by Dale Mayer
He nodded his thanks, but his tone was cool. “Likewise.”
“Except I wasn’t shooting.”
“No, but it was pretty fancy flying.”
“Nothing more than usual. And Ice well, she’s Ice.”
His lean face was covered in dirt, his clothes muddy and torn. But it was the worry and exhaustion written in the lines on his face that endeared her to him. “How are they?” she asked softly. She knew all SEALs were one unit but they all had some closer connections than others. Levi was Evan’s friend.
The lines deepened. “It’s hard to say. Levi will live. Stone is going to lose his leg. We’re not sure, but he could lose both.”
She swallowed. “That would be tough but then he’s tough too. He can get through this.”
“He is and he will but that’s not the end any of us want. For ourselves or our friends. The others aren’t in great shape either. Likely none will be returning to active duty.”
“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely, trying to tug her arm free. He wouldn’t release her. She stood tall in front of him. “Was there something else?”
He took a deep breath and released her. So she guessed the answer was no.
“When did you get back?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Almost a month ago.”
He reared back slightly and frowned at her. “I didn’t know it was that long ago.”
“Why would you?” she asked in a cool voice.
He snorted. “Because I normally have an internal radar where you are concerned.”
“Right, a radar that tells you when to run in the opposite direction,” she said, shaking her head. “Honestly, I’m surprised you’re talking to me now.”
He looked surprised. “I never did that. I wouldn’t. I seriously only just found out you were back a couple of days before this mission. Of course I’d heard about the hotshot lady pilots. Ice and her new co-pilot. You’ve made a hell of an impression.”
“No, that’s Ice. I’m just the sidekick.”
“And a good one at that. Ice told me you were the best she’s had.”
She loved to hear that. Then again, Ice was something else. “She’s phenomenal,” Megan said warmly. “I’ve never met anyone like her. It’s as if she’s connected instinctively to the machine at all times. Mentally and physically. I swear it.”
“She’s as much of a legend as Levi is.”
That brought the conversation right back around. She couldn’t help but notice how quickly the group moved away from them. She’d long since lost sight of the injured as they’d been raced to medical below.
She reached into the helicopter for her bag only to find it already in Evan’s hands.
“Thanks,” she said grudgingly.
He raised an eyebrow at her tone. She sighed. “I like to look after my own gear.”
“Duly noted.” He passed it to her.
She hefted it over her shoulder. “Catch you later.”
Keeping her stride steady she walked inside. It was all she could do to not turn and look behind and see what he was doing.
“How about coffee?” he asked from right behind her.
Well, that answered that.
“Not today.” She threw him a smile. “We’re taking the helicopter to North Island for repairs and then I get to sleep in my bed.”
“Alone?”
Megan misstepped. “Sorry?”
“You heard me.”
“I hope I didn’t. That would mean that you really were putting your nose in where it didn’t belong.”
“I wouldn’t do that.” He held his hands up in front of him but with a big grin.
“Good. Because it’s none of your business.” Getting pissier by the minute and not really sure why, she turned and took several more steps again.
“What if I want it to be?”
This time she was ready for him. She knew him from old. “I’m not looking for a good time anymore, Evan.”
“Are you sure? We were good together.”
“We were. But we are no longer.”
He opened his mouth and she held up a hand to stop him. “I’m not looking for the same thing now.”
He nodded. “That’s good. I don’t want the same thing either.”
She shot him a look of disbelief. “Right.”
“Hey, if you can change so can I.”
“Maybe and maybe not.” She shook her head. “This is a stupid conversation.” She kept walking. “I’ve got to go. Save the games for someone else.”
And she kept on walking.
*
She was more beautiful than ever. Older, stronger, her spine stood straighter. She’d matured into something so much more than before.
And he wanted her. He’d always wanted her.
But she wasn’t there for him – at least right now. And that was something he’d do his best to change. He turned and headed back to grab his gear. The return to reality came with the grim awareness that someone else wasn’t going to be able to look after their own. He joined the rest of his unit to find Ice hauling an armload.
She was carrying Levi’s gear. She handed it over to Mason. He accepted it.
Like a baton being passed, she turned and walked away.
How she’d gotten her hands on it Evan didn’t know but assumed she’d either found it after the medics stripped him or it had been left in her helicopter. She always went over her helicopter. With a nautical awareness. Everything was meticulous with her. Hell, Levi was the same.
They were a matched set.
He had no idea what went wrong between them, but something had and it had been major and final. And yet neither had another partner.
Ice walked past him, her long single braid down her back, her deep ocean blue eyes cold like her name. She gave him a short nod and kept on walking.
In two steps he’d reached Mason and the growing silence in the group. “Levi?”
He shrugged. “He’s alive. But we don’t know more than that. They all are.”
“Good. Then we take care of their stuff until they get back.”
As plans went it was the best they had.
Chapter 3
Megan woke the next morning, sore and tired. Not sure why but she tried to shake it off as she put on her jogging clothes. Outside, she stood listening to the birds as she took several huge gulping breaths of fresh early morning air into her lungs.
