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“Is there anything you need before you go after her?”
“A weapon.”
Matt grinned. “That I’ve got you covered on. What are you thinking?”
“Show me what you’ve got.”
“All righty then.”
Matt talked about people they knew, asked questions about Gunner’s deployment and now retirement, and kept the conversation alive. Gunner tried to be engaged. God knew he owed Matt a huge favor for this, but his mind was caught up in the note he carried in his pocket.
When he arrived at his cottage on the Walker Ranch, he found a note taped to the bathroom mirror. He pulled it free from the mirror and headed for his bedroom before he finished reading.
Well, here we are, big guy, headed out on a mission. He’s coming, Gunner, and he means to end me and take the wolves. I can't let that happen, but I also don’t have the right to ask you to fight this war. You have your own, and that needs to come first. It seems we both have wars to complete to walk free in the future.
I really screwed up, Gun. I should have gone after him and never let Samir live, but I did, and now it’s fine that he wants to get even, but not that he wants to breed, clone, and basically subjugate the entire wolf breed. He has to be stopped, and if he comes after me, he’ll have a fight on his hands—one I can’t let him win.
There’s nothing I want more than you here with us, but doesn’t it make me a selfish woman to ask you to risk your life in a war you never were part of? I don’t know. I wish I did. I’ll stick to the plan we devised, but please know that I don’t expect you to take up the fight. I’ll be forever in your debt if you do, but if you don’t, it won’t change the fact that I love you.
That note struck home. He had been fighting a losing battle in a war that started when he was a kid, a war he would never win, because those who warred against him were all dead and gone, and you can’t fight a ghost.
But this fight for the wolves, for Oakley, was real. He wasn’t a boastful man, but Gunner knew himself to be good at what he did. He’d been a SEAL most of his life and understood war. He was fully aware that this war was different. He wasn’t operating under orders, didn’t have to observe any rules. He had one purpose--to destroy all enemies who sought to harm or kill the woman he loved and her wolves.
So, he reckoned he’d chosen his war. The war to save Oakley.
That thought brought a sense of calm that eased him as much physically as emotionally. Now he could be free of the encumbrances of uncertainty and doubts, and get to work doing what he’d been trained to do.
By the time that decision became fixed, they’d reached the barn. Matt handed the horse off to a hand with a kind thanks for seeing to its needs, and then gestured to Gunner. “Come on.”
Gunner followed him to the lodge where the family lived. “Dad and Rylee are in town right now.”
“It’s hard to believe your dad got married.”
“Tell me about it,” Matt agreed, then gestured. “Back here.”
He led Gunner to a room that was clearly an office. On the opposite wall was a door. Gunner expected it to be a closet and it was. Of sorts. Behind the door was a room. A weapon’s locker.
“It’s kinda like a wet dream, huh?” Matt quipped.
“Kind of,” Gunner agreed, already trying to decide what would be the best choice of weaponry.
“I bet you’re trying to decide what to choose,” Matt surprised Gunner. “Yeah, I saw the look. But as one SEAL to another, I’d suggest you take what you’re most skilled and comfortable with—which, with you, would be all of them, but that’s a lot to haul around the mountains.”
Gunner recognized Matt was ribbing him and smirked. “I’d have to agree.”
“Can I also recommend you take a SAT phone with you? Worst case scenario, someone gets hurt. Seriously hurt. It’ll bring you help.”
“Good point and recommendation taken. Anything else?”
“Just one more thing,” Matt walked over to a storage rack and slid a small case off one of the shelves. “This thing can take wind and rain and is a real workhorse. The way I see it, you’re days behind Oakley, wherever she’s headed. This will help you search.”
“Kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack, isn’t it boss?”
“Not if you know what to look for.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, it’s not that you are apt to spot her, but you are apt to figure out where she’s been, or which she might be because of the wildlife. Think about it. Everything is afraid of humans, and wolves are apex predators. When they’re in an area, wildlife scatters, gets out of range. So, if you spent a little time above the trees high enough, you’ll spot the presence or absence of wildlife. Either one carries a clue.”
