by Bianca D’Arc
Jeff planned to get Rose in the same way. She needed protection, and he could definitely use her insight into the gift of precognition. She’d had it all her life. He’d only just started. He had no doubt she could teach him things about his gift, and he was going to keep arguing that to the powers-that-be until they agreed to give her an official position as a consultant to the unit. First, though, they had to make it safely to the island.
A great crash of thunder sounded right on top of a blindingly white flash. Jeff shook his head to clear the noise and grinned over at Wil. Good ol’ Thor was living up to his new nickname, bringing the hammer down on something almost directly below them. He could see the orange glow through the cloud cover of something burning on the sea below. That was two enemy boats down, two to go.
Another jolt of lightning and thunder rattled the chopper, and a second explosion from beneath the clouds lit the inside of the cabin in an eerie orange glow for a moment. Three down.
Jeff tried to send Rosie a reassuring smile, but she looked half scared to death. White as a sheet and gripping the seat beneath her with a white-knuckled intensity, she nevertheless seemed calm enough. At least on the surface. She was persevering in a difficult situation, and he had to admire her grit.
One more lightning strike—this one at a slightly farther distance, so it didn’t shake the chopper quite so much—and they ought to be home free. Jeff didn’t relax his stance as the helicopter descended on its path to Plum Island. There could still be more bad guys out there, no matter that his extra senses told him they were in the clear. His clairvoyance was still too new for him to trust it completely. There might be something his gift didn’t show him, and that could really trip him up. His best course was to remain prepared, regardless of what his mind’s eye might show him.
Maybe, someday, he would be more comfortable with his gift and able to trust it more, but he wasn’t there, yet. It just might be that Rosie would be able to help him learn to trust his abilities and discover just how far he could push the envelope. She had so much more experience than he did with clairvoyance. Surely, she must be able to show him things about their shared gift that he hadn’t yet fathomed.
He could feel the helicopter making its descent. They were coming in fast to the pad on Plum Island. He kept the rocket launcher ready until they were on the ground, then he turned it over to Dan, who would see to its care and check it into the armory, now that they were back on base. Jeff went to Rosie and helped her release her death grip on the seat.
She was a little unsteady on her feet at first, but he was there to help her out of the chopper and away from the still spinning blades. By the time they were clear, she had regained her equilibrium and was able to walk on her own. She was definitely a trooper, and he found himself liking her even more than he already did.
Dangerous, since he’d sworn off relationships for the time being. His own future was so uncertain, but he did see terrible things happening in the world. Things he had the ability to at least try to stop. Things he had to do in the future to be able to live with himself, even if he failed to stop the tragedies he saw coming.
He wondered if maybe Rosie saw some of those same things. Would she—of all women—be able to understand what drove him to do what he did? He wasn’t sure, but if anyone could understand his gift and the lengths to which it was driving him, it would probably be her. If only he could see the outcome of his own future with Rosie, right now… But that wasn’t how his gift worked. At least not so far. Maybe she could instruct him better on how to see his own future. Or maybe it was something a seer should never be able to see. He’d pondered that question ever since he’d discovered the ability gifted to him by that strange genie in the desert.
Jeff ushered her into the nearest building. There was a briefing room set up there, where they would be able to talk with the men of his unit. That was the first order of business. No matter how much he wanted to sweep her away from prying eyes and set her up in a comfy nest where she could feel safe after the disturbing events of the day, that would have to wait until at least some of the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed. Such was life in the military.
“So, where to, now?” Rosie asked, summoning a smile for him that was only a little shaky as they paused just inside the door to the building.
“You need to meet a few people, and then, we can get you settled into a guest room for the night, at least,” he told her, trying to sound both jovial and nonchalant. He didn’t want to frighten her any more than she had already been frightened.
“Lead on, MacDuff,” she said. She almost had him believing that she was as eager as she sounded, but he knew it was more than a bit of bluster.
She was holding up well, but her calm world had been turned upside down today. He knew that for a fact. He could see from her wide-eyed reactions that she wasn’t much of a daredevil or thrill seeker. She’d done well today, though. He had to give her that. She had guts when it counted, and he admired the heck out of that. Just as he admired her.
Hell, he more than admired her. He was halfway in love with her already. She was smart, brave, kind and beautiful. Everything he’d always wanted and never imagined existing in a woman. Since the team leader, Hal, had gotten hitched, Jeff had been feeling a bit…lonesome…he supposed. Not that he and Hal had been BFFs or anything, but the unit had always done things together.
Now, more often than not, when the rest of the guys were off duty and hanging out, Hal would be off with his new wife, doing couple things. Jeff didn’t begrudge Hal that happiness. Not at all. It was more like he was looking from the outside in at a really good relationship, and he wanted that for himself. A woman in his life that could accept him the way he was now. Someone who would stand by him and be there for him, as he would for her.
