Dominant Deception [Black Ops Brotherhood 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (28 page)

Jack switched on the TV once more. He really needed to rest. Jack settled in and just let his mind go blank. He stared at the TV without seeing what was going on. Alex took the seat next to him. They said nothing for a long time as they stared at the flickering screen. Both men were worn physically and mentally. This is where the combat-hardened SEAL kicked in.

During their training, they were pushed beyond human limits. Exhaustion and mental numbness became a standard day. For many of their missions discomfort and even pain was a rule. Waiting patiently was also a trait good SEALs needed to possess, but that didn’t mean they liked waiting. They had to wait for Anna to either snap out of whatever had a hold of her or die. Jack looked at Alex. He hadn’t had much sleep, but his medic hadn’t had any. It was evident that exhaustion was setting in. The last thing Jack needed was for Alex to make a mistake.

“Go. There’s nothing more you can do. Get some rest and come back in the morning. If anything changes, I’ll call you,” Jack said.

“I don’t mind staying. It’s not like I’ve got plans,” Alex said as he looked at Anna.

Alex put his head back and closed his eyes.

“That would be an order, Senior Chief. Go. I don’t need you making a mistake because you can’t think straight. Go and get some sleep.”

Alex looked at Anna, and Jack could tell that he was contemplating the scenarios that could happen. There was nothing more they could do. Everything had been used up or was on an auto drip that didn’t need to be changed for another eight hours. Alex stood and sighed.

“They have staff sleep rooms not far from here that I can use. I’ll be in there. Just call my cell,” Alex said.

“Go.”

Jack closed his eyes in frustration. Someone was calling him and he tried to answer but couldn’t because his body wouldn’t obey. His eyes flew open and he realized that he’d dozed off. Jack looked at Anna and saw she was awake, looking at him. Her eyes were open and she was trying to call out.

“Jack…” Anna whispered again.

He sat up in his chair and leaned closer to the bed. Anna had somehow managed to turn onto her side.

“What is it, Anna? Can I get you something?”

Anna weakly shook her head.

“Please, Jack. Please leave,” Anna whispered.

Thinking that Anna was concerned for him just as he’d been concerned for Alex, Jack smiled and leaned closer to her.

“It’s okay. I’ll be here until you get better,” Jack said.

“Please,” Anna urged.

“Anna, just rest. You’re not getting rid of me that easy,” Jack teased gently.

“No, you don’t understand…”

Jack watched as tears started rolling down her flushed cheeks. Anna closed her eyes as she struggled with her words.

“What’s the matter?” Jack asked as he reached for her hand.

“You’re keeping me here. I want to go,” Anna cried hoarsely.

“What are you talking about?”

“I want to be with my daughter and you’re keeping me here. Please, please let go. Leave,” Anna cried.

What the hell is she saying?
It took a moment for Anna’s words to register with Jack. When it did, the blood in his body ran cold. Now she was really scaring the hell out of him. Anna was telling him to leave because she wanted to die. Jack pulled his chair close and touched her face. He wiped the tears away as they fell. Her skin was hot to his touch because of her burning fever. She couldn’t possibly understand what she was asking. She had to be delusional.

“Anna, you’ll be okay. Just hang in there. I’m not leaving you.”

Anna was crying in earnest. “Please, please just let me go. Let me go.”

Jack was moved more than he’d ever been in his life. He hated crying women and found that when it involved him, it was usually for show. This was no show. Anna was genuinely ill and probably scared beyond reason. This wasn’t one of his guys and he was suddenly at a loss as to how to handle a situation. She needed comfort and a sense of security.

Better not think,
just do
.
And hope you don’t screw it up
. Jack was on very shaky ground as he took a deep breath and stood. He lowered the rail on Anna’s bed and carefully slipped in next to her. As gently as he could, he put his arms around her and held her close.

“Oh God, no! Please don’t! Let me go. I want to be with my daughter,” Anna cried.

Jack gently put his forehead to Anna’s feverish one.

“I can’t do that, baby.
I
can’t let you go,” Jack whispered. He had to take a moment to collect himself. “I’m not leaving you. You and I will get through this
together
. You’ll be fine. Please, please trust me.”

“I can’t do this anymore. I’m so tired,” Anna whispered. Jack wiped away the tears and let her continue. “Please, please let me go. I want to go to her. She’s calling me.”

Jack waited for the lump in his throat to clear before he tried to speak again.

“Anna…baby, you need to live. If nothing else, you need to live—for her—your daughter. Her life ended way too early. I don’t think she’d want that for you. Think about it. Was she a fighter?”

Anna went still and stared at him. For a fleeting moment she looked lucid and Jack seemed to have reached her feverish mind. She inhaled and stared at him for a moment.

“It’s almost as if you knew her,” Anna whispered.

“No, I didn’t. But I know you. And
you
don’t give up that easy. I imagine she was just like you. Tell me about her, Anna. I don’t want to know how she died. I want to know how she lived.”

Anna’s tears started flowing again. Jack held her and continued to wipe them away. She closed her eyes.

“She was so beautiful and smart. She was talented, too,” Anna said.

“Sounds like her momma,” Jack whispered.

“No, nothing like me. She was better. Alyssa was so confident. She never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome. Nothing ever stopped her. She shouldn’t have died so young,” Anna cried.

Jack kept Anna talking for a few minutes. He helped her fight the demons that for so long kept her unable to live again. She was starting to nod off even though she was talking.

“I’m tired, Jack. I want to sleep.”

