Page 36 of Cade

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It was late the next day before any of them realized that they hadn’t stopped to eat in nearly twelve hours. They’d been tracking down the members of Franco’s team leaving cryptic messages, in hopes of keeping them all safe. Lost in their work, they’d barely looked up from the list to realize what time or day it was.

“We’ve contacted them all,” said Franco. “They know we’re coming to check them out, and they all promise to sit tight. Twelve guys in my squad, two gone, plus me here, that left nine for us to find, and we’ve found them all. Only Jonesie is back home in Georgia, and one of your people in Louisiana is headed there now to check him out.”

“Everyone needs rest,” said Doc, staring at the exhaustion on the faces of his friends. “We can’t do this kind of work tired and losing focus. It’s nearly five now. Let’s grab a quick bite to eat, get some sleep, and head out before light in the morning.”

“Sounds perfect,” said Bree, yawning as she spoke. She slid her hand into Doc’s, leaving the suite to head to their own.

“Bunk with me, brother,” said Bodhi, gripping Franco’s shoulder. The other man nodded, following the giant redwood from the room.

“We’ll see you guys in the morning,” smiled Julia. Cass hugged her friend, nodding. Julia whispered in her ear. “It’s not your time, Cassidy. Your time is not for decades. Don’t ever think about leaving me again. Who will help my twins learn to paint?”

“Oh, Julia,” sniffed Cass, “thank you for that.”

When the room was quiet once more, she turned to find Cade lying across the bed, his clothing still on, but his boots kicked off. She heard the soft breathing and smiled. A lifetime of listening to that noise would never be enough.

Kicking off her own shoes, she stretched out beside him and closed her eyes. Without a sound, he rolled over, gripping her waist, and pulling her tight against his body. It was the last thing she remembered before the sun streaked across the room. Staring at the bedside clock, she sat up quickly.

“Cade! We slept later than we should have. It’s nearly seven.”

“Damn,” he muttered. “Can you make do without a shower?”

“Yes, just let me change my clothes.” She grabbed some clean things and dashed into the bathroom, scrubbing her face and pulling her hair into a high bun. With fresh clothing, deodorant, and a brush through the hair, she was feeling halfway human again. By the time she emerged, Cade was already changed and waiting by the door.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready,” she nodded.

They’d agreed to meet two men on the list that Franco had given them. The first, Brent Hodges, was a twenty-nine-year-old Marine, single, living just off the base. He’d been in his apartment for five days, complaining that he couldn’t get rid of a headache. Cade informed him that he should remain inside, not answer the door for anyone, and close the blinds. When Franco got on the line to speak for Cade, Brent knew it was the real deal.

“Is this it?” asked Cass, pointing to the tiny cinderblock house.

“That’s it,” grinned Cade. “Good old-fashioned base housing. Or what was once base housing, I’d have to guess. Back in the seventies and eighties, they were slapped up as quick as they could, and they were ugly as shit. Meant for efficiency, not entertaining.”

“It’s depressing,” she mused. Cade nodded as he put the truck in park and walked toward the door, Cassidy on his heels. He knocked, waiting for someone to answer, but got nothing. Knocking again, he spoke this time.

“Brent? Brent, it’s Cade, Franco’s friend.” He heard the lock disengage, and the door opened slightly. “Brent?”

“Come in,” said the voice. “Quickly.” Cade grabbed Cassidy’s hand and pulled her inside the small home. The room was dark, all the blinds and drapes closed. There wasn’t a television playing or a radio. Nothing.

“Brent, are you okay?” asked Cassidy. He stared at the woman, then up at the enormous man beside her. “I’m Cassidy, a friend of Franco’s as well.”

“I’m okay, just fucking spooked,” he said. “I’m sorry for the mess, but I’ve just been trying to get rid of this headache. Nothing was working, nothing. I wanted to make it as dark as possible.”

Cade frowned, nodding at the man.

“Brent, as Franco said on the phone, we think you may have been injected with something. The only way for us to know is to use this magnetic device on your body. Are you okay with that?”

“Yea,” he said, nodding. “Franco said I should put on sweats and a tee, so there weren’t any buttons or zippers. I trust the brother, so let’s do this. If it will take away my fucking headaches, I’m thrilled.”

“Have they gotten better or worse in the last week?” asked Cass as the man lay on the floor, Cade kneeling beside him.

“They were worse last week, which is why I decided to just hunker down here and not move. I figured if I just laid here in silence, in the dark, they would go away.” Cass looked at Cade, who was scanning the man’s body.

“When you were given the immunizations before you went to the Congo, do you remember where you got them? What parts of your body?” asked Cade.

“Yea, two in the arms, two in the ass, and one near my neck, which I thought was weird.” Cade moved the metal detector up toward the man’s neck, watching as the silent, flat needle suddenly started pinging to the right.

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