by Terry Poole
Brendan stared at Kelly in astonishment. “Seriously?”
Kelly snorted derisively. “Yeah right and I have a bridge I can sell you, dirt cheap. Ever hear of Moosehead Beer? No? Never mind then. Pack your chutes, ladies, and let’s get ready to go. I have a fiancé to retrieve. G? Can I have a word with you?”
G moved up alongside him and he pulled her by the arm until they were separated from the others by several feet and unlikely to be overheard.
“You got all the intel I sent you?”
“Oui.”
“Good. I want you to take point on this.”
She looked at him in surprise. “But why, Kelly?”
“I’m too close to this. Nathan is the love of my life and my emotions are all over the place, clouding my judgment. My heart wants to go in with guns blazing but my head knows how stupid that would be.”
“Oh, Kelly…” G rested her hand against his cheek. “Of course, mon chere amie. I will do whatever you need.”
Kelly sighed in relief. “Thanks, G. I knew I could count on you.”
“Anytime, Kelly, you know that.”
Kelly ducked his head. “I know, G. You’re the best.” He swung his hand wide to encompass all the men watching them. “You are all…I couldn’t ask for better friends, especially at a time like this.”
Kelly trusted these people with his life. Circumstance had made them comrades in arms. Trial had made them friends. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t tell them the truth. The only way to save Nathan’s life would be to give Varga what she wanted—Kelly.
§§§§
Nathan glanced up as the door to his prison cell slowly opened. He couldn’t help the clench of his muscles or cringing against the cold cement wall, not knowing who it was or if this was it. He was a healer, not a fighter. There was no way he would be able to get out of this on his own. Was he about to be tortured? Killed?
Sighing in audible relief, Nathan relaxed when Luis appeared in the open doorway instead of one of his captors. His breath froze when he caught sight of two small children behind Luis, each with a stuffed toy clutched tightly in their arms. They had to be Maria and Jesus.
It was one thing saying he was going to take them; it was another if they refused to accept him. Nathan gave Luis a quizzical look although he was pretty sure why the children were here.
Luis moved the children out of the way, peered outside the door, then quietly closed it behind them. “I brought Maria and Jesus to meet you, to give you all a chance to get to know each other.”
Nathan smiled warmly at the children. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” He was saddened when he saw how thin they both were. Nothing like the round-faced little cherubs in Luis’s photo. Their clothes, like Luis own, were little better than rags upon their small frames. Neither had shoes on their bare feet.
Luis knelt before the two kids. “Maria, Jesus, this is Doctor Kirkfield. He would like to be your new papa.”
“I’m very pleased to meet both of you,” Nathan replied. He patted the cot indicating that the children should join him. They climbed up and settled on either side of Nathan, both mimicking his cross-legged stance.
Maria glanced back at Luis. “Luis dice que desea ser nuestro nuevo papa.”
“Si, Maria,” Nathan answered instead of Luis.
“Ingles, Maria. Use your English,” Luis gently chided.
“Yes, Luis.” She leveled a solemn gaze onto Nathan. “Do you really want to be our new papa?”
“Yes, Maria, if you will have me.”
“Are you really a doctor?”
“Yes, I am.”
“And you would take us to live with you?”
“Yes, I would. We have a nice house beside a large lake. There are lots of trees and I would teach you and Jesus how to swim.”
Maria smiled at that. Apparently, she wanted to learn how to swim. That was one point in Nathan’s favor.
He decided to sweeten the pot. “You will have your very own rooms that you can decorate any way you want to and you will both go to a very nice school to learn new things and become very smart.”
She stared at him a minute more. “Can Niña come too?”
Nathan spared a quick glance over at Luis who smiled at him. “Niña?” Nathan asked Maria.
Maria held out the well-worn, well-loved rag doll in her hands. “Niña.”
“Of course, Niña can come. I will try to be the best papa for her and you that I can be.”
“Good. Will I have a new mama too?”
