Broken (Broken Trilogy Book 1)

by Drake, J. L.

  “Don’t be,” he says and gives me his famous Keith side hug. “When I spoke with him last night I could tell you were on his mind.” He leads me to the truck.

  ***

  “Eggs or waffles?” Abigail asks, handing me a cup of coffee.

  I look down at the cup and remember I shouldn’t drink it…Oh shit, I have to break up with coffee too! I look down at my beloved drink and make a promise I’ll return as soon as I can. Oh, this is going to be hard to hide.

  “Just toast will be fine,” I say. Abigail whirls around with a concerned look.

  “Savannah, what’s wrong?”

  Shit…“Nothing, I’m just not that hungry.” And the idea of eating eggs or waffles makes me want to puke.

  “What are you not telling me?”

  Oh lord, I feel awful not letting her know there’s a little Fritter on the way.

  “Savi?”

  “I think I still have that flu.”

  Her eyes soften at my lie as she heads toward the toaster.

  “Savi?” Keith calls from the hallway, “can you come here, please?”

  I follow him to Cole’s office and he points to the landline, smiling as he shuts the door behind him.

  I sit in the massive, leather chair and pick up the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, baby.” His voice rasps over the phone, sending off about a million butterflies in my stomach all at once.

  “Hi,” I choke out, trying to keep my tears at bay. “Are you all right?”

  “God, I miss your voice.”

  “I miss you, too, Cole. When are you coming home?” I know I sound desperately needy but dammit, I am.

  “As soon as I can possibly get there, I will. Right now we’re doing surveillance, making sure we know as much as possible before we make our move.” He pauses for a second then chuckles.

  “What?”

  “You called the house home.”

  I smile. He’s right, I guess I did. “Yes, well, it is my home now.”

  “Hmmm,” he hums into the phone, “it sure is.”

  I bite my lip and am about to tell him about our little creation when I hear him let out a long sigh.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s a first for me to be struggling with being in the field. Normally I do my job with no distractions, but knowing you’re there without me…it’s hard to concentrate.”

  Oh God. I try and think quickly.

  “Cole, listen to me, I am not leaving this house for any reason. I’m not running off and I check in with Keith as often as possible. Please, please don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I just want you to concentrate on what you’re doing so that you can come home to me safe and sound.” I squeeze my eyes shut. The topic of our baby is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t do it. He’ll stress out that much more. “You made a promise to me, Cole.”

  He clears his throat, “I did.” I hear someone talking in the background. “Savi, I have to go.” He pauses. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Cole.” I feel the tears spill over as the line goes dead. “…and I’m pregnant,” I whisper into the dial tone.

  “Savi?” Keith asks sticking his head in the door. I hang up the phone but don’t get up. He moves in the room watching me carefully.

  “I need you to do something for me, Keith.”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t tell him about me going to town today.”

  “Savannah, he hasn’t asked yet, but if he does, I can’t lie.”

  “You can’t tell him, Keith. He told me he can’t concentrate because he’s worried about me. I told him I’m not leaving the house if you tell him it will only make things harder for him.”

  He shakes his head. “I can’t. You’re my friend, but he’s my boss. I—”

  I stand, pulling out the ultrasound picture from my pocket and handing it to him.

  He takes one look then glances at my stomach.

  “Five weeks.” I smile, rubbing my stomach.

  “Oh my God,” he whispers.

  “Keith, if he finds out I went to town, he’ll want to know why, and I can’t—not while he's in danger out there.”

  “Okay, I agree with you.” He suddenly comes around the desk giving me a huge hug—picking me right off the ground. “I’m really happy for you guys. Wow.”

  “Thanks,” I wheeze. “Can you put me back down?”

  ***

  Cole folds his arm under his head and stares out the window of the abandoned house outside of town. His team has been holed here all night since being forced to withdraw from their primary position. They are hunkered down to avoid detection, which leads to gaps in perimeter security. Through one such gap wanders the Cartel scout.

