Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Rayne lay sleeping on the makeshift bed Ghost had made for her. Luckily, their escape from the square had been anticlimactic. They hadn’t run into any more militants and the Egyptian Army had finally gotten serious about making sure the coup was squashed once and for all. They’d swept into the government building after hearing all the hostages had been rescued and hadn’t wasted time trying to negotiate or take anyone alive.

  The sympathizers who’d been on their way with their RPGs had been taken out before they were able to set off any of the rockets. For now, the building was secure, but everyone knew that chopping off the arms and legs of the beast wouldn’t keep it down for long. The head would have to be cut off for the coup to be fully extinguished. And the likelihood of that was slim. Ghost wouldn’t be surprised if they found themselves back in Egypt sooner rather than later. But that was fine with him. He’d gladly take out the fuckers who had hurt Rayne. They might not have physically been in that room with her, but they’d given the militants the firepower to make it happen.

  Ghost didn’t care about the Egyptian Army at the moment. All he cared about was Rayne and making sure she was safe and healthy. Truck and Fletch had met them in a back alley off the square and quickly wrapped Rayne’s ankles and wrists in pressure bandages. Truck had lifted Rayne out of Ghost’s arms as if she didn’t weigh more than a child, and they’d hurried off to meet the rest of the teams.

  Ghost would’ve protested, but he knew Truck could carry Rayne for miles and not tire…he was that big and strong. Besides, Ghost was hoping they’d run into more militants so he could blow them away to get some revenge for what Rayne had gone through.

  They’d met no resistance and arrived back with the teams within ten minutes. Mozart, one of the SEALs, had asked if they were taking Rayne to the Red Cross hospital that had been set up to deal with the hostages, and before Ghost could answer, Wolf spoke up.

  “No, she’s Ghost’s. She stays with us all the way home.”

  Not one man argued, not one man questioned Wolf’s statement. If she was one of theirs, then there was no question that she wasn’t going to be let out of their sights.

  Ghost looked into the eyes of the SEALs standing around him. Every single one of the men, who he knew were just as deadly as his own team of Deltas, had looks of compassion and care on their faces. If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he never would’ve believed in the middle of a mission, in the middle of a country on the verge of civil war, a group of badass Alpha men could be touched by the plight of a woman, who certainly wasn’t looking her best at the moment.

  Besides only wearing his T-shirt, Rayne’s hair was covered in dirt and it lay lankly around her face. She had dark circles under her eyes, along with bruises on both cheeks. She hadn’t said the assholes hit her, but it was obvious they had. She wasn’t a small woman, but lying hurt and dirty in his teammate’s arms, she looked small and defenseless.

  Rayne stirred in Truck’s hold and her eyes opened into slits. She looked up at the large man who was holding her, and instead of freaking out, as some women had done in the past when they’d been confronted with Truck’s face, she merely smiled a half smile and mumbled, “I hope you killed the fucker who hurt you,” and she passed back out.

  The look on Truck’s face would’ve been comical if the situation wasn’t so urgent.

  They’d set Rayne down and Truck and Mozart got to work on her wounds. They were deep and the two men didn’t want to stitch them up without thoroughly cleaning them first. For now, they did the best they could with what little sterile fluid they had in their packs and re-wrapped them tightly. Thankfully, Rayne didn’t move throughout what had to be a very painful process.

  Ghost stayed by her, with one hand resting on her forehead the entire time. When they were done, Truck picked her up again and all thirteen men made their way to their extraction point.

  Now they were on the military plane, headed back to the States. They’d land at Fort Hood first, then the SEALs would be returning to California, to their own base and their families.

  Rayne was in the back of the plane on the pallet that had been made for her. She’d go straight to the hospital when they landed in Texas for some advanced medical care. Ghost had no idea what would happen after they landed.

  “This reminds me of Caroline, Wolf,” Cookie said with a smile as they all got settled, remembering how they’d stolen Wolf’s woman away from a “situation” once. She’d lain on a pallet at the back of a military plane, much as Rayne did now.

  Wolf smiled in memory, but didn’t say anything.

