True Sacrifice Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

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  True sacrifice

  The Lost and Found Series

  Book Two

  Amanda Mackey

  TRUE SACRIFICE

  Copyright © 2017 by Amanda Mackey.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: December 2017

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-275-0

  ISBN-10: 1-64034-275-3

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

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  Chapter One

  Harley

  The guy standing in front of me grinned and held out a meaty hand to shake. Upon seeing his face, memories of my dream shot like liquid fire through my brain, triggering a fight or flight response. My body tensed as I processed the haphazard snapshots. Fighting. Brothers. Comradery. Loyalty. Fierce protection. Unspoken words. Instinct. An unbreakable bond, threatened by war. It all came hard and fast, slamming into me, forcing me to stagger back. I continued to watch him. He continued to smile, his hand unwavering, waiting for me to reciprocate.

  Clarity cut through the hazy muck as the first emotion since waking in the hospital bloomed in my chest. This guy meant everything to me. He’d had my back without question, and vice-versa. Till the death. Details eluded me, but knowin’ he’d die for me had already been written in stone long ago and stamped into my psyche.

  Regaining my composure and standing taller, a small smirk played at the edges of my mouth, which until now resembled a sharp slice of anxiety.

  Sentiment swelled, the tide of my blood carrying it through my body. It seeped into the black crevices formed by amnesia.

  Letting the smile engulf my face and surging forward, I embraced my best friend in a powerful hug, clapping him on the back, overcome with too much sensation. Tears beckoned, but I held them at bay as I swallowed hard and winced. My gunshot wound protested the gesture but I ignored it, not giving a shit about physical pain because to finally feel the connection of someone other than Mac had me all kinds of happy. A person from my past overrode any and all physical aches.

  “Viper.” Nothing else came out. We pulled back and scrutinized each other. His blond, buzzed hair sprouted from his scalp like new grass. Clean shaven face. Green eyes held mischief complementing the dimple on his left cheek.

  “What’s this bullshit about you not remembering me?” he balked, cutting to the chase.

  I moved away, motioning for him to enter, swinging my arm wide. His eyes fell on Mac and then returned to me. An eyebrow rose in question.

  Shutting the door, I found Mac intensely focused on both of us, her face lit with joy at our exchange. She too felt the connection from my past come to life.

  She stood before I could answer my friend and came to greet him. “Hi. I’m Mac. We spoke on the phone.”

  Viper’s eyes mapped her out. Assessing. Ogling. It took a moment for him to respond as he held out his hand. “My name’s Charlie O’Dowell, but you can call me Viper.”

  She nodded, taking his hand for a brief shake and pointing to the sofa. “Nice to meet you, Viper. Please sit.”

  We took our places, me beside Mac in some territorial display of ownership. Viper sat on the single recliner beside us.

  “So are you gonna answer me, douche?” Viper laughed, continuing his banter.

  It wasn’t offensive. In fact, it settled me. Much like Mac’s presence. My subconscious knew. I needed it. Needed normal. The people surrounding me seemed like the only normal I had.

  “I don’t remember much at all. Seeing you though, it triggered the memory I had of us in Afghanistan. The day Reno…”

  I stopped short upon seeing Viper’s face scrunch and his eyes briefly flit to Mac before he cracked his neck and focused on me again.

  “Sorry, man. I shouldn’t have brought him up,” I offered, realizing he may still be grieving.

  “Don’t worry about it. We both lost a friend that day.” He shifted uncomfortably.

  Mac rose to offer drinks. “Wine, Viper? Harley and I were having a couple before you arrived.”

  His face twitched as he acknowledged Mac. “Wine sounds good. I’d prefer beer, but I’ll take what I can get.” Turning back to me, he chuckled. “Harley, huh? That will take a bit of getting used to. Are you going to have everyone call you that?”

  “Yep. It’s who I am now. I associate myself with him.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll call you whatever you want, including shit for brains. I’m just glad you’re alive.”

  I laughed before adding, “You and me both, although waking up with no past leaves a lot to be desired.”

  “Any idea who shot you?” Viper asked, taking the glass from Mac as she sat down and handed me my refill.

  “Terrorist. I’m certain. A snippet of that night came to me. I chased a lead on a planted explosive in a nightclub in town. Everyone evacuated. I searched in an alley. It’s where the police found me. There’s nothing after that.”

  “Hmm. It’s possibly connected to the cell who captured and killed Reno. We killed their leader. Could be personal now. Any idea who asked you to investigate the bomb? I’d have known about it if it came from our unit.”

