“But if they weren’t involved in active combat…?”

“We had the same concerns,” Benson agreed. “So we took the initiative to look into the remaining members of Galloway’s team. We found it particularly disconcerting to learn that all of them, except for Galloway and two others, are now deceased.”

“Or missing,” Maxwell added.

“Missing?” I scrunched my eyebrows.

“Yes. Harrison Mills, Galloway’s neighbor, was on the mission and, as we know, he’s been missing for several years.”

“So it looks like we should go talk to someone who was in Bosnia with Galloway and see if there’s a connection. It may not clear anything up, but maybe we can find out a little bit more.”

“We’re one step ahead of you,” Eli said. “Maxwell and Benson are heading to Oklahoma to talk to one of them…Peter Carlyle. You and I are going to head to Florida to see if we can get some answers out of Bruce McDonough.”

“Perfect. See if you can get these guys on the phone and make plans to go talk to them on Monday–”

“Sir,” Martin interrupted. “We’ve all discussed this and think time is of the essence here. If someone has been killing the members of the unit, there’s a possibility they’re after Carlyle and McDonough. It took Maxwell weeks to even track these two down. They’ve been living completely off the grid for years, making me believe that perhaps they knew someone was after them. Granted, it’s been several years since the others died, but I’m not sure this is a risk worth taking.”

Sighing, I ran my hand over my face. I knew I needed to go talk to at least one of them, but I had promised Mackenzie I’d be there for her baby shower tomorrow. I glanced at my watch, noting it was just eleven in the morning. If we hurried and got a flight plan in place, we could be in Florida by two or three. That gave us a little wiggle room. Even if we had to track him down, as long as we were back by tomorrow morning, I’d be able to make Mackenzie’s shower.

“Fine. Let’s go. Benson. Maxwell.” I nodded at them. “You’ll most likely be getting to your target’s house first. I want a full report after you’ve spoken to him. It may help us when we’re interviewing our guy. Understand?”

“Sir,” they said in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~

“WHAT DO YOU THINK Galloway’s time in Bosnia has to do with all of this?” Eli asked as we drove from Tampa airport and out to St. Pete Beach. My thoughts had been elsewhere, thinking of Mackenzie and the argument we’d had earlier. I had tried calling her to let her know what was going on and assure her I would be back in plenty of time for the baby shower, but my calls went right to voicemail, so I knew she hadn’t cooled off yet. I just hoped she would come around so we could at least discuss this like two rational people.

“Tyler?” Eli said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Which makes more sense, or which do I want to believe?”

“Let me guess. It’s not the same.”

I sighed, leaning my head on the window of the rental SUV, soaking in the warm Florida sun. “I wish it were. Am I a horrible person for beginning to think maybe I was wrong before? That maybe, with everything going on, it makes more sense Galloway really is the one behind all of it? Everyone associated with him seems to be dead or missing, and I can’t help but think he’s the cause. The only evidence I have that he’s not is my girlfriend’s assurance he couldn’t be, even though she barely knows him. Does this make me a horrible person?”

“No,” Eli agreed, keeping his eyes on the road as we drove across a bridge toward the island. “You’re looking at everything rationally, like any good investigator should. But sometimes circumstances are such that we want to believe one thing, blinding us to the truth.”

“I know… I just wish there were some sort of tangible evidence out there other than word of mouth to go on! We have no idea who to trust or believe here. Anyone could be lying. Hell, being here could just be one giant wild goose chase.”

“Could be, but it might give you the answers you’ve been looking for. Don’t forget that.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes, wishing I had some sort of clarity about this case. I had been so convinced Galloway wasn’t behind it because Mackenzie believed it, but I wasn’t so sure now. As with everything else in this case, the more we found out, the less certain I was about what was really going on.

“We’re here,” Eli announced twenty minutes later as he pulled up to a beach house on the Gulf of Mexico. It was a cream-colored home on stilts. A flight of stairs led up to a large wrap-around deck overlooking the ocean. A vintage BMW motorcycle and a pick-up truck sat beneath the house. “Ready?” He glanced at me.

“Yeah. Let’s do this.” I opened the car door and started up the dozen or so steps to the deck. I rang the doorbell and waited, expecting to hear some sort of movement from within, considering the television was audible, but I heard nothing. No sign of life at all.

“Mr. McDonough?” I called, hoping he could hear me over the television. I knocked loudly and called his name once more. When there was still no response, I walked around the deck and peered through a window into the kitchen. I saw vegetables chopped on a cutting board, along with a pot of water boiling on the stove. “He’s got to be here,” I mumbled, heading back to the front door just as my cell phone began to ring.

“Want me to pick the lock?” Eli asked.

I looked down at the caller ID, not really liking the idea of breaking into the house of the guy we were here to get information from, but what choice did I have? I needed answers. “Yeah. Do it,” I ordered, bringing my cell to my ear. “Benson, how did it go?”

“It didn’t,” he replied, practically yelling. I heard sirens and a commotion in the background, a sense of urgency washing over me.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“I don’t know, but when we got here, our guy’s house was fully engulfed in flames. The entire street was blocked off, but we were able to sneak in. Apparently, there was evidence of some sort of bomb. There was a tripwire that triggered an explosion when the front door was opened.”

My eyes immediately went to Eli using his lock pick set to pry open the front door and my stomach dropped. I hung up on Benson in mid-sentence as Eli turned the knob and I heard a click. Everything after that was in slow motion as I felt a rush of heat. Meeting Eli’s terrified eyes, we escaped the scorching flames the only way we could. Placing one arm on the railing of the deck, we hoisted our bodies up and over, an explosion sending us flying onto the sand of the beach before darkness washed over me.

Mackenzie

“HOW DO YOU LIKE this one?” Jenna asked, pointing to a rustic-looking crib made of reclaimed wood. “Oh, and it will transform to a toddler bed, then a twin bed, too. What do you think, Mack?”

I shrugged, indifferent about the whole process. Now that I wasn’t sure about anything in my life, the excitement of buying nursery furniture had faded. In its place was an overwhelming feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach. “It’s nice,” I said, my voice soft.

“And how about this mobile for over it?” Brayden interjected. “This whole setup is perfect, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, not even looking. I just wanted to get out of here and be alone. “It is. I’ll get it.”

“Really, Mack?” Brayden said. “Really? You really think it’s perfect? You didn’t even look at it! You’ve been out of it all day, and now you just agreed to give your baby boy a Disney princess themed crib.”