Chapter 20 Then
I gave up. I tried calling the police, but they said there was nothing they could do. If someone didn't want to be found, they didn't want to be found. I thought about hiring a private investigator, but Wes quickly put the nix in that plan, pointing out that she left the way that she did for a reason. So instead of trashing my apartment on base, like I had my bedroom at home, I decided to throw myself into work.
Wes and I took whatever jobs were thrown at us, even the ones that were less than desirable. The two of us were like a wrecking crew. Neither of us had a significant other to come home to, and we both loved the thrill. Our General used that knowledge to his advantage sending us into all kinds of shit storms. After a couple of months, it got easier. I was no longer in constant pain, physically, or emotionally, and I had to admit, it felt good.
We were both finishing up our first term enlistments, and while I decided to stay and move onto the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve), Wes' decision was different. He wanted to find a house, start a career, and make a name for himself somewhere. I envied him for that, because all I had was the army. Zoe didn't need me anymore, but they did. In three more months, we'd both be going home, so I invited him to stay with me.
It was a spur of the moment decision that I didn't bother to run by Zoe. I knew she wouldn't mind, and it was only for a few weeks at the most. The truth is, we'd be doing each other favors. He needed a place to stay, and I had someone I trusted to keep on eye on her while I was away. He wasn't someone to take handouts, so convincing him wasn't an easy task, but in the end it became a mutual decision.
Of course, cutting his strings from the army wouldn't be that simple. We had one more mission to wrap up before heading home, and it was one that neither of us were looking forward too. General dick head's decision to send my men after the ISIS threat months ago, had come back to bite him in the ass. Wes, and I, were now charged with rescuing Mendez, and Butler. And because no one else knew what he had done, we had absolutely no support.
It wasn't our first time flying solo, and I sure as hell knew it wouldn't be our last, well not mine anyway. We had been prepping for the rescue for weeks, but something still wasn't sitting right with me. It had been months with no word from either man, and then suddenly, out of no where, one of them manages to “find” a radio. I brought my concerns up to General Wyatt, but he didn't seem the least bit interested. Wes, on the other hand, shared my concerns, so we were meeting up today to strategize, just in case shit got hairy.
I knocked on his door, with three loud raps, our usual sequence, and he answered right away. I could smell the charcoal on him from the barbeque grill, and my stomach grumbled loudly. Wes laughed, motioning me inside, and I followed him through his apartment, and out the back door. The grill was loaded with chicken drum sticks, and the patio table was covered in file folders.
I took a seat at the table, and opened one of them up checking out it's contents. “Where did you get files on Mendez, and Butler?” I asked.
“General Wyatt. He's surprisingly accomodating when he's trying to cover his own ass.”
I laughed, accepting the beer that he offered me, and popping it open. “Why are they even alive?” I asked aloud, but not expecting an answer. “Three months, and not one damn word. Where have they been? Who did the General really send them after?”
“All good questions brother. But we don't get paid to know the answers. We get paid to get shot at so assholes like the General don't have to.”
“I'll drink to that.” I said, taking a long pull from my bottle. “When you're done playing with your drumsticks, sit down so we can figure this shit out.”
“Fuck you.” He said, turning the grill off, and taking the seat across from me.
We spent the next two hours pouring over both mens files, as well as schematics for the building they were being “held” in. Even though we knew the mission was bogus, it wasn't like we could just decline it. We were in up to our necks, and with one word General dick head could have us both slapped with a dishonorable discharge. With Wes being so close to the end, I couldn't let that happen to him. So even with our reservations, we were all in.
I left Wes' house that night full of chicken, beer, and a little fear. Fear was good though, it fed the adrenaline, and I knew I'd be needing a whole hell of a lot of that tomorrow morning. For the first time in months, I actually slept peacefully. Missions did that for me. Where other men stayed up all night, letting the fear eat at them, I found it calming. I lived for the danger, the moments when your heart would beat so fast, you thought it might come out of your chest. Those were the moments that I couldn't live without, and my main reason for sticking around for four more years.
Wes and I boarded the plane at 0500 the next morning. Because of the location of our brothers we had to parachute in, and meet ten miles from the drop point before we could be extracted. If everything went well, we'd be on a plane by night fall. We landed safely, and began the slow trek to the building where the men were. We had the cover of night on our sides, so sneaking around the perimeter turned out to be pretty simple.