  “So, what’s the story, Ghost?” Dude asked.

  Ghost kept quiet.

  Not taking the hint, Dude continued pushing. “She doesn’t know you’re Delta?”

  Ghost shook his head.

  “What’re you going to do about it?”

  Ghost shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “Dumbass,” Abe murmured under his breath.

  “Watch it, Frog,” Fletch warned, standing up for his teammate.

  “I already gave him the talk,” Wolf informed his team easily, not in the least perturbed by the hostility emanating from Ghost’s teammate. “Told him he would be an idiot to let her go. You guys know how long it took me to claim Caroline. I didn’t want him to have to go through the same shit I did.”

  Ghost broke in before his guys lost it. The last thing they needed was a SEAL-against-Delta fight at thirty-six thousand feet. He had no doubt his guys would win, but it’d be a tough fight. “Look, we met about six months ago. We had a…thing. A one-night thing. That’s all it was.”

  “You haven’t hooked up since then, have you, Ghost?” Blade asked knowing a bit more than Ghost would like.

  Hollywood whistled low and long, joining in the conversation. “She got to you.”

  “Shut it, guys,” Ghost warned. “We’ve been busy. Just because I haven’t had the time to fuck doesn’t mean I’ve been pining over Rayne.”

  “It makes sense now,” Coach broke in, ignoring his leader’s warning. “You’ve had time, Ghost. Don’t fucking lie. That night a month or so ago when we all went out and that barrack bunny was all over you…couldn’t figure out why you didn’t take that home and tap it, but now we know.”

  Ghost did not want to discuss this, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get his way. “That’s not why, asshole. I was tired and she looked like she’d want to hang on for more than a night.”

  “Bullshit,” Fletch said in an easygoing voice. “She wanted what all barrack bunnies want…one night with a military man. She was as much a sure thing as you could get.”

  Ghost stayed quiet. They were right. The chick in question had been all over him, practically had her hand down his pants right there at the bar. He could’ve taken her in the back alley, had her suck him off, and been back in the bar within ten minutes. But the second he felt her breath on his neck, all he could remember was Rayne’s sweet little nips and sucks against him as she lay exhausted in his arms. He hadn’t had a woman since Rayne, and hadn’t even missed it.

  “It was after that mission in Turkey, wasn’t it?” Truck asked. “You had that layover in London. You were a day later than the rest of us getting back because your flight was canceled. That was about six months ago.”

  “It’s fate, Ghost. My advice? Don’t fight it,” Wolf said with certainty.

  Ghost never would’ve opened up, but he was tired and worried about Rayne, and still felt a bit off-kilter about finding her in the middle of an op. And knowing she’d almost been raped and violated over and over again, all in the name of some fake ideological crap, made him feel raw and even vulnerable.

  “I lied to her. She doesn’t even know my name.”

  “She called you Ghost in there,” Wolf pointed out easily. “She knew who you were immediately.”

  “That’s not my name though.”

  “It’s who you are,” Beatle insisted, repeating what Fletch had told him earlie
r. “You’re Ghost. I’m Beatle. That’s Blade and Truck and Fletch. Half the time I don’t even remember our given names. You know Coach won’t even tell us his real name. He goes by his middle name, but hasn’t told a soul what his first name is. What did she call out in the middle of her orgasm?”

  Ghost glared at Beatle. “I’m not fucking telling you that.”

  Beatle continued as if Ghost had answered him affirmatively. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You didn’t lie about who you were, Ghost. That’s what matters.”

  “I left her in the morning. I didn’t even wake her up to say goodbye.” Why Ghost continued to tell the guys everything he’d done, he had no idea. All he knew was that he felt guilty as hell, even though he’d done the same thing time and time again with other women, women whose names he couldn’t remember.

  “Did you promise her you’d keep in touch?”

  Damn. Fletch had already been over this with him, but was rehashing for the other guys.

  “No,” Ghost said, disgruntled.

  Fletch continued, “So she knew it was a one-night thing. I’m assuming she agreed.”

  Ghost nodded reluctantly.

  “Sounds to me as if she knew what she was getting into.”

