by Kaylea Cross
“Yeah.”
Now that she was awake, he could practically feel the pent-up energy pulsing off her. She needed to blow off steam and get a change of scenery. He had an idea, though he’d gone back and forth on the way here about bringing it up. “Wanna get out of here for a while?”
“Maybe. What’d you have in mind?”
“Ever seen the landing beaches?”
“No.” She eyed him. “Why, you want to go?”
“Yeah.” It was like a date, but he considered that a good thing. Everything between them had been rushed and intense so far. They had a few hours to themselves before the meeting; he wanted to slow things down and spend quality time outside the bedroom with her. Let her see part of him he would have kept hidden before. He wanted her to know him, baggage and ghosts and all.
After watching him a moment, she nodded and settled back in her seat. “Okay, then let’s go.”
Her eager acceptance made him smile. He’d originally wanted to visit the landing beaches during his leave, and now he could. He’d just never imagined doing so under these circumstances…or with this incredible woman by his side.
Twenty minutes later she stood next to him, gazing out at the massive shell craters pitting the infamous battlefield of Pointe Du Hoc. The sharp point was the highest spot between the American sector’s Omaha and Utah landing beaches, and had been heavily defended by German forces.
“Man, can you imagine what this must have looked like on D-Day? I don’t know how the hell they made it up that cliff under that kind of fire,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I know. Those Rangers were badass motherfuckers.” The cliff was a hundred feet tall, and the troops had faced withering fire long before their landing crafts had even hit the beaches in the distance.
She nodded, gazing at the scarred landscape before them, and the waves of the Atlantic rolling onto the beach below in the distance. “Ever wonder what you’d have done, if you’d been there?”
“What do you mean?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I like to think I’m pretty brave in the face of danger. But that…” She nodded at the point and the beach beyond it. “I honestly wonder if I’d have had the guts to step out of the landing craft that morning.”
He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned into him, fitting snug and warm against the front of his body.
He loved holding her. Loved that this strong, independent woman had let him in as far as she had. But he wanted even deeper. He wanted all the way in, until she couldn’t stand being without him.
“You don’t make a charge like that because you’re brave,” he told her. “You do it because of the people beside and behind you.”
“I don’t know what that feels like.” She tilted her head back to look at him. “Is that what it was like for you?”
“Yes.” She’d never had teammates beside her and at her back when she’d gone into harm’s way, except for yesterday. “There were plenty of times when I was afraid on the battlefield, but you do what you have to do.” When fear had intruded through all his mental shields during a mission, seeping through all the professionalism and training. “Your focus is on getting the mission done, and making sure everyone on your team gets to go home alive.”
Her brown eyes shone with admiration as she gazed up at him. “That was romantic and sexily alpha at the same time, fyi.”
He gave a quiet laugh. “Didn’t feel like it at the time, I promise you.” He squeezed her tighter, enjoying the feel of her and glad he was able to share this moment with her in this hallowed place. “And, fyi, you’ll never have to go into harm’s way alone ever again.”
Her little smile turned his heart over. “That’s a pretty mind-blowing concept for me.”
“You’ll get used to it.” He tucked her back into his hold and rested his chin on the top of her head, taking in the panoramic view and thinking of the sacrifices made on that terrible day.
Next they drove to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.
They were both silent as they entered the cemetery. Almost two-hundred acres of beautifully manicured grounds containing more than nine-thousand burials. Even though Heath had known what to expect, the sight of all those white marble crosses still hit him hard.
The visual impact of all those crosses laid out would affect even the hardest heart, but the American flag flying above them was too much.
An instant lump formed in Heath’s throat, the backs of his eyes stabbed by a thousand pinpricks. Before him lay a testament to the cost of war. Every one of these graves marked someone’s son, husband, father, brother, friend. It made him think of the friends he’d lost in service to their country. Made him wonder for the millionth time if their sacrifice had been worth it.
He had to believe it was. He couldn’t handle the alternative.
Something brushed his hand, then slender fingers twined through his. “You okay?” Chloe asked.
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he took it all in and remembered his dead buddies. During his tours he’d seen a lot of death. But losing a friend never got any easier, and his mother’s violent death would always haunt him too.
He was thankful he hadn’t seen it, but he would never stop feeling that he should have been there to protect her. That he should have forced her to leave that abusive asshole before it was too late. Maybe then she would still be alive.
Chloe squeezed. “You lost friends overseas.”
She was so perceptive. Even after just a few days together, she saw the deepest parts of him. No one had ever done that before. Not even his family, and he loved them to death. “Four.”
“And your mother. You blame yourself for not being there to save her.”
God. He finally found the courage to look at her, unashamed that his eyes were wet. “Yes.”
A nod. Then she turned her gaze back to the crosses in front of them, allowing him some privacy while still giving him the comfort of her support. “We’ll honor them all today in this sacred place. Together.”