  Forcing out air, I sensed Mac’s fear beside me. Her quiet curse and nervous shifting gave her away. Without looking, I squeezed her leg. It comforted me as well.

  The thought of having a target on my back didn’t sit well, and I sure as hell didn’t want her involved.

  “I got nothing else. Not sure where the order came from. So you don’t know anything about it? That’s odd.”

&nb
sp; “We get jobs on the sly sometimes. It’s not unusual, although there’s normally backup. You obviously had none and were flying solo.” His pensive gaze across the room upped my pulse. Being given a solo job, even without my memory, caused a flicker of unease to creep up my spine. It didn’t sound like a typical job, but then what did I know?

  More than ever, I needed to keep Mac safe if those who tried to kill me still wanted me dead.

  We’d discussed me moving in with my ex-wife Trudy, who lived in a secure estate to offer some protection. Mac had insisted, even though I knew her heart said otherwise. Now, it seemed like I didn’t have a choice. I needed to remove myself from her life to keep her safe.

  Spinning around, I caught the worry swimming in her eyes, but I needed to stay strong. “I’m gonna move in with Trudy as planned. I don’t want you involved in any of this shit. I mean it, Mac. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  Her frown deepened as her head fell downward, eyes focused on her lap.

  “Ah, man you may want to consider moving in with me instead.” Viper’s husky, concerned drawl pulled my gaze from Mac. My friend ran his hand over his prickly scalp and down the back of his neck before huffing out a long breath. He appeared nervous, and coming from someone who looked like a tank of armor, it couldn’t be good.

  Standing, I walked over to the living room window, not to look out, but to give myself something to do, because I sensed a missile about to hit its target.

  Without turning, I asked, “Why is that, Viper?”

  Silence. Patience wore thin as each second trickled by with no answer.

  Turning, I caught the end of a stolen glance between Viper and Mac. A secret. My brain might be filled with fog, but I wasn’t stupid.

  “What’s going on?” I held my ground, steadying myself for whatever came.

  “Ah, man. I’ve already told you this once, and it was hard back then. To have to do it again is killing me. I’m just the messenger, okay? So don’t shoot me.” He moved to the edge of his seat, resting his elbows on his knees, eying me. Unsure.

  My blood thickened, slowing down my heartrate to almost nothing as I held my breath.

  I glared at him, unable to utter a sound. Whatever he needed to get off his chest weighed a ton. His shoulders sagged as he looked to the ground, then back up.

  “The reason you and Trudy split up is because you found out she had been having an affair.”

  Spine fully extending, I soaked in the words. My wife had cheated? A small sense of betrayal dug a hole in my chest, but simply simmered with no recollection of it. More like a bruised ego hearing it from my friend. The rage I should have felt hadn’t stirred yet.

  Mac sat in the room, anxiously watching, twirling her wine glass but not drinking.

  “Oh? And how did you find out?” It didn’t really matter, but I wanted to know.

  “I found a letter while on deployment. Trudy sent it.”

  Confusion had me stare into space to debunk the riddle. How did he find the letter, and had I read it at that stage?

  Spinning around to face my friend, I asked, “You read it?” Dumb question. Of course he read it if that’s how he found out, but my brain was fuzzy attempting to make sense of something I had no present knowledge of.

  Viper shifted uncomfortably. “Only the last page with Trudy’s signature.”

  Striding closer, filtering dozens of questions to get to the most pivotal, I ground out, “What did it say?”

  His features took on an anguished guise. He eyeballed me directly. “She declared her love to someone who wasn’t you.”

  I began to get the churning in my gut that I’d come to know preceded something monumental. Viper’s face and body were tensing with each passing second, upping my own anger. My friend appeared torn. Jesus! Even with no morsel of memory about the betrayal from my wife, my adrenalin spiked. The air could be cut with a knife. Mac fiddled nervously, not looking at me. Suddenly anger doused my earlier good mood. A hidden part of me wanted to tear someone’s head off as I began putting puzzle pieces together. Namely the guy in question, and then I wanted to pay my ex-wife a visit. The letter had never been meant for me. It had been for her lover. A military comrade. Had it been someone on my team? A friend?

  Needing clarification on who she had screwed around with, even though I might not recognize the name, I took a deep, centered breath. “Who was it?”

  I gave Mac another once-over, needing her comfort. She sat forward on the sofa, biting a fingernail. Clearly she already knew. I’d deal with her later. Right now my laser focus targeted Viper, who lowered his head and gripped the back of his neck.

  Not knowing if he’d answer me, I growled, “Who. Was. It?”

