Page 64 of The Art of Dying

Trex closed his eyes. “Goddammit. Goddammit!” He grabbed a 2x4 and began beating a concrete pillar with it. Once it broke, he took a few breaths and then made his way over to Kepner’s body, using his fingers to close Kepner’s eyes.

I stood behind him. “We need to warn MARSOC, sir. Who knows how many teams are compromised.”

Trex thought for a moment. “Change of plans,” he said. “We’re going camping in the jungle for a few while Abrams heals. We’ll regroup and then we’re going to track the rest of these motherfuckers down. One by one. For Kepner.”

“Oorah,” I said, too tired to put any oomph behind it.

“Roger that,” Sloan said, disappearing again.

I kneeled with Trex while Sloan disappeared upstairs. Harbinger was covering Kepner with a tarp, and Martinez was tending to Abrams’s leg.

“We’ve got wounded, sir. Abrams’s leg is gonna rot in the jungle.”

“Martinez has it covered,” Trex said.

“How are we gonna track these people down if we’re disconnected from headquarters?” I asked.

“The pastor at the church said Kushayb’s men were hitting villages to the south. Without leadership, they’re going to go rogue. We find someone with info and follow it to the sons-of-bitches who tipped them off.”

“We need to regroup.”

Trex’s gaze met mine. “We won’t get another chance.”

I sighed and looked down. “We’ve gotta get Kepner’s body back to his parents. Come back and evac the others.”

Sloan came over the comms. “In position.”

Trex thought for a moment, then transmitted his next words over comms. “Back to Plan B. We’ll rendezvous back at the church. Kepner’s with Kitsch and me. Sloan? Get us a ride.”

“Copy that,” Sloan responded.

chapter seventeen.

Mack

“Naomi said this would happen,” I said, pacing.

“Mack,” Kitsch began, “don’t get yourself worked up, honey. He’s miles away by now.”

“Naomi said that, too,” I said. “How?Howdid he escape military custody on a freakin’ military base? You know what that tells me? That Russian mob, or mafia, or military… whatever group he’s mixed up with are more than just dangerous, Kitsch. How do we stop people like that? How will we ever be safe?”

He cupped my shoulders. “He disappeared from the back of a government vehicle mid-transport. That’s a pretty obvious moment to liberate a prisoner. They underestimated them, but they’ll fix it.”

“A transport that was being escorted by MPs… while in handcuffs. Mason has to have a contact somewhere here on base. More than one. At my hospital, maybe even high-ranking officers.”

“Be careful, baby,” Kitsch warned.

“He’s not going to stop.”

He hugged me. “I’m not dismissing your feelings. You’re right to be worried. We’ll just have to be careful. But you’re not alone. We’re not alone. We have the team looking out for us. Hell, we have the whole Marine Corps on alert. You’re safe.”

I shook my head. “None of us are safe, Kitsch. What about you? The kids? Naomi took him hostage; Caroline nearly killed him. They foiled his plan. You think he’s just going to forget that?”

Kitsch held me closer.

“I mean it,” I said. “It’snotokay. It might never be. What are we going to do?”

“We’ll have eyes on you and the kids, and Naomi and Caroline at all times.” He paused. “Especially when we’re gone.”

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