Puppeteer

by Schultz, Tamsen

  He'd deployed so many times during his time as a SEAL, but this was different. It was even different than leaving Carrie because, while he didn't belittle what he and Carrie had once felt for each other, what he felt for Dani was different. Not only was he was older and more aware of what he wanted out of life, but he had a different appreciation for how unique and fragile life, and love, could be. And in those hours, as he waited for Dani to come home, he gained a whole new respect for the men and women of the armed forces who left their spouses and loved ones behind.

  He heard the door fly open and slam shut. By the sounds of Dani's movements, by the way she kicked off her shoes and tossed her keys on the entry table, he knew she already knew something was going on. He stood and waited for her to enter the living room.

  She rounded the corner and, when her eyes met his, he felt as if someone were ripping his heart out.

  “You're going,” she said, so quietly it stopped his breath. He moved toward her, but she put her hand up to stop him.

  “I heard on the radio that Robertson is withdrawing from the election. Some ‘private medical condition that may interfere with his presidential duties,’” she repeated what he assumed she'd heard. Ty hadn't bothered to watch or listen to the news, Robertson was now inconsequential to him.

  “His party held an emergency meeting and has given the nomination to the vice president. He knew about Frey and knows where he is and you're going after him,” she rambled. Ty stayed where he was, wanting desperately to hold her, but knowing she needed some time.

  “Don't go for me, Ty,” she pleaded. Her voice broke. “Please, don't go for me.”

  “Oh, Ella,” he said, as he moved to her, unable to stay away any longer. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She tucked her head against his shoulder and held on. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and breathed in her scent—fresh and subtle with hints of honeysuckle that reminded him of his childhood. “I'm going for me,” he said. “I'm going for us,” he added, holding her tighter.

  “But not for me,” she repeated. He shook his head. In truth, he was going in part for her, for all the reasons he'd talked about with Drew—mainly because she wouldn't trust anyone but him to give her a truthful account of what would take place on Frey's little island. But she didn't need to hear this and he didn't need to say it. And it was just as true that he was going for himself. He needed to know Frey was either dead or so under the control of Drew and his team that he wished he was dead. He wanted Frey out of their lives, without any doubt. Without any regrets.

  “I wish I could go instead of you,” she stated. His heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest. The honesty of it was clear in her voice and her body as she leaned against him. She would take his place if meant keeping him safe.

  But that wasn't possible.

  “Honey, you know—” She placed two fingers over his lips and stopped him. Pulling back to look him in the eye, she spoke.

  “I know,” she said with a calm acceptance. “You and Drew have been tiptoeing around it since I was in the hospital. Why you would think I wouldn't figure out that my days as a field agent were over, I don't know.” She gave him a sad smile.

  “Maybe because we didn't want to accept it either,” Ty offered, running a finger across her cheek, pausing at her lips and then replacing his finger with a light brush of his lips against hers.

  “So, when do you leave?” Her voice hesitated on the last word.

  “My flight is in six hours.” She held him tighter for a moment and then, with a sigh, seemed to accept whatever the fates would bring them.

  “Will you lie with me until you have to go?”

  Ty cradled her against him as they walked toward the bedroom. “Anything, Dani. Anything you want.”

  Chapter 25

  “NO,” SPANKY SAID. “Absolutely not,” he added for emphasis.

  Dani didn't move from her spot.

  “Dani, you know I can't,” he tried a different tact. She raised her eyebrow at him. It was a lie and they both knew it.

  “Well, I can't,” he tried again. “Not with them in the room,” he added with a gesture toward Sammy and Jason, who stood behind her in the little room that held some of the best audio equipment owned by the CIA.

  “Drew authorized it,” Dani countered, holding out a printed copy of an email that was addressed to her. That it was sent from Drew's private computer, which anyone with any training could hack into, wasn't missed by Spanky who gave her a you-can't-be-serious look. But she was. Serious. Very serious.

  She wanted to listen in on the mission that would bring Frey down. She wanted to know it was going as planned and, most of all, she wanted to know that Ty was okay. The email wasn't official, and they both knew it, but it would be enough to cover Spanky's butt if anyone ever questioned him about having the three of them in the room.

  “Mack, it's not a good idea,” he pleaded again, this time more concerned than anything else.

  “I know,” she conceded. “But still, I'm here. And still, I want to listen in.”

  Spanky stared at her for a long time. Technically, he could throw them out. He could call security and they'd be out of there faster than they could say ‘goodbye,’ but she was banking on loyalty now. On their years of work together. She was asking him as a friend.

  “Dani,” he sounded pained, but she wasn't going to change her mind.

  “Shit,” he said, in final resignation. She almost smiled in triumph, but he turned his gaze on her and pinned her to the spot with the deadly seriousness in his eyes.

  “I'll let you stay, Dani, but you know as well as I do that this mission could go any number of ways. We all want it to be easy in and easy out, but we both know things can go from sugar to shit in a heartbeat. Are you ready for that? Really ready?” he demanded.

  He was asking her if she was ready to listen to Ty die. No one expected it to happen, no one expected anyone to die on this mission. But it was always a possibility.

