Delta Force: Six: Wayward Souls

by Norris, Kris

  “Not all of us.”

  “Kam’s going to be okay. Surely you know—”

  “I don’t know anything. Not with her.”

  “I don’t understand. Whatever it is you do, you always see—”

  “Not with her! I can’t see the future. Can’t alter the outcome. It’s just this giant blank slate.”

  Crow glanced at Colt, but the man merely shrugged. “You can’t see the future?”

  “Don’t patronize me, Crow—”

  “Not trying to, I just…I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I. That’s the point.” He marched forward, glaring at Crow when he grabbed his arm—kept him from moving past. “Get out of my way, buddy.”

  “After you explain it to me.”

  “It’s…complicated.”

  “Then, give me the shortened version. How Kam’s different.”

  “She’s different because I never saw it ending. Never saw her coming, in the first place, let alone walking away.”

  “So, all this time you’ve seen other relationships end?”

  “Every. Single. Time. One kiss, and I’d know how it’s going to play out. And it was always the same. The woman walking away. Sometimes it was the job. The timing. Some bullshit about Mercury in retrograde. Different reasons that led to the same conclusion.”

  He looked at the curtain behind Crow. “But Kam was different. No leaks. No damn flashes. For the first time in my life I was able to live in the moment. Just…be me. Not have to live waiting for glimpses of the end. I thought that it meant something. That she was…special.”

  He huffed out a rough breath. “What if I was wrong? What if the reason my damn sixth sense doesn’t work on her was because the ending wasn’t her walking away, it was her dying? What if it was a sign all along, and I fucking ignored it? Could have changed it if I’d just recognized it for what it was?”

  He shook his head, pulling free, swaying slightly as the room dimmed a bit. “I can’t lose her. Not now. Not when I haven’t even told her how I feel. That the stupid Hail Mary wedding was the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me. That she’s the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Crow yanking him against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. “You’ll get your chance. It’s going to be okay. You have to believe that. She’ll pull through.”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  “She will. You heard Gibson. Brady’s a talented bloke.”

  “That’s not what he said.”

  “Sue me for paraphrasing. Now sit down before you fall down. You’re up next.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Says the man with a bullet in his shoulder. Again, from what I’ve heard. Yeah, you were shot. So…sit. Breathe. Put some damn pressure on that wound so Brady doesn’t have a damn cow when he comes out here and sees you still bleeding all over the damn floor.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “And it won’t be the last. I know, still…” He handed Six some gauze. “Humor me.”

  Six pressed the wad on his shoulder, embracing the fiery sting that shot down arm to his fingers, staring at the dull beige curtain. Not much sounded from beyond the room other than the odd clatter of instruments. A muffled word he couldn’t make out. He tried focusing inward—like he had in Vegas. Force his damn sense to give him a glimpse of how Kam was. If he’d lost her before he’d gotten a chance to tell her he loved her. That she meant everything to him. The damn center of his world.

  All he got was the same eerie emptiness. And he couldn’t help but wonder if it was working, after all? If the emptiness was a flash of his future. A world without Kam.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Blood. Casey’s blood. On his chest. Pooling on the floor. Splattered across her hands, her skin as Kam pressed down on the wound. Tried to stop the bleeding. His face was white. Eyes squeezed shut. Nothing but a raspy wheeze every time he took a breath. More blood oozing out with each exhalation. It hit her hard. Had her moving before she could think—process the command to get her legs to shift as she shoved him out of the way. Fired at the bastard about to shoot, to take the man she loved away from her. There was a flash from the muzzle, what looked like a curl of smoke, then a hard slam through her side followed by her head hitting the floor…

  Kam blinked open her eyes, nearly puked as the scenery blurred right then left, spinning a few times before she had the good sense to close them. Fade back into the darkness. Back into that moment. The one with Six covered in his own blood. Each rattled breath likely his last. She wanted it to stop. To change, but it just kept playing.

