“Right outside,” Cale murmured as he slipped past her and gave her the privacy that she needed.
Slade came toward her, his steps uncertain. Only fair, considering how uncertain she felt right now.
“I thought about you,” Slade said as his gaze slid over her face, “so much.” Then those slow steps of his were coming toward her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her tight against his chest.
Why did being in his arms feel wrong? Sydney forced her own arms to lift. To hug him back. “I’m glad you’re alive.” That was the truth.
He tensed. “At least one person is.”
She eased back so that she could stare up at his face. “Gunner is glad, too. He’s your brother—”
“Half brother.”
A distinction that Slade had pointed out before, but Gunner...he never had.
“He didn’t know that you were out there,” Sydney whispered to him. “Search parties went back to recover you—” She’d almost said your body. “But no one found any sign of you.” She shook her head. “Where were you, Slade?”
“I don’t know.” Gruff. Lost. “The first few months were a blur.” He stalked away from her, began to pace the living area. “Different camps. Shacks. They dragged me through the jungle so many times.”
“And they never tried to ransom you?” Why not? It didn’t make sense to her. If you’ve got a valuable hostage, you use that hostage.
“I wasn’t the only prisoner they had. Some were ransomed.” He stopped his pacing. “Some were killed.”
She rocked forward onto the balls of her feet. “Are there others still being held?” If there were, they needed to get another rescue team ready.
“No. I was the last.” He swung to face her. His chin shot up. “Look, I don’t know why they didn’t kill me, too. I don’t know why they dragged me around. Sometimes I wished that they would kill me.”
“Slade—”
“Sometimes I just wanted it all to end.” His throat moved as he swallowed. “They would...they would ask me questions some days about my life—about you.”
Her heart was pounding faster. When she and Gunner had been held, their captor had asked them about the EOD. “Did you tell them about Elite Ops?” Slade hadn’t been in the group, but he’d once gotten clearance to work as a liaison on a mission with the group.
“Yes.” Hushed.
That was how the leader had known about their division.
“I told them. I would have told them anything for food and water.”
The mercenary who had come after EOD agents a little while back...that mercenary had been hired by someone in South America. Someone who had learned about the EOD from Slade?
No wonder his captors left him alive. They knew they could use him in order to get us.
“I want him investigated, Sydney.”
There was a sharp edge in his words now. He’d seemed almost...calm...a moment before, but now Slade was marching back toward her, his limp barely noticeable. “Did you hear me?” Slade demanded. “I want Gunner investigated. He left me to die. He’s not getting away with what he did to me.”
She had to make Slade see reason. “We both thought you were dead. Slade, we had your funeral.” It had nearly ripped her apart to stand there with the scent of flowers choking her.
But Slade laughed. “I’m sure that was exactly what he wanted.”
No, it hadn’t been. Gunner’s eyes had been haunted at the grave site.
“I’ll tear the whole EOD down if I have to do it, but Gunner won’t get away with what he’s done.” Then he was standing right in front of her, glaring down at Sydney. “I’ll make him pay, I swear I will.”
His eyes looked...wild. And his hands were shaking.
“Slade, are you all right?”