It was a rare thing to find a soul mate, but if such things really existed, Hal had definitely found his. Jeff thought maybe Rosie might just fit the ticket for himself. Of course, he wasn’t altogether certain she would still be speaking to him—let alone anything else—after the ordeal she’d been through today. She could very easily want to wash her hands of all of them, and their crazy situation. He wouldn’t blame her in the least. He’d dragged her into this mess—at least, from her point of view.
He could argue that his actions today may have only accelerated the future that he knew was going to come to pass. It wasn’t a very strong argument, but she, of all people, would understand the urgency to act on the things he saw coming. He wanted so much to just sit down with her and discuss their shared gift. He had the impression that perhaps her ability, while similar to his, was not exactly the same. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything about her. Not just about her mental gifts, but also about the things she liked and disliked. The things that made her smile and the things that gave her joy. He wanted to give her those things.
Jeff knew it was too soon, but something inside him just made him feel as if she was important to him. To his future. To a shared future together.
Chapter Four
Jeff escorted Rose into what looked like a lounge. A few men were already there, and one woman, who was dressed like a civilian rather than an off-duty military person. The men were wearing the same dark cargo pants Rose had seen before with T-shirts. The bulky webbing vests festooned with equipment were gone, but the men looked no less competent.
The biggest of the group stood up and came forward, the woman at his side. He held out one beefy paw to shake Rose’s hand, and she did the polite thing and greeted him again.
“You’re the captain, right? Thank you for coming to my aid,” she said formally, as they shook hands.
“Captain Haliwell, ma’am. Everybody calls me Hal. And this is my wife, Casey.” The big man surprised Rose with the introduction. She hadn’t known wives were casually allowed on military bases. Of course, nothing seemed to be normal about this military unit.
Rose exchanged greetings with the captain’s wife. She had a warm smile and seemed on
ly a little nervous.
“I heard a bit about your problem today,” Casey said, somewhat tentatively. “I hope you’re all right.”
“Fine, for now,” Rose replied with as much of a smile as she could muster. “Thanks to these men.” She looked around the room at the small gathering and addressed them all. “I can’t thank you all enough for saving me today.”
Murmurs and nods of acceptance came from the few men ranged around the room. It was Hal that replied for them all. “We were glad to help. And now, I’m afraid, we—or should I say, one of my team, in particular—needs yours. I assume Jeeves briefed you on his situation?”
By Jeeves, she knew Hal meant Jeff. Apparently, the nickname vibes were strong with this group. She nodded. “He told me some of it, and I will help, if I can, though it still seems a bit hard to believe.”
“But you’ve seen things. You should know better than most that what happened to us—to Jeeves—is real, right?” Hal’s words coaxed her into agreement.
“I know such things are real, as you put it. I’ve dealt with Jeff’s particular problem most of my life,” she admitted.
Hal smiled. “Good. I’m going to see if we can get you instated as a consultant to the unit. That would mean a job. Salary. Benefits. That kind of thing. Is that something you would be interested in, at least short-term?”
“Well, I haven’t got anything better to do until I’m sure it’s safe to go back to my regular life,” she admitted, “and I do need to make a living. Nothing changes that. So, if I could get some kind of job here, I would definitely be interested. Thank you.” On the one hand, she felt relief, and on the other, panic. “How long do you think I’m going to have to stay here? How long before it’s safe for me to live normally again?”
Hal reached up and ran one hand through his short hair as his expression looked troubled. “Honestly, I don’t know. You and Jeeves have the best shot of foreseeing that. I know that, as long as you’re here, nobody can get to you. Or, to be absolutely clear, they can try, but they won’t succeed as long as we’re here to protect you. You have my word on that.”
“I see,” she replied, but really, she didn’t see at all. She had little understanding of why her life had been turned upside down. She prayed for clarity, but her gift didn’t always work to her command. In fact, it seldom did. She shook her head. “Well, thanks for being honest. I’m not sure what to make of all this.”
“You’ve had a long, stressful day,” Casey offered, stepping forward. “Maybe you’d like to see the quarters here. I had the boys make a few changes when I moved in, and I think you’ll like the accommodations I had added for us girls.”
Rose looked at Jeff, and he just nodded. “Go on. Your bedroom is right next to mine. I’ll stop by after the debrief and check on you, okay?”
Rose had no idea how long a debrief might take, but she nodded all the same. She needed some quiet time to process of everything that had happened. Her body was still thrumming along with the chopper blades, and she knew her adrenaline would only hold out a little longer. She wanted to be someplace quiet and private to fall apart, if necessary.
Casey led her down the hall and through a set of double doors to a long corridor that had about ten doors, evenly spaced, running down either side of the corridor. Like a hotel hallway, Rose thought.
“This is the dorm,” Casey told her. “Hal and I have the big room up here, close to the outer doors. I think it was meant for the officer in charge or something. There are common bathrooms in the center of the hall, one on either side. I’ve designated the one on the right for the men and had them help me refit the one on the left for women. See the pink sign? That’s so some big brute doesn’t get confused in the middle of the night. I refuse to share a bathroom with the entire unit.” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, they’re good guys, but they’re guys, all the same.”