  Ghost ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “She did, but she didn’t. She’d never had a one-night stand before. She’s a romantic. She…she expected more. I know she did.”

  The men were silent for a beat, and then Wolf spoke up. Ghost didn’t know Wolf that well, but he could tell he was one hundred percent sincere when he spoke.

  “I tried to push my Caroline away. Thought I was doing the right thing. We know our jobs are dangerous. There’s no way I’d want any blowback on her. She’d been kidnapped, had the shit beaten out of her, among other things, and after we rescued her, she looked at me as if I was the sun in her sky…and I pushed her away. I thought it was for her own good. I didn’t think I was good for her.”

  When he paused, Ghost said, “And?”

  Wolf smiled a bit. “And, it was all bullshit. I wanted her more than I wanted anything in my entire life. She made me happy, she made me feel human. I wanted to steal her away. Make it so no other man would dare look at what was mine.”

  “So you went to her and now all’s well.”

  The other SEALs laughed at that. Wolf said drolly, “Not quite. Cookie here gave her his trident pin.”

  Truck blew out a loud, disbelieving breath. They all knew what the pins meant that SEALs earned once they were officially made part of the teams. For Cookie to give Wolf’s woman his SEAL pin had to have been a low blow for Wolf.

  “Yeah. Pissed me off. Took me quite a bit of time to exchange his for mine. Fucker. I didn’t get it away from her until our wedding.” Wolf mock-glared at Cookie, who merely chuckled back at his team leader. It was clear the two men were close.

  “It wasn’t an easy road. She was upset. I was upset, but in the end, she was mine. That’s all it was. She. Was. Mine. The thought of any other man putting his hands on her, of looking at her, of giving her the things she needed in her life, made me crazy. Bottom line is, Ghost, if the thought of her snuggling up to another man doesn’t make you want to kill someone, then let her go to live that life. She’ll find another man to make her feel good, to marry, to have babies with.” Wolf was purposely twisting the knife, trying to rile Ghost and make him think. “But if you want her…figure out how to make it work because she’ll complete you in a way no one else ever has or will.”

  The men were quiet after Wolf’s speech and slowly they drifted off to sleep. Ghost knew he wouldn’t sleep, not with worry for Rayne and Wolf’s words rattling around in his head. He went to the back of the plane and took a seat next to Rayne’s bed. She’d turned, awkwardly lying on her side, facing the back of the plane.

  She was still wearing his T-shirt and the sheet that had been placed over her had fallen below her butt as she’d shifted. The tattoo on her lower back that Ghost had admired all those months ago was clearly visible with her movements. He stared at it for a moment, not believing what he was seeing. His first thought was to cover her up so any of the other guys on the plane wouldn’t see her, but he was frozen in place, seeing her tattoo that had so moved him again.

  When he’d given her his T-shirt in the government building, he’d only been concerned about preserving her modesty and getting the hell out of the room and situation. As much as he loved seeing her naked, that had been the last thing on his mind. When Truck and Mozart had been patching her up, again, she’d been covered from her neck to her thighs by his shirt, and he was more concerned about the wounds on her ankles and wrists than anything else.

  But now, seeing the tattoo that had meant so much to him, and the recent alterations, made his breath catch.

  She’d added him to her skin.

  Oh, he’d already seen himself in her tattoo the way it had been, but now if he’d thought he could deny that their one night meant anything to her, he couldn’t anymore. The proof was in front of him in Technicolor—and it literally made him want to cry.

  Fletch cleared his throat behind him, thankfully preventing Ghost from bawling like a baby. He quickly grabbed the sheet and brought it up and over Rayne, shielding her from his teammate’s eyes. Ghost didn’t want anyone seeing what was his.

  “Looks like that one-night stand was a bit more intense than you wanted to admit, on both your parts.”

  Fuck. He’d been too slow to cover her up and Fletch had obviously gotten a good look at Rayne’s tattoo. Ghost stayed silent and didn’t look up at his friend, not sure what to say.

  “Her tattoo looks familiar…much like the one you got on your leg a few months ago.”

