Rescuing Ryder (Serenity Securities, Team Hawk #1)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ryder sat on the deck of the cabin. The air began to cool in the evening, and he wondered if Claire attempted to fix the fireplace herself. He winced at the thought of her near fire and shook his head, envisioning fire trucks surrounding the ghastly house. Taking a long draw from the beer in his hand, he thought about the day of the attack.

Gunner sat across from him in the Humvee. Oreo showed a picture of his daughter, all dressed up for her senior photos. Slater taped an ultrasound picture his wife sent inside his helmet. In another month, they’d discover the sex of their first child. Gunner laughed and told him about Patty’s last package he received the night before. He promised to share the oatmeal raisin cookies she sent when they returned.

He never received letters or packages. His parents died a long time ago. Gunner always shared. The blast hit, and they flipped to the side. Another rocket exploded and Slater kicked open the side and hauled Oreo out by the vest. Gunner pulled at him, shouting something.

Now Ryder wished the blast didn’t disorientate him.

His ears stopped ringing as someone started shooting. Frenchie shoved supplies in his arms and held him to the ground. The copper scent of blood mixed with charred flesh filled the air.

Ryder swiped his forehead as something wet dripped into his eyes. The sounds of gunfire and bullets flew over him. He watched as Oreo fell to the ground. Breaking loose from Frenchie’s hold, he crawled toward his wounded friend. Oreo’s hand and face were charred. Slater’s screams filled the air and Ryder glanced up to see Slater’s leg missing. Gunner ran toward Ryder and pulled him behind the vehicle.

Hightop fell, and Ryder scooted on the ground, helping Shortstack before moving on to the next. The men counted on him. The insurgents pressed forward and Gunner shouted for them to take cover. Another explosion rocked the area. Silence fell over them.

Gunner grabbed the first man he came upon and dragged him behind a stone structure, taking a gamble no insurgents hid behind the crumbling wall. Ryder grabbed Oreo and followed. His heart pounded in his ears as he returned for Slater while Gunner shouted orders and shook Hightop until he slowly nodded his head and picked up Shortstack. Seven injured team members and one of him. Ryder grabbed his pack and his gun as they heard the insurgents steal supplies from their Humvee and search for them. Slater fell unconscious as Ryder attempted to stop the bleeding. Ripping open a packet and pouring it over the wound, Ryder glanced up to find the men securing the area as he tended to the injuries of the others.

“What do we do? Will they send us backup?” asked Shortstack, the new kid who was maybe nineteen. Fear seeped into his voice.

“We fight. Another unit will come for us, son. Hold your position and protect your brothers. Patch will check your injury and Oreo will cover,” Gunner ordered the scared young man.

Patch glanced worriedly at Gunner as he checked Oreo’s burns and dug into his pack.

In the dark hours after the attack, they moved through the barren land as a group. Gunner figured they walked two clicks away from a small village. With no choice but to move forward, they searched for a place to hunker down and evaluate their supplies. Slater never regained consciousness while they moved. Each wounded man leaned on another.

Toward daylight, they came across an old rock shelter. The roof was blown to shambles, but the tired, injured group never complained. He triaged the men and portioned out the supplies. They lacked water and medical supplies.

Patch waited until they switched shifts and urged the young man to get some shuteye. Within minutes, he fell asleep and Patch turned to Gunner. “I need medical supplies and we’re low on water. Are your coms working? I didn’t want to say anything in front of the kid. It’s his first stint, he’s scared shitless.”

“Welcome to war. Don’t baby him. He signed up like the rest of us and this may be the first time, but I doubt it’ll be his last. How’s Oreo?”

“He’s running a fever. The burns seem pretty bad. Three of the new guys have bullet wounds, but I plugged ‘em. The kid’s got some burns and a nasty cut. Slater’s the worst. I don’t know,” he whispered. “The others appear stable for the moment.”

“Get some shuteye. I’ll keep watch with these three. In the morning, we’ll scout for water and see if we can find some supplies.”

Patch hesitated before he made one more pass among his patients and lay against the wall. The stone hid his buddy's form, but he knew Gunner stood watch on the other side.

Now, he dwelled on what his friend didn’t say.

By morning, troops should be searching for them, if not sooner. What about coms to base? He shut his eyes and forced himself to rest. The men needed him at his best.

He woke to the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke. Jumping up, he immediately searched for Gunner. Clutching his gun, he held his head down as he went to one of the new men, Hightop.

“Where’s Gunner?” he asked as the man pointed his weapon and took the shot.

“I don’t know; Frenchie, Shortstack, and Gunner left a while ago. They went to find water. These bastards came out of nowhere,” he answered as he discharged his weapon.

“Shit, why didn’t he wake me?” Patch checked Slater before moving on to Oreo, Jaws, and T-rex.

“Said you’d have your hands full as it is; let you sleep unless something changes with Slater,” Hightop yelled.

It signaled the beginning of the end. His buddy returned, but none of them anticipated what occurred in the remaining grueling hours.

Whiskey’s voice sounded through the cabin. “Ryder?”

He stood to pull the patio door open and greeted him.

“I didn’t expect you this evening. Did I forget an appointment?”

