The food disappeared almost as soon as it was placed on the table. Anyone watching would think they’d been starved for weeks. Pancakes had an extremely limited lifespan in the Butler house. There wasn’t a person who tried them that didn’t crave them afterward.
Lizzie shared the recipe with Meghan, but she’d never made them. It was part of the visit she looked forward to whenever she could make it back home. It was also the only time she ate so many carbs in a day. Her hips were groaning just knowing the number of calories she’d ingested from the pancakes, syrup, and bacon. Thank God for the fat-free half and half.
The other bad part about carbs was the after effects. All she wanted to do was close her eyes for a little bit. It might have also been that she’d been up all night. It didn’t matter, she needed to know what her sister found out from the state department guy and wanted to check to see if Rafe arrived in Denver. She hadn’t been able to check her phone while at the table either, another rule, but this one was Lizzie’s and there were no exceptions ever for anyone.
They all helped to clear the dishes and make sure the kitchen was clean. Then the kids were allowed to escape to their rooms so the grown-ups could talk. Exhausted and with her patience on a short leash, Meghan forced herself to take a few deep breaths. It reminded her of Rafe getting her through the panic attack and she smiled. But it worked, she had her emotions reigned in again.
“What’s got you smiling?” Lizzie asked as she sat down on the sofa next to her. She could have kissed her when she saw the two steaming mugs she’d placed on the table.
“Oh my God. Thank you.”
“I figured you could use some more. Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Nope. Not a wink. Did you?”
“Not much. And nothing after Mr. Clement called.”
“Where’s Mom?”
“She went to lie down. She’s been sleeping a lot more. I figured the pancakes probably didn’t hurt either. Perfect for a slow Saturday morning.”
“Is that why you started the tradition?”
“Yup. There’s a method to my madness. It even keeps the kids down to a dull roar so Craig and I can just sit back and relax for a little while. When he’s here,” Lizzie said and sighed. “That’s not much anymore. He’s been traveling so much.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be. When he gets the promotion, it will all be worth it.”
“I’m sure.” Meghan was trying to figure out how to get her back on track. She needed all the information possible about Charlie. And she still hadn’t heard from Rafe.
“Not to be a pain, because I really do care, but did Clement say anything other than what you sent in the text?” As she finished her sentence her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Thank goodness.
Hey Spitfire. I’m finally in Denver. Rocky trip. No news from Tex yet. I’ll call you if I hear anything. Xoxo
“Spitfire? Are you holding out on me?”
“Huh?” She’d been re-reading his text hearing every word in his voice, and she hadn’t realized her sister was looking at her screen.
“Who is in Denver and who is Tex?”
It’s not like she planned on keeping Rafe a secret from Lizzie or anyone, but there hadn’t been a chance to talk about anything with the kids and their mother around.
“It’s a bit of a long story. And I’ll tell you after I know for sure you told me everything you know about Charlie.”
“Of course, I did. Why would I hold back?”
“I’m not saying you are. But it’s crazy that we don’t know anything other than that they were taken hostage. You’d think we’ve have heard something else by now.”
“It just happened though. Maybe they need time to find out more?”
“I’m sure they do. But we don’t really know when it happened, only when the news broke the story. It could have happened a few days ago.”
“Shit. I didn’t think about that.” Lizzie’s eyes welled up with tears. It’s not the reaction Meghan was trying to get. Lizzie was the softy of the family, followed by Charlie. It had always been on Meghan to keep them strong. She’d been the most like their mom. Kathy Henley’s nickname had been the Rock of Gibraltar because when she made up her mind nothing and no one could persuade her otherwise. It was also because when the shit hit the fan, Kathy was always there, the tower of strength in any crisis. It all changed after their father had a heart attack and died three years ago, and then her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Now it was up to Meghan to be the rock of the family.
“I’m sorry. I’ve had too much time thinking about this. The lack of information is killing me.”
“I know. I feel like we should be doing something.”
“Exactly. But he’s in Afghanistan. Or he was. They could have taken them out of the country to hide them.” After catching the look of horror on Lizzie’s face, she realized she needed to keep most of her thoughts to herself. They weren’t going to do anything except get her sister riled up.
“Ugh. Don’t listen to me. I’m a writer remember, over-active imagination.” Meghan pulled her sister into a hug.
“You’re right. And I need to stay in control for the kids.”
“And mom. Maybe more for mom. I’m not sure what this would do to her.”
Lizzie nodded and grabbed a mug of coffee and took a big sip. Then she turned back to Meghan.
“Okay, you’ve stalled long enough. Fess up. I want to know everything about that text message. Don’t hold back because I’ll know if you try.” Dammit. She would too.
In an attempt to put off the inquisition for a tad bit longer, Meghan grabbed the other mug of coffee. There were so many emotions twisting inside she wasn’t sure what to say. Forefront was worry about Charlie, then there was Rafe. Oh boy. Her sister was going to enjoy this conversation.
“The text is from a guy named Rafe. He was one of the other stranded passengers.”
“Okay…” Lizzie was eating this up with a spoon.