Nathan hesitated. “No, Maria. I would be your papa and Kelly, my future husband, would be your daddy. We would hire a nanny to help, or course.” He paused again. “Is that all right with you? Having a papa and a daddy to love and care for you instead of a papa and mama?”
He held his breath as Maria chewed on her bottom lip. It hadn’t occurred to him that this could be a deal breaker if she refused him because of the lack of a wife.
She gazed into Nathan’s eyes again and slowly nodded at him. “I think I would like that.”
Nathan carefully raised his arm, not wanting to alarm Maria. “May I hug you?”
“Si.” Maria tucked herself into Nathan’s side and held onto him tightly.
Nathan turned his attention to Jesus who had been quietly regarding him and Maria the entire time they had been talking.
“Jesus? Would you like me to be your new papa?”
The little boy rose to his feet, reached out and ran his fingers lightly through Nathan’s curls before pulling back and touching the dark curls on his own head.
Nathan took a chance and rubbed Jesus’s hair. The little boy didn’t flinch at the contact, which was a good sign in Nathan’s opinion.
“That’s right, we have the same hair. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”
Now that Nathan thought about it both the children had lighter skin than Luis. Not that he cared but they could easily pass as Nathan’s biological children. It wouldn’t matter if they had pink and green polka dots decorating their skin, he would love them regardless. He had a feeling, that given time, the bond he could feel already forming between him and the children would be a powerful one. He was already falling under their spell and not regretting it for a minute.
Jesus nodded then held out his teddy to Nathan.
“What a fine teddy you have. Does he have a name?”
Jesus nodded then quietly said, “Theo.”
“Oh, I like that name. I could be Theo’s Papa too, that is, if you want me to be?”
Jesus looked at Luis, then at Maria who was watching him from the circle of Nathan’s arm. He stared at Theo for a minute before coming to a decision and nodding his head. Climbing over Nathan’s knee, Jesus curled up in Nathan’s lap, his small head pressed to Nathan’s chest beside Maria’s.
“Si. My papa.”
Warmth flooded Nathan’s body as he gazed down at these precious children who had given him the gift of their trust. It was incredibly humbling. They gripped him tightly, their foreheads nearly touching.
Nathan glanced up at Luis whose eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he observed the three of them. The room blurred before Nathan as tears gathered in his own eyes. He lowered his head, resting his face between their small heads. Jesus’s hair against one cheek and Maria’s brushing the other. Nathan breathed in the sweet smell of the little boy and girl, memorizing them, his heart expanding, making room for both of them in it.
Nathan would die before he let them down.
Chapter Four
Kelly stood in the belly of the plane, adjusting the strap on his tactical vest before slipping his P229 handgun, now fully loaded, back into its holster. The Korsakov sat in a holster at his hip. For a long while he hadn’t been able to even touch a weapon but once that Nathan’s life hung in the balance, his mind had overcome his trauma induced phobia.
The weapon had settled into Kelly’s hand, as an extension of him and would do its job as it was meant to. Once the phobia was broken, it
had been child’s play to become recertified on the various guns he used.
Kelly caught himself running his fingers along the length of the bracelet Nathan had given him. Fifty-four knots. He had counted the number of knots in the bracelet so many times, he knew the number by heart.
The men around him were in various stages of preparation, storing weapons and gear into pockets and packs. Each had their MC-6 parachutes near them, checked and repacked, ready to be put into use. Brendan had managed to surprise Kelly with the apparent expertise he showed in readying the parachute Kelly had given him.
Brendan was just strapping on the wrist altimeter Kelly handed to him when a familiar tread had him turning to face the entrance to the plane. The man climbing aboard was the last person he’d expected to see and yet somehow, Kelly really wasn’t all that terribly surprised by his appearance.
Kelly saw the team freeze in place around him, all eyes on him, watching him, gauging his reaction. Was the newcomer friend or foe? More than one hand suddenly rested on a nearby weapon.
The figure stepped into the plane moving unhurriedly toward Kelly. His features materialized once the light behind him no longer obscured his face. Why was he here and how in the hell did he find out?
