****
“I appreciate your giving me a ride to the base, Greenback,” Hawk said as they stopped at a red light in traffic.
“No problem, LT. I’ve been meaning to come by and hang out but I’ve been doing some bonding with my daughter. I missed her birth, and I’m trying to catch up.”
“How’s that going?” Hawk asked as he studied the man. Oliver Shaker, “Greenback”, maintained a solid reputation for being a squared away soldier. Though slighter built than most SEALS at five foot eight inches tall and a hundred and forty-five pounds, Hawk had seen the man lift an unconscious guy nearly half again his weight. With his dark hair and eyes, there had to be some Italian ancestry in his background and his Godfatherish New Jersey accent fit that image.
Greenback smiled. “Shelby’s a doll. She’s six months old and every time she sees me she smiles and laughs.”
How was it a hardened warrior could look so sappy? An answering smile curved Hawk’s lips.
Greenback ducked his head. “I know--I know.” He waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s great, man. Katie Beth, Zoe’s niece, took up with me while she was here. She’s a real sweetheart. I can see how you could learn to love one of your own real quick.”
“I was going to re-up when my enlistment was over, but I’m giving serious thought to going back to school and finishing my degree so I can move on to something else. I mean, if something happened to me, Shelby would never know me.”
Hawk nodded. It happened sometimes. A guy got married, his wife had a baby, and suddenly he started worrying about the people he’d leave behind if something happened to him, and he lost his edge. Dwelling too much on home and family could be a distraction. One that could get him killed.
“You think that’s a mistake?” he asked.
Hawk shook his head. “No. I think you have to do what’s right for you and your family. It’s an easier decision when you have no ties and less--” he bit back the word baggage, “familial responsibilities.” And what did that slip say about him? He frowned.
He dragged his attention back to Greenback. “I’ve asked all the guys to write down anything unusual they noticed about Cutter before we went on the mission. Can you think of anything that happened or was said that struck you as out of the ordinary?”
Greenback remained silent for several minutes. “I mind my own business, Hawk. And I don’t repeat stuff that I hear.”
He knew something. Hawk’s heart drummed in his ears for a moment as his blood pressure shot up. He remained silent giving him time.
“Brett saved my bacon twice during the last few missions. I owe him.” Greenback shifted behind the wheel as though uncomfortable. “I know as a breed, we’re looked at as professionals, sure, but kind of wild-ass cowboys, too. You know Brett’s pretty squared away. I mean he likes to have fun, just like the rest of us, and he’s not above a prank or two, but he keeps his personal and professional life clean.” Greenback took his eyes off the road to glance at Hawk. “Whatever’s going on, I don’t see Brett being involved. I think he’s just collateral damage.”
Hawk nodded. “That said--”
“Derrick has had a couple of assault charges dropped in the last year. And Flash gambles quite a bit. I heard Brett trying to offer them both advice at different times just before the mission. Well, actually he was on Flash’s ass hot and heavy about something.”
“You don’t know what it was about?”
Greenback shook his head. “They shut down when I got close, but the tension was pretty thick.”
Hawk narrowed his eyes against the sudden glare as they turned into the sun. He reached into his pocket for his sunglasses and shoved them on.
“I know there’s something going down--”
Hawk drew a deep breath. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it. There’s no way you could have taken out two tangos, snuck into the house, knocked Cutter unconscious, gotten out, and gotten back to your position in time. We’re talking minutes here. It had to be someone there.”
“Fuck--”
He couldn’t agree more. But the information didn’t clear any of them, just gave him more to look at. “I appreciate you hanging yourself out there.”
Greenback shrugged. “Brett deserves better than he got.”
“Yeah, he does.”