TORMENTED_ Jani Kay - Jani Kay Page 0,58
face. “Somebody wants you dead, buddy, and since I’m always by your side, I guess it’s just become fucking personal. I’m not ready to die just yet—not by a long fucking shot. I have plans to live till a ripe old age and see my grandchildren grow up.”
I chuckled. The situation was anything but funny, but Savage had a weird way of putting things in perspective. It hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Me too. I wanna live and grow old.” With Eva.
Savage grinned at me, his pearly whites glistening in the semi-dark. He didn’t need to say anything more.
“You have no idea how fucking great it is to hear you say that.” He patted me on the back and for a moment something passed between us. Bonded by a brotherhood, our fates were linked inextricably. Savage had been my partner for so long and if nothing else, I owed him the chance to have a great life.
“We’re gonna get out of this alive and be back on the next plane out of here.” My jaw set tight as I made up my mind. There was no fucking around this time. Our chances of getting out alive depended on it.
“We’ve gotta get in and out of this mission as fast as possible. While you’ve been moping about your girl, I’ve been strategizing, and I think I’ve got the answer.” Savage cracked open a beer and clinked the bottleneck against that of my soft drink.
“By the way, I’m wondering if a blonde woman has anything to do with your sudden desire to become a grandfather,” I said, taking the piss out of him. After Savage got dumped by his fiancée, less than a week before their wedding, he’d sworn off women. Clearly he was back in the game if he was planning on having a family.
Savage chuckled. “Gotta pass on these shit-hot genes, buddy. I mean, what a waste if the bloodline stops here.”
I had to agree with him. There wasn’t a better man than my partner when it came to loyalty. I just hoped the next woman he fell for was worthy of his heart of gold.
“What made you change your mind? You’re a confirmed bachelor with your pick of babes. You gonna give all of that up?”
Savage nodded. “Yeah. It gets old after a while. I’m a one-woman man. Screwing around may be good for my balls, but not for my heart. I want a woman to love and to grow old with.” He looked down into the neck of his beer. “Jessica is going through a divorce. Maybe I can have a second chance with her.”
“Jesus, Savage. You have to choose today to tell me all of this shit? Why didn’t you mention this in LA before we got on that plane?”
“Would you have listened? Your head is somewhere else, and I don’t blame you. But now you know we both have a reason to get out of here alive, maybe you’ll stop living on the fucking edge and do your job . . . but without getting either of us killed.”
I grimaced. We’d certainly had our fair share of narrow escapes over the years. The types of people we targeted were the hardest of criminals and terrorists who didn’t give a fuck about another person’s life, least of all ours. I’d taken pride on being number one on the underground hit list; knowing they wanted me dead spurred me to greater heights, and made me want to take bigger risks. It was all for a rush of adrenaline and to fuel my insatiable thirst for revenge.
“Let’s talk about your strategy. If we can do this job in a day and get the fuck out of Afghanistan I can focus on finding Eva. I can’t believe what an asshole I’ve been.”
Savage slapped my back hard. “Welcome back, buddy. I’m glad to see you’ve finally come to your damn senses.” His grin nearly touched his ears. “And not a minute too soon, either.”
I laughed, relief washing over me that there was a way out of this mess. “Thank you, asshole. What would I do without you? You nag worse than my mother.”
Savage just shrugged, and then started laying out his plan as if we were simply discussing the strategy of a baseball game. I listened intently, nodding and only interjecting when I wasn’t clear on a point. Everything hinged on us catching our target as soon as possible, preferably within the first few hours of reaching our destination.
This was