by Angela Rush
“Charlotte, I would be honored and feel better if you stayed with my parents. Dad is retired Navy and despite his age he stays in shape and keeps his skills up to pare, but I don’t want you staying here alone. What if something happens while Sara and Justin aren’t here? You could fall and hurt yourself or become ill and not be able to get to the phone to call for help. I am still uneasy about Lopez. It just seems bizarre to me that he would suddenly drop his revenge. I don’t want to frighten you, but we have to be realistic.”
“Hawk, I will do whatever you ask me to do. I trust you completely. I need to know that you aren’t worrying about what is going on at home. I don’t want you to be distracted and get hurt or killed on your mission. I need you. Our babies need you. And even though he acts like a grown man, Brian still needs you.” I tell him as I slide closer to him to place a kiss on his lips. It is a hesitant kiss. I want to comfort him, reassure him of what he means to me, to our family.
Before I can register his intent. Hawk has rolled on top of me to consume me, body and soul. The kiss deepens and becomes sensual. I part my lips, letting him devour my mouth. His hands are moving over my naked body. I feel him harden between my legs and I arch my hips up to meet his groin. I moan in my lust and I hear him growl his need against my mouth. He breaks the kiss to move his mouth over my skin. I am lost in the moment. It feels like this is goodbye. A tear slips from my right eye, but I choke them back. I won’t ruin this moment with tears.
Hawk proceeds to bring me to climax several times over the next hour. Finally, when my body feels like Jell-O at a picnic on the fourth of July, he carries me from the bed to the bathroom. He fills the garden tub with hot water and turns on the jets. He lowers me into the tub and climbs in behind me. We sit and soak in silence for a while, when the water begins to cool, he washes me and pulls the plug to drain the tub. He then transfers us to the shower to rinse the bubbles from our bath away. He towel dries me and wraps a towel around me. Sweeping me up into his arms he carries me back into the bedroom. He drops me on the bed and heads to the dresser and gets clothes out for me. He comes back to the bed still not saying a word he dresses me in comfort clothes for traveling. Then he dresses in his military fatigues and combat boots.
There is a knock at the door. Hawks face falls briefly, but then he leans down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead, lingering just a little too long. Struggling to keep the tears from falling, I cling to his shoulders and breath in his scent deeply. I need to memorize every detail of him, his scent, his soul. He pulls back from me gently.
“I have to go now, love. They are here to take me back to Fort Campbell to catch a plane out back to base. Dad will be here in a couple of hours to take you home with him.” Hawk looks into my eyes. His eyes roam over my face, then down my body. His hand comes to rest on my lower abdomen. “I love you, Charlotte. I love our babies. I want us to get married as soon as I get home. I wish we had done it while we were here. I will be back home for you as quickly as I possibly can.”
“I know, Hawk. I love you too, soldier boy.” I smile up at him with love in my eyes. I want him to leave with a happy memory, not with me sobbing like my world is ending. I manage to keep the tears from falling even as I feel them pooling in the corners. We hold onto one another like it’s the last time we will be together. After a few moments, he pulls back and kisses me gently. He turns and walks out my room.
Hawk is gone. The tears are falling freely now, but I have to pull myself together and get ready. His Dad will be here in a few hours. My clothes are packed, and the suitcase is by the door in less than fifteen minutes. Now what do I do? My phone rings. It’s an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” I say into the phone.
“Charlotte, darling? This is Jordan, Sr. I am afraid I am going to be later than expected. I have a flat tire, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. I can call Joe and see if he can come down sooner?” Jordan, Sr questions.
“No, Jordan. I will be fine. I’ll just read a book or something until you can get here. Don’t worry about me. I may call my friend Lisa and chat with her for a while. Be safe and I’ll see you soon.”
“Alright. Charlotte?” Hawk’s dad asks.
“Yes?”
“Stay put until I get there, ok? Don’t answer the door for anyone or let anyone know you are there alone. I hope this whole drug lord mess is behind you, but we don’t want to take chances. I’ll be there soon, darling.”
“I’ll be fine, Jordan. I appreciate you worrying about me. I’ll be waiting for you.” I say as the connection ends.
I decide to call Lisa and catch her up on all that has happened since I was abducted in the jungle. We talk for a long time. I have missed her and our talks. She could always help me to process my emotions and help me find clarity when all I can see is haze. After updating her about the awful time I spent in captivity the conversation turns to my new relationship.
“Sooo…tell me about your man.” Lisa demands with a laugh. “Don’t get me wrong. I am thrilled for you. Your face lights up when you look at him. Don’t get me started on the looks he gives you. They make me envious. I wish I had a man look at me with such love and devotion. Give me details about how all this came about.”
“Honestly, I have no idea how I got so lucky. You remember me telling you about the soldiers in the café at the airport?” I ask.
“Yes. I remember. You talked to them while waiting for the rest of us to get to the airport before we headed off to Guatemala.” Lisa replies.
“That’s right. Jordan was the one that kissed my hand. When I woke up in the safe house and he was there, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was dreaming or hallucinating, but he was there.” I sigh as I recall the intense conversations we shared while waiting for me to be well enough to travel. “He remembered me from the café, too. He confessed he had been thinking about me too since we first met. He refused to leave my side while we were at the safe house. I was a stranger, but he cared for me like I was already his wife. Hell, better than I had ever been treated before.
