by Cat Johnson
Obviously, he was fine from the fall. Ashley, on the other hand, might never recover from tonight, and watching Brody drop from the second story was the least of what would stick with her for a long time. Possibly forever.
She went to the bathroom to wash the tears from her face and brush her teeth before bed. She didn’t anticipate getting any sleep tonight, not with the knowledge that Brody was just across town but would be gone by morning, but at least she’d be clean as she lay there not sleeping.
As she walked back through the door of her room she saw her phone light up on the nightstand. Diving for it, she saw Brody’s name on the display and his text.
Don’t be sad. Talk soon.
The tears started to flow anew.
With a sigh, she headed for the bathroom again and grabbed a wet washcloth to mop the salty tears from her cheeks.
It was going to be a long night.
CHAPTER 11
After battling traffic and one long ass drive he hadn’t been in the mood to make, Brody made it back to base and to the meeting room just in time.
Rocky took one look at Brody’s expression and asked, “What’s up with you?”
Brody let out a derogatory snort at Rocky’s question. “You mean besides that I left before sunrise and drove eleven hours from Alabama in the middle of what was supposed to be my weeklong leave?”
All for some bullshit meeting. About what, he didn’t know. No one would say what it was about. Even the guys who hadn’t been on leave didn’t seem to know.
Thom busted through the door, the last of the team to arrive. He looked as unhappy to be there as Brody.
“What the fuck are they calling us in for? Anybody know?” Thom asked as he lowered himself into the empty chair next to Brody.
“Nope.” Brody glanced at Thom, looking disheveled. He took a guess at why. “Girlfriend still in town?”
“Yeah.” Thom blew out a breath. “She’s not gonna be happy if we get sent out.”
Since he was there, Brody hoped they did have a mission. It would really suck to have cut short his time home for nothing.
And Ashley—her sobs had haunted him for a good part of the drive reminding him of exactly how unfair it had been for him to have started things back up with her knowing he would be leaving.
“All righty, boys. Let’s get down to business.” The team commander entering the room tore Brody’s mind away from Alabama and back to business—whatever that might be.
Brody glanced up, about to wait for the answer to his unasked question, when a second man walking into the room behind the commander had his eyes widening.
“Some of you who’ve been around for a bit might recognize this man . . . ” As the team commander finished the introduction, Grant Milton stood shoulder to shoulder with him. “He’s been brought in because of his first hand knowledge and experience with our target and the area. I’m going to let him take over.”
Apparently Grant’s request to move back from his training assignment had been approved. At least for this assignment.
Whatever this mission was, they were about to find out as Grant stepped forward.
“Boko Haram.” Grant’s gaze hit on Brody and Thom. “Those of you who were with me on this team last year are intimately familiar with this enemy and with the men currently in N’Djamena working to stop them.
“The Multi National Joint Task Force and the member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission have met to organize a joint force to fight Boko Haram. A private military company staffed by former DEVGRU operatives has been brought in to advise on and implement the plan, including helping to train the forces.”
From what he knew from Chris, and that Grant had looked directly at him when speaking, it wasn’t too much of a stretch for Brody to guess that the PMC mentioned was GAPS and the men currently in Africa training others and brainstorming some sort of battle plan were Chris, Jon and Zane.
Grant continued, “In addition to the kidnappings, and the suicide bombings that continue to kill hundreds of locals, we have proof that Boko Haram has sworn allegiance to ISIS.”
Rocky mumbled a cuss beneath his breath that echoed pretty much what Brody was thinking. Separately the two terrorist organizations were bad enough. Allied, they’d be worse.
“The joint forces will be deployed to two command posts. One in Nigeria. One in Cameroon. The timetable is to eradicate Boko Haram from the region within three months.”
Brody had to smother his reaction to that ridiculously unrealistic timetable as he wondered which politician came up with it.
He had to wonder one more thing. What did this have to do with his unit?
When Grant drew in a big breath to continue, Brody had a bad feeling he knew and that for the next three months he wouldn’t be enjoying any of those American amenities he’d missed while in Turkey over the past six months.
And then there was Ashley . . .
They’d just found each other again and now they’d be on two different continents. She wasn’t going to be happy about that. He wasn’t thrilled about it himself, but he was used to this life. She wasn’t.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering what our role in this plan is. POTUS has not authorized boots on the ground. We’ll be going in strictly in an advisory capacity. We are to intervene only when and if there is imminent danger to the U.S. citizens in the region.”
Advisory capacity, his ass. Brody rolled his eyes at the political bullshit. Where they were going, where GAPS currently was, danger was imminent every second of every day. But they all had to spew the same official rhetoric to keep the public and the politicians happy.
Meanwhile, Brody would definitely enjoy reminding Chris often that his SEAL team had been brought in to play babysitter to GAPS.
That was one bright side to this whole assignment.
Decimating Boko Haram would be another—if that could be accomplished. Brody had his doubts about that, especially about it happening within the allotted three-month window, but after having seen the damage done to the people by the fanatical organization, he was sure hoping for another crack at them.
