Page 60 of Cast in Shadow
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” He exhaled heavily. “Okay, look. I’m going to say this once, then I never want to talk about it again, got it?”
She nodded, even though she wasn’t sure she could keep that promise.
“My father was an abusive piece of shit, a runner for the local mob. He skimmed off the top and got two bullets in the back of the head for his trouble, leaving my mother with three kids and no income. We moved to a trailer park, where my mother did what she had to do to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. She cleaned for people and did laundry, but it wasn’t enough. She learned she could make more money doing other things.”
Aggie could guess what those things were based on his dark scowl.
“I was the oldest. My job was to keep my sisters out of the way while my mother ... worked. When I got old enough, I started picking up odd jobs. It helped, but as you might imagine, honest work was hard to find for a kid, and I’d made a promise to my mother not to get involved with the local wise guys. I enlisted the day I turned eighteen and made arrangements to have my pay sent to my mother and sisters. I told my mother she didn’t have to work anymore, that I’d take care of them financially, and I did. They weren’t rich or anything, but it was something, Things were looking up. Eventually, they were able to even put a down payment on a small house in a nice neighborhood. My sisters got part-time jobs and student loans and were going to college.”
He paused.
“I’d been out of the country for months when the mission I was on went to hell. When I woke up weeks later, I found out that my mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and that both of my sisters had left school to get full time jobs in order to care for her and pay for treatment, but they were still racking up debt like crazy and about to lose the house.”
Zeke moved to the window and stared out. “My CO came to me in the hospital and told me that they had evidence I had compromised the team—taped conversations, incriminating videos, money exchanges. It was all bullshit, but you know how it is. In the service, truth is what your CO says it is. He told me if I signed a confession, he’d make sure my family was taken care of, and I’d get to walk away quietly with a dishonorable discharge. It was a no-brainer. I was looking at months of rehab and a military trial that I had little hope of winning.”
Aggie’s heart broke for him. It was as she’d suspected. He’d sacrificed everything.
“Do they know?” she asked. “Your family?”
“No. They think I died over there, and the money they received was part of my death benefits. If they knew the truth, it would crush them.”
Aggie moved behind him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing against his back. She made a silent promise to do whatever she could to bring the real betrayer to justice.
“Thank you for sharing that with me. You’re a good man, Zeke Ericsson.”
He grunted.
“Have I ever told you how sexy that is?” she said softly, letting her hands trail down his chest and over his abs, then slipping them into his pants. She was thrilled to feel him twitch and begin to harden in her hands.
She would discover the truth and make things right, but at that moment, all she wanted was to make him forget everything, except the pleasure she could give him.
* * *
“I’m going after Higgins alone,” Zeke informed her the next day. “I’ll bring him to the rendezvous point. Stay safe and out of sight.”
Aggie didn’t argue. While she might enjoy new adventures, she would only slow him down. He leaned in for a quick peck, but she cupped the back of his head and gave him a proper kiss.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“Incentive. A reminder of what’s waiting for you.”
He grinned and slipped out of the vehicle. Within seconds, he disappeared into the woods.
Aggie drove away and did what she did best. She found a quiet place and linked up her computer. She had no idea how long it would take Zeke to find Sam and bring him back out. Even with the footage and the plan, Zeke had warned her it could take a while. The area where they believed Sam was hiding was miles away from any access road.
That was one of the reasons she’d insisted he wear the cuff with the tracking device in it. She’d be watching over him the whole time.
She had complete confidence in Zeke. If Sam was in there, Zeke would find him. According to T, he was among the best of the best, and T did not make claims like that lightly.
Best-case scenario: Sam was alive and in hiding. Aggie had no doubt that she could convince Sam to share his inside information, and if he did that, she’d be able to take it from there. The trickiest part would be getting Sam somewhere safe, perhaps with a new identity. Luckily, she had plenty of people who could help with that.
Worst-case scenario: someone else had gotten to Sam first. She didn’t want to think about that.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Zeke
Once in the woods, Zeke let his training take over. He moved swiftly and quietly, managing to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. The falling rain was an advantage; he didn’t have to worry as much about being seen or heard.
