Page 34 of Gage

Faron sighed, his expression darkening. “Because Lyon didn’t love her.”

I frowned. “He married her. He must’ve loved her at some point.”

“Nope,” Faron said bluntly. “He married her because she claimed she was pregnant. Turned out to be a lie. She thought if they were married, he’d change his mind and fall in love with her. But Lyon told her straight up—he never loved her and didn’t even like her. Said she was a liar, and he couldn’t stand being in the same room with her. He only lasted four months before he hit his breaking point.”

“Then why was he angry when she left if he didn’t care about her?”

“Because she took his dog,” Faron said, his tone flat. “She’s hidden it somewhere, and Lyon can’t find him.”

A mix of disbelief and frustration hit me. “You’re telling me this whole thing is about his dog?”

Faron smirked faintly. “Lyon may not have loved his wife, but that dog? He loves that dog like it’s family.”

“I’m surprised Brutus hasn’t broken free and found Lyon,” I said, shaking my head. “That dog was so attached to him.”

“He came to Iran because of a letter,” Faron replied. “It said,‘Your dog is here; come and get him.’”

“Who sent it?” River asked, his brows furrowed.

“He didn’t know,” Faron admitted.

“You’re telling me he came all the way here to rescue Brutus, not even knowing who sent the letter, where the dog was, or if it was even true?”

“As far as I know, that’s exactly what happened. Maybe he heard something else, but the message he left me didn’t say anything more.”

River let out a low whistle. “I’ve never known Lyon to act on something this reckless. So now we’re stuck finding himandhis dog. After this, he’s joining The Golden Team if I have to tie him down myself.”

The weight of being back in Iran settled over us. Memories stirred—some we tried to forget, others we couldn’t. Many of our friends had lost their lives here. This was also the place where I first met Lori.

I could still picture her, crouched in the middle of a chaotic base, rewiring a radio for the General. He hovered over her shoulder, watching her every move. Finally, she stopped and turned to him.

“Why are you watching everything I do?” she asked, arching a brow.

The General grinned. “If you get killed, I’ll know what to do.”

That cracked us all up, a rare moment of laughter in a place where smiles were in short supply. Lori had smirked and pulled the General closer, explaining everything step by step.

That’s when I fell for Lori Daniels. She was smart, bold, and didn’t back down—not even from a General. Of course, I didn’t stand a chance of talking to her then. She was always surrounded by people.

“Are you daydreaming?” River’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“What? No. Okay, maybe a little.” I glanced at him and shrugged. “I was just thinking about the first time I saw Lori—right here in Iran.”

River smirked. “I remember that. She was wiring the field phones for the General. She started laughing so hard she got the hiccups. I thought,Damn, she’s hot.Then I met Kat, and suddenly, every other woman on Earth ceased to exist.”

I chuckled. “Fair enough.”

River glanced at me. “What direction do we head now?”

I turned to Faron, who shrugged. “Let’s go east. If Lyon was here looking for Brutus, that’s where he’d go.”

“Why east?” River asked.

“Because Lyon always says,‘Go east, young man, go east.’”

River snorted. “He does always say that. Why, though?”

“Hell, if I know,” I admitted. “He never explained it. Remember the night his grandfather died? He stayed up all night telling us stories about him.”

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