by Sophie Oak
He had to keep his mind on the mission. He winked at Dwight, hoping it made him feel better. “This is a very safe part of the city. It’s constantly patrolled. We cleaned it out a long time ago. Seriously, who wants to be here? There’s not a goddamn thing out here.”
“Eyes front, soldiers.” Sarge walked behind them. He was a big, rough man, but he sighed as he stood behind Dwight. “O’Malley is right. It’s safe. We’ve done this several times. It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s fine. In twenty minutes, the convoy will move through, and we’ll hike it back.”
Aidan noticed how the CO shook his head as he walked away as though he knew Dwight shouldn’t be here at all. Aidan agreed. Dwight was a nice enough guy, but far too touchy for combat.
Aidan settled in. He would be in this position for a while. He let his eyes roam across the area they were protecting. Another squad was parked a mile down the road, further into the city. They had the more dangerous job. There were only two positions at this point. Guerilla Squad had a much more difficult position with buildings all around them, a hundred places for insurgents to hide.
He had another year. A whole year here before he had to go back and figure out what to do with his fucking life. Aidan was a good musician, but maybe not good enough. He’d played a bunch of gigs, but his guitar play was better than his vocals. He wondered what he would have done if that recording deal hadn’t fallen through the day after Armageddon. It was how he’d started referring to the night he’d spent fucking another man. It wasn’t just another man. It was Lucas, his best friend. And they hadn’t been alone. Lexi had been there. She hadn’t been shocked by it. Hell, she’d encouraged it. Her own mother was in the same kind of relationship.
They had made it work, Lexi’s mom and her two husbands. Jack Barnes was about as tough as a son of a bitch could get. He was a seriously scary motherfucker, but he was bisexual. Jack managed to have both Abby and Sam, and no one bothered him. And what would it matter if someone did? Why should he live his life and deny his own feelings because it bugged someone else? Why did he have to live by someone else’s rules when what he did would never harm anyone? How did loving someone make him less of a human being?
“Goddamn it, O’Malley.” The Sarge’s irritated huff brought Aidan out of his thoughts. “Your mutt’s here. I thought you tied him up.”
Aidan turned. Sure enough, Ike, the mutt he’d found starving on the roadside two days after he got to Fallujah, was trotting along as though out for a leisurely walk. His big tongue lolled out of his head, and he walked up, obviously waiting for a pat. Aidan leaned down and held out his hand. “What are you doing here, boy?”
There was the sound of distant gunfire. It came from the east, from the three story building in front of him. No mistaking the sound. Suddenly Sarge’s radio cracked to life, the sound splitting the air around them.
“Insurgents! At least five.”
Aidan knew the voice. It was Mike Garza, a corporal. He had led the snipers. The radio erupted with the rapid-fire explosions of a close-in firefight. Aidan’s heart clenched. His teammates, his friends, were fighting for their lives.
Suddenly the air around him exploded.
Bullets hit the dirt around him like lightning striking the ground.
“Fuck!” Dwight shouted beside him.
Someone started firing.
Aidan heard the Sarge yelling into the radio for help. Guerilla Squad was up the road, and they were on their way. Aidan hoped they had a medic with them, because Tanner was already down.
Aidan watched in horror as Sarge fell, a hole in his forehead. He’d shifted his helmet back, wiping sweat off his brow, and now he was gone. For a moment, Aidan couldn’t breathe. It seemed impossible. That building had been swept before by another squad who had proclaimed it safe and clean.
The world had slowed down, and Aidan felt locked in position.
Something struck his chest, sending him flying back, and he came out of his stupor. His heart raced. He had to do something.
Aidan brought the M-16 up and pulled the trigger, spattering the building with bullets. A body fell out of the window.
Chaos reigned. The ground around him exploded.
A stinging pain lashed at his face as a bullet whizzed by his head. He could feel the cuts and scrapes on his face begin to open. Blood began seeping from his cheeks, mingling with the sweat.
Aidan tried to focus. He dove for cover at the opposite wall. He sprang back up, trying to get a good line of sight.
His shoulder flew back as he took a bullet. Agony swept through him, but he remained on his feet.
