Matt clapped him on the shoulder in sympathy. “It seems that way.”
“God, I’m a stupid son of a bitch.” And how would he ever close his eyes tonight without that video replaying in his head over and over, mocking him for his stupidity?
Then again, why should he be surprised? The people who had given birth to him hadn’t found him particularly meaningful or memorable. He’d written home a few times during basic, but they’d never written back. He’d invited them to his graduation. They hadn’t responded. He’d sent a Christmas card or two in the years after that. Nothing. Maybe he’d been kidding himself that anyone could really love him.
“No, you just trusted the wrong person. We’ve all done that.” Matt sighed. “What do you want to do? Keep searching this village or…”
“Let’s get a good night’s sleep. We were given a mission to find Laila and bring her back. Come morning, we’ll do that. I don’t give a shit what she wants.”
“Then what?”
Laila thought she could play him? Oh, she hadn’t seen his dark side.
He smiled coldly. “She’ll deal with me.”