Counter Strike

by Beth Rhodes

  She tightened around him, her breath hitching, her skin tingling.

  “I love you, babe,” he whispered in that instant before they found completion.

  Missy held him, as he crashed into sleep, and ran her fingers through his deep red, curly hair. She loved his ginger looks: the strip of freckles over the bridge of his nose and his green eyes. Brushing her thumb over his eyebrow, she kissed him.

  Her eyes were heavy with sleep when his arms tightened around her.

  She was safe.

  Chapter Three

  As they were about to land on an air strip outside of Bogotá, Colombia, Jamie smiled into the viewfinder on his phone, made a face, and gave the peace sign. Then he sent the text off to Missy.

  She’d said the word married and hypothesized what would happen if they got married. It was huge.

  That’s what she said.

  “What’s so funny?” Craig sat across from him on the little jumper plane. He was a quiet guy and down to earth. Easy to listen to, which was weird since Jamie still thought of him as a greenhorn. But he wasn’t it. Without looking, Craig had become one of their seasoned members. And now they had real kids on the team, like Luke Dunaway. Holy crap. So young.

  “Nothing,” he answered.

  His phone pinged, and he forced himself to stay cool. He definitely wasn’t a kid. He was a frickin’ forty-two-year-old, who’d been with the same woman for twelve years.

  Craig stared. “Aren’t you going to check that?”

  Silly how his insides vibrated with anticipation over a stupid text. His phone pinged again.

  This time he flicked a glance.

  Her face. Pretty brown laughing eyes. Puckered lips. Giving him the peace sign back. And then a text, Stay safe.

  Thumbs up, he replied.

  “Shit,” a voice from behind him hissed the swear word before the sound of a teammate vomiting filled the cabin. Jamie glanced back. He saw the top of Marie’s head as she leaned over a barf bag.

  He got up and moved down the aisle the few rows to get to her. “Air sick?”

  She shook her head, her eyes meeting his as she closed the bag in her lap. He left her and retrieved a can of sprite from the galley. When he came back, he crouched in front of her. “Stomach bug?”

  Marie shrugged. “Started feeling funny last night but woke up fine this morning. Thought it was a fluke.”

  He touched her forehead. She almost jerked back but then laughed. “Your soft side is always a surprise, Jamie.”

  Her face turned ashen, and she groaned. She quickly stood.

  He got out of the way, and she stumbled the few steps to the lavatory door.

  “Anyone else?” As if he could sense disaster, his gaze met Tancredo’s pale face and glassy-eyed gaze. “Well, shoot.”

  Tan shrugged. “I’ll be fine,” he continued, strain evident on his face, “you might need to take lead.”

  Jamie muttered an expletive and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Luke?”

  “Fine and dandy, sir.”

  “Craig?”

  “Nothing doin’.” He affirmed his good health with a small salute.

  The plane shook, but a quick look outside showed clear blue sky.

  The lavatory at the back opened, and Marie emerged, looking unsteady.

  Jamie lifted his Rays cap and scratched his head before settling it back down.

  The lead. That wasn’t really his forte. He followed orders. And he did it very well.

  “You got this, brother,” Craig reassured him.

  “What are you? Psychic?” His teammate’s intuition jabbed at the irritation rising in his gut over the whole situation.

  “Eh, I’ve just been around a long time.”

  If Craig thought of himself as an old-timer, there was seriously no hope for Jamie. “Why don’t you take lead, then?”

  Craig grinned. “No thanks. It’s all yours. Easy drop like this. You’ll have no problems.”

  “Yeah.” He knew it and blew out a breath, releasing the tension as he rolled his shoulders back. “I don’t like having people sick.”

  Jamie checked his watch. They still had a few minutes, so he rested his head. The subtle thump of Luke’s bouncing foot in front of him had him nudging the seat in front of him. “Yo, how’s the book?”