The radio screamed out.
“Two men down. They’re dead—” There was a crack and then silence.
Aidan saw the glint of a gun from a broken out window. He aimed and fired. The gun, a freaking M-16—they were getting shot with their own weapons—fell to the ground below.
A sudden, shocking silence fell over the yard.
Aidan was pretty sure he could hear his heart beat. His hands shook. He ducked back down behind the wall, very aware now of a pain in his shoulder. Fuck. He’d been shot. He looked down at his body armor. The fucker had gotten him where he wasn’t protected, and now the armor was brushing against the wound. It was agonizing.
“You okay?” Specialist Charlie Link knelt down beside Aidan. They were covered by the wall, but an eerie silence had taken over.
“No.” Every word hurt. “I gotta get this armor off.”
“That’s a bad idea, O’Malley.”
“Please, it’s killing me. Guerilla Squad should be here any minute.” Aidan pulled at the fastenings of the body armor. It had saved his life, but now he couldn’t breathe in it. God, he couldn’t breathe.
Link quickly got the armor off, even as he protested the whole idea. Ike whined as he lay down beside Aidan. Aidan ran a hand over his body, checking for injuries. It looked like the dog had come out all right.
The minute the armor came off his body, he felt an immediate relief. His shoulder ached like a motherfucker, but he could breathe. Aidan took stock. The Sarge was dead. Aidan could barely comprehend it. Sarge was dead. Garza was almost certainly dead.
“Thompson?” Aidan asked.
Link shook his head.
“Tanner and Mills?”
Again, that tiny negative that indicated a wretched outcome.
“How?” Aidan had to ask. He knew the answer, but it seemed so ridiculous. How were they gone? Just minutes before, they were alive and joking. How could they be gone? It was supposed to be routine.
“Fucking Creely panicked.” Link’s voice was a mere whisper.
“What?” Aidan glanced over, and Dwight Creely was sitting with his back to the wall, his face a pasty white. He appeared to have vomited all over his armor.
Link’s mouth was tight as he whispered. “Keep quiet. I don’t think he’s in his right head. I tried to get his gun, and he damn near shot me. All I know is Tanner was beside me, and he was shot from behind. He took one in the neck. Creely didn’t jump for cover the way you and Thompson did. He just started shooting. He was behind us, so we were in his line of fire. That fucker is going to get court-martialed for sure.”
There was a loud crack, and Link’s body jerked. Link’s dark eyes stared down and Aidan watched in horror as the life drained from them. Ike got to his feet and started barking.
Link slipped to the ground, and Aidan’s eyes narrowed to Dwight Creely standing over him. His big body was a shadow, blocking the sun until all Aidan could see was the man and his gun.
“Stand down, soldier,” Aidan put a harsh bite to his voice, praying Creely would respond.
“I didn’t mean to.” Creely sounded like a petulant child. “It wasn’t my fault.”
A sick feeling took hold in Aidan’s gut. His body armor was just out of reach. Why the hell had he taken it off? He needed to keep this fucker talking until Guerilla Squad got here. “I understand that you panicked. But killing Link was murder, pure a
nd simple.”
Dwight shook his head, his lips firming to a mulish pout. “I won’t go down for this. I am not going to fucking prison.”
Aidan’s M-16 was close, but he would have to reach for it. His shoulder ached, but he could do it. The radio squawked, announcing that Guerilla Squadron was five minutes away. It was too far.
“Sorry, O’Malley. You were the only one I would have called my friend. I have to make this look good, or my life is over.”
Aidan grabbed for his gun, but Dwight was faster. Dwight shot, and Aidan felt his hand explode with pain. His fingers. Fuck. Dwight had shot his hand, and now he couldn’t feel his fingers. Dwight shot again, and Aidan pulled his ruined hand in. Blood seemed to be coming from everywhere.
“I’m sorry.” But there was nothing but a brutal will on Dwight Creely’s face as he raised the M-16.
Aidan felt a horrible burning sensation in his stomach as the bullet entered. Aidan clutched his gut and rolled, trying to get away. Then there was another blast, and his whole body went numb. His back. He’d been shot in the back. There was another shot, but all Aidan got was a glimpse of Ike running as that fucker tried to shoot at him.
