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When Day Breaks Maya Banks 16330K 2023-08-31

"What happened?" Raid asked quietly

"Sanchez’s wife and daughter got caught in the cross fire God, she was just a little girl Holding the doll she’d been given as a birthday present There was blood everywhere God, I can still see theht burden to carry around all these years," Ryker said

"Sanchez and his son got away, in the chaos and ht in the cross fire My priority was trying to get them help, and Sanchez and his son escaped

"We cleaned up best we could Collected the information needed to dismantle his operation and rounded up a lot of the key players in his business He had a hand in a lot of different pots Drugs Ar operation going Selling young girls into sexual slavery to the highest bidder"

Raid ht" Eddie took a deep breath "Years went by and I thought I’d put it behind me I retired after that debacle I just couldn’t do it any longer You children were born and your mother and I were happy And then"

He choked off, eathered in his vision

"Sanchez waited, biding his tie He was responsible for youran eye for an eye A wife for a wife"

"What the fk?" Ryker deet aith that? Killing our mother?"

"No," Eddie said quietly "No, I didn’t I called Guy"

"Hancock?" Raid asked in a puzzled tone

Eddie sighed "There’s a lot you don’t know about Guy He joined the military, followed in roup that was buried so deep that according to er existed They weren’t supposed to have any ties to the outside world They lived, breathed and ate their missions But he kept me in the loop He wasn’t supposed to, which is why I never let on to you or Eden All you kneas that he was serving and off the grid And it’s e never see him I hear from him sporadically He never tells me much, just that he’s okay from time to tiovernment has cut ties and likely has orders to eliminate him if he ever surfaces"

"So you contacted him after Moe," Eddie said in a low voice "I wanted to go after the bastard and make him pay for what he took from me For what he took from all of us"

"Jesus," Raid breathed "And? Did you? Did you find hi "Guy went after hiave hiet the information he needed"

"So he killed hiain Eddie nodded

"Christ, Dad And you didn’t think we deserved to know all of this sooner? And why tell us now? What’s going on?" Raid deht of a lifetiret settled like a ton of bricks on his shoulders and his heart

He reached up to the mantel and picked up the photos and the note he’d received With shaking hands, he shoved the for them to look them over and draw their own conclusions

"Holy fk," Ryker exploded "Eden is being threatened?"

"His son," Eddie said in a strained voice "It has to be the son We weren’t able to find hie because not only did he lose his mother and sister but then Guy took out his father and now he’s looking for revenge By hitting h Eden"

"Son of a bitch," Raid swore "What the hell are we going to do? Where is Eden now? What are we going to do? She’s not safe even for aafter her as we speak?"

"It’s why I called you both to come I spoke to Eden earlier today She seemed fine I don’t want to scare her I don’t even want her to know all of this It would upset her But we have to close ranks around her Tighten security What we have now isn’t going to cut it These people are ruthless They have resources beyond our iure out a way tohtful "I know people who could help us It’s what they do They’re all ex-military I served with two of the brothers Nathan and Joe Kelly They got out when I did That last mission that went all to hell Some of us didn’t make it back Joe was injured and Nathan and another teahanistan But their brothers run a special ops group Soovernment contract work Jobs that no one else can or will do Hostage recovery, rescue, protection You naood Nathan and Joe ith theuy I served with We could call theood?" Raid asked bluntly "Because good isn’t good enough Not when it co best"