Roes chuckled at Casey’s words and the accompanying eye roll as she opened the door with the big pink sign that read LADIES ONLY. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t the spa-like atmosphere of a room that had obviously been refurbished recently.
A row of toilet stalls on one side couldn’t be camouflaged easily, but they had been painted a creamy beige with a subtle pattern overlaid. Probably some kind of stencil, but it was nicely done. The other side of the room had larger compartments. Two were obviously spacious shower stalls, and one larger room at the end had the door open to show a claw-footed soaking tub. Everything was done in neutrals with a sandy, almost beach theme with light pink accents. The effect was both lovely and relaxing.
“Most of the guys are good with their hands,” Casey told Rose. “They all helped. One of them did the plumbing changes, and two or three of the others helped with tile, carpentry and fixing the walls. I did the faux finishes on the accent walls, but they all helped paint, too. It was like they were all trying to make me feel welcome.”
“That’s so sweet,” Rose said, just able to picture the big, gruff men helping the petite woman who had married their leader, wanting her to be happy. They really were nice guys, even if they had lethal skills.
“I used to help my big brother flip houses. He would do all the carpentry and heavy repairs, and I would make all the interior decisions about colors, paint and styles. It was fun,” Casey admitted, sighing a bit.
“Well, you have a great eye. This is just lovely.”
After talking about the décor and the renovation for a few more minutes, Casey suggested Rose take a long hot bath. After the day she’d had, Rose was inclined to agree. Luckily, she didn’t have to borrow clean clothes from Casey. The Army apparently had stocked the barracks with plenty of work-out wear in various sizes, and since the men were all size gigantic, the smaller clothing was left for the ladies.
Casey helped her find a set of sweatpants and a T-shirt in one of the supply cabinets, and she was all set for a nice long soak. Casey had gifted her with a spare toiletry set that included fragrant bubble bath and some other niceties. Rose accepted it all gratefully, already thinking about ways she could repay the woman’s kindness. She was certain the cherry blossom scented bubble bath hadn’t come out of any Army warehouse. The gift set had come from Casey herself.
The generosity of the people Rose had met so far humbled her. Every last man had been willing to put himself in the way of danger to keep her safe, and they’d all been kind and polite when she’d interacted with them later. They had deep bonds with each other, that was much clear. Each had an air about them that was different from most people. And each of the men’s energies was slightly different from each other’s. Powerful. Dramatic. Almost… magical?
Rose, of all people, knew that this world wasn’t always black and white. There were many shades of gray and many things she probably couldn’t even imagine that existed alongside the everyday world. Her own gift was proof enough of that. She’d heard rumors about other things—supernatural things—but she hadn’t seen anything…until, possibly, today.
There was definitely something different about Jeff and his friends. Something that defied human logic and brushed the realm of the paranormal. While she wasn’t exactly afraid of it, she was definitely a little wary. She had no doubts left about Jeff’s desire to keep her safe. If he, or any of his friends, had wanted to harm her, there had already been ample opportunity. They were the good guys. She felt certain of that.
What made her wary was what the gifts they had been given were doing to the men, themselves. She well knew that often, there was a price to pay for powers such as the ones she’d already seen in action. Heck, there was a price for her own gift, which she had paid many times over in tears, anguish and guilt when she foresaw something she could not change.
It wasn’t easy to see tragedy unfold before your eyes, knowing that if only you could figure out the right thing to do at the right time, in the right place, you might be able to change the outcome. Or not. Even with all her experience, Rose still wasn’t sure if some things we
ren’t just meant to be.
Fate. Was it an absolute? She didn’t know. For all the things she could see in the future, the answer to that one question was unknowable. At least for her. Maybe someone, somewhere, knew for sure. But who that might be, and where they were, she hadn’t a clue.
Rose tried to wipe all of those conflicting thoughts from her mind and sank into a bathtub full of fragrant bubbles. Such luxury wasn’t something she indulged in often. After the crazy day she’d had, she was going to enjoy this. A moment of calm in an otherwise chaotic world. Bliss. Made of hot water and bubbles.
*
Rose had just returned to her room and started to settle in when there was a light knock. She went to the door and opened it, not really surprised to find Jeff there.
“I just came to check that you had everything you needed,” he told her, his voice pitched low so that it only carried to her. The feeling was intimate, even though the light from the hallway was harsher than the small bedside lamp that was the only illumination she’d left on inside her room.
“Actually, there is one thing you could help me with,” she said, seizing on the opportunity to both spend some more time with him and get a hand with something she needed. “Casey said there were spare blankets and pillows on the top shelf of the closet, but even standing on the chair, I can’t reach all the way back to snag them. Can you help?” She opened the door wider, inviting him in.
A smile lit his face as he walked directly to the deep closet that had posed such a problem for her. She’d never encountered such a deep shelf before, and the height of it made the entire retrieval process awkward for someone who wasn’t at least over six feet tall with a long reach.