After a couple of stretches she headed out. Her legs were rubbery. Uncoordinated. As if she needed to go back to bed for a few more hours. But that wasn’t going to happen. She just had to push through it.
She was good at that. Ignoring the heaviness, she hit the trails at a sprint sure to set the blood pounding in her veins. The day was gorgeous. It was early with a freshness to it that had her lungs sucking in joy. She pounded forward at a steady rate, watching as the world slowly woke up.
At the end of her five miles she stopped several blocks from her small house and walked the rest of the way to cool down. She did a few arm stretches to loosen up. A hot shower then she had to get to work. She had a long day ahead. Hopefully not as bad as yesterday.
Missions like yesterday’s were hard on everyone. Especially when their own got hurt. Caught up in her own thoughts, the whiff of his presence caught her by surprise. She knew before she looked at her front door that Evan was going to be there.
In fact, he was almost at her side. She slowed to a stop and studied his beloved face, while wondering at the longing for what they’d had. How could the pull be so strong after so long – and flare up so fast? He was deadly to her senses.
“You’re looking better,” she said by way of greeting.
“You’re not,” he answered, his gaze intense on her.
“Nice. Not.” She shook her head. “Is that how you charm all the women in your life?”
“Are you a woman in my life?” His grin lit up the loneliness in her heart.
“No. I’m not.” She glared at him but there was no heat in it.
“Would you like to be?” And he flashed that devilish grin at her again.
“Hell no.”
The grin fell away. “So can I drop the player pretense now?” he asked in a quiet voice.
She froze. “Is it a pretense?”
“Absolutely.” He laughed but the joviality was gone. It was a serious calm Evan now. Secure in himself. “I might have been like that a long time ago, but years have gone by. I’m different. You’re different. Why don’t we just leave it at that?”
“That works for me.” And it did. She didn’t need to hang on to that shit. She’d almost made it to the chapel and the whole white picket fence thing. That she didn’t was her fault. But he didn’t need to know. Besides if he’d changed to the man before her, then she liked what she saw. More than liked. Knowing he hadn’t wanted more than a fling held her back last time. And circumstances had conspired against them. They were both older, more mature, and maybe both were interested. Although she’d need to wait a bit on that one. She didn’t want to rush into anything. And fail again. He was a good man. He deserved more.
“I’ve got to go. I’m late already. I’m supposed to meet up with Ice this morning and also have a training session on a computer upgrade later this afternoon, too.” Listen to her. She was babbling like an idiot.
“Sounds exciting,” he said smiling.
“Well not as exciting as rescuing big bad SEALs,” she said teasingly.
“Needed an extraction, not a rescue, thanks.” But he smiled at her. “And I do mean the last part.”
“You’re welcome.” Laughing, she ran up the stairs to her front door. She slammed it closed behind her and headed for the shower. Running into Evan had taken up precious minutes.
The hot water felt damn good. But by the time she was dressed she had to skip breakfast. She didn’t want to go in late – and for just once, she’d like to be earlier than Ice. It hadn’t happened yet.
And today was no exception.
“Good morning,” Megan said quietly as she made it to where the helicopter was undergoing repairs after yesterday’s flight. Ice had flown it back to North Camp after they’d been given clearance to return to base. She watched Ice check over the helicopter like it was her baby. And it was in a way. “How is it?”
“Two bullet holes, both needing to be fixed but she’s solid.”
Megan nodded. Of course there were holes. She remembered the bullets hitting as they came in for landing, but with all the chaos and a safe return she’d forgotten about it. Not something Ice would ever do. She walked over to see the damage. Thankfully it was minor. “How is Levi?”
Ice shrugged. “They are all in intensive care. None will be back to work – for a long time – if ever.”
Megan sighed. “New recruits coming up.”
“These four men are not replaceable.” Ice’s voice was colder than ever.
“None of us are,” Megan said quietly.
Ice closed her eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“Hey, it’s understandable.”
“More than you realize. Stone is my brother.”
Megan gasped. “What?”
“Stepbrother. We spent a decade in the same household growing up, but then he moved out and our parents split. It had been the second marriage for each of them, and the last I heard they were both on thirds.”
“Have you been to the hospital to see him?”
Ice shook her head. “He’s in surgery and will be in intensive care for a while. I’ll go later.” She turned to look at Megan. “How’s Evan?”
“Cocky as ever.”
“Really?” She frowned. “He’s not been that way for a long time.”
“Well, we do have some history that might be bringing out that behavior. He says he didn’t know I was back. Hell, I’ve been here a month now. If he’d wanted to find me then he would have.”
“He changed after making it through BUD/s training,” Ice said. “Something inside him settled. He wasn’t just military. Now he was elite but with it came a ton of responsibility. It was the making of him.” She waved a hand. “I like who he is now.”
Megan snorted. “Good, you can have him. He’s part of my history. Not my present.”
