As soon as the sun came up, she would call her grandparents and tell them her plans. She?
?d been keeping up appearances for them and the girls. Hell, for everyone.
Don’t let them see you crack up, Em, or they’ll shove you in a loony bin.
* * * *
“This is Hammer. Target is in view, Eagle. Permission to engage. Copy.” Marine Corps Major Bane Taylor’s team of seven was in
position.
“Roger that, Hammer. Hold for confirmation.”
Three thousand miles away in Libya, a similar mission was being conducted by Bane’s identical twin brother, Adam, the same rank as he. Only their mother and dads could tell them apart. They’d done everything together and could even finish each other’s sentences. Of course, he and Adam were different in some ways. Adam was the more fun loving of them, whereas he was the flip side, the more serious twin.
Both classified operations, the one here in Somalia and the one in Libya, were critical in the war on terror. Intel had identified key Al-Qaeda operatives, which HQ wanted dead or alive.
One last mission, then Adam and I will go home.
He and his brother had seen a ton of action during their tours. They’d been lucky, having never been wounded. But luck eventually ran out for everyone. They’d lost so many brothers in arms on the battlefields around the world. During their last leave, they’d agreed to volunteer for the latest RIF the military was offering. Their commanding officer had tried to convince them to stay in, but they knew it was time to get out. They were highly decorated, but they would never be able to speak of their secret missions.
It was time to return home to Wilde, which was dealing with a war of its own. The FBI, to combat the drug cartel targeting Wilde and the surrounding areas, had recruited him and Adam. The kingpin of the criminal organization, Ricardo Delgado, had vanished after his cousin was killed in Wilde. Austin and Sheriff Champion were working together to bring down the bastard.
“Permission granted to engage the target, Hammer. God be with you.”
* * * *
Adam Taylor leaned back in his seat on the transport plane. His last mission had been a complete success. No casualties. The two Al-Qaeda operatives were already out of the country and in the hands of the US at a secret location. A great ending to a wonderful military career. He was anxious to move on.
Bane’s mission had been successful, too. His three high-level targets had been taken alive. Unfortunately, one of his twin’s men had been shot. Even though the soldier would survive, Bane, being Bane, would replay the event in his mind over and over looking for any crack or flaw in the plan. Adam knew there would be none. The mission was only as good as the intelligence provided. The Somalia information had some gaps, like an inaccurate count of the number of Al-Qaeda in the house Bane’s team raided. It was a miracle that there hadn’t been more wounded or killed.
“Major, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get Stateside?” Sergeant Upton asked.
“My brother and I are going to have a beer, rent a car, and drive back to our hometown. Looking forward to a home-cooked meal from our mom.”
“Where is home?”
“Wilde, Nevada. There’s no place like it on the planet.”
Upton nodded. “Like my own Bolivar, Missouri. Home is home.”
He wasn’t about to correct the man, but Wilde wasn’t like anywhere. It was unique in every way. He and Bane had three parents, not because of divorce but because poly families were the norm. Their mom and two dads had returned to Wilde after their sister Shelby’s brush with Lily Harris, a deranged woman with blood and revenge in her eyes. Lily was dead and Shelby had found love in the arms of three men from the neighboring town of Elko.
Their other sister, Carolyn, had left town shortly after. He and Bane knew to let Carolyn have her space. She would come around and return to Wilde just as they were doing.
Wilde, Nevada. Home.
Working for the FBI to protect his friends and family from the drug cartel was something he was more than ready to do. It was time to settle down, for both him and Bane. They’d had a great life and had done their duty for the country they loved so much, but they would carry sadness for the men they’d lost in combat to the end of their days. It was time to start the next chapter.
Chapter Two
Emma parked in front of her grandparents’ home. Their house sat in the middle of their property, three hundred acres they’d farmed their whole lives. For the past fifteen years, the finest North Dakota land had returned to a more natural state since they’d stop working the farm. It was a beautiful April day with the ground covered in a fresh blanket of snow, late for this time of year.
Her father had been born here. He was her grandparents’ only child. He’d broken both their hearts and her mother’s.
“Mom, why can’t we go with you to Nevada?” Autumn’s eyes were wide. “We can help you find a place.”
“Honey, I know you want to, but I’m not pulling you out of school. You have your concert coming up.” Her daughters were amazing musicians, Autumn playing the violin and Andrea the piano. “Besides, I need to find a job.” Em had to believe this change would ease her restless nights and troubled mind. A new start. “I know you’re going to love Wilde as much as I did when I was your age.”