Filthy Desires: A Romantic Suspense Collection

by Parker, Kylie

  “Get to the point,” Jake urged, raising his tone. “I don’t need your apologies.”

  “Okay…” Simms drew in a sharp breath. “We have a positive ID on Al Mahri’s location. He’s been hiding in a village, three miles northeast of Tamok. You remember where it is, don’t you?”

  “How can I forget?” Jake smirked. “I almost died in that hellhole. Why are you telling me all of this?”

  “I’m telling you this because I want you to lead the mission. Put that uniform back on, son. Go there and take out that son of a bitch.” Simms’ words shocked him to his very core. Jake banged his palm against his forehead, unable to force another word out of his throat. “I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe in you. You’re still, by far, the best man for the job.”

  “Why are we using him, sir?” Allison inquired. “There are plenty of fine officers to choose from.”

  “For the same reasons I chose him the first time, Lieutenant.” Simms answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “He knows that area like the back of his hand. He’s the most skilled officer I’ve ever had the honor of working with. Plus, Al Mahri’s men nearly took out your platoon in that ambush.”

  “That mission was compromised,” Jake flatly stated, breaking his silence. “They knew we were coming. Who sold us out?”

  “Stanley Burton,” Simms answered, his quick reply taking Jake by surprise. No one seemed willing to provide an answer to that question, three years ago. “He was the head of my security. He’d been converted to Islam, without my knowledge. He was there when I ordered that operation against Al Mahri. I’m just glad he wasn’t there when I discussed my idea with Lieutenant Barnes. They would have killed her if he knew. He’s rotting in a prison cell as we speak.”

  “I asked you about it, three years ago.” Jake said, his frustration growing by the second. “You wouldn’t give me a straight answer.”

  “I was protecting you,” Simms claimed, “both of you. You’re quite the hothead, Isaacs. If you had found out, you’d have found a way to get to him. He’d be dead and you’d be in jail.”

  “I’ll send a ‘thank you’ card.” Jake’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “You’re wasting your time, Simms. I’m done being a marine.”

  At that moment, the Secretary’s cell phone rang.

  “Excuse me. I need to take this.” He said.

  “Don’t even mention last night.” Jake furrowed his brow.

  “I wasn’t going to. We got bigger fish to fry.” Allison remarked.

  “Not ‘we’; you.” He pointed at her.

  “You’re a marine, Jake.” She put a little force in her voice. “You can’t change that. That’s what you had always wanted to do. You have always been dreaming about it since we were kids, for God’s sake.”

  “Men like that prick fucked up that dream.” Sorrow filled his face.

  “You quit because of one bad politician?” she squeaked, raising her index finger to her chest.

  “I quit because I lost the woman I loved,” he replied in a wobbly voice, as tears welled up in his eyes. “I couldn’t keep wearing that uniform. It just…” he paused, “hurt too much.”

  “Can we talk after all this is over?” she requested in a broken voice, “please?”

  “Why, Allie?” Jake shrugged. “You’re just going to say the same things, over and over. Frankly; I don’t want to hear them.”

  Allison was about to say something more, when Simms’ quick footsteps grabbed their attention.

  “Sir, what’s wrong?” she asked, as he returned to the living room.

  “I’m afraid I have some bad news,” he announced, with a grim face pinched with worry. “Isaacs, I’m sure you remember Sergeants Austen Rivers and Ricardo Sanchez.”

  “Yeah,” Jake nodded. “I’ve served with them. Why?”

  “They were leading a recon squad last night, when they got attacked by ISIS fighters. Their men were able to escape, but they were captured.” Simms’ reply sent shockwaves down Jake’s spine. A sigh of despair escaped him, as he dropped his face into his hands. “They’re alive. The radicals said they will execute them live on the internet.”

  “Where are they, sir?” Allison posed one more question. “Did they say ‘when’?”

