SEAL Under Siege (Men of Valor)

by Johnson, Liz

  He shook his head slowly. The blue sapphire of his eyes shone in the fluorescent lights above, but he didn’t look away. Two parallel lines formed between his eyebrows. “Why not?”

  “I’m not what you think I am. I mean, I can’t be enough.” Tears finally broke free.

  “What are you talking about? Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She had to tell him now. If she waited, it would just hurt them both more later. And she loved him far too much to extend the pain. “You want a family, right?”

  “I suppose.” He licked his lips, the motion slow and thoughtful. “Haven’t thought about it for a long time.”

  She looked up, not worried about hiding her tears. She needed to see his reaction, to brace herself for his rejection. “I’ll never be able to have a baby. I can’t give a husband children of his own.”

  Instead of leaning away, he leaned toward her, his ever-caressing thumb stroking the side of her cheek. And after a long pause, “I am so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”

  He wasn’t leaving. What was wrong with him? “Did you hear me? You don’t want me. I can’t give you what you want. I’m not enough.”

  “Staci Hayes, listen to me. Whoever told you that lied to you. You are an incredible woman, tender and so strong. You survived a Middle Eastern prison and went toe-to-toe with Crawford. Most men couldn’t do that.”

  A tiny bud of hope opened in her chest, but she pushed it aside. It would only hurt more when he changed his mind. “You don’t want me?” She hadn’t meant that to come out as a question. It was supposed to be a statement, telling him what was best. But now, she couldn’t help but hold her breath as she waited for his answer.

  “That’s strange.” His frown shook with an untold humor. “Because you’re about all I’ve wanted since I met you. When you showed up in my trailer on the base, so petite and classy facing that hallway full of SEALs, I was already halfway to falling for you. No woman has ever done that before. You definitely impressed me.

  “But I was so bound up in my past that I couldn’t see to let that pain out or let anyone else in. Then you moved in, and it seemed like all I was doing was spilling my guts about Phoebe and my guilt.”

  She managed a watery smile. “Ashley did seem surprised that you had told me about her.”

  He moved a grunting Jasper from one arm to the other without looking down. “I should have known that she would tell you.”

  “She didn’t want either of us to get hurt. She thought we were getting too close.”

  “Aren’t we?” A wicked grin split his face, all white teeth and charm.

  Oh, to be able to say yes. To be free to tell him that he’d never regret the choice to love her. But she could only shake her head.

  Tristan shook his head, too, a mirror image. “Shake your head as much as you want, Hayes, but I’m not going away. It’s taken me thirty-three years to meet someone like you.” He swiped a thumb over the bruise on her cheek, catching a stray teardrop. “Look how hard you fought for me. You don’t think I’d fight just as hard for you? I’m not going to blow this just because you’re unsure.”

  “But I’m not.” She clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. On a sigh, she said, “I just don’t want you to have any regrets.”

  “The only thing I’d regret is not seeing what could happen between us. I’m betting you’re a little bit in love with me.” He cocked his head and arched an eyebrow, and she chewed on her lip before nodding slowly.

  “You’ll want a family.”

  “As far as I’m concerned you’re more than enough family for me. You’re so much more than I thought I’d have. If we get to the point where we want to add to our family, then we’ll look into adoption. But for now, you’re all I want.”

  And then the hope in her chest exploded and she couldn’t hide it anymore. Careful of his special bundle, she threw her arms around his neck, and he pulled her close. Just a breath between their lips, she whispered, “Thank you for breaking me out of prison.”

  “Thank you for breaking me out of one, too.”

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later

  “Wheels up in thirty.”

  Tristan pulled his sunglasses off and glared at Willie G. “Don’t you have something to do?” The junior SEAL laughed and turned back to pack the rest of his gear.

  Staci reached up on her tiptoes, hanging on to Tristan’s shoulders. “Give the kid a break. He’s just jealous.”

  When she pressed her lips to his, he knew she was right. He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers.

  “I’m going to miss you.”

  “I know.” She laughed, her shoulders shaking and eyes dancing. Her ponytail swayed in the wind. “But it’s only six months.”

  “Only six.” Right. Six long months without her. But he’d face them in a heartbeat for the chance to come back home to six months like the ones they’d already shared together. He hadn’t even realized how desolate his life had been until she’d come into it.

  He didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to miss seeing her smile and tasting her lips every day. But it wasn’t a crippling fear, just the ache of being away from the woman he loved.

  “So six months,” he repeated.

  “Yep.”

  “That about long enough to plan a wedding?”

  “Y—” Her voice broke off, and she dove into his shoulder, muffling the sound of her cries.

  “Look at me, Hayes.” She peeked up at him from under long lashes, a bashful smile playing across her glossy lips. That smile messed with his gut, leaving him a little breathless and far too stunned for the eloquent speech he’d planned. “You want to marry an old sailor who generally doesn’t know when he’ll be called away or for how long?”

