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Fifty
DELILAH
They told me everything, just as they’d promised. I learned all the dirty and not-so-dirty details. Every last hidden secret regarding what the guys did, who they did it with, and how long they’d been doing it.
Their cooperative mercenary outfit had grown to something bigger than even they were, and had taken on a life of its own. The amount of hands-on work they had to perform was less and less, especially the more they hired younger, cutting-edge soldiers who were hellbent on taking the more dangerous positions and making names for themselves.
“We’re almost thirty,” said Duncan one day. “We’re getting old by soldiering standards.”
“Not by administration though,” I pointed out.
“No, not at all,” Liam agreed. “Which is why we’ve been running things from the city. We have all the work we can handle just putting together teams and groups from there, or hiring out bodyguards all over the world.”
They also told me where Julius was. I didn’t like it one bit. Every day I worried more and more, as they kept the satellite phone fully charged and carried it everywhere they went. Eventually they learned he was fully inserted, which they explained meant he was finally in position. Knowing Julius had joined up with others from their own outfit made me feel a little better about his safety, but not much.
“So why did you let him go alone?”
It was the one question I’d asked that they hadn’t answered. And I liked that even less.
All week long they took turns going into the Shop, and sometimes they slept there as well. But there was always someone home with me and the children. Always a warm body to cuddle up against, even in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn’t sleep for worrying about Julius.
“A day will come,” Liam told me one night, “when we won’t have to do field work anymore. We’ll work from desks only. We’ll hang up our boots, so to speak.”
“And when will that be?” I’d asked.
Liam had shaken his head slowly. “I don’t know,” he’d told me. “In the past, being hands-on was all we knew. In our time as rangers we’d gone through some pretty insane missions, and somehow still come out the other end. But then Julius was forced out, and Duncan and I lost our taste for being owned and commanded. We wanted our own outfit, to be our own bosses. But just like with any good company, sometimes the boss has to get his hands dirty too.”
“Not when the boss has two little ones,” I’d pointed out. “A young son and daughter who thinks the whole world of them. Twin toddlers that have already lost so much.”
“It’s on the horizon,” was all Liam said. “It’s something we think about every single day.”
The week went by quickly, and the weekend too. The house took on even more work crews, and the guys joined in wherever they could. I helped by taking full-time care of the twins, and getting them out of the way wherever possible by taking them places that would spark their interest.
But there was so much left to be done! So many aspects of the property that had been virtually untouched. With Julius gone, it seemed there was a hole in our proverbial bucket of happiness. No matter how often the rest of us did our best to keep it filled, the bucket leaked every single day.
Halloween came, and we enjoyed trick-or-treating with the little ones. We even let them stuff their faces with a bit of candy before putting them down and celebrating a more adult-themed holiday. That night I dressed like the sluttiest pirate ever to sail the seven seas, letting the guys plunder me over and over until they’d had their fill. But it wasn’t the same without Julius. And it wouldn’t ever be… until he got back.
At the end of the second week they called me into the kitchen, then sat me down. Duncan explained how they’d lost contact with their outfit in central Africa. About how Julius hadn’t checked in for three days, even after promising a forty-eight hour minimum window to keep the lines of communication open.
“What about the other companies you’re cooperating with?” I asked immediately. “Wraith and Archon?”
“Archon’s group broke off in a different direction,” said Liam. “We had two separate sightings, and decided to split up along company lines.”
“And Wraith?”
Duncan shook his head. “Nothing from their guys either,” he said sullenly. “Last we heard, at least four of their group were still with Julius though.”
“It could be they’re too deep to keep the lines open,” said Liam. “Between the mountains and the jungle canopy the service down there is horrendous, even when the satellites are in position.”
“Timing’s everything,” Duncan agreed.
“Or?” I asked fearfully.
“Or it could be… somethingelse,”Liam said ominously. “But we’re hoping it’s not.”
I felt my heart sink. They were trying to be optimistic, but at least they were also being truthful.
“It could be the transmitter got wet,” Liam went on. “Or maybe they’re so close to the target they’ve gone radio silent. In any case, we got some information an hour ago that seemed encouraging. Enough so that we’re taking action on it.”
