Page 90 of Fighting for Family

“I recognize them,” Knight said. “It’s Ghost and his team.”

Ten minutes later, Ghost entered the cave as his men handled the insurgents. Ragu worked alongside them, and Cole sent the K-9s to keep others from reaching the cave. Patch and Knight worked their way toward the men. As they entered, they saw Doc working on Shadow’s friend Rayven. Ghost picked her up, and they headed toward the helos. Saint gestured for them to follow. Once all the men and K-9s loaded up, the helos raced through the sky.

“It’s damn good to see you,” Saint said to Ghost.

“I thought you went home,” Ghost replied.

“We’re leaving today,” Saint said. “We needed to pick up an important package first.” He gazed down at the floor, where Patch and Doc worked on Leo and Rayven. Amena clung to Cole, afraid of the swift ride.

Saint pointed to the planes waiting to take them home. The first helo touched down, and some of Ghost’s team jumped off to assist with the second helo, while Fish helped Jake and Joe off, then Saint, Taco, Shadow, and Ragu. The remaining brothers from Ghost’s team helped move Leo and Rayven while Cole jumped off with the K-9s and the rest of the team.

Saint shook Ghost’s hand. “Thanks for the save. If we can ever return the favor.”

“Take care of Leo, and when you have some free time, come join us for a beer.” Ghost replied. “Tell Leo to keep in touch.”

“Will do,” Saint said, as the team loaded back into their helos and spun up.

Doc and Patch followed their patients up the stairs, and Saint took a headcount. Sparky, Cole, Hollywood, Joe, Jake, Ragu, Taco, Shadow, Whiskey, Rocker, Knight, Doc, Victoria, Ivan and…Leo.

CHAPTER 29

Leo lay in the back of the plane. Doc started an IV as Amena reported his injuries when he first arrived.

Saint knelt beside him and clasped his shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, boss.”

Leo swallowed and said, “You took forever.”

“Sorry, boss,” Shadow said, kneeling beside Saint. “We found a little something you left behind. You might not want to return home without it,” he said, pressing Gracie’s rattle in Leo’s hand.

Leo nodded, and he grabbed Saint’s hand. No words needed to be spoken. Shadow stacked his on top. Taco joined them. Whiskey smiled and silently laid his on top. Ragu slid in and pressed his alongside them. Doc stopped speaking and took out his phone to capture the moment.

“Get in here, Doc. None of us would be here without you and Kassie,” Saint ordered.

“Where’s Team asshole?” Leo asked, his voice getting weaker.

“We’re right here, boss,” Knight called. “We’re letting you have this with your team.”

Leo struggled to sit up, and Saint supported him. He glared at Knight and then scanned the seats for Cole, Hollywood, and Sparky. “You’re all my team. You’re my family.”

Rocker climbed the stairs and entered the plane. “Victoria and Ivan dropped off the package. When do you want to spin up?” Seeing his leader, he smiled and shook his hand. “Glad to see you, Leo.”

Saint peered at Leo. “Are you ready to get home? We’ll stop in Germany for you to recover. We’ll call Kassie and have her tell Catherine.”

Leo held his hand in the air and shook his head. “Home.”

Doc frowned. “You need medical care. Don’t you want to see your baby born?”

“Home,” Leo insisted, pointing to Doc. “You can fix me there. If you tell Catherine, she might go into labor.”

“What about Rayven?” Shadow asked as Amena administered some pain medication to make her more comfortable.

“She can stay at the hospital,” Doc said. “We’ll keep her on bed rest. We’ll need some room to work on these two. Some of us will have to fly home with Victoria. Patch, we can move Rayven over to their plane and have more room to work. You can keep her stable. Give her about ten minutes for the medication to kick in.”

“It figures,” Patch grumbled. “I swear if she makes me say girls rule and boys drool, it’s the last time I’m flying with her.”

“I’ll ride with them,” Rocker said. “We’re all headed to the same place.”

Hollywood rose and tapped Sparky. “Hey, do you want to ride home with me and tell me how awesome my dog is?”