by Dale Mayer
“Take them to Grandview Hospital. Your orders are to stay there. We’ll send another pilot to pick up the machine.”
As much as it galled her to retreat, she had to consider the injured pilots. And if she were the one injured what she would want done?
She was two minutes out, heading in the direction of the hospital when the enemy helicopter zipped in behind her. Shit. They were barely above the city towers now. If he was planning to attack, they had no room. There were going to be more casualties on the ground than anyone wanted. She studied the terrain even as she gave an update to command.
“If you are not being fired upon, evasive maneuvers and get back stat.”
“Too late.” She zipped sideways around a tall building. And coaxed more speed out of her machine. “He’s coming in too close. If he’s armed…shit… He’s locking on…”
“Head out to open water.” The orders were cool and clear. “Air support is on the way.”
She wrestled with the controls as she whistled through the blocks of buildings and around corners, heading for open water. There were two naval ships in the bay. If air support was coming, chances were good, it would be coming from them.
“Hang on, Evan,” she cried. “This is going to get nasty.”
“Nasty is my middle name,” he called. “Get this asshole.”
Easier said than done. She’d banked a lot of flying time but not in combat. But when the game was brought to her, she also knew this could make or break her career – and her life. To lose the helicopter at this point might not be something she could do anything about, but she’d do her damnedest to not kill anyone on board. She wished she had Ice beside her. She could use her cool instinctive sense of command.
Almost instantly, Ice’s cool calm voice filtered through her memory from other flights. Always stay in control. If you lose that the game is already over.
Check.
She had this one.
Stay focused on the end game. Don’t let the little stuff sideline you.
Check.
She had that one too.
Do not let emotion rule. It doesn’t matter what you are doing or who you are doing it for, you can’t let your heart top your logical mind.
Okay, so that one needed a little work.
Megan flew low and went over the plays in her mind as she used evasive maneuvers to avoid him. The other helicopter was older without much of the firepower hers had. She let control know what she could about the machine but there was damn little to see. Not that it was going to make a difference at this point.
She needed to stay out of targeting range until backup arrived. Two black flecks flew toward her.
About time. They were too far out. Damn it.
The helicopter suddenly appeared on her ass.
Where the hell had he come from?
Shit.
Now she was in trouble. Or maybe not. Remembering a discussion with Ice, she popped her helicopter up, slowed and pulled in behind the asshole. And set her own target on him. He sped up and tried to escape the radar. Then he popped up. They danced mid-air until somehow she managed to come down on his side. And fired. She peppered the side of the machine until smoke filled the air.
He spiraled downward.
Got him.
She grinned. Take that, you little shit.
Instantly, alerts rang inside the cockpit. She checked her fuel.
The calm voice came through her headset. “What is the fuel situation? Can you return to the hospital or do you need to set down?”
She gauged the distance and realized her fuel tanks were low. Too low. Black smoke streamed behind her. Critical. Shit, she might have been hit after all. “Need to land. Fuel is critically low.”
“Understood. Wait for clearance.”
A different voice came on. She followed orders, hating that her hands were shaking in reaction, and landed the helicopter on the deck of the naval ship as instructed. Instantly, the side was flooded as medics raced to remove the injured pilots and mechanics raced to look the machine over. She pulled off her helmet and shook out her hair.
Injured and needed to be rescued. Like hell.
“Feel better?” Evan asked with a flashing grin.
“I do indeed,” she said, struggling to stand up without any gasps of pain. The last thing she wanted was to show weakness now. She hobbled toward him.
Suddenly, a voice called out, “Are you injured?”
“No,” she called back. “I’m not.”
*
Evan shook his head. “Like hell you aren’t.”
Turning to the men swarming around the helicopter he yelled, “She’s got a sprained ankle and a nasty graze from a previous gunshot.”
She glared at him. “I’m fine,” she insisted as she walked toward him. Only to land slightly off center and gasp, her face turning sheer white.
Immediately he reached out to steady her. “Easy.”
Shudders rippled down her back as she nodded and carefully shifted her weight to her good leg. She stood like a stork until the waves of greasy pain eased back and she could catch her breath.
He helped her to the edge. “Do you fly back to North Island or does someone else?” he asked her, watching the activity going on around them.
“When I know I’ll let you know,” she said dryly. “Chances are good that no, I won’t be flying as you’ve seen fit to let everyone know I’m injured. I’ll be sidelined for a week now.”
“I’m sure there’s something useful you can do until your ankle heals.”
She glared at him. “Great. Paperwork.”
He laughed and led her over to the commander standing and waiting. After saluting she gave as concise a report as possible. Then Evan stepped forward and added his information.
The commander nodded. “You’re heading right back. As a passenger this time.”
There was more discussion but eventually, without seeing a medic, they were both ushered onto another helicopter and within minutes they were airborne. They flew over the remains of the other helicopter in the water below. There were several diving teams at the crash site. Evan watched her face close down as she studied the damage she’d inflicted and then resolutely turned and faced forward.
