surrounding me. My eyes drooping, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and padded to the en-suite bathroom. After splashing some water on my face, I rummaged through my bag and found some gym shorts and a t-shirt. I tossed them on and laced up my sneakers, heading quietly from my room and out of the house for an early morning run.
Time passed as I escaped into my thoughts, running through thousands of different scenarios as to why our agency contact had disappeared, whether Charlie had any involvement in his disappearance, and whether we were all being played. I wondered if Alexander had made any headway into what was really going on. I had so many questions and was anxious to get back to Texas so I could pick up where I had left off…with the job and Mackenzie.
Before I knew it, the sun began to beat down on me with more intensity. When I left my mother’s house, the sun was just starting to rise. Now, it was shining brilliantly, and I knew I had probably been gone for a few hours. I circled back toward the house, putting in another few miles, and entered the foyer, hearing voices from the kitchen. Not ready to face Mom and her special overnight guest, I dashed up the stairs and hopped in the shower. After shaving and dressing in a pair of cargo shorts and a light green linen shirt, I found the email I had kept with me since receiving it and placed it in the pocket over my chest…over my heart.
Checking the clock to see that it was nearly ten, I hurried through the remainder of my morning routine. I still needed to cook my mom breakfast, then get to the airport in time for the noon flight Eli had arranged on one of the company jets.
Dashing down the stairs, I entered the kitchen and came to an abrupt stop.
“Alex…,” I said nervously when I saw him sitting at the table. I felt like an employee who had been caught in a lie after calling in sick. “What are you doing here?” I sat down opposite him, studying his every move.
“Tyler.” He raised himself from his chair, a knowing smirk on his face as he straightened his crisp suit. Heading toward the coffee machine to prepare a cup, his expression remained fixed. “Mom called and asked for a family breakfast this morning. I tried to say I had work to do, but she mentioned you were home, which certainly got my attention.”
My eyes narrowed at him, my blood boiling every second I was in his presence. His odd demeanor made it readily apparent he was not happy I was home. I would have rather had him shout at me. I could handle that, but the fake smile, the niceties, the even temper… I just wanted him to get on with it so I could get on with what I needed to do.
“I was going to wait until you were settled, but I have a new assignment. You’re on a transport to Afghanistan tomorrow at sixteen hundred hours.”
I remained quiet as he returned to the table with two cups of coffee, placing one in front of me.
Sitting down, he reached into his laptop bag, retrieved a file, and slid it across the table toward me. “We’ve opened a shelter for girls who have been the victim of abuse and are at risk of further harm, possibly even death. Honor killings and all that. These girls–”
“Just stop,” I interrupted. My voice was soft, my lips barely moving.
He snapped his head up, his green eyes meeting mine. “Ty–”
“No. Enough, Alex!” My voice rose with the anger that was slowly building within me. “I’m not going to be told what to do by you anymore, not when it’s readily apparent you only have your best interests at heart and no one else’s!”
“Where is this coming from?” he asked in an authoritative tone, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.
“Oh, you know…,” I sneered, standing over him and leaning on the surface of the table. “Just being sent to Sudan for four months, having little to no means of communicating with anyone except you! Whenever I mentioned coming home, you gave me orders to stay on longer, saying I was needed! But I wasn’t, Alex! I trusted you and followed your orders, even though I knew I didn’t belong there. At first, I refused to believe it. You’re my brother. There’s