Aidan went still. It was easy since the lower half of his body no longer seemed to function. Through slitted eyes he watched as Dwight jogged across the road and disappeared into the building where the trouble had started. Aidan had a sense of him returning, but he shut his eyes and kept his breathing as shallow as possible.
Lexi was somewhere out there. He wondered if she was with Lucas. He wondered if anyone would bother to tell her that he had died. The sand beneath his face reminded him he wasn’t home. He wanted to be home. He didn’t want to die in this country.
“I’m here! Please help. They killed my whole squad. I’m the only one left, and I need a medic.” Dwight was yelling.
Ike was barking, but it seemed so far away.
Aidan started to float. He didn’t want to die. He wanted to be home with them. He should never have left. Never.
It didn’t matter. The world went dark, and he dreamed of the love he’d shoved away.
* * * *
Aidan shook as he came out of the memory. Ike was still barking, just the way he had that day. It had been so real. He’d been there again. Dwight. Fucking Dwight had shot him. Dwight had killed two people that day, one on purpose, and he had nearly taken Aidan’s life. The betrayal of it all made his head spin.
Dwight might not have been cool under fire, but damn he’d been the epitome of grace under pressure after the fact. Aidan had read the reports. Insurgents had taken out the squad in close combat fighting. Several had been taken out by snipers, but one of the insurgents had made it behind the wall. It was all a lie, made up by Dwight to cover his tracks, but no one had been able to refute him.
Dwight had been fast. He must have dragged a body across the street. He’d been quick on his feet. Some of the injuries couldn’t have come from a distance. Dwight had set up a scenario with close-quarter fighting. The squad that saved them had moved quickly, because Aidan had still been alive. Coincidence had helped Dwight out as the team sent to investigate had been attacked, too. The area had been declared hot, and they hadn’t been able to get back in to investigate.
And the only person who could have turned the bastard in had forgotten the whole incident. Dwight had stayed close to make sure Aidan never told what had happened. That was why he’d been so insistent on making sure Aidan took his sleeping pills. Aidan dreamt about that day when he wasn’t on the drugs.
Damn it. It all made sense now. No one had really been after Lexi. She was just the bait to get Aidan to come home. He remembered the phone call right before Lexi had been shot. Dwight had wanted to know when he would be home. Dwight didn’t like it when Aidan left the ranch, because he couldn’t watch him. Dwight had shot at Lexi knowing Aidan would bring her back to the ranch to protect her. Aidan had walked right into Dwight’s trap.
“You remember, you son of a bitch.”
Aidan turned at the sound of Dwight’s voice, but it was too late. Dwight’s hand came down, and the butt of a rifle met Aidan’s skull.
The world went dark once again.
Chapter Eighteen
“I’m going to kill the dog.” Lucas murmured the words as he tried to cover his head with a pillow. He fully intended to call in that Dog Whisperer guy because Ike needed to learn how to tone it down. The dog was nice and all, but Lucas needed his sleep.
“You can’t kill the puppy.” Lexi turned over and cuddled close to him, her breasts nuzzling against his chest. His cock leapt to life. How did that happen? He’d come so many times the day before he would have sworn he needed more than one night’s rest to recover, but that cock of his was ready to slide inside her again.
Lexi shifted and turned her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her, cuddling her close. This was the way to wake up.
Lucas raised his head and looked over Lexi’s shoulder. Aidan was gone. He had her all to himself. Sharing was nice, but Lucas wouldn’t complain. The day before, Lucas had been the one to get up and get the work done. Aidan could take his turn. And Lucas would take his turn with their gorgeous bride-to-be. He pressed his swollen cock up against her backside and let his lips find her neck. He kissed her briefly.
“Ain’t happening, buddy. Do you have any idea how sore I am?” Lexi grumbled the question. “The only thing getting close to my backside today is a bag of frozen peas. Seriously, after taking both of you there last night, you can’t believe that’s happening again this morning. Do you know how big the two of you are?”
