by Elle James
Once he’d secured their rooms, Mac showed Kylie where they were and let her ditch the camera inside. They stopped by the small hospital to check on Sergeant Garcia.
He’d already been stabilized and awaited transport via helicopter to the next level of care.
Kylie stood beside the sergeant’s bed and touched his arm. “Thank you for saving my life and protecting me.”
The sergeant smiled. “I should thank you for saving me.”
She shook her head.
He took her hand and held it tightly. “It was my pleasure to protect such a pretty lady. It was worth the bullets.”
“I don’t know that it was worth the bullets. I didn’t want anyone harmed on my account.”
“All part of the oath,” Sergeant Garcia said.
“What oath?” Kylie asked while squeezing the man’s hand.
“The one to protect and serve.”
“Well, thank you, sergeant. I hope you recover quickly.”
“The doc said I should. I’ll be back to my unit soon. In the meantime, I get a free trip home. Haven’t seen my wife and kids for six months. I’d say that was worth every bullet I took.”
Kylie leaned down and kissed the soldier’s cheek. “Tell your wife I appreciate your sacrifice. Thank you for your service.”
“Glad I could help,” he said with a sincere smile.
Then Mac showed her to the mess hall that operated 24/7 for people on all shifts. Mac chose a sandwich and a mug of steaming coffee. Kylie opted for a cup of hot tea and a piece of toast.
“You need to get more than that into your stomach,” Mac said.
Kylie shook her head. “I’m not that hungry. I’m more concerned about Josh and your team getting back here safely. Think the Taliban will go after them?”
“It’s possible. They were in that village, too.”
Kylie’s brow furrowed. “I should’ve gone myself.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You’re the one person they will want the most. If you’d gone, you’d have put the rest of them at risk.”
“Good point,” she said, nodding.
Mac ate half his sandwich before setting it back on the plate and taking up his coffee mug. “Glad to see you got to where you wanted to go. Look at you, a war correspondent,” he said and grinned.
Kylie sighed. “Hasn’t been easy. People don’t take women war correspondents seriously enough. I had to freelance it for a while.”
“Are you still freelancing?” he asked.
“No,” Kylie said. “I work for an international news syndicate. They fund my travel and lodging in exchange for gripping stories.”
“I see you on all the news channels now,” he said.
Kylie shrugged. “I don’t know that I’ve made it, but I have moved up a little bit in this world. People don’t look at me like I’m a crazy woman anymore.” She smiled across the table at him. “And look at you. I remember you always wanted to be a part of the Delta Force.”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t have made it there without you.”
Kyle frowned. “What do you mean?”
“If you hadn’t dumped me when you did, I might not have gone for it.”
She reached across and touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“You had dreams. I had dreams. It just wasn’t the right time for us.”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t have married you when I hadn’t even begun living the life of my dreams. Speaking of married, what about you? Did you get married?”
He shook his head. “Being a member of Delta Force isn’t conducive to long-term relationships. “So, the answer is no, I’m not married.”
Kylie removed her hand from his.
“What about you? Did you tie the knot with some highly deserving man?”
“Being a war correspondent isn’t conducive to long-term relationships. Most guys want a woman who will stay home and raise babies. I wasn’t ready for that.”
“Are you now?” Mac asked.
She shrugged, staring across the table at Mac, amazed that this man could still get her blood moving.
After she’d left him to get her career going, she’d had so many regrets. If there’d ever been a man who was right for her, that man was Mac. But they’d both been so young and ready to launch into their respective careers. He’d been on a path to get selected for Delta Force.
Kylie had been on the verge of pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist and a war correspondent. If they had continued their relationship and gotten married, she doubted seriously that either of them would’ve attained their dreams. He might not have become a Delta Force operative, and she might not have been in Afghanistan to interview an important informant from the Taliban.
Looking back over the years, and all the time they might have wasted, she wondered if she’d made the right decision in leaving him. Now that they were several years older and more experienced in both their fields, she was creeping up on thirty years old. As she’d neared her thirtieth birthday, she’d begun to feel her biological clock ticking.
Yes, she’d wanted a career, and she’d wanted it to happen before she had children. She’d known her line of work would be dangerous, and she wouldn’t have left her child behind much less put that child at risk for losing a parent. So, she’d put her life on hold while she’d pursued her career.
Now, with her thirtieth birthday looming, she was concerned about being able to have children of her own. Some of her friends had waited until thirty to have kids. They’d found it difficult to conceive, as if they’d waited too long to try. Kylie had begun to think that she’d put her life on hold for all the wrong reasons.
And the only man who’d ever interested her was sitting across the table from her. Apparently, he still hadn’t forgiven her for leaving him.
“What’s next for you, Kylie?” he asked.
She’d been considering that for the past year. Did she want to remain a war correspondent, always chasing after the adrenaline and the next big story? Could she take a back seat and pick up human-interest stories that didn’t put her in the line of fire, and actually start that family she’d put off for so long? Those thoughts went through her head as she tried to come up with an answer to his question.