“First time you ever killed someone?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “I’ve spent most of my time doing search and rescue work. I’ve brought dead bodies home but haven’t yet been responsible for those deaths.”
“Until now.”
She glanced at him then gave a clipped nod. “Until now.”
Chapter 17
She leaned back and stared out the window, his words reverberating in her head. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not here. This wasn’t the Middle East or one of the many war torn countries.
Had the drug war in Mexico come home? Were these the same guys that Levi had been dealing with?
Why now? Unless it was because they knew Levi was still alive?
And was she responsible for any of this?
Would the media pick this up or would it be reported as yet another accident as part of a training exercise? She didn’t even know how to view it herself.
“Do you have an update on the others?” she asked quietly.
“No, not yet.”
She nodded and kept quiet. They landed on North Island safely. Evan hopped out and helped her down. She didn’t say a word when he snagged a ride to his truck then hustled her inside. Before she understood, she was standing outside his house again.
He led her into the living room. She froze. The couch was covered in blood. Her blood.
“I’m putting on coffee,” he called out. “We’re going to be called in soon enough, but the longer you have to rest the better.”
“That would be nice, thank you,” she said in a formal voice, wishing she wasn’t going to have to talk about today with anyone. Only that wasn’t going to happen. Just the reports alone she’d have to fill out made her want to scream. Her world had shifted,
and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. Taking a seat on the side of the couch that wasn’t blood spattered she tried to relax. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of a sudden movement. She tensed. A huge tomcat walked the fence line between the other houses and Evan’s.
Behind him she could see her house. Her home.
To think it was there – like right there but she couldn’t go into it. And maybe she didn’t want to. Would it feel foreign or make her feel more violated than she felt already? Right now nothing made sense. She was weary like she couldn’t remember ever being before.
Then again she’d killed a man tonight.
That should be exhausting. It should be tumultuous.
It should never be easy.
Never be something she’d become accustomed to.
Ever.
She had to remember her own humanity.
A gentle hand stroked her head as Evan walked around the couch to check out his backyard. Satisfied, he turned to study her. “You going to make it?”
She nodded, and in a cool tone she’d learned from Ice, said, “Of course.”
“That’s my girl.”
His phone rang. He answered it. She listened while he filled Ice in on the recent events.
When he ended the call, he said, “They got the gunman in the hospital. No explosives were found. The injured SEALs have been accounted for and all are well. The trip didn’t do them any further harm.”
“Oh good.” That was one positive thing at least.
“Ice would like to speak to you when you’re ready to.”
She nodded. “It’s the last thing I want to do right now,” she admitted.
“Give yourself a few minutes then call her.”
She winced. “How about tomorrow after I get some sleep?”
“How about not.” This time his voice was stern. He handed her his phone.
She groaned and picked it up. He had it dialing already. “Ice, I’m fine.”
Ice’s cool voice sounded so damn sweet in her ears but not as sweet as the words she uttered. “No, you’re better than fine. I saw. I heard. I know. Take it easy and be good to yourself. You did well out there today.”
And she hung up.
With a silly smile on her face, she accepted a cup of coffee from Evan. “Thanks,” she said. “For both of them.”
“Both?”
“Yeah, the coffee and the nudge to call her.”
“She’s good people.” Evan sat down in the middle of the couch barely missing the blood stained section. He placed his coffee cup on the table, took hers from her hands and placed it beside his. Then he gently tugged her into his arms and leaned back. And held her. He just held her, like he understood the mess she was inside.
He didn’t want anything from her other than to give comfort. She needed that right now.
After a moment of peace she said, “I didn’t think about it. I just shot him down.”
“Good. Don’t think about it now either.” He eased a hand up and down her back. “Just relax and let it go.”
“Can one let it go? Should I let it go?” These questions seemed deeply important.
“You have to eventually. It will cripple you if you don’t. Deaths are inevitable in armed conflict. As it was his life versus the pilot and co-pilot’s, yours and mine, I say you did a damn good job. It’s what it is. No more and no less. This was a fight to the death and you took him out, simple and clean. He didn’t know what hit him, and maybe that’s the best gift of all.”
“I didn’t expect him to shoot at us at the hospital. It seemed so wrong.”
“We never expect to be attacked in our safest places. You’ve been through a lot these last few days. Now it’s down time. That’s just as important. Maybe more so. You need to rest, heal. We don’t know who else might be involved in this, so we can’t let our guard down until they are caught. Understood?”
“Understood.”
*
He hoped she did. This job was hard enough without the roller coaster of emotions. There was a reason the country needed people like him. The damn conflicts around the world. And with conflicts came death. He’d yet to see any of them resolved peacefully.
