HER STEADFAST HERO
A BLACK DAWN NOVELLA
BY CAITLYN O’LEARY
© Copyright 2017 Caitlyn O’Leary
ISBN # 978-1-64008-370-7
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Edited by Lynne St. James
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Synopsis
EARTHQUAKE!
David Sloane is one of the Army’s top investigators. Convinced that two of his own have been framed by the tiny island government of Las Flores, he’s determined to do what it takes to prove their innocence. When a major earthquake hits the day he arrives all hell breaks loose.
LOST LOVE
In the midst of chaos, former army nurse Sarah Kyle arrives with Doctor Without Borders. Just as David comes face to face with the woman he’s never forgotten, he is tapped to lead a manhunt to capture the dangerous convicts that escaped during the earthquake. These men will stop at nothing to leave the island.
NAVY SEALS
When the hospital is overrun by the most brutal of convicts and an American doctor is held for ransom, the Navy SEAL unit Black Dawn is called in. Can David and Black Dawn rescue Dr. Carys Adams before it is too late? Through all the turmoil will David and Sarah realize that their time has finally come and they were meant to be together?
This is an extended version of the novella ‘Her Heart’s Protector’ from the box-set Cuffed and Claimed. It is a prequel to ‘Her Adoring SEAL’ book 3 of the Midnight Delta Series.
Dedication
To all Who Have Served
Chapter One
Hot, tired and pissed didn’t even come close to covering it. He really didn’t give a shit what Ortiz was saying. He got it. The man had just been hired, and then he’d fired half of the department because of corruption. That was his problem. As a member of the US Army Military Police, David’s problem was to make sure his two men didn’t end up spending the rest of their lives in a Las Flores prison.
Wait a minute.
“Can you repeat that?” David asked the Las Flores Chief of Police.
“In my opinion, your men were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have one of my questionable officers saying they assaulted him. I’m not buying it. I can’t figure out why he’d accuse them, but he does have a broken jaw.”
“Fuck. Why isn’t that statement in the e-mail my commander sent me?”
“Because I didn’t want it in the official report yet. Like I said, I don’t trust the little shit. Before a member of the Las Flores Police Department decides to make a report against members of the United States Army, I wanted to make sure I knew everything.”
David pulled out his smartphone. “Okay, I only see your write-up of general facts and Rigg’s statement. Where is Harrison’s statement?” David asked, referring to the other American NCO.
“Harrison isn’t talking. We’re just getting name, rank, and serial number. This is a…what I think you call…a clusterfuck,” Ortiz said the last word in English. “Did I use that word correctly?”
“Yep, you used it correctly,” David continued in Spanish. He took another long sip of his coffee so he could take the time to consider all that Ortiz had told him.
“Can I read over your officer’s statement? The one that you haven’t put into the report.”
Ortiz fished his keys out of his pocket, unlocked his desk drawer, pulled out a file, and slid it across the desk toward David.
“I’ve also included private notes. They outline what I think really happened. I knew you would be here asking questions, and I wanted you up to speed.”
Picking up the file, David leaned back to read it.
“Take your time. I know my handwriting isn’t the best.”
“Isn’t he expecting a copy to sign?”
“He’s still in the hospital flying high on pain medication. I figure I have another day to stall. I’m hoping you can get Harrison to speak up by then.”
David nodded and went back to reading. He went over the information four times since it was in Spanish and he didn’t want to miss any nuance, as Spanish wasn’t his native language.
“There are enough holes to drive a truck through,” he said throwing the report onto the desk.
“That was my take, that’s why I included my supposition,” Ortiz said.
“You mean to tell me everybody in the bar stood by while two foreigners decided to beat a cop with no provocation? Then there’s the part where Harrison picked up the pool cue. I’m sorry, but I’ve seen the military files of both men. Harrison is bigger than I am. He wouldn’t need a weapon to break anyone’s jaw.”
“The doctors say my man’s injury was done by a fist. They are quite adamant in their assessment. So I know he is lying.”
“And you’re thinking–”
What?
A jerky tremor knocked David off his chair.
Was it a bomb?
The floor shoved him up and vibrated, shaking him. The trembling sensation increased. Increased. Increased.
Earthquake!
He needed protection. His chair!
Pulling the tipped over leather chair on top of him, just before the ceiling crashed on top of him, David struggled to stay under the scant protection.
Fuck!
Ow! Goddamit, that hurt.
Plaster and dust swirled in the dim light. When would the earth stop heaving? He heard the annoying sound of faint car alarms ringing.
Who was shrieking? That wasn’t him groaning, was it?
“Carmen!” Ortiz shouted hoarsely to the screaming secretary.
The earth wouldn’t stop heaving until finally it abruptly stopped.