  “They’re located somewhere outside of Fallujah. They’re giving us 48 hours to pull out of the area,” he stated in an anxiety filled voice. “Even if we wanted to leave Iraq, that’s next to impossible. It would take us at least three weeks to get out of that place. Isaacs, forget what I said about Al Mahri. Our priority is to save those men. You have twelve hours to decide. I must get going. Lieutenant Barnes will be waiting to receive your decision. Son…” He put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Those men need your help. Please, don’t fail them.”

  Jake was faced with the most crucial and difficult decision of his life. The last time he had found himself in a similar situation was just after Allison’s – supposed – death. Back then, though, it hadn’t taken him long to decide. The circumstances had forced him to leave everything behind and start a new life. This was much, much different. The two captured men had been his friends for years. They had been through all the hardships of the life of a marine together. He had also trained Rivers himself on how to use anti-tank weapons. They had saved his life and everyone else’s in that ambush. Furthermore, he had to take into account Holly’s reaction. A possible –even temporary – return to his duties as a marine Captain would definitely not go down well with her.

  The mere sight of her was enough to send his pulse racing. Closing his front door behind her, she folded her arms over her chest, with a troubled look on her face.

  “They just left.” She informed. “What did they want?”

  “Oh, God…” He whispered, peering ceiling-ward. “You may want to sit down for this.”

  “Thanks, but I’d rather stand.” Holly heaved a long, deep sigh. “It’s big, isn’t it? What they want from you.”

  “How do you know?” Jake wondered, a hint of surprise in his baritone.

  “Jake, the Secretary of Defense was here!” She spoke, her voice riddled with panic. “What else could it be?”

  “They want me to put the uniform back on, Holly,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, as a tear streamed down his cheek. “Two friends of mine have been captured. They want me to go save them.”

  Holly did not speak. She covered her mouth with her hand, looking deep into his eyes. Her fingers trembled, and her jaw clenched, as tears flowed silently down her face. Jake wished he could utter a word, but her watery eyes melted his heart. She removed her hand from her mouth and started towards him, arms reaching out. Before he knew it, Holly had collapsed in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest, as thick tears spilled from her eyes. Jake bit his lower lip, squeezing his eyes shut, as he circled his arms around her neck.

  “What should I do?” A whisper of confusion fled his lips.

  “You said…” Holly sniffled, slowly leaning back. “You said they were your friends.”

  “They are.” Jake said with a nod.

  “Then…” She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. “Then I think you should go.”

  “What?” Jake’s face loosened in utter disbelief. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” Holly uttered, nodding.

  “I thought it’d be a lot tougher to convince you,” he confessed, a small smile on his face.

  “Baby, if anything happens to them…” She whispered, as her gaze shot up to meet his, “you’re going to carry that weight for the rest your life. I don’t want that for you.”

  “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever met,” replied Jake in a warm voice, burying his forehead against hers.

  “Just promise me one thing,” Holly said, her voice shaking once more.

  “Anything.”

  “That you’ll be careful out there,” she managed to make her whispering request, which widened the smile on his face.

&
nbsp; “I will, baby.” He sighed. “I promise.”

  “When do you have to leave?” She inquired.

  “Pretty soon I’m afraid.” Jake replied, his tone calmer by the second. “It’s a twenty-hour flight to Baghdad and they said they’d kill them in 48 hours.”

  “Oh, crap…” Holly spoke in frustrated tones. “I have a favor to ask.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Hold me…” she quietly whispered, the softness filling his ears, as she tightened her grip around his back and put her head on his chest. Jake pulled her closer, letting her intoxicating scent flow through him. Neither of them spoke any further. He savored the closeness, knowing in his heart that he had found an incredible woman, one who would do anything to make him happy…

  Here you are, making this decision so much easier for me. Jesus, Holly… I don’t even know what to say to you anymore. “Thank you, again?” I’m going to sound like a broken record. It’s not enough. Wait till I get back, baby. I’ll spend each and every day, trying to blow your mind…

  17

  Jake later called Allison with his decision. Unsurprisingly, she was delighted to hear it. Then, he asked her to put together a platoon. Much to his dismay, though, she was unable to do that. She had been away for too long; most of the men and women she had served with were either in Iraq or scattered across the States. At any rate, their orders were to go to the Pentagon, where their superiors would brief them on their mission. Therefore, the two of them caught the first flight available to the capital.