There were only two entrances, and our intel told us that there were four men inside besides our guys. One guard at each door, and two with the hostages. Wes went around back, while I took the front. When we reached our designated posts, we signaled each other on our two ways, and silently, and simultaneously took out the guards. Our next move was to enter the building through our respective doors, and meet where our men were being held.
The building was small, but there were more hallways than I remembered seeing on the schematics. I radioed Wes, but all that came back was static. There must have been some kind of signal jammer being used. I tried again, but my luck was the same. Giving up on radio contact, I crept around the first corner, my weapon aimed and ready. The first three rooms were clear, but I could hear voices behind the fourth. I had two choices, wait for Wes, or go in. Before Evie, I would have waited. I would have weighed the risks, but now.. I just didn't care enough.
I kicked the door open, my gun drawn. I quickly assessed the situation, and immediately took out the two threats. When they dropped to the floor, I raced to untie Mendez, turning back towards the door, my gun trained on it's entrance. I gave Mendez time to untie Butler, and on my cue the two followed me out of the room, and towards the back entrance. I radioed Wes again, but only got more static. I searched for him on my way out, but saw no sign of him. I had no choice. I had to get Mendez, and Butler to safety, and then I would go back.
I gave my men the coordinates to the pickup site, and directed them to go, but of course they didn't listen. Instead, I handed them each a gun, and they waited, watching my six as I re-entered the building. I followed the same route, but still saw no sign of Wes so I backtracked, heading down the opposite hall. The one that wasn't on the schematics. There were only two doors down this hall, and they were both shut. I stopped, and listened, at the first but heard nothing. I gave the knob a slow turn, and pressed the door open quietly.
I found three women asleep on a small cot, all huddled together, barely clothed. They looked to be American, but they were dirty, and it was hard to tell. I shut the door behind me, and made my way towards them. I placed my hand over the first woman's mouth, as she began to stir. “I'm not going to hurt you.” I whispered. “I'm a US soldier. Are you being held here?” She nodded rapidly, causing the other's to wake. I removed my hand from her mouth, and held my finger to my lips, silencing all three, just as the door swung open.
I aimed my gun, and got off two shots before the women began to scramble behind me in fear. My gun jammed, as I was about to fire off a third, but more gun shots rang out from behind the assailants, and I tried my best to keep the women safely behind me. I felt the familiar sting of a bullet brush past my shoulder, and cursed out loud, finally getting my gun to work, and firing back a few shots of my own. It was after the last man fell to the ground that I heard Wes' voice say the all clear, and I was flooded with instant relief.
“Always laying down on the job ay Sergeant?” Wes asked, with a shit eating grin.
“Fuck you Granger.” I spat back, before letting him help me to my feet. “Everyone alright?” I asked, turning to face the women. They all seemed to be in one piece, so together Wes and I helped them outside, and made our way back to Mendez, and Butler. When our little group was safe, we radioed ahead, and let the General know we were on our way to the pick up point. The seven of us walked in silence for quite some time. Wes, and I in front, followed by the women, and Mendez, and Butler taking up the rear. After about forty five minutes, Wes finally broke the silence.
“What the hell happened back there?” He asked, his question directed solely at me. “Last time I checked, this wasn't a rogue mission.”
“I didn't have time to wait. I heard voices coming from inside the room, we were both heading to the same location, just came in different doors.”
“How long did you wait?” He pressed.
“I don't know a minute, maybe two, the radios were down.”
“You could've gotten us all killed Jake.” He said, with anger. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
“Not here Wes.” I warned, my own anger threatening to boil over.
“Then when? When we go back to San Franscisco? When I have to tell your sister you dove head first into a hostile situation with no back up over a fucking girl!”
“Shut the fuck up Wes!” I yelled, giving him a hard shove, and of course he shoved back. There we were in the middle of fucking no where, and we were throwing down like a pair of fucking teenagers. Mendez, and Butler quickly broke us up, and the women in our charge started crying, still fearful from their experiences.
“You two done?” Mendez asked, holding my hands behind my back. “With all do respect Seargeant, I want to get the fuck back on US soil, and I'd appreciate it if you saved your little lover's spat until we do so.”
“Fuck you Mendez!” Wes, and I replied at the same time, before shaking free from our captors, and finishing the rest of our walk in silence. Wes was right, I fucked up. I may have given up looking for Evie, but I sure as hell wasn't forgetting her any time soon. It's hard to wait for something you know might never happen, but it's even harder to give up when you know it's everything you want.