Reading through the last line, Kreed continued staring at the last page as his heart filled with a sorrow he hadn’t known could exist. Images of that cute kid following him around the house filled his head and his heart. He had always pretended to be so annoyed. Even when he’d come home on leave, Derek had those big brown eyes focused on him, always staying close by. He could see his brother idolized him so much that he’d followed in Kreed’s footsteps and joined the military.
What Kreed hadn’t known—what no one in his family apparently knew—was that his brother had followed completely in his footsteps. He’d had the same keen intuition that Kreed had and the military used that to their advantage. Where Kreed’s espionage had been hidden, ultra-secret missions, where if he had been caught, the military would disavow all knowledge, Derek’s had been part of a new initiative—a clandestine intelligence program performed by the United States military.
They were both assigned to the Middle East. It made sense based on their looks. Only, his brother had been found out. An internal breach. Someone from the inside fed information to al-Qaida. Derek had died a brutal death when ransom amounts had been given and the military hadn’t paid. Damn it to hell, his brother had to have been scared shitless. Kreed sucked in a breath as his heart ripped wide open at the thought.
Had he known, he’d have gone to Derek. He could have tried something…anything. A tear slid down his cheek as he grabbed the papers off the table and marched to the back door. He ripped it open and went through, leaving it open as he stood on the back deck, letting the cool, salty air fill his lungs. The waves crashed against the shore like his thoughts, colliding with the disbelief and anger in his heart.
All the aggression he’d felt at the table began to fade, with desolation and self-doubt now taking hold. Why hadn’t he warned his brother of everything the military had put him through? Better question, why had neither of them ever talked about this weird instinctual thing they had going on inside them?
Kreed went down a couple of the porch steps and dropped to the wood, his shoulders slumped. The United States military had so much going against it. Forever, they’d had spies infiltrating their ranks, but in today’s world, our own people sold the secrets. Kreed had seen those signs all those years ago. That was one of the reasons he’d left when he had. Working undercover in a hostile country was tricky enough before you ever factored in your fellow Americans turning your name over to the wrong hands. Kreed placed his elbows on his knees and hung his head. He should have been there for his brother.
~~~
Aaron stood at the window, watching Kreed with his head bowed, those thick shoulders lowered in defeat. His heart broke a little further. He hated what he’d found; hated he had no choice but to share it with Kreed. More than anything, he hated that the man he’d grown to love had been so hurt by a bunch of hypocritical assholes who’d decided as a part of daily business who lived and who died.
He took a deep breath and stepped back from the window before turning and heading for his room. They’d pay for this. Aaron would make sure of that. As much as he wanted to be there for Kreed right now, he shut the door behind him. It would take a little time, but they were going to regret their lies.
Chapter 32
At sunset, Kreed finally acknowledged the rumbling in his stomach. As sick and nauseous as the day’s discovery had made him, he needed nourishment and probably a cold beer or twelve. He rose from his perch on the back deck and headed for the house, deeply missing the brother he’d never really known. They’d shared so much in this life. He’d entered the military through the navy. Derek had entered through the Marines, but they’d ended up in the exact same place—stuck in the bowels of the worst terrorist organizations in the world.
Maybe if he’d talked to his little brother more, he could have helped keep him alive. He most certainly would have never allowed Derek to get involved in espionage. The problem with that line of work—it forced the spy to eat, drink, and breathe that way of life. Kreed wasn’t proud of the things he’d done or seen and ignored while working his way up the terrorist cell he’d been assigned to, but he’d had to do them. Those were his orders. And a military man followed orders at all cost.
Kreed jerked open the refrigerator door. He grabbed a beer from the shelf on the door before he saw an aluminum-foil-wrapped plate of food. A slight smile formed at the corner of his lips as he noticed a note taped on the outside of the plate of food.
I didn’t want to bother you. You need to eat. Please try. I’ll be working for the next few hours. Don’t leave and don’t swim if you start drinking. I’ll be out soon.
The note wasn’t signed.
The thought of Aaron taking time to fix him food and the sweetness of the written words flooded that special place in his heart that Aaron had occupied, the one that only belonged to him. He liked how Aaron wanted to take care of him. It just didn’t take away the indignation, pain, and betrayal coursing through him, all directed at the military. Aaron had been smart to keep his distance this afternoon, to allow Kreed time to work through all this new information. Kreed glanced up at the clock on the microwave and realized it wasn’t afternoon after all. It was already evening.
He pulled the plate out, placed it and the beer on the counter, and looked underneath the foil. It was a hoagie; one of Aaron’s specialties. A bag of chips and some beans were also on the plate, along with the spoon. He popped the top on the beer can and grabbed the food. He went down the hall, past the closed bedroom door. He could hear Aaron talking. It wasn’t the first time he’d talked while working, but Aaron shutting the door was new.