by S. M. Butler
“Who?”
“My team. I have a GPS locator in my chest.” He winced as he straightened his body. My husband had a GPS locator in his chest. It was like I was in a bad action movie.
I pulled the gun from where I’d shoved it. It was warm at the tip, where it’d sat against my body. But the handle was cool to the touch. I wanted to just hand it over to Brody and be done with it. I didn’t want to hold it. The thought of guns made me sick to my stomach right then.
“Oh, Devyn, I really never expected you to be this much trouble.” I raised the gun as I whirled toward the door. Brody froze behind me, one hand still tied. His free hand touched my shoulder in a reassuring way.
I aimed that gun right at Marie as close to center mass as I could get it. She had a gun pointed at me too, and I trusted her aim a lot more than mine. But I was done showing her fear. She’d threatened me, threatened my children, kidnapped me, and now she was about to kill me.
Devyn
Anger infused my present mind. Marie had disrupted my life. She’d lied to me. She’d kidnapped me and Brody. She’d tortured him. Kept me in a closet. My girls were hundreds of miles away, not knowing where their parents were. Whatever happened today, I was determined not to let Marie do any more damage to my life.
I leveled my gun at her. I wanted her to die.
Brody’s voice was quiet and close to me. “Devyn, give me the gun.”
“No.” I stared at Marie and stepped closer to her. “This ends today.”
“It’s already over, Devyn,” Brody said. “My team is the attacking force. They’re here to take us home.”
Marie laughed maniacally. “It’s certainly not over, Petty Officer Battles. It’s far from it. This house is compromised, yes, but we have dozens more. This will barely make a dent.”
“You could save yourself,” Brody told her. “You could come back with us, talk to us about your father.”
“Betray my family? With the very people who are responsible for my husband’s death. You must think I’m mad.” She turned toward me again, that gun zeroing in on her. “And you, little girl. You’re not going to shoot me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve known you for over a year. I had all that time to study you, the way you operate. I know you better than you know yourself and you’re not going to shoot me. Because you have honor and no will to be a killer.”
“I could be,” I said, through my teeth, my jaw clenched shut. “You’ve pushed me pretty far, Marie.”
Brody tried to grab me again, but I shrugged him off and stepped out of his reach. “Devyn, don’t take that bait.”
Marie didn’t even spare Brody a glance. All her attention focused on me. “You’re too honorable. You’re too pathetic. A stupid cow of a housewife who has no discernible skill set for the real world. You couldn’t even protect your children. You even let me babysit them. All it would have taken was a slice of my knife across their throats.”
“Shut up!” I screamed, the fury swirling around my head, leaving me cloudy and shaking. Nothing she was saying was wrong. I had always been a housewife. I’d always been scared to lose Brody, not just because I loved him, but because I had no future without him.
“You know what I’m going to do, Devyn? Once I kill you, and your stupid macho husband, I’m going to hunt down everything you hold dear. Your parents, your cousins, the Hardys, Riley and Jackie. All of them. And I’ll line them up right next—”
The gun fired. I didn’t even realize it before it happened.
Blood bloomed on her chest, from the tiny hole I put there, spreading outward like a plague. Jane’s look of surprise as she glanced down at her chest was incredibly satisfying to the rage she’d provoked within me. She dropped to her knees, her body going limp a little at a time until she hit the ground.
I stood there, the gun still pointed at her limp body. I’d killed someone. I guessed this meant that I wasn’t near as honorable as she’d thought. Or maybe I was, and I’d killed my honor in the instant where I’d fired that gun. Either way, I was now a killer. That was enough to bring me to my knees.
~*~*~
Brody
I struggled with the last of the tie, but I’d been too late. Marie had been goading Devyn. I’d recognized the signs, but the stress of the situation had caught up to my wife. I finally got the rope off my wrists, which both burned with fresh air on the raw skin.