  The boy is maybe ten years old and seems as surprised as Cole and his men when he comes upon the camp without warning.

  Paul spots him first, but by the time Cole figures it out the boy has already given the signal.

  Three minutes later the headlights of a Land Rover race toward them. Luckily they are next to the river, and manage to slip away unmolested.

  Cole has never slipped up like that before and is angry with himself, but he couldn’t seem to get his mind off Savannah. Damn it, he is worried something is going to happen to her. It’s the first time he's really had a reason to get back, and God does he want to go home…He finds himself missing so much about her, even the way she looks at him, like he’s the only one she sees.

  Ahhhh! Focus! He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to clear his head. Nothing is working. He looks over at Mark who is passed out in the corner, taking advantage of any spare moment's opportunity to grab some zzz's as only an experienced combat soldier can.

  Paul is propped up against the wall, using the handle of his weapon as a pillow and John is at the door leaning on the window frame on first watch. Cole jumps out of bed grabbing his gun.

  “John, I’ll take the first shift. I’m wide awake and there no sense in neither of us getting any rest.”

  “Thanks, but if it’s all the same, I’d rather not,” he says, not leaving his post.

  Cole nods his understanding not being able to turn off a bad feeling. These situations are high stress and The American is someone they’ve been up against before; the man is ruthless. Cole rests his weapon on the wall next to him and sits on the ground angling himself so he can see out the back window. They sit for a long time tuning in to every single noise that finds them.

  “How’s your sister?” Cole whispers. John’s sister was hit by a semi in an intersection four months ago. It was touch and go for a while with the swelling in her brain but she somehow came out of it all right—well somewhat all right. It was really hard on John considering she’s his twin and they are really close.

  “Better, physically. They say she should be able to walk again,” John whispers. “As for her mental state, she’s still missing most of her childhood. She doesn’t know anyone but Pops, so that’s hard. At least they caught the driver. He was eighteen hours over his log book. ”

  “Oh, man, I’m sorry.”

  “It is what it is,” he mutters. They both go back to comfortable silence.

  Cole looks at his watch. It’s seven thirty in the morning. He and John never left their posts, neither getting a wink of sleep. Which is fine, as they often work on less in situations like this. Cole grabs the satellite phone.

  “Checking in at oh seven thirty five,” Cole says as the call connects and Keith answers.

  “Roger, Raven One. What’s the plan today?”

  “We’re going to hit the house. They had company yesterday so we want to get in there and see who it is.”

  “All right, copy that, going ahead with plans to move in on the house today.” There’s a pause. “Daniel and Sue decided to stay here at the house. Agent Joel and three others arrived this morning, so the extra backup is here. Sue has been keeping Savi busy, so—”

  “Good, that’s good.” That makes him feel a whole lot be
tter. “All right, I’ll check back in with you tonight.”

  “Stay safe.”

  “Will do. Raven One out.”

  Cole tucks the phone into his vest pocket, downs a protein bar and a few chocolate covered coffee beans. He takes a deep breath clearing all thoughts out of his head and finally focuses on what’s to come.

  “All right,” he says walking into the room where the guys are packing their gear. “Let’s go get ‘em.”

  Chapter Twenty

  I roll over when I hear a knock at the bedroom door. Keith is standing there with his hands tucked in his pockets.

  “Hi, Keith,” I glance at the time. It’s four in the afternoon. I’ve been hibernating in my room all day. I’ve been canceling my appointments with Doctor Roberts until Cole comes back. I’m not in the mood to talk about my feelings. I just want to feel the way I feel. I know this has everyone concerned, but for once I’m being selfish and not caring.

  “May I come in?”

  “Of course,” I say moving to sit up against my headboard as he sits on the side of my bed.

  “This,” he takes my ultrasound picture off my bedside table, “deserves to be in something nice.” He pulls out a small silver frame with a swirly design and slips the picture inside. He sets it back down, angling it toward me. “There.” He smiles.