  Jake avoided her like the plague, throughout their trip. He wouldn’t speak to her at the airport and chose a seat as far away as possible from her. Apart from her massive lie, Allison had caused him and Holly too much trouble. He knew that, sooner or later, she would attempt to talk to him about their situation, even though he had been clear there was nothing to discuss. Jake had to focus on the task at hand; he couldn’t afford any distractions, especially one as painful as their messed up past.

  The two of them arrived at the Pentagon, on a cold, rainy, late-February night. He would not address her there either; neither would he walk alongside of her. Allison had to effectively chase him down the wide corridors of the huge building. Jake entered an elevator and pressed the second floor button fast. To his disappointment though, she managed to jump into it, just before the doors slid closed.

  “Damn it…” he hummed to himself.

  “You could at least be a little more polite,” she complained, gasping for breath as she turned to him.

  “And why would I do that?” Jake grumbled, as their eyes met, “So that you can talk to me about us? I don’t think so. We got a job to do here.”

  “I wasn’t going to do that!” Allison claimed in a squeaky voice.

  “Really?” he smirked. “What would you have been talking about?”

  “I wanted to tell you about General Holden.” She lowered her tone. “He’s a real hardass. I don’t think he’s going to like you very much.”

  “Who cares?” Jake murmured, as the elevator door slid open. “We won’t have to suffer each other for long, anyway. How do you know?”

  “Simms told me about him.” Allison spoke, as they stepped onto the second floor. “He doesn’t like him much, either. They were on the phone this morning. When Simms mentioned you to him, he said something like: “I’m not working with quitters”.”

  He kept his mouth shut, preferring not to comment, as they headed towards the situation room, down the corridor. Of course, Jake didn’t like what he had just heard, but, if he had any chance of saving his friends, he had to cooperate with General Holden. The two of them entered the large, bright room. More than a dozen officers had already taken up their seats and were waiting for the General. Across from them, there was a blackboard and a map of Fallujah and the surrounding area. Not too much later, the General joined them, accompanied by a young, male Lieutenant. Every man and woman in uniform rose.

  “At ease,” General Holden commanded in his gravelly voice. “Lieutenant Hendricks, go ahead.”

  “Thank you, sir.” The young officer said, pointing a yellow stick to the map. “About 36 hours ago, a patrol ran into a truck full of ISIS elements roughly one mile west of the village of Tahoona, Fallujah. Bravo Company platoons Charlie and Delta were tasked with some reconnaissance in the surrounding area. They were supposed to report back to Headquarters at nineteen hundred hours local time last night, but they failed to do so. Forty five minutes after the incident, they contacted Headquarters. They said they had been vastly outnumbered. Sergeants Rivers and Sanchez had been captured. Twelve of our guys escaped with minor injuries. Two are in serious condition.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant.” The General assumed a firm, strict tone. “One of our drones recorded the incident. The Iraqis roughed our boys up quite badly, but they’re alive. They were led to a remote compound, two miles north of Tahoona. This is where you come in. According to our satellite pictures, there are twelve hostiles in that building at all times: two at the gate, five in the yard and five more inside. Obviously, we can’t drive there and we can’t use choppers. Both options will attract too much attention. The safest option is parachuting. There’s a power line fuse box, two hundred yards away from the village limits. Delta Company platoon Alpha will be there. They’ll kill the power upon request and take out the guards: any questions so far?”