He hoped the world leaders would continue to try, but he’d not been an innocent kid in a long time. There always seemed to be an asshole who decided he was better than everyone else and that he should play God and kill off those lesser souls. A sad reality. No one alive today didn’t know about or remember the 911 terrorist attacks and with the current radical Islamic group bringing down so much pain and destruction on everyone, it wouldn’t be long before something else happened on home soil. But until they knew more, he didn’t want to make any assumptions. Today was minor. Something the military would downplay to keep the public from panicking.
And in truth at this point, he couldn’t confirm who the group was. It could just be a pissed off US citizen with some serious connections.
“Heavy thoughts?”
“Goes with the territory.” He hugged her close. “Thanks for my life today.”
She snorted. “Sheer luck.”
“Not in this case.” Evan’s cell rang. “That’s Mason now.” He answered the call. “What’s up?”
“The gunman managed to kill himself before anyone could get any information from him. The hunt is on.”
“Interesting. I wonder what his motive was?”
“No idea but there is a team heading to his house right now.” There was an odd silence. “Is Megan okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine.” Evan hugged her closer. “A little shook up and her body needs to heal but other than that she’s doing fine.”
“Good. Levi and the others are safe and under heavy guard. We can’t say for sure at this point that they were the targets, but if this is connected to his last mission we’re taking no chances.”
“Which would be Mexican Cartels – not terrorists.”
“No assumptions at this point, stay safe.”
Mason rang off, leaving Evan to think about the consequences of a mission gone wrong and everyone coming after the teams for revenge. Levi needed to wake up again. He kept nodding off with the drugs. They had a million questions requiring answers. As he rested on the couch he let his mind freewheel. Looking at possibilities. People. Situations. There was never a clear-cut answer as they had too many variables. Too bad Markus’s partner wasn’t around. Bree had a photographic memory and could see patterns where others couldn’t. Of course she’d used the skill in investments before she’d gotten seriously ill, but it would be lovely to get her take on this.
Markus would have a fit if they tried to get her involved as stress was something they were trying to avoid in order for her healing to continue as it had been. Markus had fallen hard and Evan wished him the best but worried still. Although Bree had been very sick for a long time, she was better now, but Markus had already lost one partner… Evan didn’t want him to lose another. Yet, Bree had put on ten pounds – and she could still out eat Swede. Something the two loved to do together. He grinned. His family of blood brothers had expanded in a marvelous way. Megan shifted in his arms, reminding him that maybe he’d be the next lucky one in this merry band of Keepers. Just the name was stupid, funny, corny, and so appropriate that it made him smile.
He hadn’t been joking when he said he wanted to rescue the next damsel in distress – it was a cosmic joke that this time the damsel had rescued him instead – twice.
Something the others would probably hassle him about forever. He shrugged. His ego was healthy. Besides it was Megan, and anything that brought her into his life again was perfect. Then again, so was she.
“What is making you so damn happy?” she muttered.
“You. You’re making me happy.” He held her close. “I’m just so glad to have you back in my arms.”
Chapter 18
The calm protective atmosphere lulled Megan into a peaceful doze. Until Evan went from relaxed into complete readiness.
&n
bsp; She bolted into awareness. “What–”
A finger was placed against her lips.
She stared into Evan’s hard gaze. Then gave a clipped nod to the side. She sat up and watched as he moved silently over to the glass doors and studied the backyard.
She couldn’t see anything. But he’d obviously heard something. She studied her house across the fence, but it was pitch black and looked empty. In the night she heard an owl and a hawk crying out. They were both predators. Normal. Except for Evan’s response. He completely relaxed. “That’s Hawk.”
“And an owl,” she said joining him at the glass. “What did you think you heard?”
“Hawk is part of my unit,” he said with a smile. “What you heard was his call. He’s outside and must have seen me. That was the all clear call.”
She studied his face. “For real?”
“For real.” He nodded and tugged her up close. “Do you want some fresh air?”
He opened the back doors. She slowly hobbled behind him out to the simple square backyard with a beautiful stamped concrete patio and smiled at the serene night that had settled in while she slept. “It’s a beautiful evening.”
“It is. Do you feel better?”
“I’m actually not bad right now,” she said.
The cool grass beckoned. She slipped off her shoes to let her feet feel the freshness. Her ankle was stiff and still swollen but not bad considering how much she’d been through. Rotating it several times, it immediately felt better yet again. A day of rest followed by a good night’s sleep and she’d be right as rain.
“No, it won’t be fine tomorrow.” Evan grinned at her. “The swelling won’t go down that fast. And to do too much too fast is going to mean longer healing time.”
She wrinkled up her nose at him. “I was trying to make myself feel better, thinking I’d be back to work soon.”
“Not happening. You’re off work until you get the ankle healed.”
“As long as I don’t have to go back to the doctor, then a few days off is fine.” She frowned. “Although it seems like a waste when I could be back East visiting my family for a few days instead of sitting here with my feet up.”