Holding Savannah

Chapter 1 Bennett “Viper” Webb sat lazily in the conference room with his teammates, awaiting the arrival of Commander Santos for their orders. He received a call less than an hour ago that he needed to get to the office and brief for an upcoming mission. The guys around him were taking bets on where they’d go. No one ever really cared where it was, it was just for fun to pass the time until the Commander arrived and told them where they were going. With it being in the middle of the night it wouldn’t be anywhere fun. Being a Delta Force operative, they were always sent on highly classified and dangerous assignments. Sometimes they observed and others they took out targets. Today? Who knew. It could be a bit of both. Bennett wouldn’t know which until his commander got there. Anticipation ran high in the room as bets were made. Bennett didn’t participate. He wasn’t a betting man. He just went where his Commander told him. Bennett saved his energy for his enemies. He was patience and calm. It was how he earned his nickname. Waiting for the right moment to strike. Bennett had served with his team for the past six years. They were a close group. Bennett would kill or die for any man in this room as they would do the same for him. Not only did they serve together but they were all best friends. They had all supported Charlie when he met his girlfriend, Catherine and pushed him when he was letting his scars hold him back. Tony was the newest to the group to find love. His old high school sweetheart, Alexia. Tony had taken some time off when PTSD was getting the better of him, and he was a risk to the team. No one ever questioned if he would come back. They knew it was only a matter of time. Tony was a brother forever. Tony had been back for a few months now and was already engaged. Bennett looked around the room wondering who would be next to find someone. It couldn’t be Ortiz. While he may love women, he didn’t do relationships. Ortiz was the king of one-night stands. He had almost taken Tony’s girlfriend home one night, but Tony interceded. That could have ended badly for the man and their friendship. A hush fell over the room he didn’t notice at first until everyone stood at attention as a new comer came into the room. Commander Santos. Bennett hopped to his feet and stood at attention as the commander breezed into the room with a manila folder. “At ease, gentleman,” Commander Santos said as he walked to the front of the room. His aid ran around him and turned on the projector screen of an aerial shot of a jungle. “This is an aerial view of the forest outside of Mbe, a small village in the Congo a few hours away from Kinshasa. We have received reports of a war group forming there and has already attacked a few of the villages around it. They’ve stolen men, women, food and any weapons they can find. The ambassador has asked for our help. Your job, gentleman, is to stop that group from growing any larger and take it out. Any questions?” “Sir.” Ortiz raised his hand. “What’s the likelihood of them reaching Kinshasa?” It was an innocent question, but Bennett heard a tightness in Ortiz’s voice. One he’d never heard before during a meeting. What was Ortiz’s interest in the Kinshasa? It was a town hours away where all the action was. “If you do your job, none. Why?” “My sister is volunteering at a hospital in Kinshasa.” Well s**t. This mission just got a little more interesting. “Good for her. Do your job right, and she has nothing to worry about,” Commander Santos said uninterested. It wasn’t that the Commander didn’t care about Ortiz’s sister, he didn’t, but he had more things to worry about than one person. If they took out this new group, they could be saving hundreds of lives. The Congo hadn’t always had an easy life. War and poverty have devastated it. War movies and media still cast it in a bad light. The Congo was actually quite beautiful, or that’s at least what it looked like flying over it a time or two. “Wheels up in twenty.” Commander Santos left the room without a backward glance. Bennett glanced over to Tony. Before he’d joined their team, he’d been assigned to another Delta Force group that had all perished in the Congo several years back. Tony looked calm as Commander Santos’s aid handed out their orders and fled. If Bennett didn’t know Tony as well as he did, he’d miss the tension in Tony’s shoulders and the slight tremor in his hands. Tony was nervous about going back to the Congo. He couldn’t blame him. Most of their missions were in the desert. Not a great risk of bringing on flashbacks. Going back to the source would test Tony. The team would keep an eye on him. No questions. Bennett refused to lose a teammate. They were all pains in his ass but they were his brothers. Ortiz, on the other hand, was making a lot of noise about it. “We have to get this s**t right. My baby sister, Fiona is there working at the hospital. No way am I letting any of these f***s near her,” he shouted. “Oreo, calm down, man. Have a cookie. We got this. She’s hours away from where the attacks are. Kinshasa is one of the safest cities for her to be. She’s a smart girl and knows to avoid danger. She’ll be fine,” Vincent “Romeo” assured him. “You don’t understand,” Ortiz growled, looking like a caged tiger. This would not help the team. They all needed to be focused on the mission. Not family. Not old teammates. Just the here and now. “Oreo,” Bennett stated approaching him. “If you want to keep your sister safe you need to remain calm and get your s**t together. We leave in fifteen minutes. We have a long flight to figure out a plan. Before we can do that though everyone has to have their head in the game.” He looked at Ortiz but was addressing the team. Charlie was their leader, but he was a man of few words. He didn’t care if the guys bickered as long as they got the mission completed. Bennett was the peacekeeper. Only stepping in when needed. He was needed now. Ortiz was worried about his sister, compromising the mission. While the Congo was relatively peaceful, it wasn’t without its dangers. One wrong move could see a teammate, if not the team, dead. Ortiz took deep breathes and nodded. “You’re right. As long as Fiona stays in the city, she’ll be fine. She’s a smart girl. She’d been living there for the past few months. She’ll know not to go into the villages.” Bennett clasped him on the shoulder, smiling encouragingly. “Then let’s go.” As the team headed out, Bennett stopped Tony. “You good?” Bennett didn’t want to be a mother hen, but he wanted to make sure Tony was okay to go. One weak link in their chain and it could get them all killed. Since he came back, Tony seemed like his old self. But he was going to a place that changed his life. It wouldn’t be easy for him. “I’m good,” Tony gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t bullshit me, man. Now isn’t the time.” Bennett didn’t want to hear the macho I’m good answer if he wasn’t. Tony hadn’t had any flashbacks or nightmares in a long time, he wanted to keep it that way. The last thing they needed was for Tony to relapse out in the field. “I’m good,” Tony said with more conviction. “I’m not going to risk anyone. I’ve come to peace with that part of my life.” Bennett eyes him skeptically. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe him. Bennett witnessed a new sense of peace in his friend since Alexia came into the picture. Even more so when Tony visited his old team lead. He just didn’t trust that Tony could shut off those emotions as if they’d never happened. Bennett had a feeling the Congo was going to test them, as a team and individuals. He wouldn’t call it a premonition, but he would say it was a gut feeling. And he wasn’t one to dismiss those. Bennett nodded but didn’t say anything. He’d keep an eye on Ortiz and Tony. That’s what friends and teammates did for each other. “That’s all I need to hear,” Bennett said simply before heading off for the locker room to get his gear. Time was ticking.