He groaned, knowing full well she’d go on and on worrying if he didn’t shut her down. “Mom, you saw me a week ago. Did I look like I’d been shot?”
“No, but you’re a soldier, you can hide that stuff.”
“I’ll be over there in about an hour or less, mom. Don’t fret,” he said, using one of her favorite terms. God, he loved to hear her joy; both her and Talena were the reasons he knew the things he did when he loaded up and flew to some godforsaken hellhole were worthwhile. They were the innocent, and he was the...shit, he wouldn’t say brave. There had to be ones willing to do what was needed to eliminate threats. That was the altruistic version. The reality was, he was damn good at killing. A vision of Angela at the end of the hall, a look of resolution on her face made him grimace.
He didn’t correct his mom when she called him and his team soldiers. Operatives is what they were called. His fellow Army brothers could be called soldiers. His team and others like them didn’t go by such. The government used them because they were deadly and they were good at getting in, getting shit done, and getting out without the world knowing about them. He hated that his mom wasn’t as aware of what he did, but they say ignorance is bliss. He wished he could’ve been left in the dark about Angela’s situation, only knowing now he had to let his mom in on the secret.
Luckily for him, his sister Talena must’ve yelled for their mom, eliminating his need to reassure her that all was fine.
“I need to get a group of hungry teen girls something to eat or they turn into hangry teen girls. Trust me, you don’t want to see that. I’ll see you in a little bit. You be careful and watch your speed,” she said.
“Will do,” he agreed.
He heard his sister laughing, calling out their pizza choices. In a moment of indecision, he almost changed his mind about going over there. His mother hung up before he could. “Putting shit off was for pussies,” he growled out loud staring at the silent phone.
He snatched his keys off the counter, slid his phone into his back pocket, and checked to make sure he had his wallet before shoving his feet into a pair of shoes by the door. Damn, he had to admit how much he loved a nice pair of loafers, something he didn’t get to enjoy much when he was at Fort Bragg or on a mission. The blister on his big toe hadn’t even fully healed yet, but he was set to head back to wherever he was needed.
The drive to his mother’s house; he never referred to the home as Gary’s, didn’t take nearly long enough. Pulling into the exclusive neighborhood memories assailed him. It had been the home they’d had when his dad was alive. Even though the memories were fading, he remembered the big man who he was named after.
Navigating through the light traffic hadn’t taken more than forty-five minutes. He wished it had taken longer, thinking he could’ve used a little more time to figure out what he was going to say, how he’d ask his mother why she’d lied to him all these years. Huge gates blocked the entrance to the exclusive neighborhood, with each home having several acres of land, it was prime real estate only the truly wealthy could afford. He punched in his private code, waited on the gates to open, then made his way to the entrance to their driveaway, where he had to do the same thing again. Some might think the safety protocols were a bit much, but when you were worth over five hundred million dollars, you didn’t take safety for granted. Haven Corp was worth at least that the last he’d checked and only grew.
He eased his Ferrari into the garage after waiting for it to open, the quarter of a million-dollar ride fitting right into the surroundings. His fellow Delta guys had no clue about his true wealth, which suited him. He pushed the door up, easing out of the low-slung ride, glancing at the vehicles parked in the eight-car garage. Gary’s Bentley was missing, as usual. The other man was never around.
Pocketing his keys, he entered through the mudroom, then turned left instead of going into the house, heading toward the back where the pool was located. The home and land were all part of his trust, left to him in his father’s will. It was something he and Gary had butted heads over and one of the reasons he’d joined the Army, then accepted placement in Delta Force. He would never sign anything over to the fucker, ever. His will stated everything went to Talena if he was to be killed, but there was a caveat that she couldn’t sign it off to anyone else except her children upon her death. He’d followed his own father’s footsteps and made sure Gary was privy to this. Even if she wasn’t his biological sister, he still loved her the same. His jaw ached from grinding it, making him angry at the bastard all over again. The only reason he tolerated the shithead was his mom and Talena loved him. Otherwise, he’d have...what the hell would he have done? The man ran the company when Scott didn’t want to, ever. He’d been his dad’s best friend, and now, he was married to his mom. “Shit,” he said hating the bastard with a passion that didn’t sit well with him.
He followed the sounds of young girls’ laughter. The pool area was more like a damn waterpark on steroids. There was an outside kitchen, a pool house, two hot tubs, multiple slides built into the rock walls, making it appear as if they were part of the scenery. The pool itself was a huge L shape that disappeared into a cave-like grotto. He’d helped in redesigning it when he’d been a teen, showing the architect pictures he’d liked. What they ended up with looked like it was set in the jungle, with rocks and foliage that some high-end contractors had come in and created. His mother had laughed and said it was an oasis. Most days if he wanted to find her or his sister, all he had to do was search outside since it was where she spent most of her time, lounging by the pool with Talena. All the kids who came over loved to climb up the rocks and jump into the pool like they were in the forest, kind of like Tarzan. The entire thing had taken a couple years to completely grow to what it was today, but it was nothing less than magical.
Scott stood back, unseen for a moment and watched as Talena lifted her arms above her head at the top of the fake mountain. Her form was much more graceful than the other girls, and then she let out a yell, making him grin as she dove gracefully into the deep waters. Scott hated to upset their mother and ruin her time with Talena with his questions, but fuck, he loathed the fact she’d lied to him. No matter what, Talena was his family.
Laughter filled the air, girls cheering one another on, completely oblivious to the demons plaguing him or the shit he was about to wreak on his mother. Talena climbed out of the pool, her long blonde hair was almost white, the sun making it look like a halo. His chest ached at the thought of losing her as a sister.
“There’s my baby boy.” His mother moved in front of him, blocking his view of Talena.
“Hi, mom. You look gorgeous as always.” It wasn’t a lie. At forty-three, she could easily pass for a woman ten years younger. She too was in a bathing suit, her two-piece showing off the fact she was still in excellent shape.
She slapped his arm, then pulled him down to kiss his cheeks. “Come over into the shade and have a seat.”
Following her over to the area where huge fans were set up, blowing mist all around, he toed off his shoes so they wouldn’t get wet. Damn, he was definitely going to need to get his head back into warfare before going into whatever shithole they sent him.