by J. L. Drake
It was clear Greenburg wasn’t going to open up much further, so I reached in my bag and pulled out the folder that held Stewart’s autopsy report. I flipped it open and set it in front of him.
“I’m not asking you to be a snitch. I’m just trying to figure out who the guy was because he was dropped into a world that got him killed within a matter of weeks.”
Greenburg eyed me then pulled the file closer and scanned the paperwork, while I studied his face for any remorse. None showed.
“Doesn’t surprise me.” He shut the file and pushed it toward me.
“Look,” I rubbed my forehead and decided to take another tactic, “my friends are in some real trouble. Good Army men who worked their way up the ladder and earned their place just like you did. Something bad is happening here, and I need to understand who Nick Stewart was in order to help them. So, please, can you offer me anything?”
He cursed under his breath and seemed to make a decision. “Let me put it to you the way I see it. His parents have money, and they’re good friends with the general who was overseeing our unit while we were training for the test.”
I shifted in my seat as my neck heated. “Do you recall the general’s name?”
“Even if I did, I’m taking that one to the grave.”
Of course, he was.
“All I know is he failed the test, and the very next day he was being pulled from training to take it again.”
“Did he ever say why he got to take it again?”
He smirked darkly. “He said his test got lost and that they needed him to do it again. Three days later, he was bragging about being picked up by an elite team. Normally, we’d call bullshit, but Stewart got what Stewart wanted.”
“No one ever questioned him or confronted him?”
He chuckled lightly. “Nope.”
“Why? Were you scared of him?”
“No, ma’am, not him.”
“Oh, the general.” I nodded at him, and he gave me an eyebrow.
“Okay,” I sifted through my files and opened the last one to show him a drawing, “one last thing.” I held it up. “Does this mean anything to you?”
He squinted at it before he took it from my fingers.
“Seven Webs,” he muttered, and I could tell he was searching his memory. “I’m not sure. At first glance, I would rule out an Army tattoo. There isn’t much to it.”
“What if I told you it was used as a nickname for someone?”
He rubbed his bottom lip and thought again. “Nothing rings a bell, but I can ask around if you’d like.”
“I would. Thank you.”
Twenty more minutes went by, and I finally got him to give me the name of someone else to talk to, Mason. Stewart’s bunkmate. I thanked him for his time and raced down to the coffee shop to grab a sandwich.
Just as I sat down, my phone rang.
“Hello?” I chased my dry mouth down with some water.
“Hey, you.” John’s voice sounded quiet. “How’s it going?”
“Interesting.” I brushed the crumbs from my fingers while I dug out my notebook.
“Good or bad interesting?”
“I’m not really sure yet.” I pulled my phone away from my ear to look at it when I saw another call coming through. “I’m sorry, John, but I’m waiting on this call. I have to go. I’ll call you back, okay?”
“Yup, no problem. Be safe.”
“I will. Bye!”
I hit the button and connected to the new line. “This is Sloane Harlow.”
“Miss Harlow, this is Mason Leaves, returning your call.”
“Hi. Thank you for the call back.” Again, another call came through. It was Frank, but I sent it to voicemail. He and my father both wanted to get a full report of what I was doing, but I didn’t have the headspace for that conversation, so everyone could just hold on for a few days.
“I, ah…” I tried to think. “I wanted to ask you a few questions about Nick Stewart.” I waited, anxious if he’d say anything. There was a long pause before he cleared his throat.
“What would you like to know?”
“He died a few months ago, and I’m trying to understand who he was.”
“How?”
“Murdered.”
“So, karma does exist.” He seemed more amazed than anything else.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush here, Mason. He was working with some friends of mine, and things went very bad. I’m just trying to understand this guy a little more.”
“Why? Do you think he was in on something?”
The next question fell from my mouth without thought when he asked that. “Do you think he would flip?”
“It’s no secret that our unit despised that weasel. He was rich, entitled, but dumb as a post. He could barely remember his left from his right. He carried a little notebook around with notes of simple everyday things just so he wouldn’t look stupid when he was given a command.”
“Is that how he passed his test?”
“He never passed, but his parents got him pushed through because of their relationship with the general.”
“General.” I paused and waited.
“You seem real nice, Miss Harlow, but something like that, you’ll have to find out on your own.”
Damn. “Can I ask you one question?”
“You can. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer it.”
“Was it General Csaba?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted the answer or not.
There was another long pause, and my stomach crept into my throat.
“No.”
I sagged into my seat and sighed with relief. I wasn’t proud of myself for going there, but let’s be honest, my father didn’t have the best reputation.
“Thank you, Mason. I appreciate your time.”
“Miss Harlow?”
“Yes?”
“Greenburg put out a text about you poking around about the general. You’d be wasting your time hunting down the rest of the men. They won’t speak to you.”
“Fair enough.” I figured as much. Damn, I wished I had started with someone else.
The line went dead.