“You know that I loved David, but he was not really the alpha male type like Jordan is. When Jordan gets it in his head that I need something, there is no changing his mind. He isn’t mean and doesn’t force me to do anything I don’t really want to do. He is just determined to do what is in my best interest. He literally fed me like a child when I was hurt and sick. Sometimes he still does and while it should have made me feel uncomfortable like less of an adult, it doesn’t. It’s his way of showing me just how much he cares for me.” I pause to gather my thoughts when Lisa asks what she really wanted to know.
“How’s he in bed? I’m assuming it is out of this world.” She laughs.
“Definitely. Its mind blowing and I’m not just saying that. It was always nice with David, but Jordan knows his way around the female body. The chemistry between us has always been intense from the moment I first met him, but when we are in bed. I forget everything, but his body on mine. He is a very generous lover. He makes sure I am taken care of first, before he takes any pleasure for himself. It is amazing.”
“Damn, now I’m even more jealous.” Lisa laughs softly. We talk on for a long time. I finally conversation turns to the pregnancy and the twins. She is still shocked, but happy for us.
“Are you going to be ok starting over at our age? And twins to boot. Where will you live? You won’t be here, will you?” Lisa’s voice quivers a little with that last question.
“No, I’ll go wherever Jordan is stationed. He thinks we will be back in North Carolina before much longer. It’s not so far away. We will be close to the ocean and you can come visit me anytime.” I tell her to reassure her our friendship will still be strong despite the distance between us.
After our talk I hang up, I am restless. I wish Jordan, Sr would hurry up and get here. The sound of a car pulling in the drive catches my attention and I hurry to open the door. It’s not Jordan, Sr. It’s JoAnn. Why is she here? How did she even know that I am here?
I walk out to meet her at the bottom of the steps.
“Why are you here?” I demand when she emerges from her car. JoAnn is glaring at me. It’s hard to determine what she is thinking from her facial expression.
“I came to see what your plans are, Charlotte. I am not sure why you even came back here.” JoAnn says. She moves closer as she awaits my answer.
“I am not sure what you mean JoAnn.” I answer quizzically. “I live here. Why wouldn’t I come back? My kids live here, my job.”
“Poor sweet, Charlotte. You are so naïve. You have always thought the world revolved around you. Haven’t you?” JoAnn smirks at me. “All men want you. Patients love you. And you walk around like the fucking Princess everyone treats you as. You have no idea what it’s like. Sitting back day after day watching Dr Jones pinning for you. You prance around playing hard to get. I would have been the perfect wife for him. We would have made an awesome power couple, but he only had eyes for you. Why did you have to come back? That damn meddling Marine. He had to find you and ruin everything.”
“What is your problem? Why would you say that to me? I have never done anything to make you say such vile things.” I am almost screaming. I am so pissed. Sure Dr. Jones has asked me out in the past, but he wasn’t pinning. He’s dated other people, surely. Why is she so crazy?
“I had almost gotten him to forget you. Then we get the call that you have been found and you are coming back. He was over the moon happy that you would be coming home. I could not believe my rotten luck. Well now I have made sure you won’t ever come back.”
“What do you mean?” JoAnn has a crazed look in her eyes. The sound of another vehicle approaching gives me some hope. Please let it be Jordan, Sr. It was not meant to be. Focusing on the SUV coming up the driveway, I don’t realize that JoAnn has moved to stand next to me. When the vehicle stops, a couple of Hispanic men climb out, as fear snakes down my spine. A sharp pain pierces my arm. I look down to see a syringe with a milky white substance going into the vein on my forearm, just before the world goes dark.
Chapter 27
Hawk
Fuck! Why did this have to come up now. I don’t want to leave her. Not while she is vulnerable, pregnant, and scared. She is scared. It was written all over her face. She would never tell me, but I know her. Her body was trembling when I held her before I left. Tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. My love for her grows more every damn day. It is imperative I come back home to her, to our babies. I will focus on this mission and get this done, but more every day I am thinking it time to call it quits. I love what I do, but I love her and our family more. Being separated from them for weeks and months at a time is not something I want to be doing anymore. I don’t want her worrying about whether or not I am coming back home. It’s time I move to a headquarters post. I have been offered one a couple of times but didn’t want to give up the field. Now, I am more than ready.
I just have to get to base, ace this mission, then put in for my transfer. Deadeye is ready to take my place in the lead. The guys will be disappointed in me, but it is for the best. It seems to take an eternity to reach base. As soon as we touch down, I head to the briefing room. Captain Olson and the others are already there waiting on me.
“Hawk glad you could make it. Sorry to cut your leave short,” Captain Olson smirks when I enter the room.
“I had to finalize some plans first,” I reply. I refuse to apologize for making sure Charlotte and the twins were secure before I leave to go on a mission.
