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CHAPTER ONE
Michael Douglas Redhawk watched as his brother returned with the other men from the gas station. He knew where they were, and why they’d gone to the station. His brother, Nate, had befriended a veteran who was in trouble. It had been bothering him for weeks now. Every time he made deliveries to the gas station, he’d see the man and try to speak with him. Today, he finally worked up the courage to ask their grandfathers a tough question.
For Michael, he was more likely to stay out of other people’s business, but learning about the man and his issues, he wondered if perhaps he’d made a mistake. Had he ignored someone in trouble before? Had their story ended tragically? More importantly, would his father, grandfather, or uncle have done the same?
He knew the answer to that question. You always, always stepped in for someone in need.
It wasn’t that Mike didn’t want to step in. He was just a bit more introverted than some of the other boys. He and his twin possessed startling good looks thanks to their father’s Diné heritage and their mother’s Hispanic heritage. Combine that with their grandmother’s lavender eyes, and the Redhawk twins were model-worthy young men.
Seeing his brother walk toward him, he raised his head, nodding at him.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“Good. Better than I thought. Wilson and Ghost got him to a treatment center. We’re going to help him.”
“I’m glad, Nate. I know you were worried for him.”
“Weren’t you? I mean, you knew about him. Weren’t you worried, too?” he asked. Mike thought about it a moment, then nodded.
“I was worried about him, but honestly, I was more worried about you. You always take it all on and don’t worry about yourself. He could have hurt you, Nate. I know you don’t think he would, but he could have.”
Nate stared at his brother, then hugged him. They weren’t afraid of showing affection to one another. Their mother and grandmother had taught them the importance of showing their love for one another. Their father, uncles, and grandfathers showed them that showing love was indeed a manly trait that should be expressed often.
“I know. You’re right,” he said, stepping back. “He had a knife. I don’t think he would have hurt me, but he had it, and he could have pulled it on me. Grandpa was great with him. So were the others.”
Mike didn’t say anything, just staring out at the bayou in the distance. He loved this place. He loved it more than anywhere on Earth. This was their home, their happy place, and he wanted to be a part of it forever.
“Are you okay, Mike?”
“I guess. I don’t know.”
“Do you need to talk to someone?” asked his brother. He was in a helpful, counseling mood today, and that extended to his brother as well.
“No. I don’t know.” His brother chuckled at him, and he grinned, shaking his head. “We’ll be leaving all this soon. Everything. Mom and Dad. Our grandparents, friends, family. This is all we’ve ever known, and within a few months, we’re going to be gone from it all. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Yeah. That’s true. But you knew that. You’ve always known that we were planning on leaving. What’s bugging you?”
“What if we can’t do it, Nate? What happens if we join the Army and don’t become Delta like Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Joseph? What if we fail?”
“Mike, we’re not going to fail. We’ve been training with all these men since we were old enough to walk. We’ve been running with Grandpa for years, almost beating him,” snickered Nate. “You’re the best, Mike. I’ve seen you with the knife training, and your ability to sneak up on others is amazing.”
“But what do I do if I can’t?” he asked again.
“You have a million options, Mike. You can stay in the Army. You can become a Ranger. You could transfer and become a SEAL. You could do your time and come back here and work. We’re blessed with being able to do whatever we want.” Nate stopped, staring at his brother. “Is this what you want, Mike?”
Mike started to walk toward the water, a silent signal for his brother to follow. Nate could feel his anxiety, his uncertainty, and it was causing his heart to ache for him. They were brothers, but twin brothers that felt everything the other was feeling.
“It is what I want. It’s all I’ve ever wanted my entire life,” he said, looking back at Nate. “But I also want this. I want to come back to this. Our home.”
“We will. You and I will come back here together.” He gripped his brother’s shoulder. “I’m going to make you a deal. If we become Delta, we become Delta together. If they won’t allow us to partner, then we’ll transfer. I won’t do it without you.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Nate.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. We’ll find a way to stay together, Mike. I can’t do this without you, either. We’ve been beside one another since we were inside our mother. I won’t do life without you by my side.”
Mike smiled at his brother, feeling some sense of relief. They spent the rest of the school year helping one another to achieve their goals. When it was time for senior prom, they made a vow that they would go as a group with the rest of the guys. No dates. No distractions. No possibility of screwing up their lives or the lives of someone else.
Leaving wasn’t as difficult as Mike had made it out to be in his mind. He hugged his family, promised to be home soon, then felt the excitement and adrenalin of starting his life as an adult on his own.
