Page 6 of Rush

“Stop?” she asked, bleary-eyed. “Why?”

“We just do. It’s not right.”

“Not right?” she repeated. Feeling the stab of disappointment and pain, she tried her hardest to not cry. “I see. Right. Of course. The big bad Delta warrior probably has someone in every port.”

“That’s not fair. I didn’t say that.”

“No. You said more than enough,” she said, pushing back from him. He tried to reach for her, but she just shook her head, wiping away the tears. “Take care of yourself, Rush. I’ll see you soon.”

Caroline ran back to the others, searching for someone who would take her home. Tobias walked up, looking at her.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asked.

“No. No, I want to go home, Tobias. Please, will you take me home?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said, taking her hand. Turning to his brother, he told him what they were doing. “I’m taking her home, and I’ll be back for you guys.”

She cried the entire way home, and when Tobias helped her onto the dock, he held her hand.

“What happened, honey?”

“I was stupid. That’s all. I actually thought Rush liked me, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Caroline, maybe just try to talk to him tomorrow,” said Tobias. He liked Caroline as well, but he knew long ago that Rush had stolen her heart. “He likes you, Caroline, but there are things you need to talk to him about.”

“I’m done making the first move, Tobias. Be safe. I’ll be going back to school tomorrow. Write when you can.”

He watched as she practically ran toward her parents’ cottage and wondered if Rush Anders knew just how bad he’d fucked up.

CHAPTER THREE

“Ari Grigoryan? You want me to go in alone and kill fucking Grigoryan?” repeated Rush.

“Listen, Anders, he’s rallying insurgents, not really insurgents, just kids, that are coming in from everywhere. Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Belarus, Cyprus, Georgia…”

“I get it,” said Rush, raising his hands. “He’s collecting all the bad guys to have a full set. I understand, but we’re talking about a man that has had at least a half-dozen attempts on his life and has survived them all.”

“Yes, but one of them was not made by you,” smirked the colonel.

“Flattery won’t win me over on this one, sir. You’re sending me on a suicide mission,” he frowned.

“Well, you said you wanted to go out with a bang. This will be your last mission, Rush. The last one. Let’s make it a good one. A successful one.”

“Fuck me,” he muttered. “I get all the weapons I want. No questions asked. Transports, jeeps, planes, whatever the fuck I ask for.”

“Done,” he nodded. “Here’s all the intel we have. Since the earthquake, he’s literally sweeping in, taking young boys and forcing them to join his forces. He’s on his way to Ankara now. Turkish forces are trying to stop them, but they need help. If Grigoryan is killed, the others will fall apart and move on.”

“I know,” said Rush, shaking his head. “He must be seventy now. My father attempted to kill him once.”

“Your old man was SOG, right?”

“Yes.”

“And RP?” asked the colonel. Rush said nothing, just staring at the man. “It’s alright, Anders. I know Michael Bodwick. All those bastards at RP got a raw deal, but they’re fucking warriors. Every last one of them. Judging by your performance, I’d say you’re at the top of the heap.”

“We don’t rank our team members,” said Rush. “I’m just a man.”

“Anders, you’re six-feet-eight and two hundred and eighty-five pounds of fucking muscle. You’ve got a masters in mathematics. You speak five languages. And you’re more advanced in every form of martial arts or weaponry than any other man I know. I highly doubt you’re ‘just’ a man.”

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