Joe sank into the chair next to Amanda and the two shared a knowing look. “Old news.”
Caleb stared around the room at his family. So they knew that he and Samantha were together. They all loved her. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be a big deal, but their approval still meant a great deal to him. “Perfect. Since you seem to know my business, you can stop arguing with me about it.”
His phone rang in his pocket, interrupting any further discussion about his love life. Caleb recognized the number and put it on speaker so everyone could hear.
“Hey, Charlie. What’s up?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Charlie’s voice held a suspicious tone.
Caleb arched a brow and glanced around. Joe returned his what now expression.
“Did you find something?” Caleb asked.
“I just got the report on the fingerprints from those casings we found.”
“And?”
“What’ve you gotten into?”
Caleb was fast running out of patience. “Charlie,” he barked. “Who do they belong to?”
“Well now. That’s the thing,” Charlie drawled. “The prints we pulled belong to a dead man.”
Caleb stared at the phone, his internal warning bells screaming bloody murder while his brain tried to get past the whole what the fuck factor. “Who?” he demanded again.
Charlie cleared his throat. “Fella named Mark Shaw.”
Joe’s spine straightened and locked gazes with him as Charlie continued. “I did some checking. Not a lot of background information. Parents are deceased. One sibling, a sister, whose last known address is now a vacant lot in upstate New York. Here’s the kicker. He’s listed as being killed in action in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.”
Columbia, actually.
“Thanks, Charlie. Sit tight. We’ll get back to you.”
Caleb disconnected the call before Charlie bombarded him with questions he couldn’t answer.
It couldn’t be true. Someone was fucking with him.
Mark Shaw.
Young, single, and cocky, Mark had been the wild card on his team. Charlie’d been right. Mark had no family to speak of and rarely spoke to his sister, if Caleb remembered correctly. Good kid, but he struggled to keep his emotions in check. One minute he’d be calm and in control. The next minute … not so much. He’d been unpredictable. Not a valued quality in the field and certainly not one Caleb had wanted for his team. In fact, Caleb had requested Mark be reassigned and not accompany them to Columbia.
He’d been overruled and it’d been Mark’s last mission. He’d died out there. His whole fucking team had died out there because of Mark’s impatience. Caleb had seen it with his own eyes.
He should’ve fought harder to keep Mark grounded. He should’ve insisted.
“What was that about?” Brandon asked.
Pulling himself from the past, Caleb looked at Joe. “Is it possible?”
Joe had saved Caleb’s life that day, despite the fact Caleb had taken a slice out of Joe’s side in the process. Joe hadn’t been a part of Caleb’s mission, so his unexpected arrival—guns blazing—didn’t help the confusion about whether he was friend or foe. With gunshot wounds to his leg and shoulder, Caleb had opted on the side of keeping himself alive.
Joe had pulled him to safety, and that was where his memory got a little sketchy. He’d read Joe’s report. He’d been debriefed by Derrick Sloan, the man who controlled the underground operation that’d commissioned the op. The Agency didn’t answer to any one government and its agents came from all walks of life, from all over the world. And Derrick Sloan only chose the fearless, the best of the best. Men who shared a common goal—to rid the world of the evil that plagued it.
Another reason Caleb hadn’t understood why Derrick had demanded he suck it up and find a place for Mark on his team. Fearless, maybe, but Mark hadn’t been the best at anything. Unless it was getting into trouble. The kid had had a wealth of knowledge in that department.
This couldn’t be right. Other than the cartel members who’d hightailed it for parts unknown, Caleb and Joe had been the only ones to come out of the jungle that day. Or, so he’d been told.
“Up until about a minute ago, I’d have said no,” Joe said.
Caleb pressed his knuckles into the table, his whole body tensed with frustration. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Joe’s face hardened. “A whole hell of a lot, actually, but I stand by my report. There was no evidence to indicate survivors.”
“Anyone wanna share with the rest of the class?” Brandon asked.