Finally, she said, “For one, I want to interview Faaid.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean what’s the next thing you’ll be doing in your life?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“How long do you plan on following war stories and putting yourself at risk?” he asked.
“It pays the bills,” she said. “What about you, Mac? How many years do you have in the military? Maybe fourteen? That gives you—what—six more years you can do this? What’s next for you? Are you staying to retirement or longer? Are you looking ahead to see what you can do after retirement?”
His lips twisted. “Hadn’t really thought much about it. Guess I was going to ride this horse into the sunset. Although, the older I get, the harder it is on my body. It’s really a young man’s world, being Delta Force.”
She laughed, looking at his magnificent body. “You’re far from old.”
“Tell that to my knees.” Mac grinned.
“Didn’t you have a dream of having a ranch in Texas?” Kylie asked.
He nodded.
“Have you done anything about it?” she asked.
He stared into the distance. “I’ve been saving money, and I’ve got a real estate agent looking for a small patch of land I can call my own.”
“So, you’re going to be that rancher you always wanted to be and raise cattle and horses and children?” Her heart stuttered, as she waited for his answer.
“That’s the plan,” he said. “I’m not getting much younger.”
“Have you met someone?” she asked before she could stop herself. “Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”
He nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have.”
Kylie’s heart sank to the pit of her belly. She
swallowed hard and said, “I’m happy for you. I hope she’s special because you deserve someone special.”
His lips quirked upward. “She is. And yes, I do deserve someone special.”
She leaned across the table and touched his arm. “I’m sorry if I hurt you all those years ago.”
His shoulders lifted and fell. “We were young. We got over it.” Then he looked into her eyes. “So, have you met someone?”
She had. Many years ago. Kylie had never fallen out of love with him. Now, he sat across the table looking sexier and more mature than he had when they were younger. An intense ache settled across her chest. “Yes, I have met someone.” She took a deep breath past the weight sitting on her lungs and changed the subject. “Do you think I can meet with Faaid, now?” She set her cup on the table, pushed back from the table and stood.
The thought of Mac with another women made her incredibly sad. The sooner she got her interview and left, the better.
“We can go and see if the intelligence guys are done with him.” Mac rose from the table and stacked her tray on top of his. Once he returned the trays to the kitchen, he led her to the quarters he’d secured for her. By then, the team was back from the nearby town with Kylie’s backpack.
Rucker handed her the backpack, and Kylie clutched it to her chest. “Thank you so much,” she said, glad to have everything she’d brought with her to Afghanistan. “Did you have any troubles getting to it?”
Dash laughed. “Not really, because we’re sneaky bastards. We saw a truckload of vicious-looking characters arrive at the front of the hotel. We went around the back, entered through the back door, and went straight up to your room.”
“We guessed they’d have to ask which room you were in and that it would take time,” Rucker said with a grin.
“We were in and out before the elevator made it up to your floor,” Tank said. “We took the stairs down.”
“How did you know they were Taliban or that they were coming to find me?” Kylie asked.
Dash puffed out his chest. “I stuck around in the stairwell long enough to see them break into your room. I left as soon as they did.”
Kylie’s eyes widened. “Wow. Thank you very much for getting my backpack.”
Mac frowned. “All the more reason for you to stay on base tonight and to get the hell out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.”
She sighed. “Fine. After I get my interview with Faaid.”
“We’ll arrange for that as soon as we get him out of Intel,” Rucker said.
Dash tipped his head toward her quarters. “This is where you’re staying?”
Kylie nodded. “Yes, it is. Why?”
Dash’s lips split into a wide grin, and he jabbed Mac in the ribs with his elbow. “Lucky dog.”
Mac frowned. “I had to put her in the room next to me because I have to keep an eye on her.”
Dash nodded. “Uh-huh. You could’ve put her next to any one of us, and we’d have gladly kept an eye on her.”
“Knock it off,” Mac said. “I’m the one the CO put in charge of keeping our guest safe.”
If it had been any other man, Kylie would have accused Mac of being possessive, maybe even a little jealous. But surely by now, Mac was well over her. It had been years, and he’d just admitted he’d found another woman. Of course, she’d just admitted she’d found another man, too. None of the men she’d seen since Mac could compare to him. She’d never felt the same for them as she had for Mac. Yeah, she’d dated, but she’d always known they were only temporary. “Josh, where are you going to be?”
“Rucker set me up in a box around the corner from you. You want to work on that video I recorded during the mission?”
“The sooner we get it out the better,” she said.
He nodded.
She turned to Rucker. “How soon do you think it will be before I can see Faaid?”
“I’ll check with the CO and see when we can get in to see him.”
“In the meantime, I’ll be here in my quarters, with Josh, working on what we have already.”
For the next hour, Kylie and Josh edited the video. When they were happy with what they had, they agreed to take a break. It was late in the night, and Kylie was tired but still pumped up on adrenaline.