  The thumping stopped, and Luke glanced back at him. Baby face. Yup. He lifted his hardback copy of The Shining and grinned. “I’m looking to get a big place in Colorado when this gig is over. I heard of a hotel opening just outside of Silverton.” Luke paused. “You think Hawk would open an office out there? Wouldn’t it be great? Maybe we start a paranormal investigations unit.”

  Jamie stared.

  “What?” Then Luke laughed, and his face turned even younger-looking. “No?”

  “Baby-face. You’re funny.”

  A glint came to Luke’s eye at that. “Aw, thanks, old man.”

  Jamie stabbed an invisible dagger through his heart. A smile played at his lips, though. He liked him. “How long you been out of the Army?”

  “Six months. Did eight years then med-boarded.”’

  “You don’t look twenty-six.”

  “Twenty-five. My parents signed the paperwork. Seventeen when I enlisted. They couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.”

  Tilting his head in thought, Jamie nodded. “We all got a past.”

  “Yeah? What about yours?”

  He shrugged. “Got a mom and dad and sister in Florida.”

  “Oh, yeah? She a redhead, too?” The kid had enough decency to grin sheepishly. “She single?”

  Rolling his eyes, Jamie leaned his head back. “Nope.”

  Luke sighed. “Oh, well. What about you, Tan? Do you have a sister?”

  Jamie nudged the back of Luke’s seat again. “Take a hint. Sisters are off-limits.”

  He wasn’t positive, but he might have heard a disappointed groan, and it made him chuckle. He didn’t look forward to taking lead, but at least this was one of the simple charitable assignments, rather than one where lives were on the line.

  ***

  Missy’s day was coming to a close when Principal Van Rijn poked his head into her third grade classroom. “Ms. Bellamy.”

  She’d gotten used to hearing her grandmother’s surname years ago. While she and Jamie had first been learning to live in hiding, to live with each other, he’d suggested she use the French name as protection, so she’d applied for a visa and eventually citizenship as Marguerite Bellamy—Missy.

  “Once you’ve finished labelling your solar system, bring them to my desk. Then open your books and read the end of chapter four until the bell rings,” Missy said to her class, smiling in reassurance.

  She’d been late again this morning, after a night filled with little sleep and the most vivid dreams of the past. Her body had wanted to curl up and stay tucked deep into her bed.

  Quietly approaching Mr. Van Rijn, she waved him into the hall. “I’m very sorry for being late this morning—”

  “Parents are bringing it up at the board meetings.”

  She winced.

  “However, you are one of my best teachers. I need you to be on time. No more excuses.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “But that’s not why I called you out here.”

  “Oh.” She frowned. “Then…what?”

  “The Herald is here to do an interview.”

  “The paper?” Disbelief made her laugh. “Why?”

  “You rescued the girl.”

  She snorted. “You know how docile those sharks can be!” She hadn’t been afraid, not really. No more than it meant to be afraid of a strange dog. Yes, sharks were dangerous, but—she shrugged. “I merely jumped into the water—”

  “Shark-infested waters and the rowdy group on the other boat.”

  “They were cited, and the sharks weren’t that big a deal.” The bruise on her leg called her a liar. Jamie would probably call her a liar.

  “Maybe. Small town news, th
ough.” He waved a hand. “You know how it is. They’ll have the P.G. Lifetime Award inscribed with your name by the weekend, just so they can feature it on the Saturday morning talk show.”

  “There’s a humanitarian award?”

  “If there wasn’t, there is now.” He grinned when he said it. “I just want you to know that your past has been safe with us here, in this private school, and it will remain so.”

  The pulse pounded in her neck, hopefully the only outward indication that he’d surprised her. She’d never spoken to anyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Van Rijn glanced into the classroom behind her. “Belize is full of all sorts of people, Ms. Bellamy, with all different backgrounds. Many of us are refugees…with a past. But there are others in our country who would take advantage.”

  Her stomach churned at the thought.

  “This will probably blow over, no big deal.” His statement sounded more like a warning.

  What if…?

