CHAPTER FOUR

"Gentlemen, this is Mark Teller, better known as Sor," smirked Abe. "We go way back, and he's a fucking stand-up operator. I should know because he saved my ass once upon a time."

"What branch did you serve, Sor?" asked Luke.

"Air Force. Pararescue."

"A PJ," smirked Eric. "First one we've ever interviewed."

"Sor wasn't your average every day, PJ. He was special," smiled Abe. Sor just shook his head. "Combat medic extraordinaire, master diver, top-notch parachutist, expert rock climber, and known adventurer, and one of the best men I've ever seen in arctic conditions. He's participated in dozens of national explorer expeditions as the lead climber and guide."

"You're big as shit for a jumper," said Luke. "You've got to be as big as me."

"I am," he nodded. "Biggest on my team, for sure. But it didn't prevent me from doing my job."

"Says here you have an IQ of 141. You passed your medical training in half the time of others, scored higher on all your tests than anyone else, and once used Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Tennyson as an example of what needed to happen to win a battle," said Cam.

"Well, with Tennyson, I like literature. The other stuff is because my parents were both doctors," he said, looking at the men. "They worked for a non-profit, traveling the world, and I was lucky enough to follow them and learn multiple languages, learn about cultures, and they fostered my love of learning and reading. They were killed in the earthquake in Syria a few years back."

"We're sorry, brother," said Nine, seated in the front row. "Why do you want to join us?"

"I've only recently turned in my retirement papers, coming home to find out that my wife had already made her choice. And it wasn't me."

"Damn, that fucking sucks," said Hex.

"I think it says something that I was okay with it," he nodded. "I've got about sixty days left, but I'm just trying to have something worth coming back here for. I loved being a part of the brotherhood and serving my country and my community. I'm not a guy that wants the spotlight. In fact, I prefer anonymity. I want to stay in the area. I've fallen in love with Louisiana, but if I don't have a job here, I'll move on. I'm not originally from here. My ex-wife was."

"Well, you've got skills we can use, brother. We'd love for you to join us," said Cam. He smiled, nodding at the men.

"Just one question," asked Gaspar. "What's with the nickname? Sor?" The younger man laughed, shaking his head as Abe laughed.

"I got this one. I used to run into Sor all the time. He'd kick ass on the other spec ops teams during testing. They'd be pissed that he scored higher, ran faster, shot more accurately, and he would always just say ‘sorry.' When he took the IQ tests, there was an asshole lieutenant that bragged he had an undergraduate degree from Princeton. Sor's IQ was higher – and he just said…"

"Sorry," said the entire room.

"Yep. Always better, always smarter, always top of the class, and all he could say was sorry."

"Not always smarter. I damn sure never saw my ex-wife cheating on me."

"Anything we can do?" asked Luke. "We've got the best legal team in the country, in my opinion."

"Nope. It was easy to end. No kids, no shared property. Done."

"Well, welcome to Voodoo Guardians. When you're fully out, come on back, and we'll do all the paperwork and shit, but you're hired, brother," said Hex.

"Awesome," he smirked.

"Dad? Anything interesting happening at Gray Wolf?" asked Cam.

"We're interviewing a couple of women today who said they were filmed while changing in a dressing room or something." Sor stared at him.

"That sounds eerily like something that happened to a woman I know. It caused her divorce. Someone filmed her from the bottom up, like the camera was between her legs, beneath the floor. Her husband accused her of doing it intentionally and selling it. Poor woman was distraught. She's staying in my fishing cabin, trying to get her life back on track."

"Do you think she'd speak with us?" asked Luke.

"I can send her a message. I'll let you know and give you directions to the cabin if you need it. I've got to get back to Texas for my last sixty days. I'll be seeing you all soon. Abe? Thanks, brother. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me shit," he smirked. "You saved my ass once. I don't forget things like that."

"See you soon." He waved at the room, exiting to head back to Texas and finish his time in the Air Force. He felt lighter than he had in years, knowing that he would be one of the famous Voodoo Guardians.

"He seems solid," said Ghost, looking at Abe.

"He's one of the best. Dude was one of those guys that when shit happened, you'd look around praying for someone to help, and then suddenly he was just there. We'll be glad we got him."

"What about you guys?" asked Eric. "What's with these women complaining about being videoed?"

"Don't know yet," said Ghost, standing with the rest of the Gray Wolf team. "But we'll fill you in later."

"I'm so nervous," said Jade.

"I am too," nodded Meredeth. "My friend said they helped her, and they're the best. That's all we can hope for right now."

"Meredeth? Jade?" said the man at the door. "Come on back, ladies. My name is Jean, and I'm part of the team here."

"Thank you for seeing us."

"Of course," he said, opening the conference room door. "These are the men of Gray Wolf. We're here to help you."

"We appreciate this. Jade and I met at a tailor's shop," said Meredeth. "We were both having custom suits made for work. But we noticed something weird."

"At first, the tailor was touching in places he shouldn't," said Jade. "Gliding the back of his hand along the neck of my shirt, feeling as much flesh as he could. Then, gliding his hand between my thighs. I thought he was gay when I met him, but apparently, he wasn't."

"Unfortunately, that means nothing," smirked Doug.

"God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"No, no. Don't be sorry. Just because a man or woman is gay doesn't mean they can't have perverted tendencies. And they don't always have to be with the same sex."

"This is just so weird," said Meredeth. Ghost nodded at the women.

"Tell us the rest."

For more than an hour, the women walked them through every step of their experiences at the tailor's. They were detailed and calm in their explanations. When they were finished, both women were shaking, wiping tears from their eyes.

"Are we crazy?" asked Meredeth.

"No. You're not crazy. You're being cautious, and you should be. I know you'll be out a lot of money, but don't go back there for your garments," said Ian.

"Listen, I understand," said Jade, "but I spent a fortune on those suits, and I can't afford to buy more. I need those for work."

"I can pick the suits up with them," said Tailor. "I'll pretend to be their brother."

Both women stared at him, then laughed. He frowned in their direction, confused by their reaction, and then they sobered, trying to hold the laughter.

"What?" he asked the others.

"Maybe I should pretend to be the brother," said Alec. "You don't even look like you're from the same species, let alone gene pool."

"Hurtful, man. Seriously hurtful."