Shadowed (36 page)

Chapter 45

A
FTER A KIDNAPPING
and near-death experience, Kaylan had spent time taking a hard
look at her life. The truth was, she missed a lot of things. Kaylan missed the colors
of fall in Alabama. She missed the cool, crisp air, the need for sweaters, family
game nights, making s'mores in the fireplace with her brothers. She missed her parents,
grandparents, and brothers. She missed Sarah Beth. She missed her quiet, sheltered
life in Alabama. But she didn't miss missing Nick, and as much as nostalgia overcame
her at times, she wouldn't trade her life now for anything.

She curled tighter around the throw pillow on the couch, thankful to let her body
rest after the harrowing events of last Saturday and a week back at her internship.
With the mundane events of each passing day, she relaxed a little more. Even Megan
had begun to unwind a bit.

Megan padded into the living area and flopped down in the armchair, yawning. Her
short, dark hair twisted haphazardly around her face. “Thank goodness it's Friday.”

“Mmm-hmm. And it's almost Thanksgiving.”

“You headed home?”

“Yeah, Nick, Micah, and I are flying back to Alabama for a few days.”

“Must be nice.”

Kaylan pushed up on the couch so she could look at her roommate. “What are your
plans?”

“I have a date with a really cute new guy.”

“Not another one, Meg.”

Megan held up her hands. “Trust me. You'll like this one. He's handsome, has a beautiful
fin, and a smile that lights up my world.”

Kaylan grinned. “New dolphin at the aquatic center?”

Megan smiled. “He's a beauty. And so much fun.”

Kaylan noted the bruises healing on Megan's head and face and the way her eyes didn't
light up with her smile. “Meg, why don't you come home with us for Thanksgiving?”

“You don't want me with your family.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Megan fell silent and nodded, looking down at her lap. “I prayed, by the way.”

“What did you pray for?”

“That if I'm wrong, God will show me who He is.” She rolled her eyes. “Better move,
though. I might get struck by lightning for questioning the Big Guy.”

Kaylan laughed. “If that actually happened, you never would have met me. I can't
even count the number of times I've asked Him ‘why' this year.”

“But you don't doubt Him? Even after losing your best friend, getting kidnapped,
and almost getting shot?”

“Believe me, I've wondered about that. But I finally stopped asking Him ‘why' and
started focusing on my response. When you understand that God is good not because
of but in spite of circumstances, you stop questioning His character every time
something bad happens.”

“He's big, though. He could've stopped all that.”

“Yes, but He chose not to.”

“Why?”

Kaylan stood and tossed her pillow at Megan. “Maybe so you would ask Him the tough
questions.” She tousled her roommate's hair as she walked by. “He can handle them.
Keep asking. He's not afraid of the questions.”

“Well, you may convert me yet.”

“If I can get you to a relationship with Jesus, I can live with that. Now c'mon.
Let's go book you a plane ticket to Alabama before Nick picks me up for our date.”

Nick wrapped Kaylan in his arms as soon as she stepped from the house. “How's my
girl?”

“Fine, Nick. Stop worrying about me.”

He held her away from him and checked the gash on her head. “It's healing well. I'm
so sorry he did this to you.”

Kaylan buried her head in his chest. “I'm sorry too.”

“For what, gorgeous?”

He felt her hold her breath and made himself wait her out, fearing the answer.

Finally she exhaled. “He kissed me. A couple times. And I couldn't stop him.” Her
soft voice broke his heart.

Nick ran his fingers through her hair, wishing he could have pulled the trigger on
Dmitri. Wishing the man experienced worse than what he put the kidnapped women through,
and then hating himself for wishing that.
Lord
,
forgive my vengeful heart.

“Kaylan, look at me.”

She slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. He brushed his fingers down her cheeks
and over her lips. “Allow me to erase that memory.”

He took his time, kissing her forehead, her cheek, whispering his love. When his
lips finally met hers, he worked to erase her hesitations, reassuring her that he
would love her no matter what,
and no evil person could erase that. He let his hands
drift down to her waist, holding her close as if to reassure her that nothing could
ever steal her away or hurt her again.

After minutes they were both breathless. “I love you, Kaylan Lee Richards. Nothing
can change that. And it is not your fault. He was sick and twisted.”

He tugged her toward the Jeep. “Come take a drive with me.”

A gentle wind whipped through their hair as they drove along the beach. Her fingers
were wrapped in his, and he refused to let go the whole ride, letting the miles bleed
away the stress, worry, and pain of the last week.

He'd asked for a blood test to determine if Janus really was his mother—but for now
he'd only told Kaylan that her neighbor, Cathryn, had been the one threatening her
and had been apprehended. She'd rightly been enraged, but they were working through
it. Dmitri was facing massive charges. The two Arabs had died, their bodies recovered
the next day. The Big Kahuna had slipped back into his shoes as a high-ranking businessman
in Russia, but Nick knew he was being watched. They would catch him in due time.
The weapons were confiscated before they made it to Iran, but Nick guessed his team
might head to the Middle East in the future, possibly on his next deployment. But
none of that mattered. For today, he had Kaylan, he was home, and life was good.
Everything in the shadows had been brought to light.

He pulled into a sandy lot and parked. Grabbing a couple of blankets from the backseat,
he jumped from the car and spread one out on the hood overlooking the ocean.

“Hop on.”

Kaylan clambered up beside him and tugged a blanket over her legs. Together they
watched the sky change color to a blood red as the sun sank.