Her quiet words almost did him in. If she’d made a big deal out of it or tried to fawn all over him, he would have been embarrassed and probably annoyed. The way she’d handled it was just so damn perfect. “And Fleur,” he managed past the restriction in his throat. He hadn’t known her, but he wished he had. To earn Chloe’s love and loyalty, she must have been an amazing person.
Chloe flashed him a poignant smile that pierced his heart. “Yes. And Fleur too.”
They stayed where they were for another ten minutes or so, standing side by side in silence as he privately grieved for his lost friends. When he tugged on her hand, she didn’t say a word, just walked beside him down the path. Driving away from the cemetery later, he felt more at peace than he had in a long time.
As soon as they were inside their rental condo, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, where he laid her down on the bed and took his sweet time making her come with his mouth before sliding deep inside her. She was right there with him, urging him on with sweet gasps and whispers, holding him close.
In the aftermath he rolled them so she was on top, her cheek nestled into the hollow of his shoulder. A level of peace he’d never experienced before flowed over him.
Chloe’s phone rang. On a groan she reached across him to grab it from the nightstand. “Hey, Itch. Everything good?” She listened for a minute. “Copy that. I’ll tell him.”
“Something up?” he asked when she ended the call.
“Amber got a location on Dubois,” she said, lying back down on him. “He’s in Belgium and staying overnight at a hotel, so the country property’s clear except for some minimal security.”
“So the op there’s a go?”
“Yep. We’re meeting at the primary RV point at 22:00 hours.” She snuggled closer, gave a soft, contented sigh, and her not jumping up after knowing Dubois’ location told Heath he’d stolen just as much of her heart as she had his. “Which
means we don’t have to leave for another couple hours.”
He slid his arms around her, savoring the warmth of her body and the silken softness of her skin. “Perfect.” Because he selfishly wanted her all to himself like this for as long as he could.
She was quiet for a few minutes before speaking. “Why hasn’t some smart woman locked you down yet?” She sounded baffled.
“The honest answer is, I’ve never been into long-term before.”
“No? How come?”
The truth forced him to confront his demons and dig up things from his past he’d rather forget. But he’d tell Chloe. “I’ve always had a hard time trusting when it comes to romantic relationships. I guess it’s from watching what happened to my mom over and over growing up. The guys she brought home were all great at first. But eventually the shine would wear off and they’d start showing their true colors. They’d stop being nice at some point, stop faking what they were, and they all turned out to be abusive assholes.” And their true colors had nearly always manifested in the form of bruises on his mother. “It just turned me off the whole long-term commitment thing, I think.”
Until now. Because of Chloe, everything had changed. She’d shown him the strength of her loyalty, had demonstrated the true depth of her character. He’d seen the true essence of her, didn’t have to worry that she might be hiding behind a fake veneer—and that was the basis for his fear of commitment all these years. Chloe was real, and it opened up a part of him he’d kept closed off his whole life.
“I can understand that,” she said. “Although you’ve already seen me at my worst, and you’re still here.”
“That’s because you’re different.” He hugged her closer to kiss her forehead.
“Bet your ass I am,” she said proudly.
Heath grinned and lay there soaking up the contentment of being with her. So strange, to be this at peace with someone who brought such chaos. But hell, he couldn’t imagine losing Chloe now.
He was free climbing now, halfway up the rock face with nothing below to break his fall. But it was another kind of fall he faced now.
For the first time in his life, he wanted a real relationship with a woman.
Chapter Twenty-Two
In the back of the van, Chloe checked her weapon one more time, holstered it, then glanced around at the others in the dim interior. “You got comms ready for us?” she asked Trinity
“Yep.” She handed everyone an earpiece that they slipped in and activated. While Chloe was acting team leader for this op, Trinity was overseeing the whole thing and reporting anything pertinent back to Alex Rycroft. “Comm check.”
Everyone checked in.
“Okay, time to get this party started,” Megan murmured, tugging the black ski mask over her face.
“Guys, you good to go?” Chloe asked Heath and Ty, who were seated across the van from her.
“Yep,” Heath said, giving her a little smile that made her heart kick hard against her ribs.
It was now after midnight and they were a few klicks from Dubois’ country manor. Amber and Jesse were in a different van parked on the other side of the estate, having flown in that afternoon to assist in the op to infiltrate the house and search for intel about the missing shipment of women.
Everyone knew the plan inside and out, but Megan had been antsy all afternoon. Chloe snapped her fingers twice to get her friend’s attention and held out a hand. “Hands.”
In the act of pulling out her gloves, Megan paused. “What?”
She wiggled her fingers impatiently. “Hands.”
Megan made a huffing sound and grudgingly held out her hands.
In the dim lighting Chloe tutted as she examined the raw, bloody mess all around Megan’s nails where she’d picked the skin away. Both hands. That meant her anxiety level had to be bad. “You still do that before an op, huh?”
“Man, does she know you or what,” Ty said with a chuckle. Then to Chloe, “I’ve tried everything to get her to stop.”