The team commander stepped forward again to take over the floor from Grant. “Pack your gear, go home and kiss your loved ones goodbye. We go wheels up at zero-six-hundred.”
Thom mustered a curse. “We just got back.”
Brody shot Thom a glance and saw his unhappy expression. “Yup. Better go make nice with the girlfriend.”
“Ginny is not going to be happy.” Thom sighed.
Rocky leaned forward. Single and unattached with no worries in this regard, Rocky didn’t look all that sympathetic to Thom’s situation. “This is your life. She better get used to it if she’s gonna be a part of it.”
Thom let out a snort. “Tell her that.”
Any other day, Brody would have been completely on Rocky’s side in this. Any SEAL stupid enough to try to have a relationship while active duty got what they deserved. But today, Brody was faced with having to call Ashley and explain he was leaving the country again, without telling her why and to where.
He didn’t want to make that call, mainly because he didn’t want to hear the tears in her voice.
This relationship shit was so far out of his comfort zone, the thought of calling Ashley had his pulse speeding faster than the announcement of the team deploying to Nigeria to fight Boko Haram had.
How crazy was that?
Brody didn’t like the feeling. It was a distraction he couldn’t afford right now. Not when he had orders to get ready to leave in twelve hours.
Pushing his chair back from the table, Brody stood and glanced down at Rocky. “I’m going to pack my gear. You coming?”
Rocky stood. “Yup. I’m right behind you. Packing up should be easy, at least, since I never completely unpacked all my shit from last time.”
“True that.” Brody turned for the hallway, Rocky right behind him as they headed out the door, as promised.
This—getting ready to de
ploy, having the team he trusted above all else at his back—this was familiar territory.
It felt good to be doing something he did well.
He’d deal with telling Ashley later.
CHAPTER 12
“Ashley!”
The sound of her name being bellowed from the bedroom had Ashley clenching her jaw.
For a supposedly ailing woman, Miss Eleanor could sure yell plenty loud. Ashley usually had patience for the old woman, as she did with anyone under her care, but after getting next to no sleep she was running a little short.
Today, she didn’t have it in her to paste on a smile and pretend everything was all right. That getting Miss Eleanor another glass of sweet tea was the biggest pleasure in her life at the moment. Or that she found the show on TV as fascinating as the old woman did.
All that on top of her other duties such as changing the bed sheets, bathing her, helping her to the toilet, and dealing with the consequences when she didn’t quite make it.
Arriving at the Cassidy house this morning and finding the driveway empty of Brody’s truck made the emptiness Ashley felt at his absence increase tenfold.
Now, nearly at the end of her shift, she still didn’t feel much better about things, just more tired.
Sighing, she made her way to the bedroom. “Yes, Miss Eleanor?”
“Can you bring me one of your grandmother’s muffins? Brody says there’s some leftover in the fridge. It will be cold, so you’d better warm it up for me first.”
Was the old woman confused or just remembering now something Brody had told her before he’d left?
Drawing in a breath for strength, Ashley said, “I’ll look again, but I don’t remember seeing any. Maybe they’re all gone now. When did he tell you this? Yesterday?”
“No, he told me just now when he called to check on me.” She held up the phone as Ashley felt the blood drain from her face.
“Oh. Okay. I’ll go see.” She made a beeline for the hallway and pulled her cell out of her pocket.
There were no missed calls or texts and she had good signal as evidenced by the fully lit up bars on the display.
Carrying the phone in her hand all the way to the kitchen so she could keep an eye on it, she watched and waited. She only took her gaze off the device so she could look inside the fridge for these muffins Brody had found important enough to call his grandmother about when he hadn’t bothered to even text Ashley.
She tried to reason away her hurt and anger.
Brody shouldn’t be texting while he was driving. It wasn’t safe. And he probably didn’t want to call her cell phone during the day because he’d known she was working. So really, it made sense he’d dialed his house number, maybe even on the chance that Ashley would answer.
Dammit. She’d heard the phone ring too but had ignored it because she’d been in the middle of something. Next time, she was grabbing it, no matter what.
Sighing, she finally remembered why she was standing in front of the open refrigerator door. The muffins.
Where were they? She didn’t see them on any of the shelves. Bending over, she yanked open the vegetable drawer and there they were, in a plastic bag nearly hidden behind the lettuce.
Ashley shook her head. No doubt Brody had put them there. Probably, knowing him, so no one else would find and eat them. Now that he’d been called back, he was willing to share the bounty.
Typical Brody.
She couldn’t help her sad smile at the thought as she reached for the bag. Taking one out, she glanced at the time displayed on the microwave before popping a muffin inside and setting it to warm for twenty-seconds.
It was getting late in the afternoon. He should be nearing the end of his drive shortly. She just had to be patient.
Soon the Cassidys would be arriving home from work, one at a time, and Ashley would be relieved of duty. Then, when Brody knew she was home and could talk, he’d call.
Four hours later, Ashley was still waiting for that call.