Chapter Seventeen
John
“Hey, man, just checking in.” Cole sounded just as frustrated as I was being told to stay put. We could do nothing until we got word to return to Mexico. There had been very limited communication with North Rock, and the last we’d heard from Chamness was that they were missing another man. We were told that the four other team members in the hospital would not be returning to duty anytime soon, if ever. Frank mentioned something about filing the paperwork for their honorable discharges.
What the ever-loving fuck was happening here?
A selfish part of me was happy they hadn’t been called out while I was on leave, but then guilt and rage filled the holes when I remembered I wasn’t the one trying to survive in the bush being hunted by the enemy.
“When is Sloane coming back?” Cole asked.
“Tomorrow sometime.” I neatly packed my duffle bag to prepare for my return to Shadows. I just needed to wait for clearance from Frank. “However, I think it might be more like three before she’ll get here. She went flying down a rabbit hole, and I was warned to let her be because this is what she does best.” I chuckled as I thought of Frank’s face when I told him she still wasn’t home. He told me a story about how she went rogue for weeks and didn’t surface until she’d found something to prove her client’s innocence. Scared her parents pretty good.
“Hang on one second. What?” There was a pause, and I heard a scuffled sound. “Livi wants to talk to you.”
“Sure.” I pulled my Army boots from the bag and put my snow boots in their place.
“Uncle John.” Livi’s little grown up voice carried over the line clearly and assertively, just like her father.
“Hi, Livi. How are you doing?”
“Well, thank you. Have you been practicing?”
I smirked. “I was going to ask
you the same thing. Yes, I have. Have you been?”
“Of course. How are you feeling? Are you sure you’re okay to…” She didn’t finish her sentence because we had been keeping this secret for nearly four months.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I grinned and pictured her happy face. “Why do you think I rested up?”
She laughed. “Sloane’s been outing you, Uncle John. She texted Uncle Mike and Daddy and told them you weren’t listening to the doctor’s orders.”
Oh, is that so? Now I knew why she was smirking the night she left.
“Sloane hasn’t been here for nearly seven days. She doesn’t know if I’m resting or ignoring doctors’ orders.”
“When, Daddy?” Her voice muffled a bit as she spoke to Cole. “Can I stay on the phone until then?” She giggled, which made me miss home even more.
“How have the twins been?”
“Ugh, they were misbehaving the other day, so I convinced them to play a barrel roll game, and, well, you know those barrels that you guys use for your workouts?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“You know the ones with the lids?”
I started to respond, then I caught what she was saying and burst out laughing.
“How long did you trap them for?” I loved this kid.
“Until Auntie Mia was looking for them. Butters gave them away.”
“What did Daddy do?”
“Nothing until Auntie looked away, then he high fived me.” I could hear her giggle again.
“Not everything has to be repeated, Liv,” Cole said from somewhere.
“When it’s funny, it should be, Daddy.”
I chuckled but perked up when I heard Tripper and then wheels on the driveway.
“Sounds like they deserved it.” I took the stairs three at a time and whisked past my mother, who was complaining about making dinner.
“What are you doing?” Livi must have sensed I was distracted.
“I see one of our SUVs coming up my driveway.”
“Really?” She seemed interested.
I could picture her sitting at Cole’s big desk chair while he was probably stretched out on his couch looking over a file. He loved when she came into his office. He was always so busy that he didn’t get as much time with her as he’d like. He even went so far as to build her a little desk and chair so she could work alongside him. She used it sometimes but preferred to sit at his desk when she could.
“What the hell?” Mike, Keith, Mark, Savannah, and Mia all piled out of the SUV with bags in their hands. “Um, Livi, I have to go.”
“Don’t be mad, Uncle John. They have a good reason for it.”
My mind did a circle as her words sank into my head. What was going on? Panic spread through me. The guys didn’t know what Ellie was really like. I’d hadn’t shared that, and it was a choice I’d consciously made.
I hurried out to the front porch and closed the door behind me, hoping Ellie wouldn’t follow me.
“Hey, stranger.” Savannah moved her tray full of something out of the way as she kissed my cheek.
“Hey, ah, what are you guys doing here?”
“We wanted to be here sooner, but we had some stuff to finish for Frank.” Mike stepped aside to let the others in, and again I wanted to cringe. They’d never done this before.
“Do what, exactly?” I hugged Mia and welcomed Mark’s slap to the shoulder.
“We brought food, groceries, booze.” Keith held up a twenty-four pack of beer.
Mike followed Keith inside, and I mentally cursed the potential shitstorm that was about to happen.
“Look, guys, this is too kind, but really, I’m back tomorrow. You don’t need to do this.”
“Hello, Mrs. Black.” Mark removed the tin foil on Savannah’s famous lasagna. “Any chance you can heat the oven to three-fifty?” He wiggled his eyebrows at my mother. Christ, this was not happening.
“This, oh…” My mother’s hands went to her face, and I could tell she was happy to see them all over. “What a treat!”
“Where’s your pops?” Keith looked out at the barn.
“He’ll be back any moment.” I went to say more, but my attention was drawn by Mike, who motioned for me to join him in the living room.
