Jake made his way back home, much wiser and very grateful to Clay for letting him know about what the life of a member entailed. He knew, very well, that they engaged in illegal activities, and that they already had troubles with the law, but he’d had no idea about how stressful it was. By no means did he want to wake up every day, fearing for his life or the lives of his loved ones. Should he join, he would have to embrace everything, and even though he liked the bond between members, he decided that becoming one was not a wise choice. It would be too dangerous and the rewards were not worth the constant risk to his life and well-being.

Holly had spent the night in his house. The two of them would spend Sunday together. She would make lunch and then, they would drive to Boston. But, as soon as Jake turned into his driveway, he realized that it wasn’t meant to be. He opened his eyes wide, as he noticed three, black SUV’s and a long, black limousine. There was hardly any room for his SUV. Holly rushed out of his house and ran down the stairs. The tension on her face terrified him. Jake slammed the driver’s door behind him, as she ran towards him.

“Jake!” She gasped, grabbing his forearms, her chest rising up and down. “I was going to call you. They wouldn’t let me.”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!” He urged. “Who’s ‘they’?”

“A bunch of people,” Holly replied, still unable to prevent herself from talking too fast; “There are men in suits and…” she exhaled hard, “…the Secretary of Defense.”

“What!” Jake exclaimed, his voice almost turning into a high-pitched squeal, as he opened his eyes wide.

“He said he wanted to talk to you about something,” she elaborated, loosening her grip. “He wouldn’t say ‘what’. He just said it was a matter of national security.”

“National security my ass…” he groaned, feeling his blood pumping through his veins.

“Um, she’s here, too,” Holly added. “The Sheriff let her go this morning.”

The news of Allison’s release had not surprised him. She was a well-connected marine officer. Still, Jake had much bigger problems to deal with than her.

“Come with me,” he muttered, taking her by the hand.

“The SoD is in my place? A few years ago, I’d be honored – but now? Not really. I never liked politicians and I hate this guy’s guts. That mission he sent us on almost got me and my men killed, not to mention he was the one behind Allison’s fake death. What the hell do you want, you son of a bitch?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jake’s voice rumbled like thunder, as he walked into his living room. There were at least a dozen men in black suits scattered all around it. Two of them were with Walter Simms, the Secretary of Defense, while Allison was chatting with another one. “What the fuck are you all doing here?”

“Watch your language, Mr.” The man on Simms’ right said.

“What did you just say?” Jake spoke in angry tones.

“I apologize for my man’s ignorance,” Simms interjected. “Mr. Collins doesn’t have a clue about the services you have provided to this country. I should have given him a crash course on your successful missions, Captain Isaacs.”

“I’m not a Captain.” Jake shook his head negatively. “Not anymore.”

“Alright, give us the room,” Simms ordered. “Everyone leave except Lieutenant Barnes. I want her to hear this.”

Jake ran his hands through his hair, unable to believe what was happening. Deep down, he suspected the reason of Simms’s visit, but he kept his mouth shut, eager to hear what he had to say. The Secretary of Defense waited long enough for his men to exit the house, before addressing him again.

“You must be wondering why I’m here.” Simms said, dropping his gaze from Jake’s intense stare.

“Really? You think?” Jake’s voice was reeking with sarcasm, as he put his hands on his waist. “What is she doing here?”

“I screwed up, Isaacs,” Simms admitted. “I screwed up big time.”

“You’re goddamn right you did,” Jake nodded in agreement.

“I messed your lives up very badly,” Simms continued. “I made a terrible call three years ago. I’m sorry, son.”

“Get to the point,” Jake urged, raising his tone. “I don’t need your apologies.”

“Okay…” Simms drew in a sharp breath. “We have a positive ID on Al Mahri’s location. He’s been hiding in a village, three miles northeast of Tamok. You remember where it is, don’t you?”

“How can I forget?” Jake smirked. “I almost died in that hellhole. Why are you telling me all of this?”

“I’m telling you this because I want you to lead the mission. Put that uniform back on, son. Go there and take out that son of a bitch.” Simms’ words shocked him to his very core. Jake banged his palm against his forehead, unable to force another word out of his throat. “I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe in you. You’re still, by far, the best man for the job.”

“Why are we using him, sir?” Allison inquired. “There are plenty of fine officers to choose from.”

“For the same reasons I chose him the first time, Lieutenant.” Simms answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “He knows that area like the back of his hand. He’s the most skilled officer I’ve ever had the honor of working with. Plus, Al Mahri’s men nearly took out your platoon in that ambush.”

“That mission was compromised,” Jake flatly stated, breaking his silence. “They knew we were coming. Who sold us out?”

“Stanley Burton,” Simms answered, his quick reply taking Jake by surprise. No one seemed willing to provide an answer to that question, three years ago. “He was the head of my security. He’d been converted to Islam, without my knowledge. He was there when I ordered that operation against Al Mahri. I’m just glad he wasn’t there when I discussed my idea with Lieutenant Barnes. They would have killed her if he knew. He’s rotting in a prison cell as we speak.”

“I asked you about it, three years ago.” Jake said, his frustration growing by the second. “You wouldn’t give me a straight answer.”

“I was protecting you,” Simms claimed, “both of you. You’re quite the hothead, Isaacs. If you had found out, you’d have found a way to get to him. He’d be dead and you’d be in jail.”

“I’ll send a ‘thank you’ card.” Jake’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “You’re wasting your time, Simms. I’m done being a marine.”

At that moment, the Secretary’s cell phone rang.

