Page 73 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Mason

Kalasha Valley, Pakistan

2020

When we get to the airport, the helo is ready for takeoff. Culver walks down the ramp of the transport plane toward me. I’ve never seen his face look like this. It’s a weird combination of happy and pissed off.

“What?” I say when he gets within five feet of me.

He grabs my arm and pulls me away from the team. “Mack is alive,” he says quietly.

“Millie’s dad? You can’t be serious.”

He nods his head slowly—looking like he only half believes it himself. “Chase found him. He’s in the Birir Valley. Apparently, he’s been there the whole time.”

I take a deep breath, shaking my head. “Millie’s headed that way. JJ put a tracker on a leg holster we brought for her. Unreliable signal, but he got a ping headed north just east of Peshawar.”

“She’s with her aunt?”

“Apparently. Not sure if the signal is strong enough to isolate her for a vehicle intervention on the road.”

“Yeah,” he says. “We couldn’t do that anyway that close to the FATA. If we did, we’d have to grab her and get out of the country. I’m guessing she’s not going to want to go.”

“I could force her, but I’m not sure that’s the best thing for any of us right now. I swear to God, if she gets killed before she sees him or vice versa, I’m going to fucking lose it.”

“That’s not going to happen. Get your head in the game and get up to Birir.”

“My head is firmly in the game.”

“The birds aren’t going to be able to stay in the region for long. Too close to the Hindu Kush. Lots of heat-seeking missiles in that area. You have to get in and out as quickly as possible. And just so you know, your official mission is to get Chase, Mack, and Raine and meet us at the base in Jalalabad. The agency has officially called off the hunt for Azayiz Custovic, and anyone else who might be with her.”

I glare at him. “I understand what my official mission is, sir.”

He nods and pats me on the shoulder. “Glad you understand, Master Chief,” he says and then whispers, “If you leave that valley without her, I’ll shoot you myself.”

“Roger that,” I say as I head to the helo.

We land in the valley west of the house where Chase and Raine are apparently with Millie’s dad. I’m still not fully believing he’s alive. We hoof it about a half mile and close in on the back of the house. I see two rifle barrels pointed at us through the windows.

“Chase!” I yell.

“Yeah, man. We’ve got you covered the rest of the way. Door is on the south side.”

Chase is waiting for us on the porch. Butch and I follow him in. The rest of the team stays outside to secure the perimeter.

“Where’s Millie?” Chase says as we walk in the door. There’s another guy there who I immediately recognize from Millie’s pictures. Seeing him—alive and standing five feet from me—takes my breath away for a second. He still has the bushy dark auburn hair and spiky beard, but the gentle eyes Millie described are hard and cold and staring right at me.

“We lost her in the hotel,” I manage to get out. “She left with her aunt. They’re headed this way.”

“You lost her?” Millie’s dad walks up and pushes me on the chest. Probably not the best way to meet your girlfriend’s dad. “How’d you lose her? You new to this job or something?”

Chase steps between us. “Mason. This is Millie’s dad, Mack. Mack. This is Millie’s boyfriend, Mason.”

“Her what?” Mack says. “Her fucking boyfriend is in charge of this mission? Who made that idiot call?”

I push Chase out of the way and shove my finger in Mack’s face. “Man, fuck you. How about the guy who abandoned his daughter for nine years doesn’t get to have an opinion?”

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