  Ghost still said nothing. There was nothing to say.

  Fletch sighed. Then surprised Ghost by admitting out of the blue, “I’ve met someone. She’s funny and amazing and is more stubborn than anyone I’ve ever known. She’s got secrets, and won’t let me in. But the worst thing is that she seems to already have a man.”

  Ghost did look up at that. His friend was standing with one shoulder against the wall, seemingly relaxed, but every muscle in his body was tense and Ghost could tell he was anything but.

  “Every time I see them together I want to pound something. She’s got an amazing little girl who is scared of this new guy.”

  “Fletch—”

  He didn’t let Ghost continue. “I heard what Wolf said, and he’s right. I haven’t even touched this woman, but if the simple thought of her new asshole boyfriend doing anything to hurt her or her daughter makes me this crazy, I can’t imagine what you’re going through. If she’s yours,” Fletch motioned with his head to Rayne, “you need to fight for her, Ghost. And it’s obvious she’s yours. Looks like you inked her on you, and if that little fucking ghost on her skin is any indication, she’s inked you on her too.”

  “But the teams—”

  “You think we won’t support you? Think we won’t protect her as we do you? What do we all have inked on our sides, Ghost? Huh? Defend my brothers and their women. We all want someone. Why would we put that in writing on our bodies if we didn’t? For Christ’s sake, Ghost. Don’t let her go again.”

  Ghost looked back at Rayne. She was huddled under the sheet and her back moved up and down with her deep, sedated breaths. He nodded once and heard Fletch walk away to leave him alone with Rayne.

  After watching her sleep, Ghost made his decision.

  He’d fight for her, but he wasn’t sure if Rayne would fight for him in return. He knew he had a long road ahead of him. He’d rescued her, yes, but he had a long way to go to get her to trust him again. He understood that as clearly as if Rayne had turned around and said the words.

  “I swear to you, Rayne. I will never lie to you again. Never.” The vow was quiet and heartfelt, and Ghost meant every word, even if Rayne didn’t hear it.

  Unable to resist, Ghost pulled the sheet back to take another look at her tattoo. Big Ben was new and stood t
all and proud behind one of the wings of the huge eagle. The words “Quiet Professionalism” were written in script, like clouds around the tower. The little ghost looked almost alive, flitting around the clock tower, proof that he wasn’t a fleeting part in her life. He touched it reverently with one finger.

  Rayne shifted at his touch, pressing backwards as if unconsciously reaching for him.

  Without thinking about it, Ghost eased himself onto the small mattress and fitted her to his front, careful not to jostle her wounds in any way. It was a tight fit on the cot. He was fully dressed, even wearing his boots, but he needed to hold her, to be close to her, to keep her safe.

  Ghost pulled the sheet back up and over them, wanting to be sure Rayne was warm enough. He gingerly put one arm around her waist, and eased the other under her head.

  Feeling content for the first time in six months when Rayne snuggled back into his embrace, he closed his eyes and prayed. Prayed she’d forgive him his lies, prayed they’d find a way to make a relationship work. They had a lot to figure out, but lying there with Rayne safe in his arms, Ghost couldn’t think about anything other than how relieved he was that fate had led him to her when she’d needed him most.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Rayne groggily opened her eyes and flinched at the bright light, immediately closing them again. She felt herself being jostled and heard soft voices around her. It took her a moment to remember what had happened, but as soon as she did, she opened her eyes into slits, being a bit more cautious this time.

  She was lying on something soft and being wheeled into a building. She turned her head and gasped.

  Ghost. It really was him.

  Slowly, the pieces of her capture and rescue came back to her. Just when she thought she’d die in that building in Cairo, Ghost had shown up as if by a miracle.

  He’d been patient and calm, and he and his…partner…whatever the other guy was, had gotten the damn chains off of her and Ghost had carried her to safety. Rayne remembered bits and pieces after that. Swallowing a couple of pills, the pain of her wounds being cleaned, and being held in Ghost’s arms as she slept. That last bit she wasn’t sure about, since she’d dreamed about being in his arms almost every night since he’d left her in London.