by Kaylea Cross
As for whether or not she was prepared to take on everything that came with him…how could she not? The simple truth was, she was in danger of losing her heart to him—and his daughter—and she couldn’t turn away now. Not when he needed her, and not when she knew exactly what it was to feel that helpless and scared, as she had when the men from Brian’s regiment had shown up at her door to tell her he was gone.
She’d realized two important things. Keeping him at arm’s length wasn’t going to make her happy. And becoming a widow at such a young age had taught her that life was far too short to spend it holding back out of fear that something else bad might happen.
By the time she’d finished the shower and dried off, her mind was made up. She stared at her reflection in the steamed-up mirror above the sink, gearing up for the battle ahead. She was a soldier at heart, and she would see this through to the end, supporting him however she could. However much he would let her. If it all blew up in her face later on… She’d deal with it then.
After dressing, brushing her teeth and running a comb through her wet hair, she went to the kitchen and made coffee as quietly as she could. She opened the fridge to see what he had that she could cook up for breakfast, and a lump formed in her throat when she saw the bottles of root beer and girly-packaged yogurt containers sitting on the top shelf.
Autumn was supposed to have stayed overnight last night. She should have been there right now instead of Tess, rummaging in the fridge for something to eat and waiting for Reid to wake up so they could get on with whatever adventures they had planned for the day together.
Instead she was God-only-knew where, probably terrified, maybe in pain. Or maybe…
Tess shut the fridge, suddenly sick to her stomach.
“You’re up early,” a deep voice drawled from behind her.
She spun around to find Reid walking toward her from the bedroom wearing only a pair of jeans. Her heart skipped and her mouth went dry at the sight of his bare torso on display mere feet from her.
In the darkness last night, she’d explored every dip and hollow of that muscular body. She’d held him as close as she could. Held him inside her.
For her, that kind of intimacy wasn’t casual. Not at all. But she wasn’t sure whether it was for him or not.
She licked her lips. “Thought I’d put on some coffee and make us something to eat. Toast sound good?”
Reid closed the distance between them and drew her into a hug, one big hand sliding into the back of her hair to hold her head against his shoulder. “I’m not hungry.”
Settling into his hold, she scented the toothpaste he must have just used. “You still need to eat something.”
Instead of arguing, he eased her head back and searched her eyes, his thumb tracing along her jaw. “I was too rough last night.”
Blood rushed to her face and she lowered her gaze, uncomfortable. “No, I’m fine.”
“Tess. Look at me.”
The quiet command had her lifting her gaze immediately.
“I was rough and selfish, and I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t look at him. “Reid, you weren’t selfish—”
“Yeah I was.” He tipped her head back and kissed her softly. Slowly. Igniting sparks of heat low in her belly. “I’m glad you’re still here. When I woke up I thought you were gone until I smelled the coffee.”
“I wouldn’t have taken off without saying goodbye.” She settled her hands on his waist, taking in the circles beneath his eyes. “Did you get much sleep?”
Pain shadowed his deep blue eyes. “No. I keep waiting for the phone to ring. I feel like I should be doing something.”
“I know.” The helplessness and lack of action was awful. “Maybe we should head down to the police station and wait there.”
Reid took her face in his hands. “Thank you.”
“Hey, it’s noth—”
“I mean it,” he said softly, staring deep into her eyes. “Thank you.”
She cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to his throat. “You’re welcome. I just wish I could find her for you.”
He kissed the bridge of her nose, then released her and headed for the coffee pot. “Mind if we take these to go?”
“Not at all.”
Within twenty minutes they were seated in the lead detective’s office. Given the early hour, only a handful of officers were at the station. Seated behind his desk, Detective Espinosa had bags under his eyes as well, and his shirt was rumpled. As though he’d pulled an all-nighter trying to get a lead on Autumn.
“I wish I could tell you we have something more to go on,” he told them, “but I don’t. I’ve talked to the lead FBI agent helping with the case and there’s no update to pass along.”
Reid sat next to her like a granite statue, his hands fisted on his thighs. Tess reached out and took one of them. He uncurled his fingers and wrapped them around hers, squeezed in silent acknowledgment.
Espinosa spoke to him. “As a father I can appreciate just how hard this must be on you. There’s really nothing more you can do here, though. Go home and—”
“All due respect, Detective, but I can’t do that.” Reid’s voice was hard. Unwavering.
Espinosa released a deep breath and nodded. “I understand. Just know that we’re doing everything we can to locate your daughter.”
Out in the lobby, Reid dropped her hand and started pacing from one side to the other, and her own stomach coiled in sympathy. “I need to do something,” he told her, his eyes tortured. “I can’t just sit here doing sweet fuck all when she’s out there somewhere, needing me.”
Tess crossed to him and took both his hands in hers, looking into his tortured eyes. “They’re going to find her, Reid. I promise. And she’s going to be okay.” They had to believe that. Hope was the only thing keeping him going.
Reid’s jaw clenched as he stared at her, emotion swirling in his eyes. Then he grabbed her and hauled her up against him, his strong arms holding on for dear life as he buried his face in her neck.
