The Darkest Hour(17)

He glanced back at Garrett and Donovan, who raised their eyebrows in  question, but Sam shook his head and then motioned for Steele and Rio to  follow him outside. This wasn't something he wanted his brothers  involved in.

"What's up?" Steele asked in his impatient voice. He adjusted his arm,  only a flicker in his eyes to betray the pain he must be feeling.

"I'm sending you home with our injured," Sam said to Steele.

Steele's lips tightened. "You're taking me out of action?"

"Dude, you've been shot," Rio said. "That's what normally happens."

Sam held up his hand. Then he turned to Rio. "What I'm asking you to do  is off the books. You'll get paid just like always, but this isn't  official, and you don't have to agree."

Both Steele and Rio went silent as they stared back at Sam.

"Okay," Rio said slowly. "What are we talking about here?"

"I want you and your men to go back into Colombia. Deep cover and  surveillance. Chances are the village will move since we know their  location. I want their every movement closely monitored. It will require  patience. I want reports, but I don't want you to move-yet."

Rio nodded. "Okay, we can do that. What's the big hairy deal? You act like this is high treason or something."

Sam's jaw tightened as he tried to control the surge of anger. "This  isn't a mission, Rio. It isn't business. This is personal. I want these  bastards. I want them to pay for what they did to my family. I want  information, and I don't care what we have to do to get it."

Steele and Rio went still and Sam could see they were finally understanding where he was coming from.

"I want to know why they kept Rachel alive. Why the big hoax. Why would  they make us believe she died and then keep her alive all this time?"

"I understand," Rio said evenly. "I'll get your information for you."

"Not just you, Rio. Me. I can't-won't-ask you to do something like this  without me. I'm going home with my family. They need me right now. When I  get everything settled, I'll meet up with you in Colombia and we'll go  in."

"You're not doing this without me," Steele cut in.

Sam shook his head. "No. You're going back with your team. They're your  responsibility. Cole and Dolphin need the downtime. You know the rules.  We work as a team. We live as a team. The team is everything."

Steele swore under his breath. "I don't like it, Sam. You have too much  of a personal stake in this. If you don't want me going, fine. Let Rio  lead his team in."

Sam slowly shook his head. "I can't ask someone else to do what I want done."

"I don't like it," Rio said. "If you want the job done, fine. I'll take  my team and we'll round up the riffraff. We'll make them talk. But I  think you should go home with the others. Your family needs you right  now."

"I'll take care of my family," Sam said quietly. "But then I'm going  back in. I want their blood. I can't ask you or anyone else to do my  dirty work for me."

"Bullshit," Steele snorted. "Think about this, Sam. Use your damn head.  You're as emotionally involved as Ethan is. You take this shit  personally. Someone fucked with your family and you want revenge. Do you  honestly think Garrett is going to quietly go home while you race back  into the jungle? Do you think Ethan is going to just say okay while you  go avenge his wife? What you need to do is go home and take your  brothers with you. You know it's the right thing to do or you wouldn't  be sneaking outside your brothers' hearing and trying to slide one by  them."                       
       
           



       

"That's a load of crap about you not asking us to do something," Rio cut  in. "We're beyond that shit. This isn't the U.S. fucking Army. I'll  take my team back in. Steele can fly his home and you take your family  home. They're going to need you. I'll find your answers."

Sam hesitated, torn between his need for vengeance and the knowledge  that Rio and Steele were right. Ethan needed him. The next weeks were  going to be hard on his family. But at the same time, getting answers  was all important. He needed to know why Rachel had been taken. Why his  family had been lied to. Why the grand deception? None of it made sense.

"Leave it to us," Steele said bluntly. "I know it slays the control  freak in you, but this is one mission you need to stay away from. I'll  get my men settled and the rest of my team will provide ground support  for Rio and his team."

Rio raised one brow. "Wow. The mighty Steele is going to act in a support role." He clutched his chest and staggered backward.

Steele pinned him with the full force of his glare.

"And you wonder why I have such a hard time turning things over to you  guys," Sam muttered. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I appreciate  the concern. But tell me this. If it was your family. If this was  someone you loved we were rescuing. Would you be willing to let someone  go back for vengeance?"

Rio blew out his breath. "No. I wouldn't."

Steele nodded his agreement.

"Okay then it's settled." He broke off and glanced back toward the  cottage where his brothers were resting. "This needs to stay between us  for obvious reasons."

"You're the boss," Rio said.

Sam wiped a tired hand over his face. "You guys get some rest. I want to check in with Ethan and Rachel one more time."

"You coming in?" Steele asked Rio as he turned in the direction of the house.

"Nah, I'll head back to the chopper. I'll check back with you guys in a few hours."

Steele shrugged. "Suit yourself."





A hand closed around Ethan's shoulder and gently shook him awake. Beside  him, Rachel lay curled in his arms. He turned his head to see Sam  standing over him.

"What the hell happened?" Sam demanded in a whisper.

It took Ethan a few minutes to process that Sam was looking at Rachel's blood-spattered clothes.

Carefully, Ethan eased away from Rachel and awkwardly got up from the  bed. Every muscle in his body protested, and he had a monster crick in  his neck from sleeping in such a cramped position.

"Get much sleep?" Sam asked.

"Not much. Rachel's in pretty bad shape."

Sam put a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "We'll get her home. She's going to  be fine. She's a fighter. How else would she have survived this last  year?"

"She shouldn't have had to. I should have been here for her."

"Bullshit."

Ethan remained silent. Only he knew the depths of his failure when it  came to Rachel. He didn't want Sam to know. Ever. He couldn't stand the  disappointment in his older brother's eyes. Their father had always  drilled a sense of honor into them. Do right by your woman. His  thirty-plus years married to their mother was a testament that he lived  by his word.

Not only had Ethan not done right by Rachel, but he'd ducked  responsibility, and he'd laid the blame for his own unhappiness at her  feet.

"You can't live in the past, man," Sam said in a voice barely above a  whisper. "Rachel needs you. Get over your guilt and be strong for her.  You've got some tough days ahead of you."

Ethan nodded, though he doubted Sam could see him in the darkness. Sam  was right. For whatever reason, he'd been granted a precious second  chance. No, he didn't deserve it, but he wasn't going to turn his back  on it.

"Maren doesn't think Rachel should go home just yet, and after what happened earlier, I think I agree."

Again Sam's gaze drifted over Ethan's clothing. "What the hell happened?"

Ethan explained Rachel's hallucination and told Sam what Maren had said  about monitoring Rachel's withdrawal and her concern about Rachel going  home to a family and life she couldn't remember.

"She's worried about the strain it'll put on Rachel. She thought it  would be best for you and the others to go ahead and smooth things out  so that her homecoming would be as low-key as possible."

"I don't like the idea of leaving you behind," Sam muttered.

"I'll stay."

Ethan and Sam looked up to see Garrett standing in the doorway.                       
       
           



       

Sam shook his head.

"You don't get to make all the decisions," Garrett said evenly. "I'll  stay with Ethan and Rachel. You can take the others back. Cole, Dolphin  and Steele need medical care beyond what they're getting here. You and  Donovan can break the news to the family. Whenever Rachel is well  enough, Ethan and I will take her home."

Ethan nodded. "I think it's best. If I call Mom and Dad, it's just going  to upset them. They'll never believe I'm not delusional. They'll have  time to process the news before Rachel gets home. I don't want her  overwhelmed. This is going to be hard enough on her as it is."