Devyn seemed frozen, standing over Marie. Blood pooled beneath the body, spreading out. No doubt the heart was probably hit. There would be no saving Marie Giroux. Not that anyone in the room wanted to.
I stepped over to Devyn, and slowly put my hand on her arm. She didn’t object. Actually, she didn’t do anything at all. She just stood there. Shock. I slid my hand down her arm until my fingers touched the gun. Slowly, I covered the gun with both of my hands, pointing it away from both of us.
“Devyn… it’s time to let go.” I whispered the words to her. At first, she didn’t seem to hear me. “Sweetness?”
Her breath shuddered and her eyes widened. They lifted until she met my eyes. There were no tears. Not yet. No doubt, as soon as her heart stopped pumping all that adrenaline through her blood, she’d feel it. But right now, I just wanted to get the gun away from her.
“Let me have the gun, Devyn. Let go.” I kept my voice low and calm. I’d never seen her so out of it.
“I am letting go,” she replied, deadpan.
“Of the gun, sweetness.”
She frowned, still in contact with my eyes. I willed her to focus on my eyes, because then I knew I had at least some of her attention. She started to glance away. “No, look at me, Dev.” She came back to me. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. We’re good. I’m here. We’re safe.”
I managed to pry the gun from her hands, emptied the chamber, and flipped the safety back on. Her body was starting to tremble, signaling the oncoming storm. I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. There was another shudder, and then she slowly slid her arms around my waist, burying her head in my chest.
“Shh… I got you. I promise. I won’t let go.” As soon as I said it, she shuddered hard and muffled sobs hit my ears. I had to get her away from Marie. She didn’t need to see that.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway beyond the room. I raised the gun, flipping off the safety. Three men entered the room, all in familiar Kevlar gear. I sighed in relief as Hardy flipped open his visor.
“About fucking time,” I replied. Devyn clung tighter but her head turned to see the new entrants. “It’s alright, Devyn. It’s just the guys from work.” She reburied her face into my chest. I winced as she touched one of the long welts Rene had caused, but I didn’t want her to pull away.
“Geez, come to rescue your ass and you’re in the basement having a romantic moment.” Hardy air quoted the last two words.
Murphy was the guy next to him apparently. He punched Hardy in the arm and flipped up his visor. “Jackass.” He turned to me. “Good to see you two alive. Devyn, you look well. Battles, you look like shit.”
“You’re so sweet.” I glared at him. Devyn didn’t acknowledge Murphy at all.
“Come on, chopper’s waiting. Can you walk?”
I tested my muscles out a little. Seeing as I’d only done the slow movements before, I wasn’t sure. But they were responding a little. “I think so. Slow going, though.”
“I’ll help him,” Devyn spoke for the first time, raising her head so she could look at me. Her eyes were puffy, red-tinged from crying.
I kissed her forehead. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. But I want to go home.”
I nodded. “Okay. Let’s go home, my love.”
~*~*~
We were in the courtyard when we heard the scream ahead of us. Murphy glanced at Hardy and the two of them went running. The third, Urban, stayed with us. I loved this team. We didn’t even have to talk to know our duties anymore.
I heard shots
as we rounded the corner. I pulled Devyn back when she tried to go forward. “Wait. They’ll secure the area first.”
“That was a woman,” she said.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Addison, Brody.” She pronounced the name slowly. “That has to be her.”
I sighed. I looked at Urban, who peered around the corner. “It’s a female. There’s a dead man beside her.”
Urban grabbed my arm and helped me as we trudged toward the scene. Murphy and Hardy had their guns pointed at the girl, whose blonde hair was obscuring her face. Her hands were up, palm toward the two, and trembling.
“On your knees!” Murphy shouted. She dropped to her knees and extended her hands up in the air. Or as best as she could. Her hands were bound together with the same rope that had held me captive.
