Before Sunrise (65 page)

“
C’mon sexy, let’s finish
opening presents. I got to get home, shower, bring Sally and my
gifts for my girls.”

“
Oooh! Let me go get
yours.”

“
Hey.” He caught her by the
midsection and spun her back to him. “Wait until we can exchange
them properly.”

“
Yes, sir.”

***

“
Mom!” Liam yelled as he
entered the door with the aid of his cane. He closed it and headed
toward the stairs.

“
Up here! About to get in
the shower!” Sally called down.

Liam figured he’d shower first when he
arrived home. The cold had his body aching all over for a massage
of the warm spray. Still, he felt happier than he’d been in a long
time. He really felt like he was making progress. First the talk
with Kennedy that proved once again loving her was the best thing
he’d ever done. Second came the biggest reward, Christmas morning
with his little girl. Nothing compared to the family moments with
Mac. This holiday wasn’t a day he remembered or missed during his
captivity. Sometimes it would cross his mind. He’d wonder if
Kennedy and his baby were able to have the love and sanctity of the
season without him. Now he knew they thrived and it filled him with
small measures of peace.

There was something else, a new truth, more
profound. Though he’d had his bleak moments, they were fewer. He
now slept without nightmares. And the dark anxiety gripping him
since his return lessened to a mere shadow as well. Did that mean
he’d healed, somehow? As a SEAL they’d trained him for torture,
combat, stealth take downs, and controlling one’s consciousness
over horrors witnessed. Those methods were locked in the deepest
chambers of his mind. Having Kennedy and Mackenzie filled him with
such a positive energy that no darkness could linger. He was
winning, overcoming; he could feel his strength returning. Fuck,
yeah, he’d be okay. Hell, he didn’t need a stranger poking around
in his head. He was still his own man after all.

The phone rang. Liam paused, surprised. He
thought Eric had turned the service off so they could order their
own after the holiday.

“
Answer it, Liam. Kennedy
had the line turned on yesterday and she gave me a phone to
bring.”

Liam shook his head, smiling. He should have
known his sweetheart was on top of things. Tossing his keys to the
kitchen counter, he picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“
Morning,
brother.”

“
Eric?”

“
You know it.”

“
How did you get the new
number?”

“
Your wife was passing it
out last night.”

Liam chuckled. “Yeah, well she forgot to
give it to me.”

“
Catch you too
early?”

“
Nah, opened presents with
Mac. Got to get Sally back over there for breakfast.”

“
Man, I sure would like a
invite.”

“
You know it’s
cool.”

“
Yeah, well that’s not why
I’m calling.”

“
Okay.”

“
Had a visit last
night.”

“
Should I ask?”

“
Couldn’t tell you if you
did.”

“
So what’s the news? How bad
is this?”

“
It’s okay. Alexa has been
neutralized.”

“
You got your
appointment.”

“
That’s
confidential.”

“
Shit. I’m never going to
get used to you guys keeping me out of the loop. But I understand
it.”

Eric paused. Normally he’d have a quick
comeback. Something sounded off in the stillness that settled
between them on the phone. “What is it, man?”

“
Vice president wants to
meet with you.”

“
When?”

“
Tomorrow, when you get your
Purple Heart.”

“
What? Purple Heart? You
shitting me? They’re going to take it that far? I don’t want
no…wait? Did you say tomorrow?”

“
President wants you there
at 0800. He’s going to surprise the press with it. Make a big
fucking deal. I got my orders to bring you to
Washington.”

“
Fuck no.”

“
Liam. This one you got to
do. Alexa has planted the seed that you are critical to some hot
shit we’re trying to contain. She’s got two senators backing her
now. The Vice president and the SecDef are pretty clear on their
wishes to sit down with you. They want a debrief on
Scorpion.”

“
I told you that I don’t
know—”

“
Doesn’t matter. I can’t get
into it over the phone. Just know that this is the best compromise
I can swindle.”