“Alright now that the gang is all here. I have a briefing of this mission,” Captain Olson begins. “Your job is to get into the palace of the current reigning dignitary of Pakistan rescue the aid workers that have been kidnapped. The press doesn’t even know about the aid workers yet. So far, we have been able to keep it quiet. If you can get in, get them, and get back out without anyone being able to identify you, then we win. We will stop international war. The aid workers are really Spies from Russia. If the Russians find out about this, they will declare war and we will have a shit storm on our hands.”
“Ok, let’s do this. I am ready to get this over with.” I declare as I stand ready to head overseas right this minute. Within hours we are loaded up and, on a plane, to take us across the world. I say a silent prayer that we are successful and are back home quickly.
We haven’t been in the air long, when it hits me. Something is wrong. I feel it in my heart. Charlotte needs me. Damn I wish I wasn’t on a plane going across the globe. Using the satellite phone Captain Olson gave us before we left, I call him. I just need him to confirm that she is with my parents. Olson answers on the 4th ring.
“Olson here.” I hear his deep baritone vibrate over the line. He sounds stressed.
“Captain. I need you to do me a favor. Will you call my parents and make sure Charlotte is with them? I know I sound like a worrywart, but I have a bad feeling. I just need confirmation before I am off grid for days on end.”
“Umm. I was about to call you. Hawk I don’t want you to worry, but Charlotte wasn’t at her house when your father arrived. I have sent a team from Fort Campbell out to investigate and your father and brothers are looking as well as her children. We don’t have any leads at this point, but we will find her.” Olson ends with a heavy sigh.
“Damn it! Where the hell is, she? Has Lopez found her? Tell me what you know,” I demand. I need this plane turned around immediately.
“We don’t know much. When your dad arrived at her house the front door was standing open, her suitcase was by the door, but she was nowhere to be found. I have sent word for the plane to turn around. You will be back here on base within the hour. As soon as I knew Charlotte was missing, I knew I couldn’t send you on that mission,” Olson updates me on all he knows.
“Call Tex he’s a former SEAL. Wolf knows how to get in touch with him. I have GPS trackers on her at all times. He can find her,” I rage into the phone. The need to be on the ground and looking for her is consuming. Normally I would never make such demands of my commanding officer.
“I don’t want to know about that do I? I am going to pretend I didn’t hear that, but I will call Tex for information. Be safe Hawk and hurry home,” Olson ends the call.
“Hawk? What’s going on? Is something wrong with Charlotte? The babies?” Straw asks as all the guys turn to look at me. The concern on their faces helps me to feel slightly better. They care for her too because she is mine.
“She’s missing. She wasn’t at home when Dad got there. Fuck! I should never have left her there alone.”
“Listen, man. You can’t blame yourself. She is tough. She will be fine until we can find her,” Ace says. “You just found her, no way she is getting away from you that easily.”
I know the guys are trying to be reassuring, but it’s not helping. I have to get to her. She is still alive. I would know if she were gone, would feel it deep in my soul. It can’t happen. I can’t live without her. She is my everything, my soulmate. I never believed in such things before especially not for me, but the moment I held her hand in mine in that café, she was mine.
Once we are on the ground, I am running for the command post on base. I need to know every detail of what has happened. When I enter the room, Olson is there looking at map on the wall. Commander Hurt and the SEAL team is there as well.
“Talk to me!” I demand as I enter the room. Ace, Deadeye, Straw, Mercury, Tank, Worm, Virus, Hack, and Wallace on my heels.
“Tex is tracking her. Whoever has her doesn’t know about the trackers.” Hurt updates me. “They are moving along I-40 toward Texas. We think Lopez’s group has her and are attempting to take her back across the border. We are mobilizing teams to head for the border. We will move once we know where they plan to cross.”
“I don’t want to wait until they get to the damn border. I don’t want to imagine what the hell they are doing to her. Damnit, we need to get to her now! She’s fucking pregnant with my twins. I can’t lose he
r or them. It’s not an option.” I am losing control. I pound my fists on the table. I need to hit something, someone preferably.
“Come on, Hawk. Hold on for Charlotte’s sake. She needs you to be calm when we find her,” Cookie tells me. I know he is right, but it’s hard to keep my cool when I know they are hurting her.
“You know he’s right.” Deadeye grabs my shoulder. “She’s going to be scared. You need to have your shit together so you can calm her fears. If she sees you lose it, there won’t be any calmer her down. You got to hang in there, brother.” I nod.
“I am sorry. I just need to find her. Sooner rather than later. Let’s get ready to head to Texas. I need to be there when we find her.” I turn and leave the room, followed by the best group of men a man could ask for as friends and teammates. I know with them helping me, we will find her and bring her home. Hours later we touch down in San Antonio, Texas. I am full of nerves. She is getting closer. I can feel it. Something is definitely going to go down and soon. We have to be ready.
Chapter 28
Charlotte
Awareness returns slowly. Where am I? I feel a rocking motion and hear the hum of tires on blacktop. I’m in a car. JoAnn injected me with something. Propofol I am certain. Shit! How long have I been out? Oh God! The babies! Are they ok? What is going to happen? Why would JoAnn sedate me? I remember the men getting out of the SUV. Hispanic men. NO! Please no! Don’t let it be what I think. She wouldn’t help Lopez find me. Would she?