CHAPTER ONE
Gus “Spike” Fowler frowned in irritation as he adjusted his large body in the too-small airplane seat and tried to calm his dark thoughts. Ever since he’d gotten a call from Bubba, a former Army teammate, asking if he’d heard from Woody, another member of their unit, Spike had harbored a bad feeling in his gut.
Spike missed his teammates, but not the shit they’d done as Delta Force Operatives. They’d put their lives on the line more times than anyone could count and it had been a relief to put all of that behind him and join Brick and the men at The Refuge.
But when Bubba called, telling him that Woody had gone down to Colombia after hearing from a woman who’d been a translator for them on a mission—and hadn’t been heard from since—the hair on the back of Spike’s neck had stood up. That feeling of trepidation still plagued him.
And it only got worse when he’d learned that Woody’s younger sister, Reese, was thinking of heading down to South America to find her brother.
Spike had always admired the relationship between the two siblings, even if he didn’t completely understand it. He wasn’t close to his own family. He hadn’t seen them in years, and the last time he’d gone home for the holidays, he’d regretted it. His parents didn’t know why he was “hiding out” in the backwoods of New Mexico, and he and his sister had absolutely nothing in common and therefore little to talk about.
Jack Woodall and his sister were extremely close, however. She was two years younger than Woody, who was overly protective of her. During down time on missions, he’d entertained their team with stories about Reese, and the pride in his voice when he’d talked about how great she was doing after she’d graduated college was easy to hear. For her part, Reese had constantly emailed her brother when they were out of the country, and when possible, she’d travel to wherever he was stationed to welcome him home from missions.
When he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, after getting out of the Army, Reese followed.
Spike envied the bond Woody and Reese shared. He’d also met her a few times, and had definitely been impressed by the woman personally. She was tall; only a couple inches shorter than his five-eleven. Her blonde hair was usually up in a messy bun and she always had a smile on her face. Her curvy body definitely made her stand out. She was friendly and bubbly and passionate about her work…and he had a feeling she likely brought the latter to the bedroom, as well.
She was gorgeous, inside and out. But Spike had never given any indication that he was attracted to the woman—nor had his teammates—out of respect for both her and Woody. Not that Woody would have minded if one of his friends dated his sister; it was more that their jobs had been so uncertain. As Deltas, they were deployed more than they were home, and they all knew any kind of serious relationship would be extremely challenging, both for them and their significant others.
Besides…when they were on missions, the team talked. About the women they’d dated, sexual conquests, the things they’d done, the things they wanted to do. Given everything they’d revealed to each other during long nights in the trenches, it would be extremely awkward to date any teammate’s sister.
Still, he’d thought about Reese a few times in the years since he’d gotten out of the Army. Wondered if she was still living in Kansas City near her brother. If she’d gotten married, had any kids.
Apparently, the answers were yes, no, and no. After talking with Bubba, Spike learned that she was still single, still in Missouri, still very close to her brother.
Which was why he was currently on his way there. To meet with Reese, find out what he could about where Woody had been headed, and any other information she had, before reassuring her that her brother was most likely just fine and enjoying spending time with Isabella, the translator he’d apparently never been able to forget.
But deep down, Spike was worried. It wasn’t like Woody to go off the radar like he had. And that he’d not kept in contact with his sister just made Spike’s concern worse.
“Stop worrying,” Tiny said from the seat next to him.
Looking over at his friend and co-owner of The Refuge, Spike sighed. “I can’t help it. And for the hundredth time, you didn’t need to come with me.”
Tiny shrugged. “I did. Tonka and Brick weren’t going to leave their women, and we’ve had a lot of the same special forces training. If something is wrong, we can work together to find your friend and get him home safely.”
Spike couldn’t deny that having Tiny by his side would be welcome if he had to head down to Colombia. While Tiny had been a SEAL, and he was Delta, he wasn’t wrong that they’d had similar training.
“Tell me more about Woody, the translator he went down to see, and the sister,” Tiny ordered.
“Woody’s a few years younger than I am, but he was a damn good Delta. Always ready to do whatever it took to get the mission done. Sometimes he was impulsive, but we could usually rein him in.”
“So you aren’t surprised that he headed down to Colombia when he heard the translator might be in trouble,” Tiny remarked.
Spike shook his head. “No, but it’s not because of his impulsive nature. He and Isabella had a connection from the start. We all saw it. But they both did their best to keep things professional. The mission we were on down there wasn’t especially dangerous. We were working with the National Army—specifically, their special forces branch, AFEAU—on a joint mission. Isabella was assigned to our group to translate when necessary. When we left the country, they exchanged information. As far as I knew before now, that was the extent of it.
“But now, Bubba tells me that they’ve been keeping in constant contact since then. Said Woody’s been studying Spanish, and he and Isabella always planned on meeting back up at some point. I guess when he heard she needed help, he didn’t hesitate to head down there.”
“Help with what?” Tiny asked.
“I’m not sure. Bubba didn’t know either, and apparently Woody didn’t tell Reese exactly what was wrong. Just that Isabella asked for his help on getting her and her brother out of the country,” Spike said.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Tiny said with a shake of his head. “How old is her brother?”
Spike frowned as he tried to remember. “I’m not sure, but I think eighteen or nineteen now.”
“So not a kid.”
“No, definitely not a kid. He was a young teenager when we were in the country, but I don’t remember Isabella saying much about him, other than she was raising him after their parents died.”
“So if she was translating for your team while you were in Colombia, she has to have some pretty high connections. The AFEAU is very secretive. Could she have gotten on the bad side of their government?” Tiny asked, keeping his tone low so no one would overhear. Not that it was likely. The seats around them were empty, since the plane wasn’t packed, which was a relief.
“Anything’s possible. I’m more concerned about the fact that Woody hasn’t contacted Reese. There’s no way—and I mean no way—he’d purposely worry his sister. They’re extremely close.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely not a good sign,” Tiny agreed.