Page 15 of Maddox

“You’re the one who called?” I threw out, as if I cared. Whatever reason had made him determined to find me, I just didn’t care. My past would stay in the past.

“Yeah. You never answer your phone.”

I turned my head, studying my former commander. Gray Jenkins had been a solid leader, a man unafraid of going into the trenches with his men. For that alone, I respected him. “Maybe that’s because I prefer my privacy. You just had to track me down?”

“Yeah, I did.” He motioned to the bartender and ordered a beer. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him have a drink. “You’re not hard to find.”

Maybe my habits were too telling. I’d need to change that. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to think they knew me.

“This about Kage? If it is, I’m not in the mood to hear any shit.”

Kage Rollins, the man I’d once considered a brother. He had been in the sense of a brother in arms, a decorated SEAL who’d trained and served beside me. Sometimes friendships couldn’t handle the treacherous missions doled out on a daily basis.

“You two need to bury the hatchet. You’re both stubborn mules.”

My laugh sounded bitter. Up until a few months ago, we’d both turned a misunderstanding into a level of hatred that almost never cured. “We have our reasons. We talked. We settled shit. We’re not going to be best buddies. That’s all there is to it.”

There was a hell of a lot more to the story and Gray knew it, but the incident that had trashed our relationship would remain dead and buried.

“Well, at least you talked, but that’s not why I’m here.” He immediately wrapped his hand around the cold bottle, closing his eyes when he took a gulp.

“Then why the fuck are you here?” I turned my head, noticing he was glancing around the bar, worried about unwanted ears.

“We have a situation. From what I just witnessed, you’re still in top form.”

“We? Last time I checked, I’m retired.”

His sigh was exasperated. “I need your help with something, Maddox. I won’t lie to you. Your name was first in my mind.”

“Like I said, I’m retired.” The man asking for help was rare. I’d heard from Kage that his help had been requested on an extraction mission months before, but that didn’t interest me. Even if Kage had ultimately found the love of his life by doing so. I had no idea why Gray remained in the business in the first place except that he, like most SEALs, craved the adrenaline rush.

“Hear me out,” Gray said.

“Why should I? If this has anything to do with the Navy, I’m not interested. Kage told me you asked for a favor. Almost got him killed.”

“You’re a fucking hardhead. Goddamn it, Maddox. No one accused you of anything. Why the hell are you so bitter?”

Maybe he was right in that my hesitation was all about being called a traitor when I’d been following orders. The entire situation had been one big fucking mess.

Sadly, the nightmares had prevented me from shutting down the agonizing memories.

I laughed before polishing off my beer. “No one? Try again. I was close to being labeled a war criminal. I lost respect and friendships. Worse, I lost my brothers, two men I would have died for. I think I have every right to be bitter. Now, I’ve got stuff to do.” I stood, starting to yank out my wallet.

He was quiet for a few seconds.

“This is about El Salvador. This is about getting even.”

Well, holy fuck. My time there had been a nightmare come true.

My actions ceased and I took a deep breath. He knew exactly the one thing that would grab my attention. “Getting even? What about it? I did what was necessary in order to survive. I almost died in the process.”

“But you didn’t get Alfaro and I know you. That’s kept you enraged.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Exhaling, I fisted my hand. Fernando Alfaro had taken what had been left of my humanity. He’d also killed two talented SEALs in the process. I’d been held like some caged rat in a sweat box for a few weeks before being rescued. Weeks of torture and interrogations while plotting to carve out the man’sblack heart. I’d come close, raiding his house and exterminating several of his soldiers. The fucker had lived because he’d been on vacation. “I don’t need to remember the shit, Gray. Just ask the pretty little psychiatrist who stated I needed continued anger management.”

Gray rubbed his jaw. “I read the report. I know what you’re capable of on both sides of the coin.”

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