the tarmac and hugged him tightly. “Stay safe and be careful.”

“You have my word. We’ll all be home together soon,” he assured her. The unspoken words hung between them. All of them, except for Leo.

Rocker entered the plane, giving the couples time alone.

“I packed some snacks for the ride home,” she reminded him.

Samantha clung to Whiskey tightly. “If you have any setbacks, be sure to tell Doc. I don’t understand why you need to go. They’re all coming home.”

“I’m their leader, Sunshine. Saint will go into the field, but my men need to see our strength as a team. It will be all right. Leo never stopped searching for me, and it feels wrong for me not to at least show up for him,” he explained quietly.

“I understand,” she said softly. Tears pooled in her eyes. “Come home to me.”

“I promise,” he vowed.

The two men watched their wives climb into the car and drive away. They climbed the stairs with heavy hearts for what lay ahead.

When they entered the plane, they gasped in shock to see Joe and Jake sitting in the seats with a cup of coffee in their hands.

“Since when did the military not take off on time?” Jake demanded.

“What do you two think you’re doing here? We’re taking off any minute,” Doc asked as he stored his stuff in the overhead bins.

Joe glanced at Jake and nodded.

Jake stared at the two men. “The way I figure it, my son-in-law is gone. I’ve watched my wife and daughter struggle over how to handle this funeral. I can’t do much, but I plan to escort him home.”

Doc glanced at Joe. “You know Maddie and Kassie will have my ass for this. It’s dangerous. You’ve only recently recovered from having a stroke. The desert gets hot and miserable. We haven’t spoken with the team, but they know we’re coming. We’re hoping it means they’ve made some progress locating his remains. How about I call you and have you meet us here at the airport? You two can escort him from there.”

“Leo saved my daughter, my granddaughter, and my son-in-law. We may be older, but we’re still capable of kicking your asses. Maddie will fuss for a while, but she’ll understand our need to bring him home in honor.”

Doc sighed and shook his head as he took his seat. Whiskey stowed his stuff and sat beside him.

The pilot turned on the intercom. “Please fasten your seatbelts, and we’ll be on our way once we receive clearance.”

The engines roared to life, and the plane taxied down the runway and stopped.

“Folks, it appears we have orders from the tower to return to the gate. You forgot something,” the pilot announced.

“I kin not think of anything we forgot,” Whiskey muttered, his Irish accent deepening.

The plane returned, and the door opened. Patch and Knight entered carrying their packs.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Whiskey asked. “Your wives gave birth yesterday.”

“We talked about it last night. Leo was our leader, too. We’ll be damned if we don’t bring him home,” Patch said, tossing his bag into the bin.

“Claire and Gabby gave us their blessing,” Knight assured the men.

“You know we’re retrieving the team to come home for Leo’s funeral. If they haven’t found him since our last conversation, you’re missing out on the first days with your children,” Whiskey warned.

“We understand,” Patch said, buckling his seatbelt.

Pushing the button to the pilot, Whiskey said, “Let’s get going.”

“Wait, we can’t leave without our driver,” Knight said as Hollywood entered with his crutch.