Page 33 of Skull

For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the overhead ventilation and the distant hum of activity outside the room. Then, slowly, Blade exhaled.

His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke. “Get them out first, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

Walker straightened, watching the weight of his decision settle on him.

She let the silence linger, then nodded.

She took a piece of paper out of the folder. “Draw me a map to the fastest route in and out of your residence. Make it quick. We’re running out of time for both our people.”

He drew quickly, then slid the map back to her. “You are attached to these people Lucia has?”

Now it was Walker’s turn to keep herself in check. She wanted to jump across the table and throttle him, but she had to tamp down her impulse. She wasn’t one to give into impulse, not even the choice to chase him through Lealtad. That had been a solid, reasonable decision she could back up with logic. Her lips thinned, and she gave him a curt nod. But these feelings that coursed through her right now, her fear for Leigh and Hazard overwhelmed her for a moment, the thought of them losing their lives for doing the kind of job that was impossible, losing the love they had found between them, something Walker had secretly coveted, trying to rationalize it all, and trying to keep her emotions under wraps while they were living on borrowed time. It tore her up.

“Then I feel sorry for you,” his voice softened for just a fraction, then hardened again. “Pincho will kill them the moment she finds out that I’m gone.” He looked away, then back at her, his eyes full of regrets. “I had no choice in this life. You saw Lealtad. We grew up with the cartel running everything, including recruiting gangs to carry out their business and their orders.” He exhaled harshly, the cuffs rattling with a metallic clank. “The gang serves her, and she is ruthless as I’m sure you already know.” His voice dropped into an urgent hush. “She will wait until the time my family is supposed to be murdered by her thugs, and that is your only window of opportunity. Bring them to me as quickly as you can.”

“We will,” she promised, her voice as urgent and harsh as his had been. “No one will stand in our way. Your family is as good as here.” She tilted her head, studying him. The weight of the mission now settled on her shoulders. There was no way around it. They were going back to that death trap. As she picked up the photos of Blade’s family, his wife’s eyes, his son’s smile, and his daughter’s adorable face lingered in her mind.

Walker sighed, rubbing a hand over her face as he gave her a hopeful, slow nod.

“If these people survive, I believe it will be because of you, CIA. I hope they are worthy of your sacrifices.”

Walker wasted no more time. Exiting the room on the run, she headed for Anna and Iceman. She found them in the briefing room. She laid out the information, indicating that it would be best if she went alone. Iceman opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “With Skull and Bones. We can be in and out in a jiff, and the dog will be invaluable for sniffing out danger.”

Iceman looked at Anna. “I trust her judgment. Hummingbird never does anything irrational, at least in her mind. I think she proved herself, even though she didn’t ask permission.” Anna winced. “So not her style. She understands the situation now, right?”

Walker nodded. “Yes. I got it. He’s the boss.”

Iceman’s pale blue eyes, so like a winter’s icy sky, raked over her. “You two did make a good team. All right, we’ll get this going. We should be ready to assault in an hour. Why don’t you get cleaned up and get some food? You’re going to need it. Then get geared up, and meet us in the briefing room.” He looked at his watch. “We need to run this by the brass and the CIA.” He gave her a smart-ass smile. “Even I need to get permission.”

Anna smirked and Walker grinned. “I’d like to see someone chew your ass. They’d break their teeth on all that ice.”

He huffed out a hard laugh, then his face went serious. “I want to get back into Lealtad before sunrise, so we’ll need to move as quickly as possible. We all know Pincho will.”

Walker nodded, her blood going cold. That was the only definite in this whole rapid decision. She headed for the mess hall.

11

Skull saton the edge of his bed, cellphone pressed to his ear with a white-knuckled grip. Ten missed messages from his mom. His gut clenched, filling him with dread. The line crackled for a moment before her trembling voice came through the hushed messages. Her voice shook. She didn’t have to say anything. He could already sense the weight of her words. His father had taken a turn for the worse.