I eyed Ellie as she appeared at the top of the stairs, listening to what was going on.
“I know.” Mike’s voice was steady as he bumped my shoulder. I tried to read his expression.
“Know what?”
“Look, John, when you were at the hospital, Sloane and I went downstairs to get some air, and we ran into Ellie. She was, ah, pretty upset. Sloane took charge and was able to calm her. I get not telling us. We all have versions of ourselves we’d like to keep private, but this is different. You needed help, and you should have asked us.”
My blood rushed through my veins, and the sound in my ears was almost deafening. I hated this topic. I hated that the moment it was brought up, I felt the noose around my neck tighten and the guilt rip through my body.
“I’m sorry about Ellie, John. I can’t imagine how it must be for all of you. I’m also going to assume that was why she didn’t stick around long at my wedding.”
“I wanted to give my parents a break, and I thought I was ready. But she saw something that triggered her memory, flipped out, and had to leave. I wasn’t about to ruin your big day.” I spoke the truth and hesitated to go on, but I had to ask. “What did Sloane tell you?” I needed to know if the woman I loved had told my darkest most painful secret.
“When I questioned Sloane in the elevator, she clammed up and wouldn’t answer me. Man,” he grinned, “she had the best Blackstone line. Made me proud that you found our kind of woman.”
The air rushed out of me, and for the first time in a very long time I felt like I could breathe. The truth being out there took away the tension in my stomach, and I almost felt lightheaded.
“Sloane did out you for rappelling down the barn, though.” He laughed and turned me back toward the kitchen. “Like I said, you found our type of woman. They love us hard and will make sure you follow the damn rules.”
“Yeah,” I huffed in agreement.
“Look,” Mike leaned into the wall, sipped his beer, and tucked the cap into his pocket. “I don’t know the whole story, and that’s fine, but what I do know is the look of a man who’s carrying a level of guilt on his shoulders. No matter what sequence of events led up to the accident, no one could have predicted that particular truck would have been there at the exact time Ellie was. What happens afterwards is what counts. Life’s a bitch, and we’re only along for the ride, so let that shit go before it eats you alive.”
He was right, but it would take time to shed the armor I’d worn for these past years.
The scene in the kitchen felt surreal. My father was smiling and being served some garlic bread by Savi, and Mia was insisting my mother join him while they fussed around making sure that when I left for Shadows, they would be well taken care of.
I leaned against the wall and watched how my two families moved about as one. Laughter, playful insults, and horrible flirting on Mark’s end happily bounced from the walls.
“What’s going on?” Ellie slipped up next to me, with a careful eye on our company. Instead of being full of concern for what might happen, I just smiled over at my twin.
“Our friends are here for dinner.”
“Oh, cool.” She took a step into the kitchen and sat down. Not one person acted any differently, and when Keith handed her a plate, she took it with a thank you.
My parents both looked over at her, and when my mom’s glossy eyes found mine, she mouthed, “Did Sloane do this?”
I shrugged because she may or may not have initiated the gathering, but I knew she was the reason for all of this.
I wished she was here.
“Hungry, Black?” Keith held up a plate for me.
“I am.” I pushed off the wall and joined my family.
***
The cold found its way inside my lungs, and I relished the sting that settled deep down inside my chest. A part of me felt guilty for having a good time when North Rock was stuck in a humid hell, but sometimes you just needed to let loose and clear your head.
“This is gonna hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.” Mike grinned at the guys and held the frozen leather between his fingers.
“Ready?” Keith nodded at Mark with a smirk, ready to use his size to plow into him.
“Bring it, like your sister did the other night,” Mark taunted him as I shook my head at Keith. I knew he understood what was about to happen.
“But wait.” Savi popped her head up and lost her formation again. “Which sister?”
“Which sister?” Mike hissed.
“Well, yeah.” Mia joined in and spoke to Savi. “One and Four have the looks for sure.”
“But I can see Three being more Mark’s type.”
“Yes,” Mia pointed to Savi, “I can see that too.”
Mike stood and rubbed the spot between his eyes. “No more wives in the game.”
Savannah made a run for Mike while Mia bolted in the other direction. Savi slipped the ball out of Mike’s hand and tossed it to Mia, who ran like the wind down to the spray-painted line and tossed it on the ground with her arms in the air.
“Power of distraction, ladies!” She high fived Savannah, and Mike and I let our heads fall with defeat.
“This is your fault,” Keith hissed at Mark, who looked thoroughly entertained by his wife.
“She’s so fucking hot right now.” Mark raced over to Mia and scooped her up with a kiss.
“No more Mark either,” Mike muttered behind us.
“Where is Cole?” I joined Mike on the fence when I felt my phone go off. I held up a finger to him and started down toward the patio.
“Hey, babe, I was starting to think you forgot about me.”
“Never.” Her laugh turned into a yawn. “Sorry, but I needed to clear something up, and I finally got the answer I was looking for. I’m in Nebraska tonight and then Casper, Wyoming tomorrow, then hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can come home.”