“You have to be kidding me.”
Zeus shrugged and filled up the plastic cup with more water. He held it to Mason’s lips and let him get another drink. The man was writing something on a clipboard and told Zeus not to let him have too much water.
“You need to try and be still. No more thrashing about.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You had a nightmare. It really scared the hell out of me. I guess you just needed more morphine,” Zeus said.
“So what’s in the envelope, a check?” Mason asked Renee.
“It’s from Mr. David. I think he’s offering us a job.”
“A job? Is she serious?” he said to Zeus.
“I cannot answer that, my friend, she won’t let me see it, but after what you have done, I wouldn’t doubt it.”
“So, what’s the job?”
“We can talk about that later. Right now you need your rest,” Renee said sternly.
Mason looked down at his legs. He expected to feel something about the last few days. So many people had died because of him, and for what?
The American felt his eyes closing slowly. Like Barnes, it seemed that he was doomed to live until the war had finished with him. He tried to fight the drugs, because he was afraid of the dreams that were waiting for him. As he drifted off, a brief shadow crossed his drug-addled mind, and somehow he knew that this was just the beginning.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, I give all the glory to Jesus Christ for his grace and faithfulness, and for allowing me to work with John Paine, Bob Diforio, Matthew Benjamin, and the rest of the wonderful staff at Touchstone. Their tireless guidance, support, and patience took a dream and made it into a reality, and I am forever grateful.
I would also like to thank my wife, Amy, for believing in me when no one else did.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joshua Hood graduated from the University of Memphis before joining the military and spending five years in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he was team leader in the 3-504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. In 2005, he was sent to Iraq and conducted combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005 to 2006, and from 2007 to 2008 he served as a squad leader in the 1-508th Parachute Infantry Regiment and was deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. Hood was decorated for valor in Operation Furious Pursuit. He is currently a member of a full-time SWAT team in Memphis, Tennessee, and has conducted countless stateside operations with the FBI, ATF, DEA, Secret Service, and U.S. Marshals.