A knock sounded on the door. She opened it to find Mac standing there. “You can see Faaid now.”
Her heart fluttered. “Josh, grab your camera, we’re on.”
Josh collected his gear and followed Kylie and Mac across the base to a building. Inside, Faaid sat with the commander.
“I got word from my chain of command that you’re allowed to interview Faaid,” the commander said. He stepped aside and waved toward the informant. “I’d like to sit in on the conversation, if possible.”
“That will be fine,” she said.
“Rucker’s bringing the interpreter,” Mac said.
A moment later, Rucker entered the building with another man in tow, an Afghan national who could speak English fluently.
Over the next hour, Kylie interviewed Faaid, using the interpreter, while Josh recorded the session and Kylie made notes.
When she had all the information she needed for her report, she thanked Faaid and wished him well. She hoped that he would be placed somewhere in the United States where he would be safe from the Taliban. With his cover blown, he wouldn’t live long in Afghanistan.
Mac was waiting outside the door of the building to escort her and Josh back to their quarters. They dropped Josh off first, as his unit was closer. By the time they reached her room, it was the early morning hours. Still dark, people still asleep, the night shift working. She and Mac were alone, walking toward her quarters. When they arrived in front of her door, she reached for the doorknob and paused. “Thank you for saving my life and bringing me here to protect me.”
“You’re welcome.” He turned her to face and tipped her chin toward the starlight. “You look tired, Kylie.”
“After a day like yesterday, it’s to be expected. Anyone would be tired.”
“No,” he said. “You look tired, like you’re tired of it.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I’m living my dream. How could I be tired of it?”
“I’m living my dream, and I’m tired of it,” Mac said. “Delta Force is really a young man’s work.” He brushed a thumb across the corner of her mouth. “I used to love kissing you.”
Her chest burned with longing. Not a day, not a week, not a year had gone by without her missing him. Right then she wanted to kiss him so badly, she started to lift up on her toes. Then she remembered that he’d said that he’d found another woman. She dropped down flat on her feet and stepped away. “That was a long time ago, Mac.”
“Yes, it was. But if feels like yesterday.” He bent until his lips hovered over hers. “I remember how you tasted.”
His breath, warm against her skin, made her tingle. She swayed toward him as if drawn like a moth to a flame.
When their lips touched, a massive explosion rocked the earth next to them, knocking them to their knees.
Chapter 4
A siren revved up, and the sound of heavy guns went off, lighting the sky with tracers.
Mac pushed her to the ground and covered her body with his. His teammates burst from the doors of their sleeping quarters, stepping out into the moonlight.
“What was that?” Kylie asked.
“C-RAM guns that detect and destroy incoming rockets,” Mac explained.
Another explosion went off nearby and the Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar guns Kylie had heard of fired, making a burping sound, the rounds went off so fast.
Mac rolled off her, leaped to his feet, grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Come on. We need to get to the bunker.” With his arm around her, he ran her to the nearest reinforced bunker where they remained for the next thirty minutes.
After the initial attack, there were no other rockets launched at the forward operating base.
On their way
back to their quarters, Rucker called out and ran to catch up to them. “The CO wants us in the conference room.”
“I’m not leaving Kylie,” Mac said.
Rucker nodded. “He wants her there, too.”
Together, they hurried to the war room. Once inside, they found the CO and the rest of the team seated around the table.
“Just got word from Intel.” The CO stared across the table at Mac and Kylie. “That attack was deliberate and meant as a warning message to our guest, Miss Adams. They’ll leave this base alone, if we turn her over to the Taliban.”
Mac stiffened beside Kylie. “No way in hell.”
The commander lifted a hand. “We’re not turning her over. However, we need to get her out of here. As long as she’s here, she’s a danger to all of the people on this base. As soon as we can arrange it, we’re flying her out to Kabul. She’ll catch the next plane back to the States.”
“Sir, she won’t be any safer in Kabul than she is here,” Mac said.
The CO nodded. “And that’s why you’re going with her. Get some rest. Likely you’ll be flying out at sunup, depending on the availability of helicopters.”
“Yes, sir,” Mac said.
“Miss Adams,” the commander turned to Kylie, “stay safe.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said.
They returned to their quarters. This time when Mac stood outside her door, he took her into his arms. “You’re in serious danger. Please tell me you’re not considering staying in the country.”
Kylie shook her head. “No, I’ve got my story. I’m done here.”
Mac glanced down at her, his eyes narrowing. “You know, I don’t think anyone can get onto the base, but if they do, they’ll come looking for you in the unit they’ve assigned to you. It worries me that they might know where you are already.”
“So,” she said, “your concern is?”
He sighed. “Maybe we should switch quarters. You stay in mine; I’ll stay in yours. That way if anyone tries to get into your room, I can take care of it immediately.”
Kylie tilted her head to the side. “That makes sense, but that puts you at risk.”