Hostile Ground (The Arsenal #7) - Cara Carnes Page 0,120

froze. Addy tightened as the man moved to stand behind Olaf.

“Come on. Let’s you and I go sit over here on the end and talk while we eat,” Jesse suggested.

“No. Be with your woman and kid. I’m not worth the time.” Olaf’s shoulders slumped forward.

“Let’s go.” Jesse squeezed his shoulder. “Grab your plate. I’ll get mine. Leave your tablet here. I can use the app to understand your sign language and I’ll speak Russian so you can understand me.”

“I’m okay,” Olaf said.

“No, you’re not,” Addy said. Shock filled the man’s eyes. “But you will be. Jesse can help with that. We all can. Trust him to help see you through.”

Unease reflected in Olaf’s gaze when he stood and lifted his full plate.

“He’ll need a translation on what all this food is,” Mary said. “He’s likely never had any of it before.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Ellie paled. Her gaze swept to Kristof. “I’m so sorry. I should have. Momma Mason will be horrified.”

“He’ll love it all because it was made with love,” Kristof said. “He’s had very little of that in his life.”

Addy reached out and squeezed his arm. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve all been down this road, Olaf. There’s not a single person here who hasn’t fought their way from a hell of some kind and had to work their way back to the happy life that was taken from them. You aren’t alone.”

He looked around at everyone then nodded and followed Jesse, who’d picked up his own plate and a couple of unopened sodas. Addy doubted the man wanted to have the conversation he was about to have, but he would.

A comfortable silence settled around the group for a moment. So many of her friends had bonded because of their harrowing ordeals. None of them should’ve suffered the way they had, but at least they had one another now.

Family.

“I’m sorry,” Kristof said. “I know he was looking forward to a meal with family and…”

“Don’t,” Dylan said. “Helping your cousin helps him. He’s paying it forward. It’s one of the main reasons we started Warrior’s Path—to help people overcome the horrors of war and return to their normal lives and their loved ones.”

“Addy mentioned the program. It’s a remarkable endeavor. I’d like to help however I can,” Kristof said.

“That’s appreciated,” Dylan said. “We’ll talk after you’ve settled in.”

“If you need help with anything, let us know,” Mary said. “I’m sure there are a lot of things left to do in Russia. We may have left the area, but that doesn’t mean we’re done.”

Addy suspected there was still a lot left to do.

“Actually, there is one matter I’d like to discuss with you when you have time,” Kristof said. He set his fork down and wiped his mouth. “Maksim is trying his best, but I fear he’ll need help.”

“With?” Vi asked.

Kristof glanced over at where Olaf sat with Jesse. “I don’t want to mention this in front of my cousin, but I’d like to find my mama’s and uncle’s bodies.”

Mary set her silverware down. She took a sip of her tea. “You don’t know where they are buried.”

“No.” Kristof’s grim expression filled Addy with sadness. “They deserve a peaceful resting place. All I know is he ordered Ivan to bury them like the animals they were.”

“We’ll find them,” Jesse promised.

“We’ll go through what you remember from back then and get HERA working on property records and known intel from that time period,” Mary said. “It’ll be a difficult search.”

“Likely an impossible one,” Kristof said. “Too much time has passed.”

“Nothing’s impossible,” Vi said. “We don’t back down from a challenge. It sounds like the perfect project for Jacob. He’s been begging for a side project.”

Addy wrapped her hand around Kristof’s waist and smiled at him. Her friends would help him find his loved ones. Peter may have been a worthless psychopath, but he’d at least buried their parents properly. She couldn’t imagine not knowing where her mother’s final resting place was.

“I bet you have all sorts of interesting stories about Jud,” Vi said with a smirk. She sipped her soda. “Care to share any?”

Kristof laughed when Jud growled. “Afraid you don’t scare me, comrade.”

Jud cursed and shook his head. Kristof winked at Addy then started regaling everyone with a recount of their most embarrassing mission ever.

27

Kristof spent two and a half hours at the picnic tables with Addy and her friends. They’d welcomed him and Olaf with open arms. He’d never eaten so much in one sitting, and the