She’d done the math. She’d done a web search. She’d calculated the distance and the time. He had to be back in Virginia by now.
If not, then something was very wrong. Like fiery-crash-on-the-highway kind of wrong.
She finally convinced herself it was her duty to call him and make sure he was okay. If Brody hadn’t wanted her to call, he wouldn’t have made sure his number was in her cell. Right?
Armed with that justification, she glanced over at Nana seated in her favorite chair with her eyes glued to the television.
“I’m going to head upstairs,” Ashley said.
Nana frowned. “You a’ight? It’s early.”
“I know, but I’m kind of tired.”
“Then it’s sleep you need. Always listen to your body and you can’t go wrong.”
Listening to her body, and letting it convince her to go to bed with Brody, was exactly what had put Ashley into such a tizzy.
She kept that observation to herself. “Yes, ma’am. Goodnight.”
“Night, baby girl.”
It was all Ashley could do to keep herself from sprinting from the room and barreling up the stairs. Now that she had made the decision to call him, she couldn’t get alone quickly enough.
Once in the privacy of her bedroom, she closed the door and pulled out the cell that had never left her side all day as she’d waited for some kind of contact from Brody.
She punched the screen to dial his number and, feeling breathless, listened to the ringing.
“Cassidy.” His formal address took her aback.
“Brody, it’s me.” She thought better of not identifying herself and added, “Ashley.”
“Sorry. I’ve got my earpiece in and the phone in my pocket so I didn’t know who was calling.” He blew out a breath sounding stressed or at least distracted from whatever he was so busy doing. “Anyway, what’s up?”
His continued business-like tone and complete lack of warmth continued to confuse Ashley.
More, it was starting to make her stomach hurt as her insides twisted with regret. Regret that she’d called him. That she’d slept with him.
“I was worried about you on that long drive. When I didn’t hear from you, I had to know that you’d made it safely.”
He smothered a cuss. “I’m sorry, Ash. I got here just in time for my meeting and I’ve been running ever since trying to get things ready.”
“Ready for what?” she asked.
A long stretch of silence was the only answer to her question until he finally said, “Um.”
“You can’t tell me where you’re going or what you’re doing.” She pressed her lips together.
On some level she’d known what being with an active duty SEAL would be like, but that didn’t make the reality of it any easier to deal with.
“Look, I’ll get in touch with you when I can. Okay?”
So he could continue to avoid her questions and act like she was annoying him? No, thank you.
“That’s fine, Brody. Don’t bother. Maybe I’ll see you around whenever you’re home again.” As she lowered the phone from her ear she heard him say her name.
With more willpower than she thought she possessed, or maybe motivated by plain old anger, she punched the display to disconnect the call.
She poked at the screen again a couple more time out of frustration and then tossed the phone onto her bed.
It was completely irrational and immature to take her bad mood out on a cell phone that would cost her plenty of money to replace should she manage to break it. Right now she didn’t care.
Even so, when she heard the buzz of an incoming message, she dove for the cell.
We’ll talk when you’re feeling better.
She read his message, nostrils flaring as she breathed in fast and hard.
Feeling better? She wasn’t sick. She was pissed off at him and for damn good reason.
What the hell? What kind of man could speak sweet words to her one day and then treat her like she was a t
elemarketer bothering him by calling his phone the next?
Mumbling to herself, Ashley stalked back and forth across the small space of her room like she was a caged animal.
When the raw mad gave way to angry tears and then finally pure exhaustion, Ashley flopped onto the bed.
Wiping her eyes, she raised her cell and checked the display. Nothing. Still she kept the phone in her hand so she wouldn’t miss a call or a text if Brody contacted her to apologize.
She truly was a pitiful mess.
CHAPTER 13
“Everything okay?” The question came from Rocky, who again was proving too observant for Brody’s liking. Especially now as Brody stood surrounded by his gear with the phone still in his hand.
Brody could have lied, but he wasn’t in the mood. “Nope.”
“Wanna talk about it?” Rocky asked.
“Nope.” Brody would listen to his brothers in arms vent from sun up until sundown if they needed to, but he’d never had been one to spill his guts.
Yeah, he could bitch about command and regulations as well as the next guy, but when it came to the personal stuff? That he tended to keep to himself.
“Wanna get a drink?” As opposed to the previous inquiry, Rocky’s follow-up question was a welcome one.
That suggestion, Brody could get on board with. “God, yes.”
They were pushing out early in the morning if things remained the same, which most likely they wouldn’t. There was always the chance they’d get called in before then.
Such was the nature of the military. Spec Ops even more so. But Brody had been playing this game for long enough he knew how much he could drink and still function.
He could definitely have a beer or two and still be ready to board a transport with all his shit in tow on an hour’s notice if necessary. And he’d sleep on the transport so that wasn’t an issue.
Hell, he could stay up all night. It might be better actually if he was tired enough to fall sleep on the trip naturally rather than take something to knock himself out. He could come up with all sorts of justification for himself that going out now was a good idea when it all boiled down to one thing—after that call with Ashley he needed a drink.