  Voices. In the distance. Mumbles, really. Nothing concrete, but it drew her up. Had her surface just long enough to open her eyes—catch a glimpse of that Brady guy hovering near her. He glanced over, grinned, but she was already slipping. Sliding back under. He said something—her name? Six’s—but it got lost in the haze. In the pain that sparked in her chest then radiated through her side. Crushing her will to resurface. Figure out what Brady had said.

  More floating. More pain, then a hand on her cheek. Warm. Comforting. A voice telling her to rest. That he’d be there.

  Casey?

  It sounded like him, but the memory. The replay of him lying on the floor. Surrounded by blood. Had it only been a dream?

  The thought had her clawing her way back—blinking to bring everything into focus. Sunlight brightened the room, a soft breeze fluttering the curtains on the far wall. It took her a few moments to realize it was a bedroom. Large. Masculine.

  “Hey, beautiful. Welcome back.”

  She turned, groaned as pain burned through her side, wondering if she’d fade, again, when Casey grabbed her hand. Gave it a squeeze.

  “Kam? Sweetheart, talk to me.”

  She looked up at him, wishing she could lift her hand—smooth away the worry lines across his brow because he was there. Alive. Looking tired and worn and sexier than any man had a right to. “Cas…”

  Speaking his name shouldn’t be that hard. Drain her that much. She let her eyes close for a moment, focused on breathing through the pain, pushing it away, only to frown at Brady staring down at her once she’d opened them. “Coen?”

  He smiled, lifting the stethoscope off her chest. “Hey, Kam. Nice of you to finally wake up. Your…husband hasn’t let me sleep since he carried you into the clinic a couple of days, ago.”

  “Husband?”

  A snort. “Is this déjà vu, sweetheart, because I think we’ve been over this before. And Brady’s an ass.”

  Casey. She hadn’t been dreaming. He was standing there. Larger than life. Looking as if he hadn’t slept in days, but his smile was genuine. Beaming all that inner light down on her. Making her feel safe. Loved.

  Coen sighed. “It’s still pretty early on. Rest. You’ll feel better in a day or two. Get some more sleep. I’ll check in later.”

  He must have left because in the time it took her to nod, flutter her eyelids a few times, Casey was back. Sitting on the edge of the bed. Holding her hand. Staring at her as if he hadn’t expected to see her, again.

  She wet her lips, taking a few shallow breaths before attempting to talk. “Wh…what happened? I thought you’d…”

  God, she couldn’t say it. Couldn’t get the word “died” to form on her tongue.

  Six snorted. “You beat me at my own game, but that’s not important. Not, now. Sleep. I’ll explain everything once you’re stronger.”

  “Don’t go.”

  He chuckled. “Took a vow to be there in sickness and in health, sweetheart. Can’t break that the first time you nearly die on me, can I?”

  A smile. It wasn’t much. Probably nothing more than a slight raise of one side of her mouth, but he got the message. Lifted one hand to gently caress the length of her jaw. “I guess not.”

  She was fading. Losing the fight against the darkness. Against the weight of her eyelids.

  Casey chuckled. “Sleep. I’ll be here when yo
u wake up. And once you’re stronger, we’ll going to have a talk. About everything. About us, because I want there to be an us, Kam. I need there to be.”

  Had she nodded? Agreed? She didn’t know. Couldn’t tell as the room slipped into darkness. Into the press of his lips against hers. The comforting weight of his hand holding hers. Just a few minutes to rest her eyes, then she’d get up. Tell Casey how she felt because she wanted there to be an “us”, too.

  * * *

  “Are you sure Brady said it was okay for you to be up? Because you still look like a ghost to me, Kam.”

  Kam resisted rolling her eyes as Cannon frowned, glancing at the rest of the team gathered in Six’s loft. Who knew all the men were such worriers?

  She gave him a sweet smile. “I’m fine. Besides, isn’t that why you’ve got Ice over there, frothing at the mouth to rush over and stitch something?”

  Ice chuckled. “Maybe I’m just worried I’ve been replaced.”