His phone chimed.
He released her so fast she stumbled, her heart shooting into her throat when she saw the tension in his face as he looked at the screen. She held her breath, waiting, praying.
“Fuck.”
Her stomach dropped like a concrete block. For a moment, it felt like the room spun around her. She can’t be dead. Can’t be. “What?” she whispered, afraid of what he would say.
“Another goddamn head fuck,” he snarled, stalking back toward Espinosa’s office.
Without looking at her, he handed her the phone. It showed a picture of Autumn, a piece of duct tape covering her mouth, her wide eyes staring at the camera. The bastards had tied her hands and feet behind her.
Below it was another message from the kidnapper.
Waiting for the fun to start.
****
Reid was barely holding it together as he and his teammates gathered with the HRT guys at their headquarters at Quantico. Three hours had passed since he’d received the text from whoever had sent it.
The picture of Autumn wasn’t proof of life, but he had to believe she was still alive. Why bother transporting her at all if the kidnapper was planning to kill her? It made no sense.
Now everyone was assembled, but everything was moving too slowly. That text had originated from a phone nearby in the southern mountains of North Carolina. Analysts within the DEA, FBI and NSA were working as fast as they could to pinpoint the location, and working all their contacts to try and find a possible target. Once they got that, they could pull the trigger and go get Autumn back.
Because of his highly personal and emotional involvement in the case, Taggart had removed Reid from the op. Disciplined as he was, no matter the outcome of the rescue op, he was going to be too emotional to stay objective, and that could get someone killed. So he was sidelined for the time being, and this joint mission was going to go ahead without him.
The HRT would rescue Autumn, and his tea
mmates would insert with them to go after Ruiz and his thugs, along with whatever drugs, money and weapons they could find. But he was damn well going to be there when it happened, as close as he could get to the action. That was the deal, and Taggart was allowing it because he trusted Reid. They’d monitor the situation from the mobile command center together, with DeLuca and the FBI support staff.
Reid looked up from the satellite image of an isolated North Carolina mountain community they were studying when Tess walked into the room. She was dressed in her flight suit, her crew and one other following her into the room. Their gazes met and she gave him a reassuring smile, silently conveying her faith in Autumn being alive.
A little of the tension inside him eased. His girl and the men he considered his brothers were going to get his baby back today, and once captured, that motherfucker Ruiz would pay for what he’d done.
For now, revenge could wait. All Reid cared about for the moment was getting his daughter back safely. Then he could worry about the rest of it. And do whatever it took to ensure Ruiz rotted inside a U.S. prison for the rest of his natural life.
“All right, people.” HRT Commander Matt DeLuca strode into the room, all business in his tactical uniform, and Taggart on his heels. “Our analysts have come up with a target location.”
Yes.
Reid’s heart thudded in his throat as DeLuca walked over and set his finger on a point on the map in front of Reid and the others. “Best we can tell, the cell that call originated from is now here. And satellite images show a private log home hidden in the trees. It’s a rental property.”
When DeLuca turned his attention to the screen at the back of the room, Reid followed his gaze and focused on the satellite image there.
“It’s isolated. Only one road in and out. We got a tip saying Ruiz, or at least some of his men are there, and a wiretap confirms he made a call from that phone two hours ago. There was chatter about a girl, but we can’t say for certain it was Autumn. Based on all that, however, we’re going in. At this point we don’t know what kind of manpower or resistance to expect, and that means we have to be ready for anything. So let’s lay this thing out together.”
SA Tucker immediately got to work with his team while Hamilton took charge of FAST Bravo’s meeting. Reid hovered on the periphery, hyper-focused on every detail. Everything passed in a blur. Ideally, they would wait to execute the joint raid when it was dark, but with Autumn’s life potentially hanging in the balance, they were going now.
He didn’t see Tess again after the briefing, not even out at the flight line at the airport. He’d suited and kitted up with the rest of his teammates, but when they reached the tarmac, Reid headed left with Taggart, DeLuca and some other support staff rather than going right with the other operators. It chafed that he couldn’t be the one to kick down the door on this op and rescue his daughter, but he understood and trusted his boys. That would have to be enough.
The taskforce touched down at a small, private airstrip several miles from the target house some fifty minutes later. As Reid hopped out behind Taggart, he studied the cockpits of the other two birds and thought he spotted Tess in the right hand seat of the last one but she didn’t look his way as he climbed into the modified RV that was to serve as their mobile command unit.
Agents inside it were already monitoring satellite links and cell tower activity in the area. While the HRT and Reid’s teammates met again to go over the details of the coming op, the RV rolled out toward the mountain town where the target location lay.
Reid stayed in his seat as they wound up the switchbacks, thinking of Autumn. Remembering all the little milestones in her short life. The day she’d been born. Taking her home from the hospital, terrified he might break her. The first time she’d smiled at him and it wasn’t gas. Her first steps. That first time he’d picked her up from preschool and her face had lit up when she’d seen him, then raced over and launched herself into his arms.