“Since we were stuck for so long and most of the airport was closed, we had dinner together. He’s nice.”
“Nice? Bullshit. You never say ‘nice’.”
“Fine. He’s drop-dead gorgeous. Are you happy now?”
“Sort of. How did you go from dinner with drop-dead gorgeous to him texting you? And who the heck is Tex?”
“It was a long night.”
“I’ll bet,” Lizzie said with a smirk. She was going to have to take a bunch of crap, but it would be worth it to see Lizzie smile. It also made Rafe’s actions of the night before more understandable. She owed him an apology for her freak out.
“He was sitting near me at the gate when they announced the delay. I may have grumbled something about the plane loud enough for him to hear me.”
“Uh huh…”
“He had a point and we chatted a bit, then stood on line to update our tickets, and he asked me if I’d like to have dinner with him.”
“And you said yes? To a stranger?”
“We were in the airport. What could have happened?”
“Hey, I watch those shows on the Discovery Channel. He could have pulled you out of sight and raped you or murdered you or worse.”
“What’s worse than rape or murder?” Meghan laughed, because really. That was pretty much the top echelon of horrible.
“Whatever.”
“I may have forgotten to tell you he was in the Navy.” The look on Lizzie’s face said she wasn’t buying his being in the service as a good enough reason. “I don’t know how to explain it. There’s just something about him.”
Reaching for the other mug, Lizzie took a drink, and then sat with her legs crossed Indian style. She was definitely invested in the story now.
“Don’t stop now.”
“I guess it was the way he helped me when I found out about Charlie. We were at a bar. It was the only place still open. A Special Report came on the TV and I knew it was his group. I just knew it.” Her voice got thick
with tears, but she wasn’t going to let them fall. Not now. When Charlie came back to them, then she’d cry.
“Probably the same thing I saw. I threw up in the bathroom. Thank God the kids were in bed already.”
Meghan agreed. They’d managed to keep the news about Uncle Charlie from the ten-year-old twins so far, but there was no telling how long they’d be able to keep it quiet.
“He got me back to our table and bought me a drink. It helped take some of the chill away.”
Lizzie nodded. “So, he’s good in a crisis?”
“Hell yeah. I didn’t find out until a few hours later but he’s not just in the Navy. He’s a SEAL. So yeah, I’d say he’s amazing in a crisis. He’s also funny, smart, and when I look into his chocolate brown eyes I could stay there forever.”
“Damn. You’ve got it bad. Love in an Airport. Sounds like one of my romance novels.”
“Funny you say that. It’s what I said to him.”
“He feels the same way?”
“That’s what he says.”
“Maybe something good will come out of all of this. You’ve been alone way too long. It would be great if you found your someone.”
Meghan had to agree. Not that she’d been looking but it looked like the universe had other ideas. “Did you ask him to help us find Charlie? He must have connections, right?”
“I did. He can’t help and he explained why. But what he didn’t initially tell me is he has a friend—Tex—that is some kind of computer genius. Rafe asked him to see what he could find out.”
“That’s great. He won’t get into trouble, will he?”
“I don’t think so. I guess he does this kind of stuff a lot. But he was able to confirm that it was Charlie’s group that was taken.”
“So, you knew before you got my text?”
“Yeah but only by about an hour.”
“I guess hearing it from two separate people means there’s no doubt.” Lizzie’s voice lost the earlier animation that had been there when they were talking about Rafe. Reality sucked, but also couldn’t be avoided.
“Did he find out anything else?”
“No, not yet. If he has, he hasn’t let Rafe know yet. That’s what he said.”
“And where is he now?”
“Rafe? Denver. He was on leave going to visit his sister and her kids.”
“Wow, I’d say you’ve got quite a story for the grandkids. I met your grandpa in an airport when I was stranded. And he helped us save your Great Uncle Charlie…”
“Who saved Uncle Charlie?” Kids. Guaranteed to hear you when you didn’t want them to but not hear a thing when you wanted something.
“No one.”
“Sam said that there were missionaries kidnapped in Ganistan. Is that where Uncle Charlie is?”
“When did you talk to Sam?”
“We’re playing our game and he messaged me.”
“You let him play online? He’s only ten,” Meghan almost growled at her sister. What was she thinking?
“I monitor them, and it’s only the one game. Basketball. No killing or anything.” Meghan rolled her eyes. Her sister was beyond naïve sometimes. “Uncle Charlie is fine. You only have twenty more minutes before you need to shut down the game.”
“Can we please have a little longer?”
“No. What did I say?”
“But it’s Saturday. I don’t have any homework left.”
“No. Aunt Meghan is here and Grannie. We’re going to do something together.” That elicited not only another eye roll from Meghan but one from CJ. She’d been hoping to take a nap after they’d finished their chat. Looks like that was going to be out of the question.
Chapter 7
The flight from Atlanta to Denver had seen non-stop turbulence. Rocky was an extreme understatement. It was nice to be back on solid ground. Following the throng of people, he made his way to the rental car area to get his car. Except they didn’t have one. Perfect.