Pieces of the ceiling continued to thud around him.
He tried to move the chair, but it was stuck.
“Fuck!”
Moving his leg was a bad idea, it hurt like a son of a bitch.
“Sloane?”
“Ortiz? Are you okay?”
“No.” Pushing with his shoulder the chair moved a little bit. “I’m bleeding. The window,” the man gasped.
The woman’s shrieks had gotten softer. David needed to concentrate on Ortiz first. He tried moving his leg again. It hurt, but it wasn’t broken. He pushed harder, and the chair finally moved.
Sitting up in the darkness, David felt around and realized that a wooden beam from the ceiling had fallen on his leg. He could move his foot. It hadn’t hit his knee, just the upper thigh.
Okay, you can probably walk, so suck it up. Taking a deep breath, he hefted the beam and pulled his leg out from underneath it.
“Damn.” He sighed in relief. The leg still hurt, but God, not nearly like it had. David fel
t around in the dark and realized there were some portions of the debris that was stable enough to stand on. He pushed himself up. Pain zinged, and held him in its grips for long moments. Breathe. One. Two. Three. One foot in front of the other.
“Ortiz, I’m coming for you.”
Damn, a flashlight would be welcome. It had been cloudy outside, so only weak light was shining into the room through the broken windows. He stepped carefully around the desk.
“Ortiz?” Please let the man be okay.
He wasn’t. He was dead. A large shard of glass had pierced his chest.
David crouched down as best he could, and gently closed the man’s eyes so that he was no longer staring at nothing.
“Be well. You were a good man,” David whispered. He didn’t even know if the man had a family.
David walked to the window and looked out onto the main street.
Jesus. At least half of the buildings were caved in. He thought about the rural areas he had seen when the plane had flown him from Panama. What kind of devastation would they have been through?
He turned from the window toward Carmen’s weak cries.
Ortiz had been right; this was a clusterfuck.
* * *
“Carmen said you have to take a break.” David looked at the child who was quivering in front of him.
“What?” he wiped the constant stream of sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his undershirt.
“Here.” The kid thrust out a hot can of orange soda. Even though it was liquid, he still gagged as he popped the top and the pungent scent of carbonated orange chemicals assaulted his nostrils. The kid’s eyes were avid.
“Do you want some?”
“Carmen said it’s for you. She said you should go to the hotel and sleep. I’m supposed to make you.” It was clear the thought of him telling the large man to do anything was preposterous.
David thrust the open can at the kid.
“Really, mister?”
“Really. Help yourself.” The kid sucked down half the can in one long gulp. When he tried to hand it back, David waved his hand. “Finish it. I like grape soda.” The kid nodded and grinned. When he was done, he fished around in the same brown bag that had housed the soda. He pulled out one half eaten candy bar and two unopened nutrition bars.
“Here.”
“Thanks, kid.” David took the wadded up treats and put them in his pocket. “How is Carmen?”
“Grandma Carmen told us how you saved her. She’s supposed to be resting at Mama’s house, but she went to work instead.”
“Where?” Hell, the police station was in shambles. Where could the old lady be working?
“City Hall.” Suddenly David heard a man swear behind him. Turning, he saw three men grabbing a pillar that was too heavy for them.
“Gotta go, kid.” He ran towards the men.
Chapter Two
Almost two days without sleep and he was delirious. It was the only thing made any sense.
“I can’t be put in charge, Governor. I’m a member of the United States Army. I can’t be your chief of police.” David gave up trying to stand, and dropped into the chair in front of the lieutenant governor’s desk.
“I’m commanding you.”
The man had lost his ever loving mind. The ‘I’m commanding you’ line cinched it.
His island was literally a disaster area. The relief workers were due to land in two hours. Las Flores didn’t have an army, they barely had fire and rescue, one hospital, two clinics, and their corrupt police force. The cherry on top was that the prison had suffered major damage, and fifty-three prisoners had escaped.
“Sir–”
“Call me Bernardo,” the man interrupted.
David looked at the older man. He was in his early sixties and was clearly exhausted.
“Bernardo, I can’t be in charge of your police force.”
“You can be in charge of capturing the escaped prisoners. I don’t trust that goddamned warden any farther than I can throw him. He probably gave each of the convicts a fucking parting gift.”
David choked out a laugh. It felt good and bad. In the last two days, he had found more bodies than he could count. Thank God there had been some people in the rubble that he had been able to save. If he hadn’t had those mini-miracles he would have given up.
“Governor,” David began.
“Bernardo,” the governor corrected.
David gave a weak wave of his hand. “Bernardo, I will help in whatever way I can, but why me?”
“Ortiz is dead. I trusted him. I don’t want some military man from Panama coming in and running things. I want you. I’ve had at least fifteen people tell me about you, including Carmen. She hates everyone, and she thinks you are Superman. I need you.”