“Look at me! I want to see your face!” Murphy demanded. Slowly, the woman lifted her head, her blonde hair falling to the side, revealing watery baby blues, her face caked with dirt and blood. Her clothes were covered in blood, but I couldn’t tell if it was hers or not. She had a sweater wrapped around her leg, which she favored, even on her knees.
I grabbed Devyn and pulled her close. “Stay here.”
“But it’s—”
“I know.” I glanced at Hardy’s face, the shock on his face apparent. “So do they.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake! Hold your fire, man! She’s not one of them!”
I saw the panic light up on Addison’s face as soon as Hardy spoke. Her hands started to fall.
“Hands! Now! And keep them there!” Murphy shouted.
“Dude, that’s my sister.”
From there, the world started to get fuzzy. My breath was harder to catch. Devyn turned back to me. “Brody? Brody, are you okay?”
I nodded. At least, I think I nodded.
“Dylan!” Devyn’s voice was loud and desperate. I fell forward, and she caught me, but I couldn’t lift up my weight from her. “Someone help me!”
The world spun even more, haze descending upon me. I didn’t think that I lost that much blood. I didn’t have a whole lot of outside cuts. Mostly bruises. They’d only used that whip on me a few times.
“Easy, Brody, we got ya.”
“Devyn…”
“I’m here.” She sounded so far off. I couldn’t feel anything. And I was tired. So tired.
Devyn
I had no idea of the time it took to go home. With the discovery of Addison, Brody and I were seen to by the medics and pretty much forgotten. Both Hardy and Murphy were with Addy, trying to figure out why she was there.
It was a private plane, one chartered to bring us home. Brody and I curled up in the seat together, lifting up the center armrest so we could snuggle closer. We fell asleep like that, and were dead to the world for I didn’t know how long. We woke up when we landed, where we were transported via military sedans to what Brody called “the office.” It didn’t look at all like an office.
We spent some time in medical, where I was poked and prodded until I couldn’t stand anymore. Then Brody and I fell asleep in a bed that smelled like Brody, from his natural scent to his aftershave. I had no concept of time and I didn’t care. I clung to Brody like a leech clung to skin. He wasn’t getting away from me again.
Later, after we’d both slept, we were called to a conference room. And that was where I sat, across from a lieutenant and a master chief. I clasped my hands together, wringing my thumb in nervous circles. Brody covered both my hands with one of his, catching my attention.
He flashed an easy smile at me. His bruises weren’t as angry as they once were. The split on his lip was still swollen, but it had started its healing process as well. I knew from getting dressed the multiple lashes across his front and his back were still red and furious-looking, but he assured me he was fine.
I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this life. It was dangerous. I’d known that his job was dangerous, but to see it firsthand… I wondered if he had ever been tortured before. If he’d been captured or hurt before. I didn’t know, because I didn’t have clearance to know. Sometimes, what you don’t know didn’t hurt you.
“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Battles.” The lieutenant spoke first. “I understand it’s been a rough few days.”
I nodded, though really, I didn’t remember the last day or two. We’d spent most of that time sleeping. At this point, I really didn’t know what country I was in.
“Where is this place?” I blurted. I didn’t know why I asked. Curiosity, maybe.
“It’s a safe house in Columbia.”
“I see.”
“We’re going to transport you back to States, shortly. We just wanted to talk a little about the sensitive nature of your husband’s work.”
“I’ve talked about it, sir. Devyn understands that she can’t discuss what happened with anyone.”
“How am I going to explain this to your mother, Brody?” I wasn’t really paying attention to what they were discussing. All I could think about was how dangerous this job was for Brody, and how my kids were at home, not knowing where I was. Or where Brody was.
“Brody was called on a mission. Devyn, you had a family emergency.”
“But…”
“Your grandfather died.” I frowned. I didn’t even know where my parents were, let alone if I had grandparents out there or not. My family was never up on getting together, or visiting, or pretty much talking to each other. Master Chief explained further. “Actually, he died a year ago, according to our records. But we felt it would provide a good alibi for your absence.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t really sad about my grandfather dying. I didn’t even know the man. But Brody’s job knew about my family. “So, you did a background check on me, I assume.”
