by Tracy Brody
But after the hell she’d been through, willing to sacrifice herself to protect him, his girls, his teammates, she deserved sleep and sweet dreams.
“Go ahead and sleep. We got you. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
And if he had his way, there’d be a lot of waking up together in their future.
Forty-Four
“Hey. Everything’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.”
Kristie woke to Mack’s voice and gentle touch on her arm.
“Can you pinch me?” She needed to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, or that Herrera hadn’t doped her up and she was hallucinating.
God, she loved that sexy chuckle. It did things to her insides and—
“You have company.”
“Hmm.” She managed to open her eyes. Would he have brought the girls? Oops. “Colonel Ball. Hi.”
Mack cleared his throat. “I can step out.”
“No. Stay.” She extended a hand, but Mack had stepped out of reach. Why? Ohh …
The colonel’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Glad to have you back, Donovan. How’re you doing?”
“Been better. But I’ve also been worse.” She tried to shake off the vestiges of anesthesia. “My leg?”
“Broke two of your metatarsal bones and shattered your fibula,” Mack said. “They had to put in a plate and some screws. You’ll be in a walking boot for at least six weeks. They’re keeping you overnight, considering—everything.”
“That also means you can’t deploy anytime soon. The 214th needs someone sooner, so your transfer is off. From what I hear, it shouldn’t be necessary now,” Colonel Ball said.
He meant the threat from Herrera. “I’m still requesting a transfer, but to the National Guard.”
“The Guard? I’m starting to suspect you don’t want to be under my command.” The colonel cracked a grin. “Look, I get that you might need time to process everything after what you’ve been through, and I suggest you speak with a counselor.”
A counselor was a good recommendation, but she needed to come clean. “The transfer is because I’ve been in violation of Regulation 600-20.”
“Fraternization.” His head bobbed, and his gaze swung to Mack standing at her bedside. “I see.”
“She’s on painkillers.” Mack gave her an out—one she wasn’t taking.
“I don’t plan to stop seeing him,” she continued.
“Sir, it’s my fault,” Mack started. “I initiated and pushed.”
“It takes two,” she owned up to her part. She was the senior officer.
The colonel held up a hand to stop them. “You don’t … I don’t need details.”
“If I finish out my required service in the Guard, there’d be another layer of separation, and I thought …”
“You’re not in the same chain of command now.” Colonel Ball sighed.
“No, but I …”
“You heard I’m a hard-ass about relationships between the ranks?”
She nodded. “Something like that.”
“I started that rumor,” he said in a conspiratorial manner. “This isn’t the first time it’s come up in my shop. I inherited Ries, who’s married to an officer in 3rd Group. Last year, one of my Apache pilots wanted to marry his pregnant girlfriend, an NCO, also in my shop. Didn’t make sense to flush the money we invested in his flight training. I transferred her to a different unit, outside the chain of command, so they could be together.”
If her crew chief based his warning on a misinterpretation of the reason for the transfer, maybe things weren’t as black or white—career or Mack—as she thought. She could scarcely breathe as the colonel paused, studying them both.
“Other branches stick to the absolutely no fraternization rules, but in the Army, we look at it on a case-by-case basis. If you weren’t a stellar soldier, that’d be one thing. You have an outstanding record. Considering you were kidnapped and tortured by a drug cartel and told them you’d die before giving them the names of fellow soldiers—”
“How’d you know that?” Mack. A quick glance confirmed he’d overheard and would probably give her hell over it later.
“Yes, he filled me in. I’d be a fool to lose you to the Guard, Donovan.”
“We don’t want to jeopardize your career, sir.” Her relationship with Mack took priority over all else, but the colonel making it sound like she could continue to fly breathed hope into her soul like flowers that bloomed in May.
“Just be glad this isn’t the Air Force. Their PT might be a joke, but they enforce rules like warriors.” Colonel Ball gave a rueful chuckle. “I’ve got twenty-two-and-a-half years in, and I still get to fly. I hate the politics part of the job and have no desire to go to the Pentagon. Besides, you SF guys tend to get whatever you want to keep you happy. If I said no and you went to Colonel Mahinis, I’d probably be looking for a new foursome for golf. That would be tragic. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t advertise. No showing up in uniform and kissing on the tarmac.”
“No problem. Thank you, sir.” Mack shook Colonel Ball’s hand.
“You’re welcome. Thanks for getting her out.”
Kristie felt like she’d just found out she had a fairy godfather. “Thank you for coming by, sir.”
“If you need anything, let me know. No rush to get back. You need to heal. Physically and mentally. Take good care of her,” he said to Mack.
“I will, sir. I will.” Mack smiled and took her hand. “I think this calls for a kiss,” he said once they were alone. “But—”
“No buts. I’ve been through a lot.” She crooked a finger, begging for a kiss.
“I need to know that you’re really okay with me staying on the Bad Karma team. Because if you’re not, I’ll leave the team. I’ll get a job in the training cadre or teaching ROTC.”
“You’d hate that.”