  “Please, you know how these guys are. Someone will get themselves shot soon enough. And Brady’s on his way back to Spokane for a stint, so… I think your job’s safe.”

  “Just see it’s not you. Cannon’s right. You’re still very pale.”

  Six grunted, glaring over at Ice. “Is that your way of saying you think I’ve lost my touch? Because it sounds that way.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “I know how to read between the lines. And for the record, I tried to step in front, but Kam somehow beat me to it.” He arched a brow. “I’ve been waiting to ask you how you managed that.”

  She leaned over to him, drawing a finger along his chest. “Maybe I get to share your sixth sense now that we’re married. You know what they say—what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine.”

  The room erupted in laughter, a couple of the guys falling dramatically out of their chairs. Six merely smiled, stealing a quick kiss before shifting over—wrapping one arm around her shoulder as he gently pulled her against his side.

  Crow dabbed at a few fake tears. “I still need to see that video, buddy. Because…damn. I can only imagine how entertaining it must have been.”

  “If you’re lucky, I might send you a copy for Christmas.”

  “Buzzkill.” Crow’s smile fell, his gaze drifting around the room. “So…we should probably talk about that shit show at the end of the op. Not that I’m complaining about the flash bang, Six. It definitely pulled our collective asses out of the fire, but…”

  “But we lost the drive.”

  “What?” Kam straightened, cursing when the movement pulled a bit on her side, before looking at Six. “You told me it was destroyed.”

  Six tucked some of her hair behind her ear, seemingly indifferent to the snickers the other guys gave him. “It was destroyed. The heat from the flash bang melted it. It’s just…”

  “Just what?”

  “Once everything quieted down…” He gave her a stern look, his eyes burning into a deep umber. “And we knew you weren’t going to die, we had a closer look at that cradle where you found the drive. Two of those other balls came apart just like that middle one. The mechanisms were stuck, as if Bains had been in a hurry and shoved them in off-center.”

  “So, that’s good news, isn’t it?”

  “They were empty. And since we don’t know the extent of what was on the one you found…”

  “You think McCormick will keep searching. That there are two more copies out there waiting for him to exploit them.”

  Crow cleared his throat. “You didn’t tell her?”

  A cold shiver beaded her skin at the tone of Crow’s voice. “Told me what?”

  Six sighed. “About McCormick …”

  She waited for him to continue, but he simply sat there, staring at her. “What? What about him?”

  “He’s dead, love.” Gibson’s low voice sounded loud in the stillness.

  Shit. Not that she cared McCormick was dead, but it meant one of them had pulled the trigger. That there could be serious ramifications for killing a CIA officer, even if the man had gone rogue. While she knew Cannon hadn’t planned on letting the guy escape, she’d always thought Cannon would find a way to arrest him. Let the Marshal service deal with him, this time. Maybe use his ties to Admiral Hastings to put McCormick away for good. In an actual jail. But dead…

  She swallowed, nearly gagged, looking around the room. But there was nothing to hint at who had killed the man. Just stoic faces. The kind of look she’d seen whenever they’d returned from a mission.

  She took a steadying breath. “Is this a need-to-know-only kind of thing? Should I forget we ever had this conversation? Am I even here?”

  Crow snorted. “No. Gibson actually capped the bastard, which was somewhat fortuitous seeing as he’s still, technically, MI6. With his help, I was able to fabricate an impromptu JSOG scenario—kept it all above board. And seeing as McCormick had recently escaped his incarceration, and there were two U.S. Marshals on my team…” He shrugged. “It wasn’t pretty, but no one’s going to have to do any jail time over it.”

  Crow looked around at his buddies. “Though, you guys do owe me a few rounds for having to endure my boss tearing me a new one. Man, that guy can shout.” He glanced at Cannon. “Makes you sound like a damn kindergarten teacher.”

  Cannon clapped the man on the shoulder. “You know, if you’re getting tired of all the bureaucratic bullshit, you’ve always got a place, here.”