Kaylan broke the silence first. “You might change my mind. Sunsets are pretty good
here.”

“I'm sorry. What?”

Kaylan giggled and curled up under his arm. “I'm not repeating that twice. I will
not cheat on sunrises or my lake house.”

“It's not cheating if it's truth.”

“Loyalty, Nick. Loyalty.”

“For you, always. For my team, without question. To Alabama, well . . . ”

She punched his chest, drawing a laugh from him. “Okay, okay. Alabama's not so bad.
But we'll have to agree to disagree on sunsets and sunrises. By the way, I have
something for you.”

He sat up and pulled something from his pocket. It glistened in the failing light.

“My ring. I was starting to wonder if you changed your mind.”

She reached for the ring, but Nick closed his fingers over it. “On second thought,
since we can't agree on this whole sunrise, sunset thing, I don't know what we can
agree on. Maybe it isn't meant to be.”

Kaylan gestured to the sinking sun and the pinks and oranges now mixing with the
red. “It's amazingly beautiful. Better than sunrises. In California,” she added under
her breath.

“Well, I guess that will have to do. Conflict resolution at its finest. May I?” He
reached for her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. “Promise me something?”

She leaned close to his face, her green eyes glowing in the dimming light. “Anything.”

“Don't ever take this off again.”

Her fingers drifted over the scruff on his chin. He loved her gentle touch. “Never.”

He clasped her hand and kissed her fingers. “Great. I have one more surprise.” He
reached into his pocket again and withdrew a box.

“What's this?”

She opened the lid and her breath caught. On the top of a sheet
of cotton he'd placed
a chain with dog tags. He removed the chain from the box.

“Kaylan Lee Carmichael,” he read as he slipped the chain over her head.

Tears filled her eyes. “Nick, I can't believe you did this.” She turned the tag over
in her hand. “‘Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the
Lord is to be praised.' Nick.” Her eyes met his.

He brushed her cheek, thankful for the depth of love that now radiated from her eyes.
Her walls had dropped. She trusted him completely, loved him fully, and depended
on the Lord wholeheartedly. In that she found strength, the heart of a warrior the
size of any SEAL he knew.

“You amazed me out there. You fought hard for your friend. I could kill you for not
getting help. But your courage is undeniable.”

She laughed. “There had to be proof I was strong enough to marry a SEAL.”

His fingers drifted down her cheek and into her hair, pulling her face to his. “No,
Kayles. I never needed any proof. You had it in you all along. Your strength comes
purely from your relationship with the Lord and who He made you to be. God is faithful,
and I'm honored to call you mine.”

His lips met hers as the sun sank lower, colors dimming in the light of his love
for her. He deepened his kiss, his fingers weaving through her hair. His Kaylan.
His gift. Something he would never deserve but God had given. He silently thanked
his Savior.

Kaylan drew back and rested her forehead on his. The colors were gone. A turquoise
sky hovered above them as stars began to appear. “So what's next?”

He leaned back against the windshield, pulling her against his chest. “Now? I guess
it's time to plan a wedding. And I can't wait to marry you, Kaylan Richards.”

“Soon to be Carmichael, mister.”

He kissed her forehead, thankful that no matter what came their way, he'd found a
woman capable and willing to stand by him forever. In her he'd found an invaluable
treasure.

C
OMING
F
ROM
K
ARISS
L
YNCH
W
INTER
2016

B
OOK
3, H
EART OF A
W
ARRIOR

S
URRENDERED

Chapter 1

T
HE BATTLEFIELD, POCKMARKED
with old cars and metal remains, yawned before Nick Carmichael
and his team of SEALs. He'd never fought a battle quite like this before, nor faced
a more formidable opponent. He crouched behind a beat-up red pickup truck. The insides
had disappeared at some point, leaving the shell to the mercy of enemy fire. Nick
dug his boots deeper into the mud, evidence of rain the night before, although the
deceptively blue sky showed no trace of it now. Despite the slightly cooler January
temperature, moisture seeped from beneath his armor. He hated feeling stuck and sweaty.

He folded his body behind the tire to avoid the peppered shots coming from the other
side and glanced down the line to Micah Richards, his best friend and the brother
of his fiancée, Kaylan. The enemy had them penned for now, but Nick grew tired of
waiting.

“I thought you said she knew how to shoot,” Nick shouted over the cacophony of paintballs
striking the truck bumper.

Micah lifted his face mask and rolled his eyes. Yellow paint splattered above his
head, causing him to duck.

“Masks on!” shouted the referee from across the field, and
Micah slapped his mask
down again just as a pink paintball splattered near his feet.

“I said we taught her. Not that she was good.” He shrugged, his voice muffled beneath
the plastic. “At least they are hitting somewhat close to us.”

Across the field their SEAL buddies Titus, Jay, and Colt crept from obstacle to obstacle,
avoiding fire until they finally huddled with Nick and Micah. David and Seth Richards—Micah's
brothers visiting for the week—joined from the other end of the metal line.

The San Diego paintball course affectionately named “The Fuel Depot” stretched the
length of half a football field. It reminded Nick of a deserted old gas depot in
some podunk Southern town. Nick peeked from behind the tire to get a better lay of
the land. Old cars, painted to look rusted, long since retired, sat scattered in
something resembling a horizontal line formation from one end of the field to the
other. Barrel obstacles sat stacked two tall and two wide throughout the course,
providing the perfect cover for their wives and girlfriends regaling them with colored
paint. The girls had insisted on playing with one fewer teammate, convinced they
could still dominate.