  Taking a deep breath and willing the panic the thought caused to subside, she nodded. For a moment, it didn't look like he believed her. With good reason, since she didn't believe it herself—how could anyone be ready to hear someone they loved die? But, it wasn't going to change her mind. She wanted—she needed—to be there.

  Spanky threw up his arms and made a vague gesture to the empty chairs in the room. Dani sat, giving Spanky a wide berth, given that he wasn't too happy about her presence. Sammy sat next to her, with Jason behind them. Dani must have looked as nervous as she felt because Sammy grasped her hand and offered a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back and they both held on.

  They were still sitting like that, several minutes later, when the audio synced up. She could hear Drew orchestrating the mission from the Navy boat anchored off Frey's island. She heard Roddy and Fawkes and, after what seemed like an eon, she heard Ty.

  Closing her eyes, she focused on his voice. On the little snippets of information he passed on, location, status, visuals—all standard operating procedure. And every time she heard him, she gave a little prayer of thanks, and one of pleading, pleading to bring them all home safe.

  Her mind raced with every second that went by in silence and she sat still, so still, as they listened to the mission unfolding thousands of miles away in the dark of the night. The only movement was the occasional squeeze from Sammy when they heard Ty checking in.

  And then they heard the shots.

  Even though the sound was expected, Dani jumped. Her heart rate accelerated but, even knowing she was still recovering from a heart attack, she ignored the sensation and leaned forward, aching to hear Ty's voice through the now near-constant sound of weapons being discharged.

  She gripped Sammy's hand and sensed Jason's hand on her shoulder as she listened to the sound of a gunfight that felt like it was never going to end. Voices shouted across the airwaves, but there were too many, there was too much chaos to pick out Ty's.

  Once or twic
e Spanky cast her a concerned look, but she ignored that, too. Always focusing on the sounds and trying to sort through everything she was hearing. And then it was silent. The shots stopped, no one spoke. No one in their tiny room moved.

  “The target's down. The area is secure,” came Ty's voice, loud and clear. Dani, who hadn't cried in years, felt the tears tracking down her cheeks.

  “He pulled a knife on me,” Ty continued, sounding almost amused.

  “He hit you?” Fawkes's voice carried through to the room.

  “Yeah, in the arm, but I'm fine,” Ty answered.

  Dani sat back and let out a choked breath.

  “We're clear here,” Ty spoke again.

  “We've got the backup, clean up team on the way. ETA ten minutes,” Drew answered. “Casualties?” he added.

  “Everyone's accounted for here,” Ty answered. “I'll need a stitch-up when I'm back on board, but other than that, no one else was dumb enough to get in the way of a knife or bullet.”

  “Glad to hear it, Fuller,” Drew responded. “And the target?”

  “Down, out of commission. It was self-defense on my part,” Ty added and Dani could hear the smile in his voice. “There are two guards on the beach and six in the house.”

  “Anything we need to worry about?” Drew asked.

  “You'll need to do a sweep of the jungle behind the house when you get here. We've got people posted back there and they haven't seen a thing, but when the backup gets here, they should do a more comprehensive search.”

  “Roger,” Drew answered. “Take your team and head back to the boat.”

  “We're on our way,” Ty answered as the lines went silent. It was hard to believe the end of such a horrible mastermind came in less than ten minutes. But it was over.

  Dani closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer out to whomever, thankful that the team was okay. That Ty was going to be home soon.

  “Dani?” Spanky spoke. “You okay?”

  She opened her eyes and smiled. “I'm fine. Better now. Thank you, Spanky.” He still didn't look convinced that he'd done the right thing, but he nodded and glanced at Sammy and Jason, who looked as relived as she felt.

  “Better, baby?” her sister asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Dani nodded and squeezed her sister's hand. She'd gone through hell, but she had the love of her family and Ty, and things were going to be better. She knew it, she could feel it.

  She opened her mouth to say just that when the audio crackled behind them. Startled by the sudden sound, Dani swung her gaze back to the console, only to find Spanky looking just as surprised.

  “Shit, we've got incoming,” Fawkes's voice rang through the static. The tension in it was unmistakable.

  “Get back to the boat, now!” Drew ordered.

  “We're on our way,” Ty answered as the sound of an explosion rocked the room.

  “Ty!” Fawkes shouted.

  “Ty, Fawkes, what's going on out there?” Drew demanded, the panic in his voice carried straight into Dani.

  “Shit, we've gotta swim. The boat's sinking,” Fawkes answered. “Ah, shit!”

  And another sound of something exploding echoed.

  “Ty!” Fawkes called, panic and fear clear in his voice.

  “Get back to the boat, now!” Drew's demand was met with silence.

  “Fawkes? Ty?” He called again.

  “Can't…need to find Ty…” Fawkes's voice faded and then the audio went dead all together, muted by Spanky.

  Dani stared at the console, at the speaker that Ty's voice, moments ago had come through. And refused to believe what she'd just heard.

  “He's not dead,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “He's not,” she repeated.

  “Honey,” Sammy's voice shook next to her.

