What? No, Paul was mistaken, had to be. “Where did you hear this? No one has gotten in touch with me about this. If something had happened to Jordan or Alex, Teij would have contacted me.”
“Teij has left to take care of the bastards that did this. I was sent here to tell you… and Sam.”
I bowed my head, grabbed the sides of my hair and pulled hard. “Shit, shit, shit,” I murmured.
I couldn’t believe what Paul was telling me. Jordan and Alex had been good friends to me since the first time we met almost ten years ago. They were great soldiers, and I was having a hard time wrapping my head around them being taken down so easily.
“Damn it!” I said as I looked over at Sam.
I could not stand to see her in such pain. I walked over, pulled her away from Liz, and lifted her into my arms. I held tightly to her small frame, as she clung to the front of my shirt. She was so small in comparison to me, and she felt so fragile.
I buried my nose in her hair and whispered soothing words. I promised myself that I would never allow her to raise that child alone. I would be there for them both. At only a week old, that baby had lodged herself in my heart, along with her mother.
Sam was a wonderful woman. She was sexy, smart and sweet as candy. If she were mine, I could have never shared her, as Jordan and Alex had.
I rather understood them, though. They had a connection with each other that was closer than the average friendship. Those men did most everything together, and I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise when they fell in love with the same woman.
I knew Sam was only a friend and if it stayed that way, I would be fine. As long as I was there for her, I would be happy. She deserved so much more than what life had just thrown at her, and I would gladly take care of her for as long as she needed.
I sat on the couch and held Sam on my lap, as we mourned Jordan and Alex together. Rocking back and forth, I soothed her as best I could by rubbing her back gently. I never paid attention to what Liz or Paul were doing. My sole focus was on the woman in my arms.
Sam’s body began to relax and it wasn’t long before she drifted off into an exhausted sleep. I carried her to her room and laid her down gently on the bed. I tucked her under the covers, kissed her head and left the room. She needed to rest for a few hours before she had to deal with anything else.
“How is she?” Liz asked as I came back into the living room.
“She’s resting.”
Liz nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose. The whole screwed up situation was getting to all of us.
“I cannot believe this is happening,” she remarked, as she looked back at me with sad eyes.
“I know, but we will be here for her and that little baby.”
Our eyes met, and I let her know how serious I was about taking care of them. Liz gave me a small smile and nodded once.
“We will be here,” she agreed.
We both cleared our throats, trying to diffuse the intense atmosphere and heavy emotions. I glanced over and saw Paul sitting on the couch, watching us. I’d forgotten he was still there.
“Listen, I want to take a few days off to be here with Sam, but I need to take some files back to the office and get clearance for a leave of absence. I’ll only be gone an hour at the most. Do you think you can watch Sam and the baby while I am gone?”
I turned back to Liz, as she spoke. “Of course, go ahead. We’ll be fine.”
She left the room and when she came back, she had a stack of files. “Thank you.” She grabbed her purse off the table that stood by the front door. “I’ll be back soon,” she said over her shoulder as she left.
I slumped onto the couch beside Paul and rested my head in my hands. Things were so screwed up. I needed to contact my team and find out exactly what happened. Why had they not said anything to me?
I lifted my head and looked at Paul. “What happened?”
He shook his head and grimaced. “I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me much, only to come deliver the news.” He shrugged “You know how it is. If you aren’t part of the mission, you don’t get many facts.”
“But you were on that mission.”
“Not the recovery mission. They didn’t send me to find Jordan or Alex.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would they not use you? They needed every man they could get their hands on.”
“I don’t know. Things have been weird lately.”
I rubbed my face roughly and looked around the quiet room. “Damn, I need a drink.”
I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of scotch from the top cabinet above the fridge and a glass from the drying rack by the sink. I poured an almost full glass and went back into the living room.
“I am so glad those ladies decided to keep the good stuff around for guests,” I said.
“That does look good. I think I’ll have one myself.”
Paul made as if he was going to get up, but I put my hand out to stop him. “I’ll get it.”