  Van Rijn laid a hand on her shoulder. “If you need anything, we’re here for you.”

  “Well, I have nothing to hide, so bring on the awards,” she said with a laugh that sounded horribly strained, and she winced.

  He lifted a brow.

  “Thank you, though, for thinking of me, but I better get back to my students.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “Very well.”

  When her students had gone, she made a quick trip to the front office, where—indeed—a member of the local paper waited for her. She answered a few questions. Senora Perez had submitted her photo during an interview. The kids had called her a hero. Missy couldn’t help but smile. Silly.

  She wasn’t the hero.

  With a sigh, she packed up her bag and then stood at the front of her classroom.

  They said being brave didn’t mean fearless. She hadn’t thought twice about jumping in the water. Perhaps there had been a brief moment in the water, suspended above the sharks, but then she’d looked up. Jamie had been there with his out-stretched arm.

  The fear had disappeared. She might have lost a leg, and it wouldn’t have mattered if he was with her.

  Easy to say.

  She slung her shoulder pack over her head and rested it on her shoulder. Wait ‘til she said something to Jamie. He’d be as amused as she by the attention—or completely freaked out.

  Leaving through the classroom door to the school yard, she followed the path to the back gate where the school property met the shore. When she took a deep breath, calm filled her. Jamie would be home in a few days, and perhaps the idea of marriage and commitment to him wasn’t as far-fetched as it had been years ago.

  Maybe it was time for her to brave the unknown.

  If she was safe anywhere, it was here in Belize with the people she’d learned to love—her coworkers, her neighbors and friends.

  By the time she reached the resort just north of The Shack, her peace of mind had returned. Roberto, owner of their favorite vacation spot in P.G., was out trimming hedges on the drive. He waved as she approached, and she slowed.

  “The flowers look beautiful, Roberto,” Missy said.

  He picked one and handed it over to her with a bow.

  “Gracias.”

  “How are you faring after your adventure over the weekend?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. I really wish people wouldn’t make a fuss over it.”

  “When I pick up the paper tomorrow, I will cut out the article and frame it to put in the lobby. Then everyone will know you belong to us.”

  She gave a short laugh. “Well, that’s trouble.”

  “We never mind trouble around here, especially when it means taking care of our own.” His statement spoke volumes of his respect for Hawk Elite and for Jamie. “How is Jamie doing?”

  Missy glanced at her watch. “It’s about time for him to call, actually. They had some weather before they could make the run to Bogota. But they should be there by now.”

  Roberto went back to his bushes. “Go on, then. The wife and I will light a candle for him.”

  Chapter Four

  The sun was high and bright in the sky over Colombia when they finally disembarked.

  Jamie took Craig as his second and walked down the ramp to the ground at the back of the plane. He was now the lead on this little shindig. “Stupid, ridiculous frickin’ virus,” he muttered.

  “You know you can handle it,” Craig said with a grin as he stretched out his arms, palms up, and tilted his face up to bask in the warmth. Like the bright, shiny ball of gas above, the man’s disposition was enough to irritate any grown man. “This’ll be a breeze for you. You’ve been doing this too long not to be able to step in any time.”

  Ahead of them three vehicles sat, and two people stood, waiting: a small-in-stature man, obviously the doctor, if his white lab coat was any indication, and a nun, fully habited. Both grinning.

  Jamie rolled his eyes, even as his stomach tightened. “More of your kind, I’m guessing.”

  Craig looked at him, confused.

  Jamie held his hand out to Doctor Joys. “My name is Jamie Nash. This is my associate, Craig Wilder.”

  “Hello! I’m Joys. And this is Sister Helen.” The man’s grin grew, if that was even possible. The youthful enthusiasm was almost hard to take…especially when four big, black men, thick with muscles through their arms and shoulders, stepped out of the vehicles behind them, overshadowing the cheer of Joys’ greeting.

  These guys weren’t kidding. They were here to protect the doctor and the nun.

  “They’re harmless.” Doctor Joys waved a hand to his men and then laughed. “Well, not exactly, but harmless to you.”

