Page 34 of Alistair

“I don’t think you’re gonna have any issues,” laughed Leif.

“Did you guys hear any news while on the road?” asked Tailor. They all shook their heads. “Your girl, Dove, reportedly checked herself into a recovery center in an undisclosed location. Hiro and Tanner said her brother called them after you left and said he wanted her to get help right away but didn’t want her found. Bree and the others took care of it. She and her friend just might live.”

“Damn. I sure hope so,” said Alistair. “Maybe Bull and Amanda could visit her.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Alec. “I’ll text them and see what they say.”

“Man, this food is good,” said East. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was for home-cooked meals since we’ve been gone. It’s the only thing I hate about being on ops. You don’t get good quality meals.”

“Wait until you taste her blueberry pie,” smiled Tailor, his teeth stained a perfect blueberry color.

“I can see that you think it’s good,” smiled Gator.

For another thirty minutes, all they did was eat. Not wanting to leave a mess, they took their plates into the kitchen, rinsed them off, and placed them in the dishwasher. There were no more leftovers to save, so they set the serving dishes in the sink, rinsed, and waiting.

“Anyone hear from our boy?” asked Sor. Alistair shook his head.

“Not yet. But if I don’t have a message by noon tomorrow, we’re going hunting.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“What the fuck was she thinking?” he yelled across the room. “Didn’t you make it clear she was never to do something like this?”

“You know that I did. She obviously listened to her brother and not me. I can’t find her anywhere. None of the celebrity rehab centers are admitting that she’s a patient and even the university is being hush-hush about it. I’ve got nothing.”

“Fuck her. If she calls, tell her that her chances are zero now. Zero!”

“No problem. How is Raelynn?”

“Fine. Not fine. We practically have to force-feed her, and now she’s demanding that I give her the part in the spy thriller. She doesn’t have the energy to shoot one scene, let alone an entire movie.”

“I don’t want to point out the obvious, but we did this to her. She only needed to lose ten or twenty pounds, not sixty. She can’t be on camera until we get her off this shit,” said Roper.

“I’m well aware. Thank you,” he frowned. Roper just shrugged his shoulders, not saying anything.

“Karesh was picked up by the feds this morning,” said Roper quietly. The other man sat back in the big leather desk chair, staring at him. “So far, he hasn’t said a word, but they’re pressing him pretty hard. He’s gonna lose his license, his practice, everything. They found all the bottles on his property but nothing that indicated where he got them. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his mouth shut.”

“He doesn’t know anything except the drugs work and made him rich. Make sure he keeps his mouth shut. One way or another. What about the Marines? Where are they?”

“I told you. I cannot find them. None of them. It’s like they were sent away and completely disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“They were the first ones out there, and I was standing right in front of them. I know they recognized me.”

“Maybe not,” he shrugged. “I mean, it was dark. There was a lot happening. If they recognized you, they would have already come for you or made an announcement. I think we need to let this go.”

“I’m not letting shit go! I need them dead.”

“I’ll keep looking,” he nodded. “Is the new site up and running?”

“Yep,” he smiled. “I was out there today. Got twice as many boys working, and they want money and the drugs. Not the weight loss shit, just the opioids. Who would’ve thought an unknown formula could make us so rich?”

“I damn sure have more money than I ever thought I would. Enough that I could disappear if needed.”

“Don’t disappear yet. We’ve got some work to do. Once I can talk about all this, I’ll have all the celebs knocking on my door. They’ll want me and no one else. I’ll be back in the spotlight and the hero of my own movie.” Roper stared at him and turned, leaving him to his own thoughts.

“Or the villain of your own end.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

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