Easter. Halloween. Birthdays and Christmas. Their trip to Orlando just over a month ago. That time she’d made the game-winning catch a few weeks back and she’d immediately looked for him in the stands…and the huge smile that had broken across her face when she realized he’d been there to see it.
And he also thought about all the milestones he’d missed, either because he was overseas or on a training mission somewhere.
His career had cost him a lot. He couldn’t handle it if it cost him Autumn, too. Nothing was worth his baby girl’s life, and he felt sick that his job had been responsible for this nightmare.
The RV stopped at a pullout on the side of the winding road, the tinted windows giving passersby no clue of what was actually going on inside. Support agents were waiting a few miles back in their vehicles, ready to arrive on scene once the HRT and FAST Bravo had secured the target location.
While the minutes ticked by, Reid was forced to sit there and do nothing as the hive of activity carried on around him. But when Taggart looked over at him and jerked his head in a silent order to come over, Reid was off his seat and beside his commander in the space of a single heartbeat.
“How you doing?” Taggart asked, scrutinizing him.
Reid already had his game face on. “Fine.”
His commander’s expression softened a fraction. “I know this is hard on you. Being stuck here instead of with the boys at a time like this.”
“It’s okay. I get it.” And Taggart was a father too, so he understood on some level what Reid was going through.
Those pale aquamarine eyes focused on his. “We’re going.”
Reid expelled the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Thank God. “When?”
“Two minutes.” He handed Reid a headset. “You can listen in and watch as long as you stay out of everyone’s way.”
Reid snatched it and put it on without a word, his pulse accelerating. Taggart turned away and faced the wall of monitors set up on the inside of the RV, a group of analysts seated before their stations in front of him.
Commander DeLuca walked over from the front of the unit, the brim of his San Diego Chargers cap pulled low over his forehead. “You boys ready to do this?” He looked from Taggart to Reid and back, green eyes sharp.
“Yup,” Taggart said. “Let’s pull the trigger.”
Reid glued his gaze to the monitors as both commanders issued the green light. It was weird to hear Hamilton’s voice responding on the other end of the headset, weirder still to not be with his teammates on this critical of an op, but being able to monitor everything live from here was a thousand times better than having to sit back and wait for word at HQ in Virginia.
Within minutes both Blackhawks were in the air, Tess at the controls of one of them. The helos raced over the mountains turned brilliant green with their spring foliage, carrying the teams toward the target house and the unsuspecting narco terrorists hiding there.
If Autumn was there, she would be back in his arms within an hour or two.
Chapter Sixteen
Hovering the Blackhawk just above the leafy green canopy of the trees below, Tess adjusted the foot pedals to keep her as still as possible for the team in the back. Through her headset she could hear the crew chief getting ready to deploy the rope for FAST Bravo. Eight members instead of nine, because Reid was somewhere still on the ground in the mobile command unit.
She watched out her cockpit window and down through the chin bubble, catching sight of the heavy braided rope as it snaked toward the forest floor. She kept the hover steady while each member slid to the ground.
“Team’s on the ground and rope’s secure,” her crew chief reported a minute later.
“Copy that.” She toggled the switch on her headset to speak to command. “Package delivered. Chalk two leaving DZ.”
“Copy, Chalk two. Withdraw to assigned coordinates to await extraction.”
“Roger.” With one last glance at the team of men fanned out beneath her aircraft, Tess eased the cyclic forward, nosing he
r bird forward as she pulled collective and began to climb.
“Ground team’s taking fire, captain,” her crew chief said as they hit five hundred feet.
Tess automatically looked out her window, trying to see them. A streak flashed by in her peripheral vision.
“RPG!” the crew chief yelled.
She didn’t even have time to react. Another streak flashed by, and then a loud thump sounded over the noise of the rotors. The helo lurched.
Tess’s gaze flew to the instrument panel.
“I’ve got a caution light,” her copilot said beside her.
“Yeah, I see that,” she muttered, pumping the pedals, but it was no use. Her pulse tripped. “Pedals are stiffened up.” Shit, it had cut hydraulics to the tail rotor. “I’ve lost tail rotor authority.”
The helo swung hard to the right, but there was nothing she could do to counteract the sudden yaw except pull collective and increase the angle of attack of the main rotor. Trying to pull them higher and buy them another minute.
But they were flying on borrowed time.
“We’re going down.” She anxiously scanned the terrain below for a possible place to put down. Up ahead she spotted what looked like an old logging road through a gap in the trees. It would have to do; she didn’t have time to try and find a different option.
Tess’s mind raced with all the emergency procedures she’d learned, fighting her body’s natural reaction to the crisis as she focused on getting them down on that road. “Everybody brace,” she commanded the crew, dropping the Blackhawk lower. The road was narrow, and coming up fast. She only had one shot at this.
They were still turning to the right, and going too fast. She had to slow them down enough to do a run-on landing on that road if they were going to have any chance of walking away from this. “I’m gonna drive it in,” she said to the copilot, all her concentration on hitting that road. And then hope we don’t die. “As soon as we stop, you pull the fire levers.”