Page 33 of Let It Burn (The Barrington Billionaires 4)
Her father cleared his throat. “That couldn’t have been easy for you to hear.”
Her mother made a sad sound. “Your father told me about my brother and what happened in Aruba. I can’t believe he had anything to do with that baby’s death, but even if he did, you know that’s not your guilt to carry, right?”
“I know,” she said. She’d told herself that already, but it had taken seeing how Andrew was crumbling beneath a guilt that shouldn’t have been his to bear to make that distinction crystal clear to her. “Uncle Clarence has to live with what he did, whatever he did. I won’t let it stop me from being with Andrew or his family. It doesn’t have to be one way or the other.”
Her father said, “How did we get such a wise daughter?”
“It might have something to do with the quality of the parents who raised me.” Her parents chuckled. She thought of one more thing she wanted their opinion on. “Would it be over-the-top pushy of me if I called a family meeting with his family?”
“Oh, honey,” her mother said, “that might lead to a huge clash with them.”
“What if I showed up at the breakfast they invited us to this morning? Just went without Andrew?”
“It’s not what I would do,” her mother hedged.
Her father said, “What are you hoping to get out of going?”
“His mother said that her children don’t know how to talk out their problems. They don’t know how to pull together when things go wrong. This is an awkward situation and telling them what Andrew said will be painful, but if I share how I feel, maybe it’ll help them see that love is always worth the pain. You taught me that, Dad. I’m not ashamed to let anyone see my tears. I love Andrew, and I think it would help them if they see how a Franklin loves.”
“Oh, what the hell,” her father said, “call a family meeting. They sound like they need one.”
Chapter Twenty
Later that day, Helene stood in the Barrington living room, the center of attention of three generations of Andrew’s family. She’d called Sophie and asked her to gather them and there they all were, looking at her with a myriad of expressions on their faces. Some appeared anxious. Some were impatient. When she’d arrived they’d asked her where Andrew was, and she’d said that she’d tell them all at the same time.
She cleared her throat, took out the note Andrew had written to her, and read it aloud. There was a tense silence when she finished. She put the note back into her pocket and met Sophie’s eyes across the room. “I could have gone home, but I believe he’ll come back to me, just like he’ll come back to you. When he does, I want to make sure that we’re ready to support him, because he needs us even if he doesn’t know how to ask for help.” She sniffed. “There’s a number people throw around when they talk about veterans and suicide: twenty-two. It’s the believed number of veterans who kill themselves each day. Some say it’s more. Some say less. These aren’t weak men. They’re not cowards. These are our strongest and bravest. They went out to protect us and they came back broken. Andrew doesn’t want to talk about what happened to him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need each of you. Don’t make him apologize for taking time to heal. Don’t make him relive what he wants to forget. When he comes back, just love him with all your heart. That’s what I intend to do.”
She faced them, chin held high, eyes full of tears but none shed. For a long moment the only sound was that of Asher and Emily’s son fussing. The couple exchanged a look and Asher walked over to Helene. She stood her ground and looked him right in the eye when he stopped in front of her.
“Have you talked to him since he left?”
She shook her head.
He let out a long breath. “Do you have any idea where he is?”
She shook her head again.
“I do love him. We all do. No one wants to see him in pain or, God forbid, hurt himself. He doesn’t bring his problems to us or we would help him.”
“Have you actually ever told him that? That you love him? That this is a place where he can bring his problems?”
Asher frowned and Andrew’s father, Dale, stepped forward. “This is my fault. Kenzi told us how she felt she couldn’t be herself here, but I didn’t understand that Andrew felt the same way.”
“This isn’t your fault, Dad,” Asher said.
“It is. I told you to be careful around your mother. I told you to take it outside . . .”
Sophie went to stand beside Dale and held his hand. “You did that because you thought it was the best for our family. You thought that’s what I needed.”
Dale shook his head. “How could I have been so wrong? All I wanted to do was to keep this family together.”
Kenzi walked over and laid a hand on her father’s arm. “You did, Dad. We’re all still here.”
“All except Andrew,” Dale said in a deep, sad voice.
“He’ll be back,” Helene said. “I’m here because I’m confident he’ll return. Hopefully with less guilt on his shoulders. Less pain. The question is, what will you say when he does? How will you show him that when things matter, the Barringtons pull together?”
“We don’t need you to tell us how to talk to our own brother,” Asher said.
His wife walked up and put her arm around him. “We could hear her out.”
Andrew sat across from Colonel Ahearn on the porch of the man’s house on the Marine base in North Carolina. They were both dressed in civilian attire.
“What can I do for you, Marine?”
“I’m here to talk to you about my last mission.”
“It was a tragic and unfortunate loss of life. I was sorry to hear that you chose not to reenlist. You had a promising career with the Corps.”
“Thank you. Something’s been eating at me since that day. I saw the contents of the crate before it burned in the fire. It was nothing more than a pilot seat from a MiG.”
“What are you trying to say, Marine?”
“I think you lied when you said we went there to pick up classified equipment. You sent us on a personal errand that cost Marines their lives and then covered it up.”
“My intel said different. I don’t know what was in that crate, and I don’t care. My orders were to retrieve it. Your orders were the same.”
“I looked into the mission and it didn’t come down from higher than you. This was your personal order. I can prove this and have friends who will hang you if need be.”
“Who the hell do you think you’re threatening? I could have MPs here and you in the brig before you reached your car.”
Andrew stood. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I don’t think you know who you are dealing with. I not only have the resources and the connections to crush you, it would feel really fucking good to do it.
”
The colonel was on his feet. “Do it. I don’t believe you can or you would have.”
Andrew went nose to nose with him. “The only thing that has stopped me so far is my concern for the families of the Marines who died, but after some soul-searching, I believe they’d approve of what I’m about to say. You resign today. You leave. I don’t care what reason you give. You’re done. I don’t believe you meant for them to die, but you showed a lack of respect for the lives of all Marines when you sent us in for a trophy. If the MPs come for anyone, it’ll be you. I’m giving you one chance to leave with what’s left of your honor or everyone will know what happened. If you’re still here tomorrow, I won’t stop until you’re court-martialed and spending time in Leavenworth.”
The colonel’s face went bright red. “How dare you stand there and threaten me. Get the hell out of my house.”
“Gladly,” Andrew said, and as he was walking out the door, he stopped. “I was proudly a platoon sergeant, but I have always been and will always be a Barrington. If you don’t know the name, you might want to learn it.” He left with another look. Andrew held his head high and proud as he walked out. Nothing would bring his friends back, but he had honored them that day. The bastard who had sent them to their deaths would send no one else to theirs.
He was back in the air less than an hour later and in Virginia shortly after that. He walked across the thick green grass between rows and rows of white headstone markers. Every stone was the same, because every man’s life was valued the same. There they were all equal, all brothers and sisters, all mourned deeply.
Three stones. Three Marines. Laid to rest side by side in death, as they had been in life. He dropped to one knee, placed one hand on his heart and the other on the stone. “I know what you’re thinking, Lofton. If I dragged my feet for one more damn minute you were going to come back and do it yourself. It’s done, though. One way or another, I did what I think you would have wanted me to do. I’ll make sure your family never wants for anything, and I’ll do it in a way they can be proud of. I don’t know what that will look like yet, but I know you would have done it for me and mine. I haven’t seen Gabrielle since the funeral, but I promise to give all of Giniya’s future boyfriends hell for you.”