“
Shit, man, I got my family.
I got—”

“
Bring them. It’ll only be a
two-day trip. I think little Mac will get a kick out of it. Got a
private jet idling to take you in.”

“
It could be cool if I stood
in front of the media with Kay at my side. Let the world know we’re
family. I see the shit they are saying in the news about
us.”

“
True.”

Liam mulled it over. “Is there something
else?”

“
There always
is.”

“
Lay it on me.”

“
You’re not going to like
it.”

“
What the fuck is it,
Eric?”

“
DoD is under pressure to
pull you back in. Clayton is leading the campaign. Alexa has done
some damage by insisting Sarkhir had plans for you. Um, that you
might actually be a security risk. Thing is, people are starting to
listen. Brother, you stayed alive for five years in some hot shit.
Even if you don’t think they had a purpose, it doesn’t mean they
didn’t. You could um, have some things in your head you aren’t
aware of. Things we need to know. I can’t get them to cut you
loose, man. Not yet. Not until…well, until we know what they want,
Liam.”

“
No. No way man, I’m done. I
want my fucking life! I earned it. I can’t go in the tank. Have
them poke and prod me again. I got my own doctor. I let them get in
my head and I-I—I won’t survive this time..”

“
Liam! Stop. It’s an order,
Lieutenant. You know how this will play out.”

“
With all due respect,
Commander, I don’t give a fuck!” He slammed his fist into the
refrigerator door. He paced and tried to steady his voice. When he
spoke, his vocal cords trembled from the forced effort. “Okay.
Maybe Sarkhir knew why we dropped in. Maybe he used those villagers
as human shields to get those warheads off the mountain. Maybe I
know that Clayton is tied to how that fucker got them in the first
place—”

“
Liam, enough. Do not say
another word.”

“
Fuck it! Maybe I can tell
you something, Eric, something useful. I’ll meet with them. And
I’ll try. Then they need to cut me loose. I saved your fucking
life. I sent you out in the first wave. Save mine, dammit! Don’t….”
Liam closed his eyes to the weakness he heard in his voice. “We go
in knowing we will die, Eric. That’s the truth my baby Kay doesn’t
know. When I joined the brotherhood with you I knew it would end
bad. The thing is, I didn’t mind the sacrifice. I owed it to Kay
for taking her from her family. She gave up so much to be mine, so
I could deal. But five years, man! I had to sit and remember why I
loved her in the first place. What life could be like if I had one
more chance. Help me. Don’t make me beg.”

“
Help yourself, brother,”
Eric said. “You’re right, you belong to the pack first. A choice
you made, man. You can’t turn on it now.”

“
I can’t go into my head and
dig up every fucking detail of the past five years and be the same
man. You hear me? I can barely get through the day without that
shit making me want to gut a motherfucker. What they’ll have me do.
Put me through. It’ll tear my family apart. I-I…I will lose
her.”

“
Slow down. You still have
options.”

“
No, I don’t. They dig,
they’ll find something, Eric. Then they’ll never let me go. My
head’s not right.”

“
We can’t get into it. Trust
me, man. I’ve never turned my back on you.”

Liam paused. Eric hadn’t been just his
second-in-command. He was much more than that now. He would know
things before Liam even conceived them. And the government wasn’t
releasing their prized POW to wander the streets unchained. They
had eyes on him.

“
You know already, don’t
you?” Liam said.

“
The car chase? The near
miss on First Street? Yes. I know.”

“
I thought it wasn’t real. I
mean I couldn’t remember if I was chasing someone or if someone was
chasing me.”

“
And? Now? What do you
think?”

“
Dammit, Eric, don’t play
me. I nearly killed a civilian. A fucking family! I don’t even know
if it was a threat. I wasn’t supposed to walk out of that desert. I
get that. I was prepared to meet my fate, made peace with it. Then
Vasquez showed up and gave me something I wasn’t trained for, a
second chance. And now? I got her back, man, and I can’t lose her
again, not even for the cause. Not for the brotherhood. Not for
anything.”

