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Epilogue
Walker
“Last boarding call for flight 7439 to London.” The bored, nasally voice of the woman at the check-in counter at the Kuala Lumpur airport lets me know I’ve arrived at the gate just in time to catch the flight that will take me to Charleston via a stopover in London. It’s going to be nice to be back in the States. It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve been home.
Not that I even know what home is. Certainly not Louisiana, where I grew up bouncing from foster home to foster home. And not my apartment in San Diego, which mostly serves as a place to crash or bring women to when I’m not on deployment, but lacks any real sense of permanency. My real home is my SEAL team, and to be honest, the thought of being on leave for eight weeks had filled me with a low-grade sense of dread. Too much time to think about Liam. He was the brother I never had, and I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that he’s gone. I’ve spent the last few months going through the motions, and my CO finally insisted I take some time off, presumably to get my shit together. Instead, rumors of Liam gunrunning surfaced and I became obsessed with finding out if they were true. What I discovered didn’t make things better.
It had been a relief when Gemma called me a couple of weeks ago and asked me to check on McKenzie. The thought of my best friend of eight years makes me smile. Feisty, strong-willed, gutsy, and passionate, Gemma is also home—my compass, my true north, the one person who centers me. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her. McKenzie said Gemma was going to be in New York for a few more days, but I’m going to try to stick around in Charleston long enough for her to get back so I can at least take her to dinner. I’ve missed her.
I can wait. I have plenty to do in Charleston, starting with examining the necklace Dr. Morris gave McKenzie and getting a copy of Liam’s bucket list. If Noah is right, it’s the key to finding the guns and keeping McKenzie safe. It took some convincing for me to believe Noah was one of the good guys after everything that happened, and that McKenzie would be safe with him, but after seeing him with her this afternoon, there’s no denying his love for her. But even though I know I’ve left her in good hands with Noah, I also know I owe it to Liam to do everything in my power to take care of his little sister. And if that means following the clues on his bucket list in the States to find the hidden stash of guns, I’ll do whatever it takes.
“Your boarding pass, sir.” I hand the paper to the agent and board the plane, stowing my carry-on in the overhead bin and making my way to my seat in the back. It’s going to be a cramped ride for the five-hour red-eye to London, but it was the only seat I could get on such short notice, and even though it’s not first class, it’s a hell of a lot better than the cargo net seats on the military planes I usually fly on.
As I settle into my seat, the flight attendant passes by and I stop her to order a shot of Jameson. I intend to sleep on this flight.
“Of course, sir.”
I wave away the Coke and open the miniature bottle, downing it in one gulp as I mentally review what I know, and what I don’t. I know that Liam is dead, a shipment of guns is missing, a drug lord thinks McKenzie knows where they are, and apparently, Liam’s bucket list holds the secret to finding them. I know that Liam left behind a shitload of money, that the head honcho of the drug cartel wants the guns he paid for, and he sent Noah to find them. I also know that someone else besides El Gato wants the list, McKenzie, or both, but I haven’t got a clue who or why.
I’m going to make it my business to find out. Noah and McKenzie will continue to check off the items on Liam’s bucket list in Malaysia and then head to Australia. I’ll go to Charleston, get the necklace, fly to California to meet with the aid worker’s family to see what they know, and complete the items on Liam’s bucket list in the States. Hopefully, somewhere along the way one of us will find the clue that will lead us to the guns.
As the plane prepares for takeoff, I close my eyes, thinking about Liam. No one knows him better than me. We trained together, lived together, ate together, drank together, prayed together, fought together, worked hard together, and played even harder. We’d survived hell together more than once. Fuck the evidence. I still don’t buy that he was illegally selling guns to the Mexican drug cartel, no matter how much proof indicates otherwise.
The roar of the engine fills my ears as we taxi down the runway, gaining speed. I feel the earth fall away as the plane becomes airborne, carrying me toward home, and I make a vow. I’ll find the guns. But I want more than that. I want Liam’s redemption.
