Free Wayward Son by Heath Stallcup

As well as some of the wolves. And a watercraft.” Jack exhaled hard and turned to Pedro. “Give me a minute, will ya?”
    Pedro stepped out of the room and his footsteps could be heard clicking down the stone hallway. Jack turned back to her and his eyes unsettled her. She had seen this look before…in her visions. Before he ever uttered the words, she knew what he was going to say.
    “As long as a threat like this is out there, I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I need to be out there trying my best to stop it.”
    Nadia felt the tears running down her cheeks without realizing she was crying. “Jack, this is Rufus we are speaking of. He is not a threat.”
    “If he’s trying to build a Doomsday weapon, then he is a threat. And pact or not, Second or not…friend or not. I will stop him.”
    “No, Jack. Please, come back with me. Be a husband and a father.”
    “I will be, sweetheart. But not until this threat is neutralized. How could I ever rest knowing that at any moment he could set off a device that could take out all natural-borns? You, me, our child?”
    “Jack…” she sobbed. “Please?”
    “Your father. Your mother. Everybody you’ve ever known or cared for is at risk as long as he has the ability to recreate that weapon, Nadia. Can you really ask me to sit aside and do nothing?”
    She collapsed into her chair and sobbed into her hands. When Jack reached out for her she pushed him away and turned her face from him. “Go!”
    Jack stood and stared at her sobbing, his heart breaking. It took everything he had not to reach out and pull her to him, but she didn’t want him. She was too upset. He turned for the door but paused at the doorway. “I love you, Nadia. I will come back to you.”
    She turned away from his voice and continued to cry.
     
    *****
     
    “Seems like we just got back from a mission.” Lamb smirked as he double checked his gear.
    Ing chuckled. “Ah, the life of a military operator. Travel to strange, exotic lands, meet new and exciting people…”
    “And kill them.” Little John finished the joke for him as he finished checking his gear. “Anybody hear what this one is?”
    Spalding hung his pack back on the pegboard and stretched his neck. “Supposed to be a small vamp pack.”
    “Easy-peasy,” Donnie chimed in as he finished checking his own gear.
    “Never assume, Donovan.” Spalding looked up from his team and saw Jericho approaching them from the leader boards. “Heads up.”
    “Secondary just came in. Time to lock and load, boys.” He handed Spanky the operations sheet then turned back for the hallway leading to the OPCOM. “For the love of God, be careful out there.”
    “Roger that, Cap.” Spanky browsed the operations sheet then handed it to Donovan. “Be on your toes, boys. We got some mixed signals on this one. California border town. People disappearing. It doesn’t look pretty.”
    Little John reached for the sheet and checked it. “Cali, huh?”
    “El Cajon. Mean anything to you?” Spanky asked.
    “I had family out there. On the outskirts of town, anyway.”
    “Maybe if we get done soon enough you can stop by and say hi.” Lamb patted the large man’s shoulder. “I’m sure they’d appreciate seeing you.”
    John shook his head. “She’s long gone.” He hung his pack up and turned back to them. “My grandmother.”
    Spalding held a hand up to get their attention again. “Gear up, check out your weapons, grab plenty of ammo and be on the tarmac in twenty.”
    “We Chinookin’ it again, boss man?” Donnie asked.
    “Negative. We’re trying to get set up before sundown this time. We’ll be taking a fast mover. The faster we’re wheels up, the less chance of having to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.” He shot the crew a wink. “Move it, ladies.”
     
    *****
     
    Laura rested her head on her shoulder as she slowly pressed the buttons, dialing the hangar again. She’d grown so sick of the tone announcing that the