Page 25 of The Hero
“I ... I’m not sure. I mean, when you’re told you’re going to live the rest of your life behind bars, you don’t really think much about the future. It was all I could do to get by day to day.”
“I’m getting you home,” Kendric said earnestly. “You can do whatever you want. Live wherever you want. Be whoever you want.”
“How did you end up in Maine?” she asked. He’d told her at some point in the last few days that he and his friends lived in the small town of Newton.
“When we were held captive, JJ decided he was done with the military. We played rock paper scissors to decide where to live once we were out, and what we’d do for a living.”
“Seriously?” Marlowe asked.
“Yup. It was really to get our minds off the pain more than anything else. I was going to vote New York City, but I lost my round,” Kendric said.
“I can’t see you in a big city like that,” Marlowe said. “I don’t think I’d like it. I’m an introvert at heart, and having all those people around all the time ...” She shivered for dramatic effect.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not sure I would’ve either, but Maine has also been a bit hard for me.”
“How so?”
“It’s so ... staid. Don’t get me wrong. I love working with my buddies and meeting the people we lead on hikes on the Appalachian Trail. But I missed the excitement of the missions we went on in the Army.”
“Which is why you’re here with me now,” Marlowe said, a little disappointed, though she didn’t fully understand why.
“Yeah. I got connected with this FBI guy who works in certain government circles. He sets up rescue missions.”
“And he somehow knows Tony.”
“That’s my guess.”
“What do your friends think of what you do? Do they ever join you?” Marlowe asked.
“They don’t know.”
“Wait—what? What do you mean, they don’t know?”
“I’ve been lying to them. Telling them I’m visiting a sick aunt,” Kendric admitted.
Marlowe went up on an elbow and tried in vain to see through the dark. “Are you serious?”
“Yup.”
“That’s ... that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” she blurted. “Kendric! Those are men you literally would’ve died for. You’ve beenthrough things together that I couldn’t even imagine. You decided as a team to quit the Army and start your own business. And you haven’t told them? Why not?” Marlowe knew she was being rude, but she literally couldn’t understand Kendric’s reasoning.
“I don’t want them to feel guilty that I’ve been feeling unsettled. That I needed more excitement.”
Thank goodness he didn’t sound upset with her for yelling at him. Marlowe tried her best to calm down. “They wouldn’t have felt that way,” she said with conviction. “I don’t know them, of course, but from everything you’ve said, they would’ve supported you. Now, I’m guessing they won’t be happy when they find out you’ve been gallivanting around the world, risking your life without letting them have your back.”
“They won’t,” Kendric agreed. “Which is another reason why I haven’t told them.”
“How long did you say you’d be gone this time?” Marlowe asked.
“Two weeks.”
“What’s going to happen if you don’t return?”
“They’ll be worried. They’ll try to track down my aunt, and when they discover she doesn’t exist, they’ll freak out. Probably call a friend of ours, a computer genius, and demand he find me. Tex will tell them where I am and what I’m doing. He’ll probably get them in touch with my contact, who may give them even more details, and possibly link them up with your brother. Then they’ll get on the first plane to Thailand to track me down personally. Their wives will be stressed out, and I’ll feel guilty as hell about interrupting their lives and having to shut down Jack’s Lumber while they’re out of town.”
“Holy crap. Really? Isanyof that an exaggeration?”
“No.”