Jack was starting to get cold. He briefly wondered how Anna could stand that damned chill mat they had her lying on. He separated his efforts from the discomfort he was feeling. He’d been cold and wet the whole time he was in BUD/S as well as several other missions. He could do it again. He cupped her face gently and redoubled his efforts.

“Stay awake with me a little while longer. Tell me more. This time, tell me about you. There’s so much I don’t know,” Jack said.

“What do you want to know? You already know it all,” Anna said weakly.

Jack smiled and kissed the tip of Anna’s nose.

“Where did you grow up?” Jack asked.

“Here in San Antonio and also in Kingsville. My grandparents lived there. My grandpa has a ranch just outside of Kingsville. I spent most of my summers there and I lived with them when I went to college.”

“When were you in Kingsville?”

“I was there from 1983 until 1987. When I got married, we moved to Austin for a little while and I went to chef school there. And then we moved to Harlingen.”

“Really? I went to pilot school in Kingsville, for eighteen months. I got there in 1985. He’s lucky I didn’t meet you first,” Jack teased.

“Who?”

“Marc. I would have swept you up and never let anyone near you again.”

“You think? You don’t think we would be divorced? You can be a real jerk sometimes.”

“Nope, you would’ve been very busy. Between screwing your brains out and having kids you wouldn’t have time for anything else. I would’ve kept you barefoot and pregnant. We would’ve had ten kids by now,” Jack teased.

“You’re right. We wouldn’t be divorced. You would be dead and I would be in prison.”

Jack started to chuckle and Anna smiled at him. They talked quietly for a while longer until it was clear that she could no longer stay awake.

“I’ll be okay, Jack. Please let me sleep. I can’t stay awake anymore,” Anna said.

“Promise me you’ll wake up. I’ll be here waiting for you,” Jack said.

“I promise…” Anna whispered as she closed her eyes

“Good night, Anna baby.” Jack snuggled closer.

Closing his eyes briefly, Jack prayed for Anna’s survival.

Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas

Trauma Intensive Care Unit

August 23, 2008/1059 Zulu

Jack opened his eyes when something roused him from his short nap. It only seemed like a few minutes when he opened his eyes again, but in reality it had been a lot longer. It was dawn. Anna was staring at him. He smiled as he reached up and gently cupped her face in his hand.

“Good morning,” Jack said.

“Good morning,” Anna whispered back.

“The last time I slept with you I woke up alone,” Jack teased.

“You would’ve again, if I weren’t tied to this bed,” Anna quipped.

“I know. That’s why I had you tied. Quit trying to use my own moves against me,” Jack said with a kiss.

As Jack was gently stroking Anna’s face, he noticed something had changed. He felt her face more genuinely and realized the chill mat was off and she was no longer burning with fever.

“Your fever’s gone. You feel better?” Jack asked quietly.

“Yes. I feel a lot better,” Anna said.

Jack continued to stroke her cheek. Grateful that something might finally be turning around, he noticed Anna’s expression changed.

“No more moves, Jack. Game over,” Anna said.

“What are you talking about? I’ve tried to tell you you’re not getting rid of me that easy. This is just the end of level one.”

“No. I’m not playing any more games with you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh my God, you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t believe you’re here with me. I could wake up next to you every day. Every time I’m around you I can’t help myself, it’s so hard not to touch you. Jack please…” Anna choked.

Jack blinked, trying to clear the fog. Anna had a way of rendering him speechless.

“Baby…” Jack finally managed to whisper.

Anna craned her neck and kissed Jack. As she latched onto his mouth he melted. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer to him. He moved his hand up her back and could feel her bare skin. It was better than he remembered. She was so soft and warm. He was getting one hell of a hard-on and wondering how he would relieve it when she suddenly cried out in pain. His eyes flew open and he quickly released her.

“What happened?” Jack demanded.

“My shoulder…Don’t touch my shoulder.” Anna winced.

“I’m sorry,” Jack whispered.

Jack wanted to pull away, but his senses wouldn’t obey. He carefully bent to continue the most emotionally intimate kiss he’d ever experienced.

“It’s okay,” Anna said.

Jack barely heard her words as he covered her mouth with his. He kissed her, this time using his tongue to explore her mouth. Anna responded with a sultry moan. The vibrations of her voice went straight to his cock. He returned his hands to her body, careful not to reach up to her shoulders. He wanted to pull her closer. Something kept telling him to stop because this was wrong.

Jack ignored it as he continued stroking Anna’s indulgent skin. He wanted her naked again so that he could taste her. He separated himself for a moment from her. He realized where they were and stopped. It was the most difficult thing he’d ever done. She was in no shape to be fooling around like this. He tried to regain a semblance of control. He watched as her eyes started to close again.

“Go back to sleep, Anna,” Jack said softly.

“Okay,” Anna whispered.

Anna closed her eyes and Jack felt her relax as she quickly fell asleep. He watched her for a moment before moving again. He got up and sat at the edge of the bed, dazed. In all his experiences with women, none of them could shake him to his very core the way she seemed to do without effort. He could still feel her skin and taste her kiss. Jack tried to brush it off. He stood and went to the bathroom and was washing his face when he heard Alex come into the room. Alex had a knowing smile as he logged into the computer in Anna’s room.

“Sleep good, Rock?” Alex asked.

Jack shook his head. “It’s not what you think. She was talking really crazy last night, Doc. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Rigggght. Her fever broke about four in the morning I was awake so I came down to check on her and saw that you were taking care of her just fine. All I did was turn off the chill mat. It obviously wasn’t working.”

“Jesus, Doc! She ain’t in no condition for that kind of entertainment,” Jack said defensively.

“What the hell? You’re
married
to her, aren’t you? You might as well enjoy it while you can,” Alex chided.