“
I understand.”

Neither man spoke. Liam regulated his
breathing and calmed his racing heart during the short reprieve. If
it was a matter of national security, he knew his boy would make
the tough call, just as Liam would if he were walking in Eric’s
shoes. That’s who they were.

“
You’re sane, brother.” Eric
began. “Of course we got eyes on you and the family.”

“
Yeah, that’s what I
figured,” Liam said. “Still don’t explain what I saw at Fun World.
Vasquez didn’t see shit. That was in my head. Alex and her cronies
will get it out of me. So you see why this can’t go
down.”

“
Liam, stop questioning your
sanity. I don’t have to run it down for you. The stress, anxiety,
night terrors…sure you see things.”

“
Right. I get it. I just got
this feeling of dread and I can’t shake it. It’s like I’m going to
wake up and be in that hole again. I know people question why he
let me live. I got no answers for you. The sadistic bastard thought
I was his pet. Today was the first day I could honestly say the
shit I been through didn’t matter. And Kay, she believes in me,
man. But sometimes….” Liam’s gaze went to the frost-covered window
pane. He felt as if someone had poured ice cubes in his gut. He
shivered hard. “I told Abrams I’d start seeing him right after the
holiday. I think you’re right. He can help. Not no fucking military
detail that will make me a pin cushion and squeeze my brain to
shit. Maybe Abrams can put me on some meds. Something.”

“
There’s another
way.”

“
Then tell me. What is
it?”

Eric didn’t answer. Liam paced a tight
circle, silently praying that Eric would give him something to
cling to. “I’m a dead man walking, right?” Liam said.

“
Not if you do what I tell
you.”

“
Name it.”

“
You have to check yourself
in for a 30-day eval with Dr. Abrams at the VA center—voluntary. We
can leverage his diagnosis to cut you loose.”

“
Check in? Commit
myself?”

“
Hear me out—”

“
Are all you fucking crazy?”
he shouted in the phone. “Either I get dragged into another mission
and leave my wife and kid behind or I check myself into a military
psychiatric hospital for 30 days? You have got to be shitting
me!”

“
You know how this works,”
Eric said calmly.

“
No deal. Do you hear me? My
answer is no!” He slammed the phone down. Liam closed his eyes. He
tried counting backward, he tried focusing on the mental image of
Mac’s smiling face, he tried thinking of pink bunny rabbits and
yellow hippos. Nothing worked. He yanked the phone from the wall
and threw it into the sink. Taking down deep breaths, he tried to
steady himself. He wouldn’t lose his family again. He wouldn’t be
separated from them. To hell with them all. He wouldn’t do
it.

Chapter Twenty-five

“
Merry Christmas happy
birthday Everybody!” Mackenzie screamed as she ran through the
house.

Kennedy laughed. The place buzzed with
holiday excitement. Liam and Mackenzie were a hit. He lifted their
daughter in his arms and managed to walk her back into the den
area, where the clown performed several magic tricks. He smiled
once at her and she smiled back. Kennedy couldn’t ask for a more
perfect day. Almost. She still had her mother to deal with. The
temporary truce between them would hold for Mackenzie’s and Liam’s
sakes. Then, after that, she was going to resolve her issues with
her mother once and for all.

“
Mac’s having a ball,”
Angelina said.

“
The girl has been hyper
since she woke up. I’ve never seen her so excited.” Kennedy said,
bringing out Mac’s favorite meal. They had about thirteen kids over
to eat corn dogs and French fries, and a lot of grateful parents
who had an excuse to drop them off and get a little peace in their
day. She set the tray on the table and checked the time. It was
close to two and Harper hadn’t arrived, nor had Phil. After the
kids ate lunch they would do the cake, and sing. It was time for
the adults to sit down to her festive meal as well.