“Shit, Flynn. I’m here. I’m sorry. Been up all night, and I didn’t even realize what time it was.”
“Buck, you need to come if you want to say goodbye.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
He either ended the call, or it dropped. Either way, it didn’t matter.
15
Irish
Richmond, Virginia
February
I tried so damn hard to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. The sound of machines beeping their rhythm was muffled in the background just like the voice of the man I’d recognize even half dead—like I knew I was.
“I’m going away for a while, Irish, and as soon as you’re able to, you’ll be going away too.” I could feel his hand wrap around mine. “I’m so damn sorry, Paxon. I promised I’d keep you safe, and I failed.” Even as subdued as he sounded, I could hear the emotion in his voice. “I just hope that when this is all over, you can find a way to forgive me.”
I tried again to get my damn eyes to open, but they wouldn’t budge. Instead, I squeezed his hand with all my might.
“Paxon?”
I squeezed again. It probably didn’t feel like much to him, but it took every ounce of strength I possessed. I didn’t want to drift out of consciousness again, but my mind couldn’t fight against it.
I opened my eyes and lifted my head.
“Good morning,” said Decker, who was sitting in a chair in the corner.
“Where the fuck am I?” I rested my head against the pillow and closed my eyes.
“As I’ve told you at least ten times now, you’re at the King-Alexander Ranch. It’s located outside Austin, Texas, and if someone were to attempt to get to you here, their body would be blown to bits. Oh, and like I’ve said every other time you opened your damned eyes, afterward we could watch the drone footage over and over again if you wanted to.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Wouldn’t you want to see someone who tried to kill you blown to bits? I sure as hell would.”
“Where’s Cope?”
I opened my eyes again and looked at Decker. “Undisclosed location, just like you.”
“You just told me where I am.”
Deck laughed. “You’re the only one who knows.”
“Other than you.”
“Right. I can be forgetful when I need to be.”
“How long have I been here?”
“About ten days.”
“About?”
Decker laughed again. “Hell, when I’m on the ranch, I don’t keep that good a track. One day isn’t much different than another. Wake up, do chores, eat, do more chores, eat again, go to bed, sleep, and do it all over again.”
“What about the rest of the guys? Ink, Rage, Kanga, and Easy?”
When Decker lowered his head, I knew the news was bad. “Rage got hit, but nothing life-threatening. Ink and Kanga stayed out of the line of fire.”
“And Easy?”
“He didn’t make it, Irish.”
I closed my eyes and turned my head away. Another agent lost. I felt responsible for them all, but none more than Easy. He died protecting me. The man left behind a family, too.
“Irish?”
“Give me a minute, Decker.”
“He did his job. He made sure you stayed alive. Although, for quite a while, we weren’t sure you would pull through.”
“How bad a shape am I in?”
“You’ve made good progress in your recovery.”
I tried to shift my body, but it hurt too damn bad. “You been nursing me yourself?”
“Nah, I’ve got a team here ’round the clock tending to you. I try to come and give ’em a break every so often so they can take a walk outside, stretch their legs.”
“I thought you said no one knows I’m here.”
“No one knows Paxon Warrick is here. Your medical team knows you as Charley Weaver.”
“You’re kidding.”
“You must be older than I thought if you know who that is. So far, I haven’t seen the slightest indication anyone else does.”
I turned my head toward the window, trying to remember the show my grandmother used to watch reruns of.
“F Troop.”
“That’s what it was,” I said, turning back to him. “Would’ve driven me crazy all day. How’d you know I was trying to think of it?”
“Clairvoyant.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Here’s your nurse now,” said Deck, getting up from the chair. “We’ll talk more later.” He patted the end of the hospital bed when he walked by.
“Hey, Deck?”
He stuck his head back in the room. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for all this.”
He was more jovial than I’d ever seen him, but his expression changed to one I was more familiar with. “We’re close, Irish, and all because of your bravery. I know this has been damned hard on you. There will come a day when everyone knows the hero you are. I promise you that.”
He turned around and walked away. A few seconds later, a woman dressed in scrubs came in. “You’re awake!”
“I am.”
“I’m surprised your brother didn’t tell me.”
“My brother?” I almost told her I didn’t have one.
“Well, he said you were half brothers, but he’d never thought of you that way. Anyway, would you like something to eat?”
“What’ve you got?”
“A cook on standby, ready to make anything that sounds good.”
Everything sounded good. I wondered how long it had been since I last ate.
“How about some eggs, bacon, and toast?”
It took another ten days before I was up and around enough that I felt alive. When I finally talked Decker into telling me the extent of my injuries, I wished I hadn’t.
“You ready to talk business?” he asked when I came out of the bedroom, showered and dressed in clothes that weren’t mine but fit me.
“Sure,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee which I turned right around and spit out in the sink. “What is this shit?”
“That’s cowboy coffee. It’ll put hair on your chest.”
“I don’t need more hair on my chest; I need something drinkable.” The coffee the nurses brought me tasted nothing like what I’d just poured into a cup.
Decker motioned with his thumb to one of those pod coffeemakers. “We keep that around for the pussies.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask. Aren’t you married?”
“If that segue had anything to do with my wife, know that once you’re healed, I’ll beat the crap out of you.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Nothing of the sort. I was just wondering since I haven’t met her.”
“That’s because she doesn’t live here. Neither do I, for that matter. We own the ranch adjacent to King-Alexander. Name’s Brandywine. I just come here every day to see how you’re doing.”