“Excuse me. I need to take this.” He said.

“Don’t even mention last night.” Jake furrowed his brow.

“I wasn’t going to. We got bigger fish to fry.” Allison remarked.

“Not ‘we’; you.” He pointed at her.

“You’re a marine, Jake.” She put a little force in her voice. “You can’t change that. That’s what you had always wanted to do. You have always been dreaming about it since we were kids, for God’s sake.”

“Men like that prick fucked up that dream.” Sorrow filled his face.

“You quit because of one bad politician?” she squeaked, raising her index finger to her chest.

“I quit because I lost the woman I loved,” he replied in a wobbly voice, as tears welled up in his eyes. “I couldn’t keep wearing that uniform. It just…” he paused, “hurt too much.”

“Can we talk after all this is over?” she requested in a broken voice, “please?”

“Why, Allie?” Jake shrugged. “You’re just going to say the same things, over and over. Frankly; I don’t want to hear them.”

Allison was about to say something more, when Simms’ quick footsteps grabbed their attention.

“Sir, what’s wrong?” she asked, as he returned to the living room.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he announced, with a grim face pinched with worry. “Isaacs, I’m sure you remember Sergeants Austen Rivers and Ricardo Sanchez.”

“Yeah,” Jake nodded. “I’ve served with them. Why?”

“They were leading a recon squad last night, when they got attacked by ISIS fighters. Their men were able to escape, but they were captured.” Simms’ reply sent shockwaves down Jake’s spine. A sigh of despair escaped him, as he dropped his face into his hands. “They’re alive. The radicals said they will execute them live on the internet.”

“Where are they, sir?” Allison posed one more question. “Did they say ‘when’?”

“They’re located somewhere outside of Fallujah. They’re giving us 48 hours to pull out of the area,” he stated in an anxiety filled voice. “Even if we wanted to leave Iraq, that’s next to impossible. It would take us at least three weeks to get out of that place. Isaacs, forget what I said about Al Mahri. Our priority is to save those men. You have twelve hours to decide. I must get going. Lieutenant Barnes will be waiting to receive your decision. Son…” He put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Those men need your help. Please, don’t fail them.”

Jake was faced with the most crucial and difficult decision of his life. The last time he had found himself in a similar situation was just after Allison’s – supposed – death. Back then, though, it hadn’t taken him long to decide. The circumstances had forced him to leave everything behind and start a new life. This was much, much different. The two captured men had been his friends for years. They had been through all the hardships of the life of a marine together. He had also trained Rivers himself on how to use anti-tank weapons. They had saved his life and everyone else’s in that ambush. Furthermore, he had to take into account Holly’s reaction. A possible –even temporary – return to his duties as a marine Captain would definitely not go down well with her.

The mere sight of her was enough to send his pulse racing. Closing his front door behind her, she folded her arms over her chest, with a troubled look on her face.

“They just left.” She informed. “What did they want?”

“Oh, God…” He whispered, peering ceiling-ward. “You may want to sit down for this.”

“Thanks, but I’d rather stand.” Holly heaved a long, deep sigh. “It’s big, isn’t it? What they want from you.”

“How do you know?” Jake wondered, a hint of surprise in his baritone.

“Jake, the Secretary of Defense was here!” She spoke, her voice riddled with panic. “What else could it be?”

“They want me to put the uniform back on, Holly,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, as a tear streamed down his cheek. “Two friends of mine have been captured. They want me to go save them.”

Holly did not speak. She covered her mouth with her hand, looking deep into his eyes. Her fingers trembled, and her jaw clenched, as tears flowed silently down her face. Jake wished he could utter a word, but her watery eyes melted his heart. She removed her hand from her mouth and started towards him, arms reaching out. Before he knew it, Holly had collapsed in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest, as thick tears spilled from her eyes. Jake bit his lower lip, squeezing his eyes shut, as he circled his arms around her neck.

“What should I do?” A whisper of confusion fled his lips.

“You said…” Holly sniffled, slowly leaning back. “You said they were your friends.”

“They are.” Jake said with a nod.

“Then…” She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. “Then I think you should go.”

“What?” Jake’s face loosened in utter disbelief. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Holly uttered, nodding.

“I thought it’d be a lot tougher to convince you,” he confessed, a small smile on his face.

“Baby, if anything happens to them…” She whispered, as her gaze shot up to meet his, “you’re going to carry that weight for the rest your life. I don’t want that for you.”

“You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever met,” replied Jake in a warm voice, burying his forehead against hers.

“Just promise me one thing,” Holly said, her voice shaking once more.

“Anything.”

“That you’ll be careful out there,” she managed to make her whispering request, which widened the smile on his face.

“I will, baby.” He sighed. “I promise.”

“When do you have to leave?” She inquired.

“Pretty soon I’m afraid.” Jake replied, his tone calmer by the second. “It’s a twenty-hour flight to Baghdad and they said they’d kill them in 48 hours.”

“Oh, crap…” Holly spoke in frustrated tones. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Hold me…” she quietly whispered, the softness filling his ears, as she tightened her grip around his back and put her head on his chest. Jake pulled her closer, letting her intoxicating scent flow through him. Neither of them spoke any further. He savored the closeness, knowing in his heart that he had found an incredible woman, one who would do anything to make him happy…

Here you are, making this decision so much easier for me. Jesus, Holly… I don’t even know what to say to you anymore. “Thank you, again?” I’m going to sound like a broken record. It’s not enough. Wait till I get back, baby. I’ll spend each and every day, trying to blow your mind…