  Every muscle in me had tightened in preparation. Watching him raise his head, I gathered from the pained expression on his face, I wasn’t going to like the answer.

  Just when I thought I’d need to shake it out of him, he let one word roll off his tongue. It left Viper and attached itself to me like a living entity.

  “Reno.”

  Chapter Two

  Mac

  The room fell silent. Shock and tension covered us in a dense blanket so thick, I almost rose and rushed out the front door just so I could breathe again.

  It must be hard for Viper to be the bearer of the same bad news twice. Neither of us knew how Harley would react, so I remained focused on him, looking for any sign of a meltdown. So far he had kept it together, and perhaps his limited memory proved a blessing in this instance. Still, with each passing second, his body stiffened further. I could almost hear the cogs of his mind click over. I needed to go comfort him, but I couldn’t be sure if he would rebut my attempt, so I remained seated.

  “Reno?” he whispered.

  “I’m sorry, man. I thought you needed to know before you made any decisions regarding Trudy.”

  Harley appeared oblivious as he stared through Viper. His mouth stretched tight, his jaw locked.

  I wanted to say something, but at the same time, I had no place in doing so.

  Viper gave me a troubled look, which I returned. He stood and moved to Harley.

  “You okay?” He placed a hand on Harley’s shoulder.

  Nothing. I’d rather him rant and rave, because then I’d know what he felt. His dazed stupor had me worried.

  Viper shook him and Harley found some focus as he lowered himself onto the edge of the coffee table.

  “The dream,” he murmured, still not completely with us.

  “The dream?” queried Viper, bending down so they were at eye level.

  “Reno’s last words were, ‘I’m sorry, man.’ I didn’t know what it meant when I woke up, but now I do.”

  “I heard him mumble something but couldn’t make it out.” Huffing out, Viper continued, “So I’m guessing Trudy decided after Reno’s death she would attempt to get back with you. Probably out of guilt.”

  “I don’t remember. I only know what she’s told me.”

  It became obvious Viper didn’t like Trudy. His lips sneered at the mention of her. I could see his loyalty to Harley and it comforted me.

  “Don’t necessarily believe anything that comes out of her mouth. It’s convenient for her now that you have amnesia. She could tell you anything and you’d be none the wiser.”

  “I guess it’s settled, then.”

  I spoke up for the first time. “What?”

  Harley finally peered at me. “I won’t be moving in with my ex-wife. I’ll bunk with Viper for a while. See if we can use his connections to weed out the guy who tried to kill me. Try and find out why I ran solo that night.”

  I couldn’t help the mental high five I gave myself at hearing about Harley not moving in with Trudy. Viper would look out for him and help in any way possible. I could get back to normal and all would be good. A huge part of me would miss having him around, though. Things had subtly changed between us. Perhaps I needed the space from him to think things through.

  Some of t
he responsibility would be taken off me so I could focus on my life. Nick, for instance. He’d have to be dealt with upon his return, but I felt strong enough to lay my cards on the table. I no longer needed comfortable. I no longer wanted mundane. Harley had opened my eyes to that. Even only having met Viper, I could tell he oozed a certain level of danger and fire. The two men sitting in my living room were far from ordinary. To be in the military they obviously craved excitement and liked to live on the edge. Their mindset didn’t belong in regular society. Some part of me connected with that. I lived on a razor sharp edge at work, daily, having to make split second decisions that could save or end lives. From the moment I walked through the doors into the hospital, my adrenalin spiked until the second I walked out again.

  Being around Harley had propelled that adrenalin in a different way. An intense way. Deep down, I craved it. What would it be like to fully immerse myself in him? To let go of my inhibitions? To surrender to the dark part that lived in us all?

  “Mac?”

  “Hmm?” I’d zoned right out. Viper had been talking to me and I hadn’t heard a word.

  “I’m gonna head home now. Nice meeting you.” He held out his hand and I shook it vigorously.

  “Oh. No problem. Sorry, just thinking about work tomorrow.” A lie, but one I seemed to pull off. Viper winked at me and walked with Harley to the door. Clapping each other on the back, I listened as they spoke.

  “We’ll catch this asshole, bro. Trust me on that. You need a hand getting some stuff from your apartment tomorrow?”

  “Nah. I need to hang around here until the alarm’s done, and then I’ll pick the lock like I did earlier, throw some things into a bag, and head over. Text Mac your address? I need to invest in a new cell.”

  “Gotcha.” Viper fished out his cell, keyed in a few words, and upon hearing the ping of my cell, he pocketed it again.

  “Take it easy, man,” Harley offered.

  “You too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”