  My lip quivers and tears leak out and drip down my cheeks. I lean forward and give him a hug. “Thank you, Keith, for so much.” When I pull away I see his eyes are glossy and we both pretend not to notice.

  “Right, well come on downstairs. Daniel and Sue are here with luggage so I’m assuming they’re staying for a while.”

  Smiling at him, and loving that idea I agree and hop off the bed.

  I felt Abigail watching me all dinner long. I wasn’t eating, but it wasn’t because of the baby. I had caught a news clip about my father while I was getting out of the shower. The reporter asked if there was anything new about my disappearance and my father said no, but he seemed a little different. I wonder what is going on there. I wonder if he paid the ransom money and then realized he wasn’t getting me back. Just merely seeing his face brought all sorts of emotions to the surface.

  “Savannah?” Sue says bringing me back to the here and now.

  I look up and see everyone has left the table.

  She and Daniel are both standing watching me. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes,” I nod then look down at my barely touched plate. “Sorry, I’m just tired.”

  Daniel looks at Sue and they both walk me into the living room and sit me on the couch, Sue makes me a cup of chamomile tea while Daniel hands me a light green gift bag.

  “What’s this?” I ask, sitting it between my feet.

  “Something for you now, and something for the little one later.”

  “Oh!” I pull out the white tissue paper and reach in, feeling the softest little nose and a smile breaks out. I nearly cry when I sit the teddy bear on my lap, he’s brown, with black eyes and a black nose. He has an Army hat with Army boots and a little jacket, Logan Jr. is sewn in green thread making my heart burst. “It’s perfect, thank you,” I whisper, rubbing its little ear.

  Daniel leans forward kissing my head. “No, Savannah, thank you.” He smiles, sitting back down as Sue returns with a tray full of fruit and cheese along with the wonderfully smelling tea. Taking a few sips, I soon find myself relaxing.

  We chat about everything, my past life, my new life, what names I like for the baby, etc. By the time I head to bed I’m mentally fried, but for the first time in ages I’m feeling positive about my future. I reach down and rub my tummy. “Night, little one.”

  ***

  Cole slams his body up against the wall, closing his eyes listening to the footsteps around him. Two upstairs and three coming from the east toward him. His radio clicks two times; it's Mark letting him know he’s still okay. Paul checked in moments ago but John hasn’t yet. He clicks his radio once, checking in himself. A reflection in a picture, he waits until the man steps into the bedroom. One… two… three…he counts, then reaches out, wrapping his hands around the guy’s neck and twisting violently, snapping it. Lowering the former threat to the ground, Cole rolls him under the bed and waits for the other.

  “Raven Two, what’s your position?” he whispers into the radio.

  “Two-Three west,” Mark replies. Perfect, he’s on the second floor, three doors from the stairs.

  Cole sneaks a look out the door. “Ten-four, Raven Two. Raven One inbound.”

  “Copy.”

  Cole raises his gun and checks to ensure it’s clear. He spots the two men upstairs and sees two across the hall. The lights are dim and with his black gear, camouflage, and face paint he should be hard to spot. He moves fast and makes it to Mark’s room in a matter of seconds. Mark is crouched behind the door.

  “Just a graze to the shoulder,” Mark quickly informs him.

  Cole checks it out. It’s deep and bleeding and he’ll need a few stitches, but all things considered, Mark's okay. Cole makes fast work bandaging the wound, then hands Mark a few of the caffeine chocolates to help keep alert.

  “John?” Cole asks, worried.

  Mark shakes his head no.

  “Okay. Paul?”

  “First floor hall closet was where I saw him last.”

  Cole shakes his head bitterly. He doesn’t want to use the radio unless he has too. He’s not sure where John is or whether he's been captured or killed. Either way there's a good chance they'd have found John's radio by now, and would be listening. Bad enough they possibly just gave out their own location.

  “We need to move,” Cole says, looking out the window. “Have you seen The American?”

