FIRE (Elite Forces Series Book 2) (9 page)

“Love you too, babe. And Jade,” he says with adoration, “you’re incredible, and I’m so fucking lucky to have you.” I stand there with my towel wrapped around me, my hands going to my throat, to the same spot his hand was encircling not even a half hour ago.

“So am I, Kaleb,” I whisper to the closed door.

I make my way to the kitchen to find something for dinner and make a phone call I won’t miss making again.

“Hey, mom.” I can’t help but flash a smile into the airy kitchen when she hollers through the phone for my dad to pick up the other line without even acknowledging me.

“Jade, honey,” she finally says. “Well, hello there, baby girl.” My dad bellows out, and I sit my cell on the long island countertop in Kaleb’s kitchen. I start filtering through the fridge for something quick and easy to make while I listen to my parents go back and forth a few more times about if they can hear each other. 

It amazes me that this damn place is stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables. Hell, there’s even juice, milk, a variety of meats, and beer. Of course, there would be beer. God knows a man like Kaleb would have it nearby.

“What have you two been up to?” My dad laughs loudly, and I almost drop the tomato and head of lettuce on the floor. I’ve decided on BLTs. “What’s so funny?” I ask. I sit the items on the counter, then reach in and grab the bacon. I kick the door shut with my foot and place the bacon alongside the other items before I set out in search of a skillet.

“Our lives are boring. We’ve been doing the same routine for years, baby girl. Now, tell me what you can. Are you doing okay?” Ha. I wish I could tell them the truth, that I’ve been suffering like I never imagined possible.  That the man I love has been all but dying a slow death inside, because he can’t wrap his head around his own brother beating him half to death before leaving him to hang for the wild animals to feed off of. Instead, I go with my heart.

“I’m in love,” I say tentatively, starting up the gas stove as I go to warm the skillet.

“Come again?” My dad seems to be doing all the talking, while my mother’s heavy breathing and gasping ‘oh my god’s’ swelter through the phone.

“His name is Kaleb. He’s retired from the Army. Owns his own private security firm.” That’s all the information I’m going to give them for now. They don’t need to know how we met. To be honest, I have no clue if I can tell them or not. My mind is beyond foggy to remember a damn thing right now.

“Well, shit. I’m dying to meet him. I’ll need to see with my own eyes if he’s good enough for my daughter.” I laugh at my dad’s joke. He’s the basic nobody's-ever-going-to-be-good-enough-for-my-daughter kind of dad.

“This makes my heart swell, sweetheart. I can’t wait to meet him. And don’t pay your dad any attention. It won’t matter if you marry the man and have a handful of babies. No one will ever be good enough for you in his eyes.” Oh, good god. Marriage and babies. “Shit. Mom. Marriage isn’t even in the picture.”

This joking banter between the three of us is exactly what I need. I’m laughing and carrying on with my parents for the longest time, and it feels as if no time has passed by us at all. I’m more comfortable than when I showed up unannounced at their house several weeks ago.

We say our goodbyes, then I try a few times to get a hold of Mallory, but it goes to voicemail every damn time. I leave one last message for her to call me back while my mind wonders where the heck she is. She knows I had to take off, but we both talked about getting together once I returned.  It’s not like her to ignore my calls.

“Where are you, Mallory?”  I ask out loud like she can hear me.

I sit on the front porch and listen to Jade talk to her parents.  The sound of her laughter coming from my kitchen brings a much-needed smile to my face.  I’m so glad she has a great relationship with them now.  It’s something that’s important to me, so I need it to be important to the person I chose to be with forever.

Someone up above must be paying a bit of attention to know that hearing her flit around my house, banging the cupboards, and the sweet sound of her voice is a necessity for me right now.

She’s everything to me. The way she pushed me to take out my anger on her in a much-needed fuck, no less than broke me. I love nothing more than to fuck her sweet body and pound us both into a stupor. And I will many times in my life, but never again when my mind is out of control. When I feel like I’m going out of my goddamn mind with worry and fear over where the fuck Ty is and what the hell he has planned.

He’s coming. I can feel it to the deepest part of my bones. There was a warning in his eyes that shot straight to my heart. He fucking knows about her; I damn well know he does. The idea of letting her out of my sight even for just a blink of an eye sends a chill down my spine so deep it frightens the hell out of me. And I’m a man who isn’t afraid of anyone or anything, but him.  I can’t even comprehend what he would do to her if given the chance. She’s staying right here.  I’ll tie her up and leave Harris behind if I have to. There’s no way in hell she’s going on this personal mission with me. I won’t take a chance when it comes to her.

Speaking of Harris, I need to call him. What I need to talk to him about should be said in person, but being that he’s not here, a phone call will have to do.

I push myself up from the wooden steps and snatch my phone from my pocket.  I find his name in my contacts and slowly make my way toward the office as it begins to ring.

“Maverick,” Harris answers on the second ring.

“You make it back to the ranch or you still climbing out of the pile of shit the Army has you in?” He laughs loudly on the other end, and a slight smirk spreads across my face.