  Dani raised her eyes and looked at her sister. “He's not,” she insisted. “They'll find him. Fawkes wouldn't let anything happen to him. I'd know if he were dead. I'd just know,” her voice raised. “Spanky,” she demanded, turning to her colleague. “Turn the audio back on. Get on the phone to Drew and tell him to send the search boats out. They have a helicopter, use it dammit! It must have a spotlight. The damn Navy boat probably has one, too. Make them use it!” She pounded her fist on the desk.

  “Dani, you know Drew is doing everything he can,” Spanky responded. But still, no one was moving, they just watched her, doing nothing.

  “Do something!” she screamed at Spanky as Jason's arms came around her from behind. She struggled against him, fought him, refusing to believe what had happened. Even as she sank into darkness, she still refused to believe.

  Chapter 26

  DANI STOPPED HER CAR at the bottom of the long driveway and looked up at the adobe house perched at the other end of the drive. It was late fall in Taos and the landscape looked barren and harsh. Beautiful and rugged. She could see why people would like it here. She could even see Ty, as a young boy, hiking around the jagged mountains, exploring the unusual terrain.

  Three months, Dani thought to herself as she sat in the idling car. Three months since Ty had disappeared into the waters off of Africa. Three months since she'd fled the city and all that reminded her of everything they'd had together. The chance they'd lost.

  She still had a hard time accepting that he was dead. His GPS had been found on a bit of the boat that was pulled from the water. There hadn't been a body, nothing to prove if he'd lived or died, nothing to say goodbye to.

  She glanced at the house and wondered if she was doing the right thing. Would Ty's parents want to be reminded of their lost son? But looking at the house, the question vanished. Replaced by the memory of Ty's voice telling her about his family, how close they were, and how much they loved each other.

  And it was for Ty that she was here, waiting to gather enough courage to introduce herself to his parents. She could have gone a lifetime without the meeting, without the reminder of what would never be, but she owed it to Ty. And herself.

  And their baby.

  She placed her hand on her belly. It was the one good thing to come from her injury. The sound waves that caused her heart attack had affected other parts of her body, rendering the birth control shots she received unreliable. They hadn't known then. And for that she was glad, because if they had, they would have taken extra precautions and she'd have nothing left of Ty.

  She put the car in gear and slowly made her way up the driveway. When she reached the top, she turned off the engine and, before she could chicken out, opened her door, slid from her seat, and closed the door behind her.

  Pulling her jacket tight around her, Dani made her way to the front door. It opened before she knocked and an attractive woman, who looked be in her sixties but with eyes like her son, stood before her.

  “Is everything okay, dear?” she asked. “I saw you down on the drive. It's not a great day to be out. Come in,” she beckoned. Speechless, Dani followed.

  The door closed behind her and a man appeared in the hallway.

  “Is everything okay, Jeannie?” he asked, his eyes on Dani's. Dani blinked at the man who so resembled Ty his face was like looking into the future, at what could have been, and then she suddenly found herself embraced in a tight hug from Jeannie Fuller.

  “It's okay, dear. It will all be okay,” she soothed. Dani took a few deep breaths only to find herself crying in the arms of this stranger. And then something broke and, after months, she let the grief take hold.

  She didn't know how long she cried, or how long afterward she slept. But, when she awoke, she was lying on the couch, in front of a roaring fire, wrapped in a quilt. Jeannie was knitting in a chair beside her and Ty's father was reading the paper. He looked so much like an older version of Ty that she couldn't help staring.

  “How are you feeling, now? Can I get you something to drink?” Jeannie's voice cut through the haze. Dani glanced back to the woman and then, embarrassed by what had happened, she swung her legs off the couch and began to stand.

  “Sit, Da
ni. It's okay,” Ty's father spoke.

  Dani stared at the couple, easing back down onto the couch, before she found her voice. “You know who I am?”

  “From the moment you stepped out of the car,” Jeannie answered. “You look a little different than the photo Ty sent all those months ago. But I saw the resemblance. And then, when you looked at Christopher,” she added with a nod to Ty's father. “We knew it was you.”

  “Ty sent a picture?” She knew she must sound crazy or stupid, but it was news to her.

  Jeannie smiled and nodded. “He loved you.”

  Dani blinked to keep the tears welling in her eyes from falling. “I—” she stopped and cleared her throat. “I love him, too,” she managed to say.

  “And that's our grandbaby?” she asked with a nod to Dani's barely-there stomach. Dani nodded in response. And Jeannie smiled.

  “Well, Christopher,” she said, turning to Ty's father. “What do think about another grandbaby?”

  Christopher Fuller smiled at his wife, and then turned to Dani. “I can't tell you how glad we are that you've come.”

  Dani swallowed back another set of tears before she spoke again. “You know what happened, right? You know he went after a man because of me?” Somehow it was important to her to say what she was going say, to make sure they knew that Ty's disappearance was her fault.

  Christopher frowned. “Did you tell him to go?” Dani shook her head. “Did you force him to go?” Again, she shook her head. “If Ty hadn't gone after this man, would he have come after you or done something else awful?”

  “Someone else would have gotten to him first,” she answered. “It didn't have to be Ty.”

  “But would he have? Would this man have come after you or someone else?” Christopher pressed. And Dani nodded.