  “No, but he’s here. The Hummer and Land Rover are still parked out front, no one has left.”

  “Okay, I’ll head downstairs. I’ll signal for you to come when it’s clear.” Cole moves in front of Mark. “You wait, understand?”

  Mark’s face is pale and drenched in sweat, but he nods.

  “Remember our pact?” Cole says, grabbing his brother’s face so he’ll look at him. “We joined together—”

  “We retire together,” Mark huffs out.

  “Right. Stay with me ‘cause if anything happens, I’ll tell Melanie you died skiing on the bunny hill.” Cole grins quickly.

  “You would, too.”

  “Right, so stay with me.”

  “Yeah, I’m here with you.”

  Cole gives him a nod and slips out the door into the darkness, moving down the staircase. A quick glance at his watch shows him they should all be checking in again in ten minutes. Where the fuck is John? His hand runs along the wall till he finds the hall closet door handle. “Green Fox One?” He whispers.

  The doorknob turns and Cole sees Paul sitting on the floor nursing a blood-soaked leg. Shit! He moves in getting a better look. He quickly unties the soaked bandage and his fingers feel how deep the wound is. He curses when he sees how much blood Paul’s lost. His face is growing paler by the minute.

  They need to abort the mission. “Stay here, I’m sending Mark for you then the both of you get out.”

  Paul starts to argue but Cole shakes his head. “That’s an order, Agent.”

  Cole peeks out the door and clicks his radio signaling Mark to come down.

  “Any sign of John?” Cole asks as he rewraps Paul’s leg.

  “No, the last time I saw him was in the dining room,” he replies, huffing through the pain. “We got separated and I got knifed and ended up here.”

  “Okay, set your watch for ten minutes. Start the clock after I leave. If I don’t return with John get out. That’s a direct order.”

  “Yes, Colonel.” Paul nods and wipes the sweat from his forehead.

  Cole helps him to his feet, propping him up against the wall.

  Cole slowly opens the door. Seeing Mark coming down the stairs he moves across the hall and signals all clear then covers Mark until he’s safely ins
ide the room with Paul. Staying low, weapon raised, he moves carefully through the living room, then the dining room.

  He feels something hit his shoulder. He turns and sees John crouched down between two lion sculptures. Thank fuck.

  John points to his radio that is dangling in pieces around his chest.

  Cole checks around and gives him the hand signal to get up and move to his position.

  John nods and joins him at his side.

  “We’re aborting the mission. The others are hit we need to get them out of here. GF One and R Two have both lost a lot of blood. If we get separated, meet back at our command post.”

  John nods and they start to move toward the front entryway. A man comes into view on John’s right.

  Cole lunges forward, covering the man's mouth while wrapping his arms tightly around the startled target's neck, cutting off his airway. He orders John to move on.

  The man elbows Cole in the stomach but Cole squeezes harder until the man stops struggling and goes limp. Cole sees his men making for the door when he spots another two men heading toward them from deeper within the residence.

  Cole quickly pops a bullet in the first man’s head and is about to do the same to the second when he feels a hard blow to the back of his head. He drops to his knees, a loud ringing sound taking over his brain right before his vision goes dark. His face hits the ground with a heavy thud.

  ***

  I roam the property, soaking up the sun even though it’s still freezing out. Derek stays close. We’ve managed to get past our awkward moment in the kitchen and have started to build a friendship. I am thankful for that since living under one roof with so many people can take its toll.

  He’s still flirty but I think it’s all in good fun. We chat about music as we approach the front of the house.

  “Other than blues, what else do you listen too?” he asks, tucking his hands in his jacket pockets.

  “Umm, Beck, Radiohead, Weezer, and I fell in love with this Canadian band called the Tragically Hip.” I grin, remembering one of their songs called “Ahead by a Century.” I must have played it twenty times in a row one day. “They started in the early eighties. You should check ‘em out, they’re an alternative rock band.”