Lucas had to laugh. She probably was pretty sore, but he could dream. He let his hand slide around to run over her pussy.
“Sore there, too,” Lexi said, rubbing her head against the pillow. “No sex for a couple of years and then days of decadent nonstop sex with two men has taken its toll on all my girl parts.”
Well, there was always her mouth.
“And don’t even think I’m giving you a blow job, babe. My jaw is sore, too.”
She knew how his mind worked. Lucas propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her. “So, this is how marriage is going to be? I should have known all the sex would dry up the minute you agreed to let me make an honest woman of you.”
She was so pretty lying there, her eyes soft and sleepy. “I’m honestly sore. The good thing about a threesome, though, is that you can go and pester Aidan for sex.”
That was a really good idea. Lucas rolled out of bed. The day was definitely looking up. He reached for his jeans.
Lexi rolled over, a bemused smile lighting her face. “That was quick.”
Lucas shrugged and decided to try to be discreet. He wasn’t quite sure how this whole thing worked yet. “I’m just going to go help him out.”
“Of his pants, maybe.” Lexi laughed, a deep, sexy sound. “Tell the Master I love him, too, when you tackle him.”
God, he’d hit the jackpot with her. Lucas slipped a T-shirt over his head and sat back down on the bed, stroking her arm. Her skin was silky soft. So different from Aidan’s, and yet he needed both. He’d managed to find the two people in the world who could handle him. Lucas swore to himself that he wouldn’t let them down. “I love you, Lexi. Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
Her smile softened, and she reached out to him. “I think I do. I think you’re a man who’ll do anything for the people he loves. You’ve put up with my shit for a long time.”
He leaned over, touching his forehead to her. “It was never shit, Lexi. And there’s no such thing as putting up with you. I am honored to be in your life. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“I love you, too, Lucas. I wouldn’t be half of who I am today without you.”
He didn’t believe that for an instant, but he would take it. “Are you going to be okay living here? It’s a tiny town, and we’re going to be the outsiders. We’ve lived in cities all our lives.”
Lexi had been r
aised in Fort Worth. Lucas had been all over the world. Deer Run was going to take some getting used to, but Aidan needed to be here. Lexi could write anywhere. Lucas could pare his workload down and do almost everything via computer. He was a corporate lawyer. There would always be some travel, but his two biggest clients were also his brother and Julian Lodge. They were very understanding. Aidan couldn’t move his cattle ranch.
She lay back with a throaty sigh. “I think I can take it. And we’re not just outsiders. We’re crazy, immoral outsiders. The good news is Austin isn’t that far away. The ranch hands won’t care. Cowboys, I’ve discovered, are surprisingly tolerant. As long as you can ride and shoot and get your share of the work done, they don’t care what your sex life is like. And I think I’m going to try to write that book I’ve always talked about.”
Lucas felt his heart leap. “I am glad to hear that.”
“Don’t be. It might suck.”
He didn’t care if it sucked. It could be the worst book in the world, and he would love it because she’d written it. “It will be awesome, baby.”
“And don’t tell Julian or Jack what I’m doing. Tell them I’m being a pampered princess. One of those two will decide to buy a publishing company and force people to read my book. I’d like to make it on my own.” She pulled the covers up.
Lucas frowned. He’d almost caught a glimpse of her nipples. Later. He’d make sure she wasn’t sore later. He’d talk to Aidan and they would force her to soak in a hot bath. Lucas had plans to renovate the master bath, but for now it was big enough for Lexi to soak. He and Aidan would treat her like a princess all day, and she’d be ready to take them tonight. Yeah, he liked that idea.
“Get some more sleep, baby. Coffee will be ready for you when you get up.” He kissed her forehead and closed the door behind him as he entered the hall.
He was a little sore himself, but that wouldn’t stop him from suggesting that he and Aidan play around a little. Lucas entered the kitchen and checked the coffee pot. There was just enough for him. He poured a cup and then made another pot for Lexi. He sniffed a little at the brand. It wasn’t her favorite. He’d make a trip into town later and stock up. This was going to be their home. It was up to him to make it perfect for her. He would have to relearn all of Aidan’s habits.