  “You make it sound so tempting.” She squinted up at him, licking her lips as though in deep thought, and he squeezed her until she squealed. “Yes. Of course.”

  He kissed her long and slow, not at all concerned that they were outside the trailer of offices, in plain view of the rest of the base. She’d just agreed to be his and to let him be hers. Forever. No amount of catcalls or whistles would change that.

  When she pulled away, her cheeks were flushed, he hoped by his kiss and the promise of their future together.

  From the cargo pocket of his BDU pants, he pulled out a ring box and flipped it open toward her. She gasped as the sun’s morning light caught the diamond surrounded by tiny emeralds. Touching it with a tentative finger, she glanced up as if asking if it was really for her.

  He slipped it out of the case and reached for her hand. “It matches your eyes, and it reminded me of you.” As he slid it into place, she didn’t take her eyes off their linked hands until he said, “I love you, Staci Hayes. I’d go back to Lybania to rescue you any day you needed me.”

  “And I’d rescue you right back.”

  “And…”

  She rubbed a finger over her new ring. “And I love you, too, Tristan Sawyer.”

  He had her back in his arms and nearly kissed when a whoop from the adjacent parking lot reached them. “Hey, now. We have young, impressionable eyes coming this way.”

  Tristan sighed and let Staci pull away as Matt and Ashley walked up. His navy bag slung over one shoulder and Jasper sitting on his other arm, Matt grinned a knowing smile. Staci held her left hand up to her cheek, and Ashley laughed and cried at the same time.

  “He finally asked you?”

  Staci nodded, her only response.

  “Hey, what do you mean, ‘finally’?”

  Blond hair shaking about her face, Ashley only laughed at him before turning to Staci for quiet whispers and brilliant smiles.

  “You coming, L.T.? Rock?”

  Tristan glanced over his shoulder at Willie, hating that the kid was right. It was time to go. He pulled his fiancée close for one more kiss. Finally he had to pull back. “All right. I’ll call you as soon as I can. Be careful.” He meant it. He wanted
her safe. But even when he was nearby, he couldn’t protect her every moment. And he didn’t have to. He just had to trust in the One who could.

  “You take care of yourself, too. And Matt. Don’t either one of you get shot. I don’t need your casts or slings in my wedding pictures.”

  “Your wedding pictures?”

  “Ours.”

  That gave him a lot to look forward to over the next few months. And it would be worth the wait.

  *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Killer Assignment by Maggie K. Black.

  Dear Reader,

  I’m so glad that you joined Staci, Tristan and me on this exciting journey.

  Have you ever met someone and instantly known that he was going to be an important part of your life? The first time I ever wrote about Tristan was in Matt and Ashley’s book, A Promise to Protect, and I knew he was special. He’s afraid of nothing except letting down the woman whom he loves. And it’s left him in a prison just like the one he rescued Staci from.

  Tristan’s tale reminds me of the hope found in Isaiah 61:1. “The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

  Sometimes I’m tempted to let my fear keep me from the great things that God has planned for me. If you struggle with the same, I hope that you’ll remember this verse. The good news of God’s love offers healing for broken hearts and liberty for captives. We’re set free. Just like Tristan and Staci.

  Thanks for spending your time with us. I appreciate it more than I can express. And I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at: liz@lizjohnsonbooks.com, Twitter.com/LizJohnsonBooks or Facebook.com/LizJohnsonBooks.

  Liz Johnson

  Questions for Discussion

  Which character in this book do you most relate to? Why did you pick that person?

  Staci is in the Middle East as a missionary. Have you ever been on the international mission field? What was your experience like?

  If you’ve never been on a mission trip, to what country would you like to go? Why?

  Some jail cells are physical and some we make for ourselves. Tristan lives in a prison of his own making, wrapped up in regrets from his past, wondering if he could have saved Phoebe. This keeps him from pursuing Staci. What regrets have you carried that kept you from pursuing good things God had in store for you?

  Have you been able to let your regrets go or are you still carrying them? If you are still carrying them, what’s keeping you from laying them down?

  Because she is unable to have children, Staci struggles with feeling incomplete. Have you ever dealt with similar feelings? If you feel comfortable, share how you handled them.

  What do you think it means to be whole? How do you know if you are or aren’t?

  Staci becomes good friends with Ashley and helps Ashley go through her pregnancy, the very thing Staci wants but knows she’ll never be able to have. Have you ever been in a similar position, watching a friend get the thing that you want? How did you react in that situation? Are you proud of what you did or would you change something about your actions?

  Tristan must decide if he can trust God to protect the woman he loves. In what areas have you struggled to trust that God can protect or provide for you and your family?

  The bonds of friendship in this story are important for Tristan and Matt and Staci and Ashley. What qualities do you think make these friendships so strong? What do you think is the most important criteria for a good friend?

  One character chooses to give up his career and integrity and betray his country for wealth. How would you respond if given that choice?

  Do you think Tristan and Staci are a good match for each other? Why or why not?