His childhood trauma came rushing back, not the relief he’d felt when his father had been shot, yet recovered so well, while doing his duty for Norfolk where he was a SWAT officer. It was a small child’s panic at the thought of losing such a significant person in his life, and like a ghost filled with pain, it dropped a shadow over him that filled him with dread until he almost couldn’t breathe.

He remembered another hospital, years ago, when he’d been just a boy. His father lay stretched out on a gurney, a gunshot wound staining his clothes a deep red. The fear back then had been overwhelming, but his father had forced out a single breathless command. “Be strong for your mom. Be our little rock.” Skull never forgot those words. He heard them in every scrape and scuffle growing up, molding him into the unyielding man he was now. For Skull, it had always been about survival. If he didn’t harden himself, how else could he make his dad proud?

The phone rang in his hand, a jarring sound in the dim quiet of Skull’s room. His mother’s familiar, trembling voice filled the space, and for a moment, time seemed to slow as she spoke.

“Cooper-trooper,” she began, her voice wavering, and he shifted at her nickname for him. “Your dad…he’s not doing so well.” Her voice broke. “I’m terrified of losing him.”

Skull’s throat tightened as he gripped the phone, his heartbeat drumming in his ears. His mind raced with images of his father who had once been the epitome of strength, both on the dangerous streets and at home. He remembered how, as a boy, he’d watched his father display a steadfast resolve even in his most vulnerable moments, bringing flowers for his mother’s birthday, surprising them on Valentine’s Day in crazy, unconventional ways, and celebrating anniversaries, and all his milestones in life with gestures of quiet, heartfelt love. Those were the moments when his father was not just a rock, but a gentle soul who had taught Skull that true strength was as much about tenderness as it was about fortitude.

His mother’s quiet sobs on the other end of the line pulled him out of his thoughts. “They said it’s touch-and-go,” she whispered. “You know your dad, how stubborn he can be… but it’s really bad this time.”

Skull’s throat tightened. He wanted to be that rock again, to be calm, confident, unshakable, but the fear of losing his dad was jackhammering through every wall he had spent a lifetime building. He recognized that fear, that familiar ghost he’d battled since childhood. It had always driven him to take risks, to prove to himself and everyone else that he was strong, that he could handle anything alone. But hearing the ragged edge in his mother’s voice, he realized that even a rock could fracture under enough pressure.

“I—Mom, I…” Skull’s voice cracked, the weight of guilt pressing down on him. He was supposed to be the unbreakable SEAL molded by years of duty and the hard lessons his father had instilled in him. Yet now, his facade was shattering. His mind churned with regret. How had he, who fit so perfectly into the SEAL world with his relentless determination, been so blind to the tenderness of those moments? His thoughts roiled.I was always too tough, too stubborn to let him know the truth. And now… now it might be too late.“I’m sorry I’m not there…this op it’s time sensitive, so much at stake.” He got up and paced, not able to contain all the emotions that were exploding through him. He squeezed his eyes closed as his exhausted body coiled from even more regret. The timing of this mission was terrible…choosing between his dad and his brother SEAL, and Leigh Waterford, one tough, dedicated woman who was the love of Hazard’s life… How was he supposed to make that decision? The team needed him and Bones, but his mom and dad needed him as well.

There was a pause as his mother inhaled deeply, steadying herself. “My tough trooper, listen to me,” she said gently. “I know you feel very strongly about being there for your team, to be unyielding just like your dad. But your dad, our rock, isn’t just about strength in battle. He was about love. He showed it in the little things, in caring for us, in the way he celebrated life with quiet gestures. I need you to remember that it’s okay to feel this pain, to let love and fear mix together. It doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”

Skull’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as he leaned his back against the cool wall, the phone clutched tightly in his shaking hand. “I’m sorry, Mom. I should have told him more, told him that he was the best father in the world, that his way of being a rock meant more than I ever allowed myself to say.” His voice faltered, burdened by the realization that his duty as a SEAL, his relentless, chiseled resolve had left him with a hidden chamber of emotions he’d never allowed himself to explore.

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