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“I have one more favor to ask you.”
“You might as well shoot the moon.”
“There’s a good chance I’ll need to take the girl to the hospital.”
“I know,” he answered.
“That leaves me wide open. That also leaves Willow without protection if anything should happen to me.”
A shadow crossed his face and he looked away for a few seconds. “You don’t have to worry, my friend. I think I can handle keeping her safe. If I need to, I’ll call in those friends I mentioned for the occasion.”
I wasn’t the kind of man to take favors or one who asked for help, but this was important. No, this could mean the difference in life and death for the woman that I’d… Shit. What the fuck was I thinking?
He locked eyes with mine, giving me a hard look. “From what my dad told me, you’re just like your father.”
I thought about his words and smiled. I’d tried for so long not to be anything like my father. Then I’d realized how much we were alike. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
After filling Jameson in with what I knew, I finished my drink then ventured upstairs to check on Willow and Kalani. I found both asleep, Kalani’s parents huddled together on the floor. I stood in the room for a few seconds before venturing into the hallway, eventually finding two blankets to place over them.
I walked downstairs, my legs heavy as exhaustion tried to make its way into my system. I refilled my drink and settled into one of the chairs overlooking the backyard. The storm continued to rage, the howling wind just as unsettling as it had been all night. I’d always tried to follow my instincts because they usually didn’t steer me wrong. However, I was having difficulty relying on my gut to lead me in the right direction. There was always a chance I’d made a mistake in insisting that Willow’s parents be contacted, but it had been the only way for me to get control of the situation.
The ugliness of the possible truth weighed heavily on my mind, creating a shadow effect that I’d also felt on the night my world had been torn apart. I’d warned the lieutenant that the feel of the mission wasn’t right. He’d all but laughed at me, the intel we’d been provided solid.
The fucking landmines had been planted under our goddamn noses and I’d heard everyone had pointed fingers. The loss of so many men had been meant as a warning. In my mind, it had been a reprehensible offense that should have been countered with a full-scale extermination.
But that had never happened.
There were too many lives at stake, too much territory to possibly lose. I’d called it bullshit, going as high up in the ranks with my thoughts as possible. That’s another reason I was so surprised to be offered a position with Eagle Force. A single word continued to pop into my mind leaving a bad taste.
Expendable.
I polished off my drink, easing the glass to the table then leaning back in the chair. Was this really all about a one and done situation, the task so dangerous the soldiers called to duty weren’t expected to survive? Hissing, I closed my eyes, doing everything I could to block out the memories of that dark night, yet the storm outside the window refused to let it go.
Jameson had retired for the night, promising to spend some time checking his sources as privately as possible. What I also knew was that any digging would likely send off alarm bells, which might not bode well for either one of us. His cavalier attitude matched mine, which was why we got along, but I had a feeling in the end we wouldn’t come out unscathed.
Sighing, I knew it was best to try to get some sleep. If I had to fly to the big island, then I wanted it done and over with quickly. When I heard a noise, I immediately bristled, reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there as I jumped to my feet.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Willow said as she came closer.
I raked my hand through my hair. “You were asleep.”
“Just for a few minutes. Kalani’s fever is down, but she’s not completely out of the woods.”
Nodding, I noticed she was staring out the window. “Storms. I’ll never get used to them.”
“Did something happen during a weather event?”
She inched closer, her face pensive. “I became lost in a storm one night. That’s when I knew my mother didn’t care about my existence.”
“Whoa. What happened?”
While she laughed, the sound was gut-wrenching. “I was a little, maybe four or five. My parents had taken me shopping and I managed to get away from them, wandering outside in the middle of a storm. There were thick woods behind the store, and I thought I saw a dog running loose so I followed it. I was told several years later than I’d managed to walk over a mile away from the area, finally collapsing by a big oak tree. That’s where the authorities found me the next morning. The dog was by my side. I remember how cold it was and how terrified I’d been. It was so dark, the storm lasting for what seemed like an eternity for a little girl. At least the dog kept me warm.”
“Jesus. Why did you think your mother didn’t care that you’d gone missing?”
“Because she didn’t hug me or even cry when I was found. All I remember is she was screaming at me, telling me I was a horrible little girl to worry them. I never forgot her reaction. Even though my father tried to comfort me, my mother never held me close.”
“Fucking bitch.” What the hell was wrong with the woman?