No one outside the team and Brendan knew their actual destination. Even the pilots only had a rough idea. They were to get further information once they were airborne and again near the target zone.
Kelly waved around him for his team to stand down, indicating he was familiar with the man. The noise level slowly increased but it was apparent they were keeping an eye on the newcomer.
“Boss? What are you doing here?”
“As long as I’m on vacation it’s not Boss or Supervisory Special Agent Bakerson, it’s Steven.”
Kelly opened his mouth to refuse Steven’s addition to the mission when more thumping on the stairs stopped him. Recognizing the sound of Brendan’s familiar footsteps, Kelly watched him appear while pulling at his collar, not looking at any of them as he entered the plane.
“Do I really need to wear all this? I look like a reject from a Rambo movie!” He groused before glancing up and seeing everyone staring at him expressionlessly.
Brendan’s gaze moved from person to person, seeming to note how they were all similarly dressed. No one said a thing.
“Okay then. Never mind.”
Putting Brendan temporarily out of his mind, Kelly turned back to Steven, giving him a look. “Vacation? Seriously?”
Steven shrugged. “I spent fifteen years with the DEA before I joined the FBI. I know Columbia far better than you do. Besides, where do you think your intel on the Varga compound actually came from?”
“Someone said he got the information from his father’s secure military contacts when he sent it to me earlier.” Kelly leaned back so he could see around Steven and give Brendan a scowl.
Brendan gave him a shrug. “I admit nothing,” he said before deftly sliding behind Moose’s large frame. The sneak was trying to hide. Well it wouldn’t work.
Steven put a hand on Kelly’s shoulder bringing his attention back to him.
“You need me.”
Kelly growled and shook his head. “I’m getting really tired of hearing those words.”
“Pleased to meet you, Cookie, I’m Manny.”
Both Kelly and Steven turned to face Manny who had stepped over to them.
“What?” Manny asked on seeing Steven’s raised eyebrow. “Bakerson. Baker’s son. Cookie. Get it?”
Kelly rolled his eyes at Steven who snorted in response.
“Well, that’s original,” Steven said wryly.
“Hey,” complained Brendan. “How come he gets a code name and I don’t?”
Moose gave Brendan a hearty slap on the back sending him forward several steps.
“Would you stop doing that?” Brendan grumbled at Moose.
“You gotta earn your nickname, Pipsqueak.”
“Awe, come on,” Brendan pleaded. “Pipsqueak? Really?”
“For now.” Moose held out a hand to Cookie. “Hey, I’m Moose.” Then Moose pointed to the man sitting cross-legged on the floor of the plane cleaning one his impressive looking sniper rifles. “That’s Frodo.”
The man in question absently waved a greasy cloth in the air at Steven before lifting the weapon and sighting down the length of the barrel.
“Yes, there is a story behind those names,” Kelly muttered quietly. “And for God’s sake don’t ask.”
Steven nodded his understanding as they watched Frodo, apparently satisfied with the cleaning, expertly attach a flash suppressor onto the end of the rifle. The man rose then slid the rifle into a specially designed holder on his pack. He picked up another one, and began to steadily take the weapon apart piece by piece, examining each part before putting it aside.
“Bonjour, I am G,” Giselle called over to them before blowing Steven a kiss.
To her utter pleasure, Steven grinned at her, catching the kiss in the air before giving her an exaggerated bow. Glaring, Brendan quickly moved to her side and placed an arm around her waist, giving Steven the stink eye as he not so subtly staked his claim in front of everyone. G gave him a kiss on the cheek before she picked up her pack and went to sit on a seat next to Frodo.
Brendan cocked his head then stepped closer, gazing at Steven intently. “I know you’re Kelly’s boss at the FBI. But this operation is very hush-hush and technically, you aren’t supposed to know about it. That’s why you sent the information to me in secret. So why are you here?”
“That’s what I would like to know,” Kelly demanded.