“We did.”
“Well, that explains why you know things about my family that I don’t.” I sighed. “Look, I’m not going to say anything about any of this, because it’s nuts and I’m losing my mind just sitting here. I just want to go home and forget everything.” I wanted to hug my girls.
“SEAL Team Thirteen does not exist in the eyes of the United States. After this breach of security, it’s even more important that this remains true. We do the dirty work. We are boots on the ground where there’s no military presence. We keep the US safe when its hands are tied.”
“But the Giroux family found you out.” I turned to Brody. “This is what you do? I mean, it’s dangerous. Much more than I ever thought it could be. When did this happen? This Thirteen business?”
“I was recruited right out of BUD/S. They put our pictures on a wall, and then we went out to the beach. The members of Thirteen went through and marked a green check, or a red X. I was one of three that were selected from my graduating class of twenty-five. I could have said no, but it was just you and me then. I thought, this team would be where I could do the most good.”
“Great,” I whispered. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Hey.” His hand squeezed mine again. “It’s going to be okay now. You’re safe.”
“What if someone else comes after us again? They knew who you were, Brody. They knew your name. They knew who I was and the girls…”
“I will not let anything happen to the girls, Devyn. Know that.”
“You can’t control that, Brody.”
“This was a one-time breach of security, Mrs. Battles. It won’t happen again.” The master chief was an older man, with thinning hair, but still dark. His body was incredibly fit, which made me think that maybe Master Chief was still an active member of the team.
“With all due respect, Master Chief Collins, you can’t know that. You didn’t even know about Jane… Marie… whoever she was. And she was in and out of my house for over a year. She was around my children, hell… she babysat them several times alone. I left my children alone with her. And look what happened.”
“Dev, it’s okay. I’m here. They’ll be safe.”
“And what happens if you leave again
?” My voice cracked under the control I was trying to keep. “And someone else comes? How can I trust anyone now?”
“Oh, Dev…” The truth was… Brody didn’t have an answer for me. There wasn’t one. Well, there was. It just wasn’t an answer I’d like. He would leave again. It was the nature of being a SEAL. And I would suck it up, because that was the nature of being the wife of a SEAL.
“Your family is safe. I promise that.” The lieutenant spoke. I didn’t remember his name, and really I didn’t care.
“Really? Can you guarantee that? Because I’m pretty sure you can’t.”
“Dev,” Brody wrapped his fingers around both my hands, pulling my attention from the other two men in the room. “Trust me. It’s going to be okay.”
“Is it?”
“Trust me?”
I didn’t want to. I wanted to scream and cry and throw a tantrum like a three year old in a grocery store. But the fact of the matter was… I did trust my husband. He’d done everything he could to keep me safe. He’d saved my life as completely as I’d saved his.
I looked deep into his amber eyes, wanting an answer I knew he couldn’t give. But in the end, I took the leap of faith. “I trust you.” I turned back to the other two. “What happened to Addison?”
The two looked at each other then back to me, but it was Master Chief Collins who spoke first. “She’s safe. She had a bullet in her leg, but it missed major arteries so we think she’ll make a full recovery.”
“Good. That’s good. She saved my life. I couldn’t have made it to Brody without her.”
“We are keeping that in mind, Mrs. Battles.” The lieutenant looked at Brody. “Perhaps your wife might like to go home now.”
There was a clear unspoken message in that sentence I wasn’t supposed to understand or see, and I really didn’t. But I knew there was more to this Addison situation than they were saying. But in that moment, I was willing to let that go in order to go home to my children.
~*~*~
I went home before Brody did, obviously. That afternoon, I walked into my house for the first time in days. The smell and comfort of home enveloped me, with the addition of what smelled like sugar cookies. Sometimes I loved my mother-in-law.