“There are triggers for you.” Jeremiah nodded.
“I know, and I accept that,” Sage agreed, thinking back through the devices and exercises he’d used to overcome his stuttering. For him, the best electronic devices in the world were earpieces that echoed his voice into his ears, so it sounded like someone else was talking with him. He could talk without stuttering as long as he had that voice speaking at the same time he was. After years of frustration and thinking, as the military said, a brain injury caused a permanent stutter, the ease of speaking while using that equipment had brought tears to his eyes. And he didn’t give a flying fuck who saw him break down.
“I talked with Guardian this morning.”
Sage blinked and looked at Jeremiah. “About?”
“You. You don’t need to be here any longer. We can talk through what we have remaining via video conference.”
“Yeah?” Sage leaned forward and smiled. “I’m going to go back to work?”
Jeremiah tipped his head from side to side. “Well, kind of.”
That didn’t sound good. “Care to explain?”
Jeremiah put the tablet he was holding down. “I don’t have all the details, but I suggested you for a job the staff had problems finding someone to handle. I’m sure you’ll get a better brief when you call in, which they want you to do as soon as we’re done. From what I gathered, a computer programmer is having an issue and needs someone to get her and bring her in for some help.”
“A babysitter.” Sage narrowed his eyes at Jeremiah. “Why would you recommend me for that type of job?”
“Because I didn’t want you thrown into the deep end of the pool right off the bat, and with Guardian’s rebuild, I had no doubt that could happen.”
Sage’s gut dropped. “You don’t think I could handle it? Being thrown into the deep end.”
“I don’t doubt you could handle it. I just didn’t want you to have to handle it if you know what I mean.”
Sage shook his head. Those points didn’t cross in his book. Jeremiah would have to explain it to him. “No. Can’t say as I do.”
“It’s been a while since you worked as a Guardian.”
Sage leaned back in his chair. Oh. Man, didn’t the doc know how ingrained the military and Guardian were to him? “I’ve gone through the most advanced training offered at the Rose, and for the time I’ve been working with you, I’ve been doing physical conditioning and weapons qualifications at the ranch. Plus, while I’ve been twiddling my fingers here, I’ve taken courses from the Rose via secure video. My ability hasn’t diminished.” Just the fucking opposite.
“But your reaction time may have. Stepping back in slowly isn’t a mark against you, Sage.”
Sage held up a hand and shook his head. “Doc, you’ve never been in my field of work. How would you know if it is or isn’t a mark against me?”
Jeremiah stared at him for a moment. “Checkmate. You are correct. I don’t know that it isn’t a mark against you, but I’ll make sure it won’t be.”
Sage shook his head. “No offense, but leave it. I’ll grab this lady programmer and take her wherever she needs to go.” Sage stood up. He was cleared for duty. Well, somewhat cleared. Regardless, it was a good feeling. He extended his hand. “Thank you for everything, Jeremiah. I don’t know how to tell you how much you’ve helped.”
“You just did, Sage.” Jeremiah stood up and clasped Sage’s hand, pulling him in for a quick bro hug. “Video conference after this babysitting trip. Just call and set up an appointment.”
“Got it.” Sage lifted his hand as he walked out of the office. He wouldn’t blow off Jeremiah; he still had work to do on himself and would make sure he finished what he’d started.
Sage pulled up outside of his little cottage and headed inside, taking two steps at a time up the front steps. Inside, he sat down on the couch and drew a deep breath before he called in.
“Operator Two Seven Four. How may I direct your call?
“This is Sage Browning calling for Fury or Anubis.” He smiled as he spoke.
“Welcome back. Please hold while I connect you.” He pulled the phone away from his ear. He never thought he’d say it, but he missed that AI operator.
“Well, it’s about damn time.” Fury’s voice grated over the line.
“Missed you, too.”
“Bet you did,” Fury snipped. “In order to spring you from that evil doctor’s hands, I had to agree to let you go on a retrieval mission. I’ve sent the dossier to the Ranch. Chief will give it to you. Are you armed?”
“I have my personal weapon.”
“Vehicle?”
“Also my personal vehicle.”
“Okay. We’ve got a couple of travel kits at the Ranch. I’ll have Chief pull one out and check it over. You’ll take it with you, just in case.”
A travel kit, also known as a mini arsenal. “Where am I going?”
“Dallas. Not sure what’s up with this chick, but use your best judgment. You don’t have a call sign since you and Smoke split up.” Joseph sighed. “The Thorn teams have been disbanded. Use Thorn One. I’ll let everyone know. I need you to head out tomorrow morning. As far as we know, this isn’t urgent, so you don’t have to bust your ass getting there. Let me know your ETA, and I’ll let the people monitoring her know.”
Sage frowned. God, he missed being with Smoke on the Thorn teams. They’d worked some missions that would never see the light of day. An assassin and a tactical specialist sent in to do things normal five men teams couldn’t do. But it was over, and he was moving on. He wondered, “She’s one of our programmers, right?”
“Yep. I understand she was in the building when it exploded. She was one of the lucky few who got out. From what I can tell, she’s been hiding in a bottle since then.”
“Damn. Tough.”
“Everyone handles shit in different ways.”
“Don’t I know it.” Sage snorted.
“By the way. It’s good to talk with you. Looking forward to you getting your ass back to work.”
“Not any more than I am. Any idea what I’ll be doing?”
“I’ve got an idea, but we haven’t fine-tuned the concept. You’ll be busy, but that’s not a bad thing.” Fury chuckled. “You’ve had enough time on your ass.”
“Looking forward to getting back in the mix of things.” Sage glanced at his watch. He needed to get back to the ranch, pick up that kit, then clean out the cottage. Not that he had much there. He'd give what he did pick up over the time he’d been there to the Thompsons next door.
“Good to know. Call in when you know your ETA. Whatever it takes.”
“As long as it takes.” Sage smiled as he disconnected the call. It was the first time he’d said those words in one hell of a long time.
4
Honor tripped over an empty bottle of vodka as she held onto the wall and made her way to the kitchen. She gagged a bit, and the bile that bubbled up from her stomach burned the back of her throat. God, her mouth tasted like a cesspool. She hit the light switch, but nothing happened. Even after flicking it off and back on again, darkness still reigned. “What the hell?”