Page 47 of Rush

With dinner done, Red and Gabe took dish duty with Malyna. She was more than happy to have the handsome men in her kitchen, telling stories of when her own two sons were home. Both were now living in other parts of Europe. She wasn’t sure where her husband was, nor did she seem to care.

“Kiel, Nathan, and I are headed out to see if we can find where they’re camped. If we find them, we’ll get a headcount and either come back to all of you or let you know where to find us,” said Trak.

“Trak, don’t get hurt for this,” said Rush. “This was my problem to deal with, and it’s my fault I was shot.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was Grigoryan’s. You are the son of my teammate and friend, and you are Delta. I will not let that pass. And, as I’ve said, I have a history with this man. I wish to end his bloodline. Sooner rather than later.”

Rush watched as the three men set off in the darkness. With their black hair and darker skin, they were difficult to see in normal circumstances. Tonight, they were entirely dressed in black tactical gear and blackface grease.

“He needs to do this,” said Noah, gripping his son’s shoulder. “It is your operation, and he knows that, but this man affected him in a way that you or I cannot understand.”

“I do understand, Dad. I see it all the time.” The others turned to look at him. “You guys honestly believe that when you go out and rescue beaten, abused, abducted children that the stress of that doesn’t show on your faces when you return? Everyone sees it, but we say nothing.

“Our mothers see the pain etched in your faces. When you come home and hold us tighter, follow us to school more frequently, spend more time with us. We saw it. The time that you all found those children in the railway cars, I was maybe ten or eleven. Hell, there were a bunch of us around that age. You wouldn’t let us out of your sight.

“I remember when you didn’t get there in time for the women in Peru. You came home and held mom so tightly, she started crying, worried that you were sick.”

The men just stared at Noah, and he shook his head.

“Do you honestly believe that Irene and Matthew did all of this just because they wanted their children close?”

“Well,” frowned Alec.

“They love you. They love us. We all know that. But what they didn’t want to happen was for any of us to become one of the lost. One of the twenty-two.”

“Rush, how do you know all of this?” asked Baptiste.

“Maybe I wasn’t supposed to know,” he said, taking a seat, “but when I was in high school, I asked Mama Irene if I could use the library. I was looking up something for a project and saw this interesting book, like a notebook or ledger. On the front of it was a title. Peaceful Farms.”

“Peaceful Farms? I don’t know what that is,” said Rafe.

“I didn’t either,” said Rush. “I looked it up. Peaceful Farms is up near St. Francisville. Mr. Matthew bought five hundred acres and brought in more than two hundred tiny homes. You know, those little bitty trailer things.”

“I know,” said Alec, frowning. “Why wouldn’t he tell us?”

“I’m sure there’s a lot your parents don’t tell us,” smirked Rush. “Anyway, I did some research on it. It’s a place that veterans can go to get themselves right. There are counselors, job support personnel, even medical personnel. The conditions are simple. No drugs. No alcohol. No violence.”

“I don’t understand at all,” said Gaspar. “Why not tell us? We would have helped with something like that. When did this place open?”

“Four months after Garcia hanged himself.”

“Dear God,” muttered Ian, rubbing his chest. “It wasn’t their fault. Garcia had so much baggage with his family he couldn’t get himself straight. He was in deep and didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t have done anything any differently.”

“I don’t think they saw it that way,” said Rush.

“Son, why did you not tell us this?” asked Noah.

“Because Mama Irene made me promise I wouldn’t. I’ve kept that promise until now. They see everything that’s happening to all of us. They see it in our faces, your faces. They are there when we return to pick up the pieces. They are there when we are gone to support the wives and children. And damn if I know how, I believe they will be there when we all join Martha’s crew.”

The men let out a nervous chuckle, nodding their heads at Rush.

“I understand why you didn’t say anything, Rush. I just wish we’d known sooner. We could have sent some resources up there.” Rush just laughed, shaking his head.

“You did. New computers, alarm systems, all of it.”

“Well, then someone had to have known.”

“Someone did. Julia,” said Rush, looking toward Joseph. He just smiled, shaking his head. Of course, his angelic wife, who speaks to spirits like others talk on the phone, would know about their project.

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