“No shit slinging here, dude. Paperwork up the ass though. All of you make it to the compound okay?” He sounds out of breath, and I wonder if he’s working out. Lucky fucker. I’d give anything to be able to pump some damn iron right now.

“Yeah. We're here.” I pause.

  “You good, man? If you are, I’ll file that paperwork for my medal.” He laughs.

He might be joking about the medal. However, I couldn’t agree more. He deserves more than my simple thank you for taking it upon himself to stay with her in Mexico.  Jade told me how he told her he was there for her, just to make sure she went nowhere alone.

“I’m getting there. As far as saving my ass, that’s one of the reasons why I’m calling. We saw the tapes. I know what you did. You put your life before mine, man. I’ll never forget that.” At the time it all happened, I couldn’t comprehend anything around me except her voice.  I had no idea who was with her.

I can almost hear the cocky smirk that I know spreads across his face. Even though his next words are like a surprise uppercut to my jaw. I know he means them.

“You’d do the same for me.” Damn right, I would.

“Just don’t go looking for trouble so I have to.” Before he can reply, I hear a female hollering his name in the background.

“Is that Mallory?”  I ask suspiciously.

“Yeah. I’m at their place. The ranch will have to wait a while. It’s back to the grind for me. You mentioned another reason for calling.” His voice is hesitant.

“He’s alive,” I say, knowing damn well I don’t have to say more. “Keep an eye on Mallory. You got me?” I run my free hand down my face. The tension building across my neck and shoulders is growing the more I think about all the people we need to protect.

“You let me know the plan and I’m there, Kaleb.” I should have known he would be willing to battle and take down the fucking devil himself. The last thing I say to him before I hang up is, “You know I will.”

Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I make my way back to the office. Pierce is just hanging up the phone, and Jackson is sitting on top of the desk with a beer in his hand, staring blankly out the window.

“Fuck, man. You alright?” Both of them stand. Jackson walks to the small fridge and grabs a beer, handing it to me before I even have the chance to sit down.  I unscrew the cap and damn it, the cold, refreshing brew feels good as I tip the bottle and chug a good half of it down.

“No.” There isn’t anything remotely alright about any of this, except for the fact everyone I care about is safe for now.

“Go home. We can start fresh in the morning. Kase and Steele will be here early.”  Pierce wants me to rest.  He should know me better than that.  I can’t rest when I know what’s coming in one way, shape, or form.

“The President wants to meet with you and Kase tomorrow on conference.  We’ve been instructed to only allow the two of you in the room for security purposes.”  I look up from my beer to see him reading an email.

“Wonder what that’s about?  Kase did brief him after the mission, right?”

“Yes, he did.  In fact, I sat in on that call with him on the plane while taking you to the hospital.  He wanted instant information on you, and that was as quick as we could get to him.”

“Has he said anything about Al-Quaren?”

“We don’t have any details.  Just know that he’s been interrogated heavily.”  Jackson slides off the desk and grabs another handful of beers to hand out.  I take down the last of mine and gladly take the other one off his hands.

“Damn, I needed this beer today.”

“Well, I’m not going to worry about what he’s going to say.  We went in and did our job.  We never asked for their help in going back in, so as far as he’s concerned, it should be a great mission accomplished.”  Pierce begins to walk a small path as he paces along two walls before he begins to talk again.  “We should just plan to meet after that conference call to decide our next plan of action.  We have to go after Ty. I can pull a few strings to see if we can get some more information on his ring before we just blindly go in.”

“I agree.  Until then, we can get an update on Juice and Drew.  Have you heard from them since they left for their mission?”

“Yes.  Their teams are headed back.  Juice said if we need them, they’re ready for the call.  They’re taking a break from shit until then though.”

“I don’t blame them.”  They’ve been on that mission for over a month now.  Hell, that’s longer than I’ve known Jade.  I’m thankful I didn’t go on that one myself.  I shake my head at everything I would’ve missed.  Yes, I would’ve missed Mexico, but I would’ve missed Jade.  In the end, we’re together, so I’d never think back on any of the shit we’ve been through.  My only worry is the future.

“You know, I’m due a fucking vacation myself.  I’m supposed to take Jade to Bali.  I figure I’d better work on that once we get shit calmed down here and my brother handled.”

“You lucky bastard.  Just be glad you got to her first.”  Jackson stops listening and decides to join our conversation.

“You wouldn’t have had a chance in hell.”  I take another long swig of my beer and watch Jackson smile.  We both know he’s just rousing me.  I’m not going to let it work today.  Jade and I have been through far too much for me to get butt hurt when Jackson runs his mouth.

“You’re probably right, but I would’ve had fun trying.”  His loud laughter fills the room, and I can’t help but smile at his easiness.  This guy rarely gets stressed and just takes shit as it comes.  “She fucking loves you though.  Shit.  I thought for a second we were all going down in that helicopter when she pointed that rifle at Harris’ temple.”

“She what?”  I almost choke on my drink and look to him to continue.