Megan snatched her hands back and pulled on her gloves, ignoring them. Anxiety had been her constant companion her whole life, something she’d had to figure out how to manage. Picking at her fingers was a habit—coping mechanism, really—she’d developed that she’d never broken. “I’m way better than I used to be. I’d give you some of the credit for that, but now I don’t want to.”
Grinning, Ty grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss. “You love me.”
“I do.”
That much was obvious. Ty was a solid, stabilizing force in Megan’s life and Chloe was seriously impressed. And if her friend’s anxiety about the future started to get the better of her, all she had to do was look at the promise ring on her finger. Ty loved her and would stand by her through anything.
Chloe bet Heath would be like that in a relationship too, and it made the yearning inside her so sharp it hurt. This afternoon at the landing beaches he’d allowed her to see the most private part of him, and it had touched her deeply. She’d never felt so close to anyone in her life, and while it scared her a little, it also filled her with a joy she’d never experienced before.
But she couldn’t think about any of that right now. They had to infiltrate Dubois’ manor house and get all the intel they could if they were going to have any chance of rescuing the missing women.
“Amber, how are things looking on your end?” Trinity asked.
“All systems go. All your tracking beacons are operational.” Amber was handling security systems and overwatch using all her electronic wizardry from her makeshift mobile command center. “I’ll start the security system hack when the entry team’s in position.”
“Perfect. Let’s rock,” Chloe said.
On the way out of the van Heath squeezed her shoulder before pulling on his own mask. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yep.” Chloe would act as tour guide and lead them into position inside the house. Heath was going in as her backup, and there was no one she trusted more to protect her while she and Megan searched for secret files.
For someone who had always operated alone until recently, it was an incredible feeling.
“Jesse, you all set?” Amber said.
“Locked and loaded,” her boyfriend responded, already providing overwatch and protection for them on an incline at the north side of the property. He would report any movement or comings and goings on the front grounds and give them security updates.
“This is so high tech compared to what I’m used to,” Chloe said as she checked her weapon one last time. Whenever she took out a security system, it was with wire cutters and duct tape or bullets. This was so much slicker. “Imagine the things I could have accomplished with all this tech and firepower behind me.”
“I’d say you had plenty of firepower behind you already,” Heath said dryly, holstering his pistol.
He was so cute. “Touché.”
“All right, anything else you want to go over before we do this?” Trinity asked.
Chloe looked at the others, then shook her head. “Nope. Let’s do this.” She held her hand out, palm down. “Everyone in. Valkyries on three.”
Megan grinned and put her hand on top of Chloe’s. Heath and Ty followed suit, then Trinity placed hers on top.
“Okay.” Chloe’s whole body was charged, excitement and anticipation stirring in her gut. “One. Two.”
“Valkyries,” everyone said, throwing their hands up.
“I’m so pumped,” Chloe said under her breath as she tugged her mask down over her face. “Amber?”
“Roger. Initiating hack of the perimeter security now. Stand by.”
Heath stood behind Chloe. Megan moved in behind him, Ty at her back.
Facing the direction of the manor house, Chloe locked her focus in. When they found what they were looking for, she was going to use it to nail Guillaume Dubois’ ass to the wall. “Okay, team. Follow me.”
AS SOON AS they started moving, Megan’s anxiety level dropped to almost zero. It was alw
ays that way when she was in op mode.
She followed close behind Chloe, with Ty and Heath bringing up the rear. In the lead, Chloe moved swift and sure up the grassy incline that led to the field adjoining Dubois’ estate.
It wasn’t easy for her old friend to let others help with something like this. Megan was glad to see Chloe opening up and accepting the others on the team as part of this mission.
Their involvement wasn’t completely altruistic, however. Megan and Trinity wanted Chloe to come on board as a permanent member of their team, and they were prepared to do whatever it took to make that happen. Starting with rescuing these women and taking down Dubois.
“You still read me?” Trinity asked via comms.
“Loud and clear,” Chloe murmured back.
The more time Megan spent with Trinity, the more she appreciated the older Valkyrie’s ability to calmly take charge and organize things. When Trinity was at Laidlaw Hall, she spent a lot of time with Kiyomi. Megan wanted to hang out with them more once this was taken care of and she brought Chloe back with her. Chloe was easily the most social and outgoing Valkyrie Megan had ever met. It must have been extra hard on her to be alone all these years.
“Perimeter cameras going down in three, two, one… Out.” Amber announced.
Chloe stayed in front as they jumped a ditch and ran across the expanse of grass toward the eight-foot-tall stone wall surrounding the manor.
“You’re clear,” Jesse told them.
Music to Megan’s ears.
“Interior yard is clear too,” Amber reported, now watching the hacked security feeds on her computer. “I’ve got everything on a loop so it won’t raise suspicion.”
Heath boosted Chloe up to scale the wall. She straddled the top, checked, then dropped down on the other side. “Go,” she told them.
Heath jumped up to grab the top of the wall and hoisted himself to the top, then reached down for Megan’s hands while Ty boosted her up. They dropped down on the other side, followed by Ty a second later, and took up a diamond formation as they moved toward the house.