  “I was with you guys for less than a week, and I was nearly killed over a dozen times. I think I’m safer working for the damn Agency.” He smiled at Cannon. “But thanks. Things are starting to get a bit…old. But I said I’d at least help them get on the right track. After that…”

  “Just say the word, buddy.”

  “Give me a month. Then, we’ll talk.” Crow placed his elbows on his knees. “While I realize Kam’s tie to Slader is gone, the man’s still a threat. Might suddenly decide your team deserves his personal attention for ruining his best chance at obtaining that list.”

  Six gave her good side a squeeze. “Bastard will have to get through us, first. And I like our odds.”

  “Just, watch your backs. I have a very bad feeling we haven’t seen the last of that guy.”

  “Oh, so you’re sharing my head, now, too, Crow?”

  “God, no. It’s a bag of crazy up there. Kam can have it. But while we’re on the subject… I want to see that video. After all I did, it’s the least you can do for a brother.”

  Kam inhaled. “Wait. There really is a video? Of the wedding?”

  Six scrubbed his hand across his head, then nodded. “It was part of that package deal.”

  “And when, exactly, were you planning on showing me?”

  “After I’d finally had the balls to tell you I love you. Thought that might make you see that video in a different light.”

  A loud roaring noise in her head. Like the ocean in a conch shell only a thousand times louder. Drowning out every noise in the room, until she realized there weren’t any other noises. Not a breath, a murmur. Just Six’s entire team sitting there—waiting for her to answer. To say something.

  She wet her lips, doing her best not to hyperventilate, as she stared up into those gorgeous brown eyes. “You…do?”

  Six winked, tracing the line of her jaw. “Surely, you knew.”

  “I…” She laughed, taking his face in her hands despite the pull on her ribs. “I love you, too.”

  “Finally!” Colt. From the other side of the room, instantly killing the romantic mood. “I thought you two were going to freaking drag this out, forever. Which is so ironic seeing as Six doesn’t have a problem letting everyone else know how they feel about other people.” He grinned at them. “Does that mean we can watch the video, now? I’ll make popcorn.”

  “I was thinking Kam and I should watch it alone, first. You know… Since she doesn’t even remember saying, ‘I do.’”

  “Alone? Oh, come on, buddy. We’ve be
en waiting all this time…”

  Kam laughed, snuggling into Six’s arms. “God, you’re all just twelve-year-olds at heart. Fine. Let Colt make popcorn, and we can all watch it together.”

  Colt didn’t wait for Six to add anything, just jumped up and headed for the kitchen, yelling back for Gibson to go over to his place and grab some beer.

  Six caught her jaw between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head toward him. “You sure? We haven’t even talked about the fact we’re married. How you want to move forward from here.”

  Kam pressed into his touch, loving the warm feel of his skin against hers. It eased any lingering doubts. Made everything crystal clear. “I don’t remember much, but I do remember looking up at you as I pledged my love. The way you were staring down at me. And I remember how I felt in that one moment—”

  “Hopped out on drugs?”

  “Loved. And happy for the first time since that IED. You said you finally had a chance to live without seeing how it all ended. Unless that means you want out—”

  “I just told you I love you. Does that mean something different where you’re from because I thought it meant I was in this for the long run.”

  “Is that your way of saying you don’t want an annulment?”

  “Annulments are for quitters. But in case you’re still unsure…” He took her hand—brushed his thumb over that fake ring she’d fallen in love with. “I love you, Kam. Have for some time. So, no. I don’t want to be just partners. Teammates. Lovers. I want it all. With you. For the rest of my life.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  She relaxed into his embrace, watching the video play on the television—ignoring the commentary from his buddies. When they reached the part where she walked out onto the observation deck, she inhaled, looking over at Six.

  “Is that John Legend playing in the background?”

  He smiled—smugly, the big jerk. “Couldn’t help myself. You sang it so nicely in the bar.”

  “Talk like that isn’t going to help you consummate our vows, later.”