  Do you think that Staci and Tristan will end up adding to their family by adopting a child?

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!

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  ONE

  Katie Todd tightened her grip on the handle of her suitcase and tried to pretend she didn’t know she was being watched. The sun had set long before her train had dropped off its few remaining passengers in Cobalt. Now damp, dark air hung over the tiny northern Ontario town, thick with the threat of rain. Behind her back, the lake spread out as still as a shadow. The small station was deserted except for one lone figure, lounging against a lamppost.

  The young man had boarded the same train as she did in Toronto. He was in his late teens—twenty at most—and had sat there, hunched in the corner with his hands plunged deep into the pockets of a shapeless gray sweatshirt. When the conductor had announced, a couple of hours into their journey, that the train would be going out of service in the small town of Cobalt due to a rockslide on the tracks ahead, most passengers had opted to get off in the larger city of North Bay to either catch a replacement bus or find a hotel for the night. Only a handful of people had ridden the train to its final stop. Then, as the other passengers disappeared up the hill toward the gray shapes of town, the young man had stayed behind. His sharp eyes peered at her from underneath the brim of a baseball cap. They followed her as she moved. Katie shivered. Where was her taxi?

  She never should have trusted Ethan Randall. When she’d managed to reach her boss at Impact News to warn him she was going to be delayed in reaching her assignment, the editor had insisted she take the train all the way to the end of the line, promising the newspaper would arrange transportation from there. Then her cell phone reception had dropped out, cutting off the call before she could even argue. She hadn’t been able to get a signal back since.

  Chances were Ethan hadn’t even been listening. But you didn’t last long at Impact if you didn’t go where you were told. To call his management style chaotic was an understatement. The self-centered playboy didn’t plan so much as react—changing assignments on a whim and then yelling at his staff for struggling to catch up.

  This weekend was a perfect example. Here she’d been planning on getting her hands dirty at a fall cleanup event in Toronto’s Don Valley. Instead, he’d sent her up north to cover the weekend gala that real estate developer Jonah Shields was holding on his private estate. Shields was exactly the kind of irresponsible businessman she’d become a journalist to expose. Now here she was expected to write some ridiculous fluff piece about how lovely his party was.

  If all went according to plan, Ethan wouldn’t be her boss much longer. But if she wanted to keep her job long enough to scoop his job out from under him, she couldn’t afford to mess up a single assignment. Even if the taxi he’d promised to arrange was nowhere to be seen. She tried her cell phone again. Still no signal. Probably because he’d changed their work phones recently, and their new service provider had no coverage this far north.

  So, no taxi. No phone. Just a dark, empty train platform growing colder by the second and a stranger’s threatening glare. She took a deep breath and ran both hands through long, blond hair, the color of pure honey. Okay. She’d sort it out somehow. She always did.

  The tiny town lay dark and silent ahead of her, barely more than a smattering of buildings, framed by the shadow of the old mine. Surely there would be something open in town and someone who’d let her use a phone. She
extended the handle of her suitcase and started across the parking lot. The young man followed.

  There was the sound of tires screeching. A white delivery van was speeding toward the station. It swerved into the parking lot and stopped short in front of her. She jumped back. The man behind the wheel was huge, with a camouflage jacket and the grim, scarred face of someone who’d been in more than his fair share of fights. “Katie Todd?”

  A cold shiver shot up the base of her spine. But she forced a polite smile onto her face. “Yes?”

  “I’m Al. I’m here to pick you up.” There was no company name on the van and no windows in the back, either. The bottom of the chassis was pockmarked with rust, and the whole thing stunk of fuel. Whatever this van was used for delivering, it sure wasn’t people.

  “I’m afraid there’s been some kind of mix-up,” she said. “I was waiting for a taxi.”

  Al smirked. “Hop in.” Something cold and dark flickered in the back of his eyes. “I’ll take you where you need to go.”

  The van didn’t even have a license plate. No way even Ethan could’ve messed things up this badly. She stepped back and nearly bumped into the teenager who’d followed her from the train.

  “Hey, Billy!” Al waved a big hand toward the kid. “How about you open a door for Ms. Todd?”

  Billy snickered.

  She slid both hands onto the handle of her suitcase and tightened her grip. “Thanks. But I feel like a walk.”

  Al’s grin faded. He nodded to Billy. “Grab her.” He threw the van’s back door open. For a second, she caught a glimpse of a bare, empty space with a blanket and roll of duct tape on the floor.

  Billy lunged. She swung her suitcase around hard with both hands, then let go, launching twenty pounds of laptop and clothes directly into the teenager’s chest. He stumbled back. She ran, expecting any moment to feel hands grabbing her, pulling her back. For a second, she started up the road toward town. But when she heard the van’s engine turn over, she swerved right and dove down the grassy hill toward the railway tracks. She’d never be able to outrun them on the road. But if she made it as far as the train tracks they’d be forced to chase her on foot.