  At their back, Luke was watching the area. Despite the charitable nature of this assignment, Hawk Elite stayed vigilant against danger. The medical supplies alone were worth killing for, if the price was right. And this was Colombia.

  Craig made a humming sound, and Jamie looked over at him. “What?”

  “I don’t know. Just…something.”

  “Keep your eyes wide, then,” Jamie said, sending a nod to Luke as well.

  Joys waved his men forward. “Let’s get the trucks loaded. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can have dinner.”

  With a nod, Jamie moved to the airplane and lifted the first box.

  They worked, feeling the pinch of being down two members. Yet, forty minutes later, Jamie picked up the last box, hefted it to his shoulder, and followed one of Joys’ big guys to the back of the truck.

  He walked over to where the sickies sat in the shade. Well, Marie sat, but Tan was laid out flat on the ground and opened one eye when Jamie’s shadow crossed his face.

  Marie sipped a small bottle filled with some kind of colorful electrolyte drink. She tipped it his way in greeting.

  “Ready to move,” he said. “You guys going to handle the drive okay?”

  Filled with humor, Marie’s smile grew. “What, Jamie? Not interested in playing dad to a couple sick kids?”

  His stomach turned at the thought of sick anything. No thank you. But kids? That thought made his heart pound. Family was part of what he wanted.

  Tan chuckled as he leaned up on one elbow and came to a shaky sitting position. “I remember the first time Jackson threw up. We’re not talking spit up but full-out, stomach bug hurling.” He cringed as he said it. “Not fun.”

  Jamie rolled his eyes. “Great. Load up, you two. We’re headed to the clinic.”

  The ring tone from the side pocket of his pants reminded him he was supposed to call Missy. “Hey, babe,” he answered when he saw it was her.

  “Hey, love.” The sound of her voice soothed some of the tension in his shoulders, and he relaxed at the pout in her voice. “You didn’t call.”

  “Been crazy here.”

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  He checked his watch. He’d give anything to be stretched out next to her on their bed, the warm summer breeze touching bare skin
.

  Jamie ran a hand through his hair. “How are you doing?”

  “Good. Miss you.”

  “Same,” he answered.

  “Oh, you won’t believe it.”

  He started a slow trek back toward the trucks. “What?”

  “Frank showed up at school to do an interview with me for the paper.”

  “What for?” He laughed because Frank was about a hundred years old and had been with the paper for eighty of those years. More like the town icon, Frank often created the biggest stirs in Punta Gorda; he told it like it was without wasting words.

  “The boating incident and the sharks.”

  Mention of it had him both amused and remembering the initial feeling of panic. “How’s the leg feeling?”

  “It’s fine. You know it’s fine.” she answered in a huff. “Those kids ended up getting cited.”

  “Good, jeez. I hope they’re on their way home, never to return to our water again.”

  Missy laughed. “Yes, well. Who knows? If it’s not one group, it will be another next week or next summer.”

  “True. You’re being careful, though, right?” The thought of Missy in the public eye always made him twitch. They’d been careful for twelve years. When they travelled, which wasn’t often, he kept it under the radar—not easy to do in this day and age—and having access to private airplanes helped. So did having Malcolm on back-up. He had notifications pop up for any activity or chatter on what the political climate in Mexico. Every few years a different cartel rose from the bottom, vying for top rung, the most money, and the most power Mexico had to offer.

  “Nothing has happened. This will blow over,” she confirmed.

  Jamie’s hand gripped his phone, and he took a breath, forcing himself to relax.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He liked having his personal life separate from his work life. People were safer that way. Still, he couldn’t help opening up this time. Maybe he was mellowing with age. “Marie and Tan picked up some kind of stomach bug.”

  “Oh, no. That stinks.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. I’m leading the drop.”

  “That’s great, Jamie.” Her voice brightened, her confidence-soaked words bolstering his self-doubt with confidence. “Maybe this is what you need.”