With his other hand, he reached for the radio. “Command, I got an update on the uniform at the gate … I think I know him from our last tour in the Sandbox. He was a Gunny. Fuck, can’t remember his name though. Just remember the way he yelled.”
Jonah, Allison’s husband, replied, “No shit? I’ve gotta let G know. He’s gonna want to hear this.”
“Dude, he’s got a kid coming.”
Jonah replied, “From the way the screaming has quieted down to nothing, I’m thinking the kid’s here. He’ll fucking have my balls if I don’t tell him.”
“Fine, do what you gotta do. I’m going to get a closer look.”
“Your timing sucks ass, Richardson,” Graham said, as he met Travis and Jackson Richardson just inside the front gate.
“You know how fucking long I’ve been on the road to get here? I’m lucky I even fucking made it. They’re shooting deserters on sight these days,” Jackson growled.
“Still can’t believe you did it,” Travis said.
At Jackson’s sharp look, he raised a hand. “I’m not judging. I would’ve done the same thing. We’ve been hearing awful shit. Soldiers killing civilians who don’t go quietly into the camps. No fucking way I’d do it. Women and children? That shit ain’t right.”
“It’s way worse than you’ve heard, man. So much fucking worse. But that ain’t why I’m here. I’m here because I figured if anyone had news around here, it’d be you guys.”
“What kind of news you looking for?”
“I’m looking for a girl.”
“A girl?” Graham asked. “You lose someone?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s a long fucking story, but the gist of it is, she was snatched by some redneck fuckers about five miles away from here a few days after the shit hit the fan. I got shot, almost died. Would’ve died if the guy who’d found me hadn’t seen my dog tags and hauled my ass to the nearest military camp and handed me over. Took me all this time to recover and make my way back here. I’ve got nothing to go on, and no one in town has any clue what happened to her.”
Travis’s stomach churned at the story. He’d been shot. Five miles from here. The girl had been snatched by some redneck fuckers. Jesus.
“What’s her name?” Travis asked.
Jackson’s eyes shot to his, and the pain in them was real and vivid.
“Lia.”