  “Sir,” Jake raised his hand in the air. “Captain Jake Isaacs: United States Marine Corps; I don’t have any questions. I’d like to suggest a battle plan. A twofold attack would be ideal. My platoon, Alpha jumps first. Lieutenant Barnes’s platoon, Bravo jumps a couple of minutes later. We land on the roof of the targeted building; we take out any hostiles there and the ones in the yard. Barnes’ platoon lands in the yard: we go in from the roof; they go in from the ground. Those Iraqis won’t know what hit them.”

  His words put a bitter smile on the General’s face.

  “Everybody: clear the room. I’d like to speak to the two platoon leaders in private.” He commanded.

  Jake and Allison arose, as the rest of their fellow officers obeyed. There was a sad look on the short, overweight man’s face, one that Jake didn’t understand. But, everything became clear, as soon as the General verbalized.

  “Brilliant plan,” the General stated, unable to hide his admiration. “That’s exactly what I would do. I didn’t expect this from a quitter.”

  “I didn’t fly all the way from Boston to be insulted,” Jake protested.

  “I wasn’t trying to insult you, kid,” General Holden declared. “I just don’t understand why you, a fine officer from all accounts…” He paused: “…threw it all away.”

  “I’m a little tired to have that same old conversation, sir.” Jake lowered his voice.

  “We’ll provide you with more satellite and drone photos later on. Get some rest,” the General suggested. “You’re leaving at twenty two hundred hours.”

  18

  Bitter memories rushed through Jake’s mind, as the jet engines of the massive airplane roared into life. He remembered the last time he was in a similar situation.

  “Déjà vu: another plane, another mission… the only thing that’s different is that we’re not hunting some crazy, middle-eastern bastard. We’re out to save our own. Even Allison’s here. Look at her, thinking she can make me forget about her lie. I’ve got some news for you, darling. You can’t. It’s not just the three years I spent in hell. I went through a lot of hurt, sure, but it’s not the main reason why we can’t be together again. You put your job before our relationship. I would have never done that; I would never do that.”

  Jake strapped himself in and pulled a map and some blueprints out of a briefcase the General had given to him.

  “Okay, Allie.” He started, as the plane began to taxi. “The compound is two stories tall. Our boys should be in the basement. It’s good that there are not many rooms to clear. I count five. I’m more worried about the power. Well, the power and t
he two guards outside. We have to rely on the boys on the ground; we can’t talk to them at 10,000 ft. There could be radio stutter. Any misunderstandings could be catastrophic.”

  “Don’t worry,” she reassured, a smile of amusement on her face, as she patted him on the shoulder. “There won’t be. Our equipment’s a lot better than it used to be. We’ll hear each other like we’re in the next room. I also think we should make the jump at 5,000 feet or lower.”

  “Why?” Jake got curious.

  “That light pole is close to the compound. It won’t take more than a couple of minutes for them to kill the power and take out the guards. A parachute drop from 5,000 feet lasts about the same time. The rest of their comrades won’t even know they’re gone.” She explained.

  “Good call,” He commented, staring down at the blueprint. “My platoon and I will jump first. Wait thirty seconds and jump. Our codename is Falcon. The platoon on the ground will be called ‘Birthday Boys’. ” He sensed her gaze was still fixed on him; Jake turned his head to the right and faced her. Allison’s toothy grin forced him to ask.

  “What?”

  “I’d almost forgotten how great you look in uniform.” She yelled, as the airplane engines roared down the runway.

  “Go talk to the pilots as soon as we reach cruising altitude,” Jake ordered, unwilling to respond to her compliment. Her persistence annoyed him, but starting an argument with her was out of the question. An officer must inspire his men, not embarrass himself in front of them. So, Jake chose to announce their plan to the rest of the marines and then focus on the mission.

  Nearly twenty hours later, the pilot’s voice was heard from the speakers:

  “Captain Isaacs, it’s time.”

  Jake pulled his radio out of its case, eager to see for himself if Allison had a point.

  “Birthday boys, this is Falcon, do you read me?”

  “Loud and clear;” relief flashed in his eyes upon hearing their quick reply.