This trip had been FUBAR from the moment he’d stepped into Norfolk Airport—except for Meghan. So maybe he had to deal with all this shit to have found his woman. He’d been through worse, he’d deal. It would be a lot easier after he had a hot shower and a couple of hours of shut-eye.
“We’re sorry. If you could give us about ten minutes, we should have one for you.”
“Okay. Thanks.” It wouldn’t pay to give the counter guy a hard time, it wasn’t his fault. He was supposed to pick up the car yesterday, it’s not surprising that they rented it to someone else. In the scheme of things, what was another ten minutes? It gave him a chance to give Tex a call.
“Rafe. Bet you’re glad to be on the ground?”
“How. Never mind. And fuck yes. It was rough.”
“It looked like it.”
“Did you find out anything else? Anything I can tell Meghan?”
“Some but not enough. My regular channels were down. I had to go deeper.”
“I’m guessing that’s not normal?”
“No. Not for something like this. It’s not military or classified, it should have been easy.”
“Sounds like someone is hiding something.”
“You’re right. Except it’s a someone, not a something. The Georgia senator’s daughter to be exact.”
“What? She’s part of that group?”
“Yup. And they don’t want anyone to know it. Understandable, if the Taliban finds out they have an HVT it will go one of two ways and both will end in a bloodbath.”
Rafe whistled just under his breath. No shit. Talk about a high-value target. “Fuck me running.”
“In a word or three. I’m surprised you haven’t been spun up yet.”
“I’m sure it’s coming, it’s our section.”
“What are you going to tell Meghan?”
“I don’t know. Once the team is read in, I can’t tell her anything. This sucks donkey balls.”
“Glad I’m not in your shoes. I did some digging into her too. She’s smart, cares about others, takes care of her family. She’s got the brother and a sister. The sister is married with twins. Her dad passed away three years ago after a heart attack. Her mother is still alive but was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six months ago.”
“Holy shit. I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“I know. But I wanted to make sure you weren’t getting yourself into anything that could fuck you later.”
“Thanks, I think. Anything else? Want to tell me when she lost her virginity?”
“I could… “
“I was kidding.”
“So was I.”
“Mr. Rafe Buchanan, please come to the Enterprise Service Desk.”
“Gotta go, my car is ready.”
“I’ll keep looking. If I find anything I’ll get in touch.”
“Thank you, Tex. I appreciate you doing this more than I can say.”
“No problem. I’m happy to help.”
The drive to his sister’s passed without incident. It was nice that at least one part of the trip had. The kids were excited as always to see him and jumped on him as soon as he walked in the door. He’d been prepared, it was their usual greeting. His sister, Dawn, was another story. The dark circles under her eyes would have been enough, but her complexion was sallow. Had she been sick again?
He begged her every time to let him help her. But she was as stubborn as he was and repeatedly refused, claiming her job and the benefits she got from the government were enough. Bob was active duty when he was killed, and even though she got monthly payments for her and the kids it was hard for her to make ends meet. If she’d move to Virginia, he could help and take the kids for the weekend, but she didn’t want to take them away from their home. He understood, but they were his only family and he wanted to do more for them.
“Uncle Rafe, wait till you see how good I’m getting at basketball.”
“Great. I can’t wait.”
“Can you come now?”
“I want to say hi to your mom
and your sister, is that okay?”
“I guess so,” Chase said, and it was obvious he wasn’t happy. Rafe hid his smile. They were always so excited to see him, and he couldn’t blame them for wanting to monopolize his time. Hell, he loved being with them.
Cindy, Chase’s sister, held on to his hand like she was afraid he’d disappear. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you? Do you have something you want to show me too?”
“Yeah. But I can wait.” Quiet, reserved, just like her mom. He worried she’d hide in the background behind Chase and get lost.
“Kids, give Uncle Rafe a chance to get inside the door at least. Geesh. He’s been stuck in an airport all night. He probably needs a nap.”
“Naps are for babies, Mom. Uncle Rafe is a SEAL. He doesn’t need naps.” And there you have it, out of the mouths of children.
Dawn shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “No nap for you. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I kind of figured that would happen. Can you make a pot of coffee and pour it in a pitcher for me?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Maybe,” he said with a wink as he took four steps to pull his sister into a big bear hug. “How are you doing, sis?”
“Fine, great.”
“Liar.”
“Hey, you can’t fault a girl for trying. Seriously though, it’s all good. I’m just a little tired. We all had the flu and it’s taking a while to get back to normal.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“And what would you have done from halfway across the country? I’m a big girl, you don’t have to protect me. You need to find your own woman to protect.” If she only knew. It made him think about Meghan and how she was doing with her family. Had she gotten any more information from the state department? He still needed to let her know he arrived.
“Wait. What’s that look on your face? Rafe Buchanan, you found a woman.”
“Where is she Uncle Rafe, I want to see her,” Cindy asked. She reminded him of a little doll, and he picked her up to give her a hug.
SEAL's Spitfire (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Black Eagle Book 1) Page 5