“He’s wrong, I don’t think you’re superman. I think you’re Ironman.” The woman called from the reception area.
“Quit eavesdropping, old woman,” Bernardo yelled out.
“I wouldn’t have to eavesdrop if you would talk louder.”
David laughed tiredly. “Look, I can’t officially report to you. I can’t take orders from you. But I can be here, and you can make a request to my superior for my assistance. I cannot be officially in charge of your men.”
Bernardo was easy to read. “But there is nothing stopping me from telling my people to do anything you tell them to do, right?”
“I can’t stop you from doing or saying anything, Sir.”
And the clusterfuck continues.
* * *
So much for capturing prisoners. It looked like he was going to be everybody’s bitch. His commander wanted him to go and meet the Aid Workers before doing anything else. Personally, he thought getting started on the prison break seemed like a much higher priority. The doctors and nurses could surely figure out what needed to be done. Hell, there were more than enough bleeding bodies to go around.
David took a deep breath as the plane began to taxi. His leg was killing him, and he’d only gotten three hours sleep in the last forty-two. Logically, he knew he needed to only meet these people, then he should find someplace to get some shut eye before going to the prison. The fact that he was so pissed off was a sure sign that he was getting close to the end of his rope.
Carlos, one of the few good cops left, had accompanied him and was driving the bus. He was going to take everybody to the hotel where they would have a chance to dump their gear and probably rest before heading to either the hospital or one of the clinics. From what David had been told, a lot of the folks had come from Nigeria.
The door to the airplane opened, and the stairs were pushed up so they could walk down. David took off the miracle sunglasses that had somehow survived the earthquake and watched as the doctors and nurses deplaned. His commander had told him there were going to be thirteen in all. Not nearly enough.
Holy God. He squinted. The hair. The way she was shielding her eyes from the sun. He couldn’t get a good look at her because the guy in front of her was tall. David waited until she stepped on the tarmac. He’d recognize the way she walked until the day he died.
Sarah Kyle.
Sarah Marie Kyle.
Captain Sarah Marie Kyle. Only she wasn’t in the Army anymore. She wasn’t a lot of things anymore. Cut it out, Sloane.
“David?” The group was arranged in front of him in a semi-circle, and Sarah walked toward him.
Move you idiot! Say something! Don’t stand there with your figurative dick in your hand, looking stupid!
“Hi, Sarah.” He gave her a faint smile, then turned to the others. “Hello, everyone. Welcome to Las Flores. Lieutenant Governor Bernardo Oliveras offers his sincere appreciation for your help. He’ll be meeting you at the hotel. In the meantime, he sent me. I’m Captain David Sloane, United States Army. I’m going to take you to the hotel where you will be staying. It is a five-star resort built last year on the beach, and it sustained little damage. It has its own sewer system and electrical generators. As a matter of
fact, some injured were brought to the hotel because it was in better shape than the hospital.”
“I’m Doctor Carys Adams.” A petite woman with strawberry blonde hair stepped forward. “Me and most of the others have just come from Nigeria. We got a little bit of sleep on the plane, but I think it would be best if everyone could get about four hours of rest before heading to the hospital. I don’t want mistakes made while we’re providing care.”
“I got plenty of rest,” a man with a nasal voice said. His eyes were bloodshot, and if David had to guess, he had also been drinking on the plane. More than one set of eyes rolled.
“Arnie, everyone will go to the hotel and rest. Then we will all go to the hospital as a unit and go over the information and protocols at the same time. Have I made myself clear?” Dr. Adams seemed to grow inches, as her voice turned to ice.
“Carys, they need us,” he wheedled. “I don’t think people should needlessly suffer because some people need sleep.” Carys opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Sarah stepped forward.
“Doctor,” she said addressing the belligerent man. “I believe I saw you downing quite a few vodka tonics on the flight over. I think you, more than anyone, require extra rest,” Sarah said as she stepped into the doctor’s personal space. He flushed a deep red.
“Now that everything is settled, if you will all get on the bus, we can head over to the hotel,” David said.
They filed onto the bus, but Sarah held back so that she could get onto the bus last.
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story, Sarah.”
“Are you staying at the same place we are?”
Did she finally want to see him?
“Yes. I’m staying at the same hotel that they’re putting all of you.”
“Can I see you?” Solemn gray eyes. They still had the power to take his breath away.
David nodded. She got on the bus, and he followed. He sat up front next to Carlos and watched as she sat on the seat next to Dr. Adams.
* * *
Bernardo was waiting for them at the hotel. He welcomed the men and women from Doctors Without Borders.
Her Steadfast HERO (Black Dawn Book 1) Page 1