Page 54 of Fighting His Fate
“I don’t want to go for a fucking walk.”
“Now, Champion.”
Brett sighed heavily and stood, following the leader of HERO Force out the door. The rain had slowed to a mere drizzle, the humidity in the air only making it seem even colder than it was.
“You gotta rein it in,” said Mac, leading the way down the path toward the lakefront. “Keep that monster inside under control. Do you hear me?”
“Why? Why do I have to rein in shit, Mac? This son of a bitch destroyed my kids’ lives. They should have had it all. A mother and father who love them, the kind of life I will never be able to provide. He took that away in one selfish, arrogant drive across a parking lot.”
“This kind of hatred can control your actions, make you do things that have consequences. Not just for yourself but for those little boys of yours. I’m afraid that if you came face-to-face with Fleming right now, you’d take him out, that you would strangle him with your bare hands, and you’d enjoy it, too. Then those babies really would have nothing left.”
Brett shook his head, the rain collecting on his face and arms. “They’re probably be better off without me, anyway.”
“Bullshit. You know better than that, boy. You just ain’t had experience with children. You never had a kid look up to you like the whole world rests on your shoulders, but you will. That’s what being a father means. And I know, because I fucked it up like the best of them. I let my kids down, and I’ve paid the price for that all these years now. Don’t you fuck this up before you even get off the ground by losing your shit with Fleming.”
“I want justice, Mac. I want him to pay for what he did.”
“And you’ll get it, but it might be slow in coming. You and me and Trace and Razorback… we’ll get him. We’ll prove that he killed your friends. But you might have to close your eyes at night for years before that man is sitting behind bars. It will happen, but you might have to wait. And I need you to promise me that you will wait, that you know it’s more important you don’t fuck up your own life than you put an end to his.”
The lake waters lapped at the rocky shore, sounding like the surf of the ocean. At the end of the path they were walking, the windows of the lakeside cabin glowed golden against the night. Grace was in there, along with his sons. In the space of a few days, his entire world had changed. He was responsible for those boys, had already carved out a place for them in his heart.
And what about Grace?
Their strange conversation before he went to Lamont Scientific was stuck in his craw. One minute, they’d been making love. The next, she was pushing him away as clearly as any woman ever had. It didn’t make a damn bit of sense.
“She’s quite a woman,” said Mac, as if reading his mind.
For a moment, Brett considered acting as if he didn’t understand. But what was the point? Mac had a sixth sense about his men, and there would be no putting him off the scent. “Yes.”
“Good with those boys, too.”
“She just broke up with her boyfriend.” He didn’t know what he said it, the words just coming out. Maybe because Mac was more like a father to him than anyone else on the team. Maybe because he wanted forgiveness.
“Because of you?”
Brett considered that for a moment. “I was part of it.”
“Not every couple’s meant to be.”
“Are you talking about me and Grace or Grace and her boyfriend?”
“I suppose it depends on how you want this story to end.” Mac stopped walking. “So, how do you want it to end, Champion?”
“I was a shitty husband to my first wife. Wasn’t there when she needed me. Completely checked out when I got back from my last tour.”
“Me, too.”
“Don’t know that I’ll be doing that again.”
Mac didn’t even look at him. “Kids need stability. Grown-ups need it, too.”
“And what if I’m not the most stable guy?”
“You’ll do fine, Champ. Just as soon as you make up your mind and decide to let her in.”
“And if it’s not that simple?”
“It’s exactly that simple. And exactly that hard.” Mac pivoted on his heel and headed back toward the house. “You coming?”