“But I’d have you. When I thought I was going to lose you,” he choked out the last words. “I kinda got a taste of what it feels like on the other side. I already lost a wife who thought I was selfish for not getting her fears and not getting out of Delta. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
“Well, I got a different perspective, too. I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you. What you do. I won’t—can’t—ask you to give up who you are or what you do. I’m not saying I won’t be scared, but I’m not going to let what could happen to you make me miss out on loving you—and your girls.” That brought an even bigger smile to his face and eyes that she’d never get tired of looking at. “How about that kiss?”
“I think you’ve earned it.” He winked, leaning over to kiss her.
She’d never been a believer in fairy tales, but today she was claiming her happily-ever-after with her own version of a prince—a hero who wore camouflage and slayed evil beasts with his sniper rifle.
Epilogue
Eight months later
Darcy’s red curls bobbed as she bounced on the balls of her feet. In both hands, she clutched the poster with bold blue and red letters proclaiming, “Welcome home!” Stars and about four bottles of glitter decorated the sign.
Her excitement mirrored Kristie’s own. She had butterflies in her stomach, and her heart pounded hard enough to feel it. Light glinted off the diamond ring on her left hand. The ring Mack bought for her while home on leave. His leave had been short, but long enough to assure them both they weren’t jumping the gun in getting engaged or married.
She exchanged smiles with Stephanie and Alexis Lundgren. Tammy Shuler’s older children ran around in a game of chase while her newborn daughter slept in her stroller.
Tony Vincenti’s parents were there to welcome him home, and his mom had brought enough cannoli for everyone. AJ Rozanski’s fiancée and Linc Porter’s girlfriend and mom waited with the other family members and loved ones milling around.
The small group gathered was different from the large homecoming her unit received after her first tour. She had been deployed when Eric’s unit came home, which spared h
er from attending.
Today, Mack was coming home. All his team members were coming home healthy and alive. It helped ease the fear that lurked in the back of her mind.
Her stomach rumbled again, and next to her, Amber giggled. “Told you they’d be late, and you should eat something.”
“I was too busy. And excited.” Later, they’d eat the dinner of Mack’s favorite foods the girls had helped prepare—together.
She wrapped an arm around Amber’s shoulder and hugged her to her side. When Mack told the girls they were dating, Darcy had been on board; however, Amber had reservations. Kristie hadn’t pushed, opting instead to let the girl work through her feelings about her parents moving on with other people. Spending time together in the three months between her rescue and Mack’s deployment, Amber had come around, even after Rochelle and her hometown boyfriend ended things.
Before Mack deployed to Afghanistan six months ago, Rochelle agreed to let Kristie see the girls weekly for dinner and video chat sessions with Mack—if his erratic schedule permitted. Maybe because it gave Rochelle a free night, but Kristie happily seized the opportunity to spend time with the girls in preparation for becoming their stepmother.
Already she couldn’t picture a future without Mack and the girls in her life. Any minute, Mack would be home with them. The thought they were getting married this weekend sent happy shivers dancing through her body.
Walt appeared first. Tammy’s daughter squealed and took off running, her younger brother on her heels. They grabbed Walt’s hands and pulled him toward his newborn daughter.
Darcy nearly toppled forward, craning for a glimpse of her daddy. “There he is! There he is!” She jumped up and down, pointing to where Mack led the rest of the pack.
“Go on.” Tears obscured Kristie’s vision. She wiped them away to see Mack’s overjoyed smile as his daughters raced to him. Despite her longing, she gave the girls the first precious moments with their dad.
His oversized pack hit the floor and his eyes met hers in that second before Darcy sprung into his arms. He held his daughter against his chest, cradling the back of her head with one hand, pressing his cheek against hers. He wrapped his arm around Amber, bringing her into their family hug. As he kissed both girls, Kristie edged up, noting the stream of tears running down Amber’s face.
Darcy slid down his body to stand on her own feet. Mack’s eyes once again locked on Kristie’s. All the happy reunions around them faded when he opened his arms to her. His solid body met hers in a delicious melding that washed away much of her past pain. Her toes brushed the ground as he held her, and she clung to him, wanting to make up for all their time apart.
He kissed her earlobe, and she turned her face to kiss him. And kiss him. Savoring the feel, the taste of him.
Darcy body crushed her slender against Kristie’s leg as she wrapped her arms around them.
“Enough kissing. You’re embarrassing me,” Amber piped in, though wearing a half smile.
“Deal with it.” Mack pulled her into the circle.
Kristie laughed and slipped her arms around the girls’ shoulders. She rubbed her nose against the smooth skin of Mack’s cheek and pressed another kiss there.
His incredibly sexy smile sent ripples of desire cascading through her. A desire she’d have to wait to act on. She could wait a wee bit longer to be alone with the man she loved—now that they had their future together stretching out ahead of them.
Darcy’s weight displaced air in the mattress, making it shift enough to stir Mack out of his sated, near-sleep state. “Whatcha doing, monkey?”
“I need to cuddle with you more.” She crept through the darkness between his and Kristie’s legs on the queen-size air mattress.
