BLOOD TIES (Decklan Jennings Thriller Book 1) by Philip Duncan (book recommendations for young adults txt) 📕

a ruthless killer like him, and he knows it. That’s why I haven't been able to take him out yet, and the FBI have all but given up because he moves around so much, and I’m pretty sure he has help on the inside.”

“Well, if I have learned anything from having a little brother in law enforcement, it’s that you might as well be on your own,” Decklan said.

“You have a brother on the force? Does he live here?” Langley asked.

“Yeah, he’s actually the chief of police, but we don’t exactly get along.”

Langley sat there, stunned by the information. “Holy shit. Have you asked him for help? Surely he is working the case to bring in the guys that killed your family.”

“Trust me, he’s of no use to us,” Decklan said. “The only thing I need him to do is stay the hell out of my way. Well, our way now.”

Oddly enough, Langley understood where Decklan was coming from. “I get it, man. I had a brother too, older, and we didn't get along too well either. Shit sucks.”

“What about now?” Decklan asked.

“I lost him about ten years ago. He died while on his fifth deployment overseas.”

“Shit. I’m sorry to hear that. Was he a SEAL like you?” Decklan asked.

“Sure was. He was two classes ahead of me in Buds and we even served two tours together. I decided to retire early so I could start a family and get a job that wasn’t sending me into war. Although being in the force wasn’t much better. He stayed in and served three more tours, and the fifth one ended up being his last.”

Decklan knew the pain of losing a fellow soldier, but losing a brother as well had to be worse.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

“I don’t mind. If anyone would understand, it’s a veteran.” Langley replied. “He was riding in a Humvee on patrol, heading out to scout a location. His vehicle was leading the way, with two others trailing behind. They hit an IED on the right side, where he was sitting, and it blew so much shrapnel into his body that he didn’t stand a chance. He died right there in that ruthless desert, along with everyone else in his vehicle.”

“Damn IEDs,” Decklan said. “A coward's way of taking out real soldiers because they are too scared to face our troops like real men.”

Langley just nodded his head in agreement, not having anything else to add.

“Makes me feel like a real jerk sitting here complaining about my brother and here you are without one now,” Decklan said.

“Ah, it’s okay. It was a long time ago. We all have our problems,” Langley replied, trying to lighten the mood.

They sat there in silence, not sure what to say next. They knew they needed rest but they also knew Vladimir’s guys could show up at any moment. They needed to figure out a way to be both defensive and offensive at the same time. They couldn’t just wait for Vladimir to show up with a group of guys to start shooting the place up. Then Decklan had an idea.

“You were talking about IEDs. What if we made our own explosives and planted them around the outside of the house just in case they try sneaking in while we are sleeping?” Decklan said.

“That’s a good idea,” Langley replied. “But aren’t you worried what your neighbors are going to think if they see us planting explosives or if shit starts blowing up one night?”

“We don’t have to worry about that. The palm trees and shrubbery are so thick on both sides, you can’t see through. As far as the noise of explosives going off, I would think waking the neighbors would be the least of our worries if we were fighting for our lives.”

Langley let out a light chuckle. “That’s a good point. Do you have any idea how to build an IED?”

“We don’t have to. I have some claymores in the safe. We just plant them and let the explosives do the rest,” Decklan replied.

“Sounds good,” Langley said. “I say we try and get some rest and pick things back up in the morning.”

“Good with me,” Decklan said.

Decklan stood at the bottom of the stairs. He stared up like he was looking into the pits of Hell. He knew he needed rest but he still couldn’t bring himself to sleep in his own bed. He also knew he couldn’t keep crying himself to sleep outside his kids’ bedrooms. He needed a more permanent solution. He remembered that he had an inflatable mattress and a sleeping bag that he used when they would all camp out on the beach right off their back patio. That was one of the many perks that came with living in a beachfront house.

He headed for the basement to retrieve the mattress and sleeping bag. Once down there, something caught his eye. It was something pink and shiny. As he inched closer to it, he realized what it was. His baby girl’s favorite toy. Her motorized Minnie Mouse car. She loved driving it so much it was hard to keep the battery charged. He crouched down, placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. All the memories of her laughing and calling for her daddy to come play with her came flooding back. Once again, his emotions took over and he had no control. Tears began to drop from his face like a faucet. The memories felt so real it was like she was standing right in front of him. But of course, that was impossible and would never happen again.

He loved her so much. She was his whole world. She was tiny but had the personality of a rock star. She could steal the attention away from any situation without even trying. She had a way of turning a big, strong, highly trained soldier who had seen the worst things this world had to offer into a cuddly teddy bear. Their bond was