Masters at Arms - By Kallypso Masters Page 0,54
how Gino had died. Now, he needed to know how he’d lived and fought. Had he wanted to serve?
He opened his eyes and stared at Montague a long moment. “Sir, was Gino a good Marine?”
Montague looked down at the floor, unable to maintain eye contact. His voice was a harsh whisper. “Damned fine Marine. One of the best men who’s ever served under me.” He looked up at Marc. The pain in his face took Marc’s breath away again. “I’m sorry I got him killed.”
Marc didn’t understand. It was an ambush. Bad intel. How could that be the master sergeant’s fault?
“I trusted the wrong people.” His Top looked down at his hands. “We’d worked with these Afghan soldiers for months. They swore we had friendlies in the village. I led my men into a fucking ambush. Called for air support. No helos available. Called for Hotel Echo…” he said, referring to high-explosive artillery shells. “Nothing. I should have made sure those things were in place before we went in. I shouldn’t have trusted anyone.”
Would Gino have been alive if there had been backup? Maybe. But the master sergeant wasn’t to blame for the lack of it. Marc knew enough about the insanity that takes place in a war zone to know those things just happened sometimes. You can’t predict and plan for everything. You couldn’t know who to trust. The enemy and the US-backed foreign military all looked alike. Infiltrators were common.
“I don’t blame you, sir.”
The master sergeant reached up to rub the back of his neck again. “Your brother was one of my best.” He glanced up at Marc. “I’m not just saying that to make you feel better, either. He was my lead scout in the recon unit. When we drew gunfire, he and another member of the team hunkered down behind some boulders. They returned fire. But we were taking it from all sides. From the village. From the caves in the cliffs above us. Total clusterfuck.”
He paused, looking down again, deep in thought. Then he looked back at Marc. “Clearly, you’re brothers.”
Puzzled, Marc furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand, sir.”
“When an incoming mortar round came at them, your brother shielded his buddy from the blast. Just like you did for Orlando.”
Marc could see the scene as if he were there. Tears welled in his eyes and he turned away. Gino, the brother he’d admired growing up, who had done everything right. Gino who loved serving as a Marine. Gino who had even died right, saving someone else. Images of his big brother’s body being blown apart by flying rock and debris as he’d tried to protect someone else forced Marc to place his arm over his eyes, hoping to block the image out. No such luck.
Marc regretted that they’d fought over some damned woman the last time they’d been together. He’d never again let a woman come between him and the ones he loved.
Had Gino been with Marc on that rooftop a few days ago, guiding him in how to honor the Reconnaissance Marine’s Creed? Regardless, he felt a bond with his brother he’d never imagined he would experience again after Gino had been killed.
Montague reached out to grasp Marc’s forearm and squeezed, bringing his back to the present. Marc had to know one more thing. “Did he succeed?”
The older man looked thrown off by his question, then realization dawned and he smiled. “Hell, yeah. Sent his buddy home to his wife and newborn baby. If you’d like to meet them sometime when we get stateside, I’ll hook you up.”
Marc had to clear his throat to speak. “I’d like that very much, sir.” How soon would he be shipped home? Would this injury put an end to his service? “I’m not ready to go home yet, sir. You think they’ll let me return to the unit after I recover?”
“Above my pay grade. What’ll you do if they send you home?”
Marc knew the chances of remaining on active duty were slim. He thought for a moment about his options. “Guess I’ll go back to Colorado. Not sure what I’ll do once I get there.”
“Why not go to school and train for something in the medical field? You’re damned good at it, you know.”
“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”
The worry lines on the man’s face relaxed a bit. “I’m retiring after this tour. Maybe I’ll just follow you to Colorado. My wife always loved the mountains there. Still thinking that’s where I want to go, even without…” The master