Page 20 of Cade

“And you, Trak?” asked Luke.

“It was many things for me. I was not going to shame my people by taking my own life. But that was not the major reason. Nine and the others, your fathers, they were my friends. The only friends I had ever cared about or wanted in my life. They were there for me at every turn. Then it was Lauren,” he said with a grin. Not many people would notice, but they all could see the light in his face.

“You and Dad, all of the seniors, you saw so much more than we did,” said Luke. “None of us has been in as long as you all were. Except Frank.”

“Time doesn’t matter, Luke. You know that,” said Zeke. “Sometimes, an instant causes the switch to flip. It doesn’t take years for many.”

“Then it’s possible that this young man, a medic with six years in service, felt enough of a weight to take his own life?”

“You don’t know his life before service,” said Trak with a low, even tone. “My nightmares were rarely about war. My nightmares were about something far more evil.”

The room was eerily quiet, and this time, it was Joseph’s turn to grip his father’s neck. Cam let out a long slow breath, nodding at the four men.

“I appreciate your honesty. We want to find out why this man died, and I’m not buying that it was all about PTSD. I could be wrong, but my instincts are screaming at me that I’m right.”

“Then listen to them,” said Trak. “They are rarely wrong.”

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