“I’m here because after reviewing all the information, I decided that Kelly needs my expertise in Columbia.” Steven pointed a finger at Kelly. “And Mike would never forgive me if I let anything happen to his boy.”
Kelly grabbed Steven’s sleeve as he turned away from him, heading for a seat. “Whoa, wait just a sec. Mike? My granda? That Mike?”
Steven chuckled at him. “You don’t think you and these bozos were the only ones he trained, do you?”
Kelly felt Steven’s fingers on his chin closing his mouth.
Well, shit.
“Great. Well now that that’s all settled would someone please help me with this?” Brendan grimaced, shifting his shoulder strap away from his neck where it had ridden up against his chin, again.
The tactical vest Kelly had given him to put on was designed for wilderness survival and didn’t have weapon holsters or armor plates. Instead it had dozens of pockets filled with survival aids which Kelly sincerely hoped Brendan would not have to use. He glanced down at Brendan’s feet. Brendan had insisted on his own boots. They were well-worn so Kelly was satisfied that blisters wouldn’t be an issue. Those that ignored the stress their feet would undergo on a mission, such what lay before them, were left behind to suffer in agony.
“Come here, mon cher,” G called to Brendan from where she was sitting.
“Saved you a seat, Pipsqueak.” Moose patted the seat between him and G.
Grumbling, Brendan made his way past Kelly and sat. Moose immediately began to adjust his tactical or tac vest, harness and equipment, G watching over him like a mother hen and making the occasional suggestion. Apparently, the feud was over, for now. They might argue like children but Kelly knew that it was fueled by affection.
Steven turned to face Kelly and discretely pointed over his shoulder toward Brendan. “You’re not planning on giving him a weapon, are you?”
“Brendan?” Kelly crossed his arms and gave his boss an ‘are you crazy’ expression. “Oh, hell no.”
Steven nodded. “Good.” He straightened and looked about the plane. “This is one very impressive ride you have here, MacNiel.”
Kelly sighed. He knew when he was outplayed and really, he welcomed the extra help so he couldn’t complain. Much.
“This ride is courtesy of Brendan Kirkfield and his dad, Matt. Welcome aboard, Cookie.” He slapped Steven’s back, snicker
ing as he emphasized the word. “Or should I call you chocolate chip? Maybe oatmeal?”
Steven made an exasperated noise that sounded a lot like ‘not in this lifetime’ before sitting in the empty seat on the other side of Frodo. “So why are you called Frodo exactly?” Steven asked as he strapped himself in.
Kelly’s phone went off and turning away, he fished it out of one of the many pockets on his vest.
Jerry’s number showed on his screen and he thumbed the phone open.
“Hey, Jerry,” he said quietly.
“Where are you?”
“On assignment. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Oh. Oh! You know where he is and you’re going after him!”
“I didn’t say that, Jerry. I’m not allowed to be on the case, remember?”
“Shit, shit, shit.”
“Jerry?”
Kelly heard odd scrambling noises through the phone.
“What is the—” The phone abruptly went dead in Kelly’s hand and he scowled at it.
What the hell was going on with Jerry? First, he’d lied about knowing who Danna was and now he was having a fit over Kelly going to get Nathan? What did he honestly think Kelly was going to do? Sit around and play with himself? Not bloody likely.
He faced the interior of the plane. “Everyone good?”
At the various nods and assents, Kelly then made his way forward to the front of the plane. The two men in the cockpit turned in their seats as he entered.
“All right, gentlemen. Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Yes, sir.” The men faced forward and quickly began the final preparation for takeoff. Like a dance team moving in perfect coordination, they began flipping switches and adjusting dials.
The plane was already vibrating by the time Kelly returned to the rear compartment. “Make sure you’re strapped in people. We are outta here.”
He dropped into an open seat and buckled himself in. There were no windows and only the quivering of the hull around him gave any clue as to what was happening. The rumble grew stronger then after a slight jerk, everyone instinctively leaned as the plane smoothly took to the air. After a few moments, the plane leveled off and everyone straightened up.