“No. Claire asked me to stop by and check on you. I brought you a piece of Miss Bryanna’s chocolate mousse cake. I don’t know about you, but I developed a taste for sweets when I returned. And bacon, I ate lots of bacon, too. It’s funny what you think about when you can’t have it anymore.”

“I’m fine. You can tell Doc you did your duty and checked on me,” he responded. Ryder fell back into his seat as Whiskey entered the deck area with Hope, his service dog, beside him.

“Ahhh, she hit a nerve, did she? It’s part of the process. If I got a dime…”

“Claire said I didn’t have to talk about it. She kept her word and didn’t bring it up again. I think it’s time to realize nothing will change,” Ryder confessed quietly.

Whiskey laughed which made Ryder mad.

“You find this funny? I know you went through some shit and got miraculously cured here on this majestic mountain. I’m not like you. I can’t forget.”

“Who says I forgot? You’ve stayed here a few days; the first hard moment, you’re ready to pack up and leave. Or does this constitute the effort you promised Tex? A few days into it, you already know it’s like all the others.” Whiskey voiced his thoughts precisely.

“I didn’t say it’s like the others. You can’t fix everyone,” Ryder spat angrily.

“Especially when you’ve decided you aren’t worth saving,” Whiskey quipped.

Ryder sighed and shook his head. “I know. It’s only been eighteen months, and I haven’t ‘healed.’ Maybe I don’t want to feel all that crap again. I don’t want to believe in ghosts, but they’re right here with me every damn day. Their voices still run in my head and I don’t want to hear them anymore. But if I didn’t, I’ll know they left me,” he ranted.

Whiskey remained quiet, giving him time to quiet down. The man didn’t deserve to get yelled at for coming to do his job.

“Do you have another one of those?” He nodded his head toward the beer on the table.

“Yeah, I’ll grab ya one.” Ryder started to rise.

“No. I’ll get it. I used to stay here; I know where everything’s located.”

A minute later, he sat down with a cold one in his hand. “If you don’t mind, I want to share some of my story. I remember coming back and sitting right here thinking the same things you’re considering. You’ve already decided on a solution to fix yourself.”

Ryder met his gaze, his jaw clenched before he turned his head in shame.

“The last thing I remembered was watching my brother fall after getting shot and then a huge explosion. I remember jumping to cover him. When I woke up, I knew the enemy held me prisoner, and the team searched to find me. I didn’t give up hope until months turned into years, and I believed them dead. Nobody knew I existed. When I spun up, my wife, Samantha, expected our first child.”

Ryder leaned forward as the haunted expression on Whiskey’s face grew deeper.

“One day started as the last few hundred. Then, in the evening, Leo burst into the hut and found me. At first, I believed I dreamt the entire thing. The beatings, the starvation, and the abuse tend to weigh you down. What haunts me most are the screams of the women brought into the camp. I don’t know how they enticed them to join them, but the evenings always ended in rape and death. They pleaded for help and I could do nothing to save them, and it tears at my soul to this day.”

Whiskey stopped and drank as his dog curled beside his chair. Ryder sat back in his chair, gripping the arms. Whiskey knew the helpless feeling he felt as he watched his brothers die one by one in agony.

“We returned here and I didn’t want my wife to know I existed. I resembled a bag of bones. Critters crawled all over me. I didn’t want people to touch me. I wanted to be left alone. Samantha accidentally discovered me and blamed Kassie. We seemed to be strangers to each other. Leo shouldered the blame for taking so long to discover me. I felt enraged because he didn’t leave me there and let the people I loved and cherished the most live their lives. I caused my wife heartache and divorced her. She almost moved on.”

As if the dog sensed Whiskey’s tortured emotions, Hope raised her head and whined at her person. Whiskey smiled and petted her in reassurance.

“The darkness consumed me and I did stupid things and thought the solution you’re considering would end all my pain. Something kept me from pulling the trigger. I’m grateful I chose to fight. We’re expecting a wee bairn. I’ve spent precious time with my son. If I’m struggling, this mountain holds family who’ll come at a moment’s notice. I fought for the love of my wife and child. Now, I fight for my family, friendships, and men like you who can’t escape the darkness. You’re in the pit of hell, but I promise you, brother, if you’re strong enough to withstand the journey, you’ll discover the light.” Whiskey and his dog stood, and he placed a hand on his shoulder. “When you choose to fight the demons, we’ll stand beside you. You’re part of our family and we take care of our own.”

Ryder watched Whiskey exit the cabin. The heavy weight on his chest lifted slightly, and for once, his gut didn’t churn at the dread of another day. Maybe these people understood him more than he thought. He closed his eyes, and Gunner’s face came to mind.

The only easy day was yesterday, man. Come on, you can do this.

“If only I held your confidence. We did everything together. How can I go on knowing you’re gone? Patty and the kids miss you. Why couldn’t it be me?” he whispered into the darkness. “You had a family and friends who loved you. I don’t.” He released the pain he felt inside.

Then, find something worth fighting for… the voice inside his head argued.

Ryder rose from his chair and went to his bedroom, negotiating with the ghost in his head. What chance did he have of finding something to make his life worth fighting for?