“Hell, Pierce.  Play his ass that section of her recordings.  That shit will haunt me till the day I die.  When I get a woman to react about me like she did to you, then I’ll know I’ve met the one.”  Pierce stands and quickly clicks a few times on the computer before her voice is echoing through the speakers.  My skin crawls, remembering the same words I could hear in my headgear, but it quickly runs past that point and her rationale is gone.  I shake my head as I listen to her demand they go back.

“Shit.  She was pissed.  I’m surprised nobody got their ass shot.”  The recording continues, and I hear her threaten Harris.  I can feel how hysterical she was, and I know she felt completely alone.  Fuck, I’m glad that wasn’t me on that chopper and Harris on the ground, because I know damn well she would’ve reacted to either of us like that.  Of course, minus the whole love thing.

I can’t say another word about Harris.  At this point, he’s proven himself to be a great ally, and I love knowing that if something does happen to me, he will take care of Jade for me.  I also know he has enough respect for me to know his place. 

I hear him tell her he’s there for her wherever they’re going.  “Alright.  Stop it.  I can’t take that shit again.”  Jackson stands once more, handing me a third beer.  I take it, knowing it’ll be my last for the night.  I know Jade is working on dinner and honestly, nothing sounds better after what I just heard than having a normal night with the woman I love, and from the sounds of the insanity on the tape… she deeply loves me too.

I take my time on the short walk back to my cabin.  It’s just the perfect distance from the main house.  I have my privacy, yet I’m near the team when we need to be ready to work.

“It smells great.  How’d you know I love bacon?”  I walk into my cabin with the air filled with the smell of bacon cooking.  This might be one of the sexiest things I’ve seen her do.

“Just a guess with the three packages in there.  Figured a quick sandwich tonight, then I’m thinking tomorrow, I’d like to go meet your mom.”  I watch a smile cross her face and kiss her grinning lips quickly before she continues talking.  “Then you can meet my parents.  I figure if we’re doing these missions like this and professing our love to each other all the time… we should know each other’s family a little.”

“I like that idea.  But only if we talk about Bali on the road.”  I do want to meet her parents and even her brothers.

“Deal.  Sit and I’ll make you a plate.”

“I have to meet Kase in the morning.  He’s coming in, and the President wants to talk to just the two of us.”  She looks instantly concerned, and I regret telling her anything at all.

“What do you think he wants?”

“Not sure.  But I’ll know in the morning.”  She sits down beside me, and I watch her face fill with even more worry.

“What if he wants us to go back?”  I want to tell her there will be no us in that formula, but I know not to go there until it’s time.  She’ll lose her shit if that does go down.

“Then we go.”  I’ve already decided I’d go and find my brother in the process.  If I can pull off another mission for my country, then I’ll sure as hell be in.  “You’re sexy as fuck when you start thinking.”

“Kaleb.  This is serious.  I don’t know if you’re ready to be back in full force.”  I stand instantly, lifting my plate as I do.

“I can’t deal with this handicapped Kaleb shit.  I’m still functional and would never put my team in danger if I thought I couldn’t do it all.  Besides, we don’t even know what he wants yet.”  I make myself sit back down.  Shit, my emotions are out of control. I need to get a damn grip.

“I never said you were handicapped.  And I know how protective you are, but so am I, Kaleb.  You were tortured out there, and you need to take a break from this shit for a few weeks.”  I can’t make her that promise until I know my brother is taken care of.

“I will when I get Ty.  I can’t until then.”  She looks down at her plate and starts to think about something.  I don’t ask her because honestly, I hate the tension between us right now.

“I heard you held a rifle to Harris’s temple.”

“I did,” she says matter-of-factly without an ounce of regret.  “I was losing my fucking mind and can’t apologize for wishing we’d have dropped back down and fought for you.”

“Jade, stop.  They did everything right.  On a mission, we have to do what’s required to bring in the subject if that’s the given mission.  There were so many of them hiding, we would’ve lost men for sure if you had dropped back down.”

“Yeah.  Well, at the time, it seemed like the logical thing to do.  I don’t leave anyone behind.  Period.  And I hope one day they don’t have the same hell thrown on them if we have to leave off without them.”

“I agree.”  I take a few bites while she just watches me like she has more to say, but doesn’t.

She’s angry and I get it. I would be if I were her. Hell, I’d be a lying motherfucker if I didn’t admit that fear is desperately trying to ease its way into my veins. The only thing stopping it from breaking through is my anger. There isn’t a damn thing that’s going to break that barrier down until I make sure Ty’s good and dead from every goddamn bit of pain he has brought to my world. He’ll be unrecognizable by the time I’m done with him. Mark my words. That is a promise I intend to keep.

I know better than anyone that my body is far from healed or ready to head out, let alone lead a mission. But fuck it, this is my job, and if my intuition is correct, I know whoever or whatever we are after is going to help lead us to Ty. Right now, though, I need to sleep, preferably naked and with my sexy as fuck, blond woman snuggled close to my side.