“The girl is secure and on her way to Memorial Hospital. We need to exfil and get you to the same place.”
The three of them jogged to the second exfil sight on the outer ridge of the property, close to a ravine. He ignored the pain in his ribs and throat and ran beside Clay and Holler. The helo was hovering above them as they moved to crouch behind the rocks. A sudden burst of machine gunfire made them duck and Reid watched in horror as Holler fell, his body riddled with bullets.
Noise and pain fell away as Reid collapsed to his knees beside his friend trying to save him even as he knew it was too late. The responding fire from the helo made the night fall silent again.
“Reid, come on, we need to go,” Clay called.
Reid nodded, his emotions in a fog as he acted on instinct. He pushed his arms under the knees of his friend and lifted him. Clay moved around and together they carried their friend’s body to the helo that would take them to safety.
His eyes never left Holler as Clay shoved an oxygen mask over his face and Reid let him. This mission was a fuck up from beginning to end. Lack of reliable intelligence had put them all at risk. He went over and over in his mind what he could have done differently. Trying to see if he could have saved Holler.
The three of them—him, Holler, and Clay—had gone through HRT training together, were thick as thieves and now he was gone. They all knew the risks but like so many, they thought they were invincible. Reid knew there would be an investigation into why he’d disobeyed a direct order.
He’d do it again though, because that girl hadn’t deserved to die for her father’s mistakes. It was a feeling he knew all too well.
Six Months Later
Reid walked out of the Director of the FBI’s office at Quantico and felt the sun on his face. He was now officially a civilian. His superiors, although understanding of his decision to go back, couldn’t ignore the fact he’d disobeyed a command.
The HRT only worked because the men were able to carry out their missions without questioning what they’d been told. Offered a desk job or the opportunity to resign, he’d signed his resignation letter there and then.
His best friend was leaning against the black pickup, his arms crossed over his chest when he left the building. “You quit?” he asked although it came out more as a statement than question. Clay knew him better than anyone, except perhaps his mom.
“No other choice, I can’t sit at a desk.”
“What you gonna do now?”
Reid slid into the passenger seat beside his friend. “Not sure, but a buddy of mine from Delta said there’s an opportunity he’s been offered in the private sector.”
Clay angled his body in the seat to look at him, raising his brow. “And?” He knew a but was coming.
“But it’s in the UK.”
Clay’s eyebrows shot up and he drew in a breath. “Wow. You considering it?”
That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. Was he considering it? All his life he’d stayed close to his mom, helping with the girls since his dad had left when he was ten. She didn’t need him as much now. Nessa and Tori were older and finding their own lives.
“Yeah, I think so. The guy heading this new team has a stellar reputation and the team he’s putting together is in a class of its own.”
“What do they want with you then,” Clay joked as he started the car.
Reid laughed. “Yeah, good point.”
They drove in silence for a bit towards the local bar they had been frequenting since they were old enough to drink.
“Seriously, Reid. You should take the job. It sounds like an amazing opportunity.”
“Yeah, but mom….”
“Stop. You can’t hold your life back because your dad was a deadbeat asshole who left your mom high and dry. She and the girls will be fine, and I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“You could come with me,” Reid suggested.
“Nah, not me. I need to be stateside.”
Reid understood, Clay was close to his family too and travelled upstate to see his younger sister every weekend. “I guess I’m moving to the UK then.”
“Guess so, but before you do, you’re buying.”
“Will you keep an eye on Mom and the girls for me?”
“Sure, but you owe me.”
Reid laughed knowing that watching over two teenage girls wasn’t his friend’s idea of fun anymore than it was his. “I’ll owe you.”
“Yes, you will.”
Chapter One
The water was cool on his skin as he dove into the training pool at Eidolon’s headquarters to swim laps. Reid’s years on the HRT had honed him into peak physical condition but training with Jack and the men of Eidolon had kicked that up a notch. He was in the best shape of his life. The ache in his shoulders as he swam lap after lap tore his brain away from the rage that bubbled up inside him every time he thought of Gunner.
His friend, his partner on so many missions, and he’d betrayed them all. The worst of it was nobody knew why, or where he was. Maybe he’d feel better if he could just take the anger out on his traitorous fucking face. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. The man was a ghost now, and because of the skills he had, could probably remain that way for a good long while.
His recent stint in the US had been a welcome opportunity to visit with his mom and sisters, and he’d relished the time with them. Nessa had shown improvement he thought. Cancer—Large B-Cell Lymphoma—had struck not long after he made it to the UK, just under four years ago now.
His initial instinct had been to quit and head home, his family meant everything to him. His sister had other ideas though, convincing him that she couldn’t live with him giving up a job he loved for her. Jack had been understanding and put him on as many jobs as he could in the US, giving him plenty of chances to go home for some R and R.
Being part of a company like Eidolon was more than just a job. He’d found himself here, in this country where everything was green and any sign of sun was, even in the dead of winter, a chance to get shorts on. He missed his family, well his mom and his sisters.
His deadbeat father probably had no clue he’d even left. He only paid them a visit when he needed cash or a place to stay. The man was a loser, and Reid only tolerated him because, for some reason, his mother wouldn’t hear him bad mouthing the sperm donor. Reid was a momma’s boy, always had been, and he didn’t give a shit who knew it.
She’d brought him and his sisters up to know the difference between right and wrong, to do the right thing if they could. He’d gone through a phase of thinking he knew best, but she being the good Southern mom she was, she’d knocked that shit right out of him.
Which was why he couldn’t get over his teammate’s betrayal. The entire team dynamic had shifted as they’d tried to fill the void Gunner had left. Each one of them was struggling to negate the feelings of guilt. Why hadn’t they seen it, why didn’t anyone know what was going on until it was too late? Then there was the doubt he’d caused. If Gunner could turn, would others?
Jack had been quick to jump on that. He had them running drills every waking hour. When they weren’t on a job, they were training. Firearms training, tactical assault, hand to hand combat with Sensei Dave and his Systema team. Diving, underwater assault, fast roping, HALO jumping, rock climbing. Every single skill set they needed to be better than the best.