“Come on up.” Kristie scooted away from him without a hint of complaint. “I’m sorry—”
“This is awesome,” he cut off her apology. He inched over, nearly slipping onto the floor. “I get to camp out under the ceiling with my three favorite girls.” With no worries about someone shooting at me.
He didn’t voice that. No point in worrying his wife-to-be. Kristie understood enough not to ask. He could tell her about the school the American forces built, and the medical clinics his team ran to make inroads with the locals—and gather intel.
The rest he couldn’t tell her. Like how HQ was impressed with the number of weapon caches they found. Or the dozens of insurgents and Taliban they rounded up. Or how they’d come close, but not close enough, to nab a terrorist on the top ten list.
Darcy settled in, wedged between him and Kristie. Even in the moonlight, Kristie’s face radiated a serene, loving smile as he kissed the top of Darcy’s head.
He’d made mistakes in his life, especially with Rochelle, but he got Amber and Darcy as a result. Now, he was getting a second shot. He’d learned from his mistakes and wouldn’t repeat them with Kristie. Things would be different this time.
He loved Kristie’s heart—and her ingenuity. Planning a campout in the living room meant they could all be together without complaints from Rochelle about Kristie spending the night before they were married.
When he leaned forward, Kristie turned her face up until their mouths met.
“You’re squishing me,” Darcy interrupted their kiss and made him and Kristie laugh. He tickled Darcy, who giggled and squirmed.
How he’d missed that innocent laughter. “Amber, you want to come cuddle, too?”
“I’m good,” she answered him in a sleepy voice.
He reached over and grabbed her foot.
“Stop it!” she complained, pulling her foot free.
He settled back, glad to be home. They had eight months before Kristie’s unit deployed, and his next overseas deployment would overlap hers. As long as she was okay with it, he’d stay on the Bad Karma team, doing all he could to protect her and the girls, because there was still work for the team to do.
THANK YOU for reading Deadly Aim! I hope you loved getting to know Mack and Kristie and seeing Ray and Stephanie from Desperate Choices again. You’ll get to see more of them in the rest of the series along with the other heroes of the Bad Karma Special Ops team—whose love lives are as dangerous as their missions.
I appreciate your help in spreading the word about my books. Tell a friend. Share on social media. Post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, or your favorite book site. Reviews are like hugs to authors, and I love hugs.
Higher numbers of reviews will help other readers find me and know if this book is for them. It doesn’t even have to be a five-star review—though those are certainly welcome and what I strive for.
I don’t want to disappoint my readers, so I spend time researching and hire editors. We’re human though and miss things. So, if you find mistakes and want to tell me in a nice way (not like the perfectionist acquaintance that takes glee in pointing out errors,) email me so I can fix it and I will be grateful!
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Next up is A Shot Worth Taking and then In the Wrong Sights—both Golden Heart Winners. They are stand-alone novels with a common cast of characters, though reading them in order eliminates spoilers. I hope you’ll fall in love with the leads in these books as well.
Following is an excerpt from A Shot Worth Taking.
A Shot Worth Taking Excerpt
Kandahar, Afghanistan
“Porter, I’m talking to my mom. Can you keep your shorts on a second?” Tony turned his chair and laptop, so the bunked beds became the background on his Skype session.
The fun factor of “camping out” with eight of even his closest friends only lasted the first month or two, max, of a deployment. Five and a half months into sharing a space barely lar
ger than his folks’ living room tested the most patient of souls at times—like right now.
Too late. Yeah, Mom got an eyeful, based on her wide eyes, and then looking at the camera instead of her screen. By now he was oblivious to the constant overexposure of his teammates’ junk, but was it too much to ask for ten minutes of privacy a week?
His noise-canceling headphones kept him from making out his teammates’ responses. Probably for the best in case Dominguez made another wisecrack about Tony’s weekly call to his mom. “Sorry. What were you saying about Mrs. Pesci?”
“That she ran into Carla last week at the market.”
Lord, not again. “Carla’s married and has kids, and I’m—”
“But she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. Maybe you should get in touch with her.”
He worked not to go cross-eyed. Weren’t seven grandkids enough, at least for now? “I can handle my own love life. Thanks.”
“Really?”
Ouch. Now would be a good time for the shitty internet connection to go out. It didn’t. Tony swallowed and shifted on the hard chair, avoiding his mom’s convicting stare that didn’t lose its impact even traveling a few thousand miles to his computer screen.
Okay, so he didn’t have anyone special in his life. Hadn’t in, oh, say a decade, but what he and Carla shared years ago had as much chance of being resurrected as the two US troops and nearly a dozen locals killed by a suicide bomber last week.
Sadly, none.
Carla deemed him too dangerous then. She might have been the only woman who saw past his exterior, but she wouldn’t even recognize the man he’d become since joining the Bad Karma Special Ops team.
Porter stripped off the PT shorts he’d just put on, then pull back on his uniform pants and motioned to him. Something was up based on the sudden spate of activity in the room.
Tony lowered the headphones to his neck as Chief Lundgren closed in on him.