Page 27 of Rush

“Caroline!” cried Lucy. “You had us all so worried, honey. I’m so glad you’re home.”

“How is Rush?” asked Tru.

“He’s perfect,” sniffed Caroline. “He’s perfect and beautiful, and all mine and I love him so much my heart is cracking in two.” Frank and Dalton chuckled as they passed her.

“I think you’re in good hands now, kiddo. Call us if you need anything.” She hugged and thanked them, then loaded up with the other women to head to the cafeteria.

“You need a good hot meal, and then we’re gonna talk about a weddin’,” said Mama Irene.

“I just want to be sure to have Harebells in my wedding bouquet. It’s the national flower of Sweden, and I want to do that as a nod to Rush and Noah. It’s important to me, Mom.”

“Honey, we’ll do whatever is important to you. Do you want to wear my gown, or would you prefer one of your own?” asked Lucy.

“I think I want to wear something really simple. Maybe short, at my knees. But nothing too fancy or frilly. That’s not me, and it’s certainly not Rush.”

“I don’t think my son would care even if you were wearing a burlap sack,” smiled Tru. “He loves you. He’s loved you for a long time.”

“Why is it that everyone knows of this but never said anything?” frowned Caroline.

“Because, honey,” said Mama Irene, “they’re all thick-headed and need to be kicked by a mule to get some sense into them. Speakin’ of my idiot boys who went over there. Are they all okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” smiled Caroline. “They’re all fine, and they’re going to handle this problem. I always worried about Dad when he would go on missions with them. I would see Mom get sad, and I could tell she was concerned, but seeing it first-hand, hearing them talk about this man. It’s different. It’s all too real.

“I just want them all home, safe and sound. I want them back here on this property. Then, Rush and I will be husband and wife.”

Lucy nodded, tears in her eyes, and Tru hugged the woman, wiping her own tears. Claudette smiled at the group of women.

“Alright, let’s go. We got a wedding to plan.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Everything okay?” asked Sniff.

“Yea, she just arrived, and they’re already sweeping her away to wedding-land,” he smirked. Sniff and Noah chuckled, staring at the young man. “I know that you both know this, but I love that woman. I love her more than you can possibly imagine.”

“I know, Rush,” said Sniff. “I wouldn’t trust you with my daughter if I weren’t certain that you love her. We’ll fix this shit and get home.”

“What’s the plan for today?” asked Rush.

“We start pulling threads,” said Trak.

He’d become the leader of this op, which was unusual for him. He was always content being one of the team, often a team of one. But taking a leadership role was different for him. For some reason, he wanted to make sure this man was dead and gone.

“Pulling threads? What does that mean?” asked Noah.

“We know where the men are being trained. It’s doubtful that he is out there. Let’s move to our new location. Two men at a time. They won’t be able to follow us all. Stop at a kiosk along the route and buy as many traditional kaftans as you can. We need to at least attempt to blend in.

“Our size is giving us away, but if we dress like the others, it will be less obvious. Buy them in several colors. Black for night ops. Brown or tan for desert ops. White for day ops.”

“You’ve thought a lot about this, Trak,” frowned Nine. “You okay, brother?”

Trak stared at the other men. He wasn’t a share-your-feelings kind of man, but he needed them to understand his drive in this.

“I was here once before. Many years ago. It was my last mission with Delta before coming to REAPER. A man was abusing and training little girls and boys, then selling them to bidders.” The men in the room stiffened, staring at Trak. “I was sent to kill him. And I did.”

“What does that have to do with this?” asked Rush.

“Grigoryan had an older brother,” said Gaspar. “No one ever knew what became of him. They suspected that Ari killed him to gain control of everything, but that’s not true. Is it?”

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