And if she said it enough times she might believe it.
“No.” Ice smiled, a small twinkle in her gaze. “The man he was is part of your history just as that person is part of his history. But who he is now, is very different. That man could be your future.”
Her phone buzzed. Ice answered it, listened for a moment then hung up and turned to look at Megan. “We have to go.” Ice shot her a look that said she wasn’t liking it either. “A special meeting has been called about yesterday.”
“Did we do something wrong?” Megan asked. “Our mission was as tight as we could make it. Quick in and out with all aboard.”
“Yep, but they want us there so we’re to be there – 0900 hours.”
Megan groaned. “Fine. I’ll grab coffee and head over.” She walked a few steps and turned to see Ice standing and staring at the helicopter like she was staring at a friend who was dying. “Ice, you okay?”
Ice shrugged and said. “I will be.”
Whatever that meant. With a frown Megan turned back to see Evan standing in front of her. “And it’s you again. Are you stalking me?”
She said it with a light tone as she searched his face. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard their earlier conversation? Her life was unsteady right now. Yesterday’s shit storm was rippling outward affecting all aspects of her life. Bringing Evan back into it was something else altogether. Both good and bad. She wasn’t ready for another relationship, another failure.
“Of course I am,” he said with a grin. “I figured I’d walk to the meeting with you.”
“I’m not that new,” she said, her tone edgy. “I do know my way around.”
“Yes but tempers are short and I figured you’d have a smile on your pretty face, and that would be way nicer to sit beside than a mess of angry men.”
“Yesterday was bad.” She walked at his side. “I need coffee before we head into the meeting.”
“Not sure meeting is what we’d call it.”
“As long as my head isn’t on the block, I’ll be fine.” She hated being in the wrong. Especially in the military. Accidents happened and sometimes shit went south for no clear reason. But that didn’t mean heads didn’t roll. Weeks were spent training for possible contingencies, but there was no way to account for every variable. There would be new training directives after Levi’s mission. He might be done but he’d left a legacy behind.
It was a sober atmosphere inside the debriefing room.
“Stone has lost his right leg. The doctors are hopeful that his left can be saved,” the commander said in clear no-nonsense tones. “He’s going to be in the hospital for weeks and then in recovery for months.”
Megan watched as the faces turned grim while the commander continued. “Levi took three bullets. One has lodged in the bone of his lower back. He’s had two removed. That one is going to require a delicate operation that could leave him paralyzed. Rhodes and Merk took two bullets apiece. Both are expected to survive. As for active duty? Not for a long time – if ever.”
Silence. The men shifted uneasily.
That was an entire four-man team gone. Taken out. Not only an entire unit, but one of the elite. And one they all knew.
“So what the hell happened?” the commander asked. “I want every last detail.”
Mason spoke. “We don’t have any details on Levi’s mission. We did the extraction. That went off smoothly.”
The commander nodded. “In that all the men were brought back alive, yes. But I want to know what you found and exactly what actions were taken when. I want every one of the men responsible caught. Levi was on a special op and one we had no reason to think was at this level of danger. It was an intel hunting mission only. They should have been in and out fast, hopefully with pr
oof and names. They were to move up the agenda only if things were really bad.”
Silence.
“An ambush? Maybe the enemy knew Levi was coming?” Swede suggested from the far side of the room. He glared at them all. “So why and how did they take out a SEAL Team?”
Megan almost smiled. If it wasn’t for the subject matter and the seriousness of it all she would have. Swede always made her smile. A huge man and a gentle giant but he’d hauled Stone out of danger alone and there was a reason Stone was given that nickname. He weighed enough of them.
“Right. How did they know Levi was coming? That the men were going to be there at that time?” The commander paced across the front of the room. “Mason, I want the details from the beginning.”
Mason stood and gave as close an accounting as he could of what they saw from the time they were air-dropped to the ground a quarter of a mile away.
*
Just hearing the details made Evan wince. The op was supposed to have been simple but due to the nature of it, they all knew there was nothing simple about it. The first helicopter had dropped them and they’d found the location within ten minutes. Gaining the lay of the land and finding the men – well as always that had taken more time than they’d wanted. But Evan had stayed high and picked off the enemy as they showed. He hadn’t seen as much going on below as some of the others. When it was his turn, he relayed the information the commander wanted to hear.
Unfortunately, he was looking for something none of them had to offer.
Levi had been betrayed. Now they all wanted to know by whom. And stop him from betraying someone else. “Very few people knew Levi’s itinerary or destination,” the commander said in a hard voice. “So he was either tracked, we were hacked, infiltrated, or someone deliberately betrayed our men. We need to know who and how. And we need to know if any of them are here.”
Chapter 4
“Is that the reason for the doubled up security?” Dane asked, his voice hard and uncompromising. “You think we messed up somewhere along the line.”
An awkward silence settled.
“No, your unit did exactly what you were sent in to do.” The commander took a wide-legged stance. “You pulled our men out of a tough situation and in the process you saved their lives.”