in his voice either, he meant it.”
“This is huge!” Riley stood up. “Oh my God,
Derek asked you to go on vacation with him!” “Riley, calm down. I think your whole
neighborhood just heard you.” James laughed,
buttering his roll.
“Why are you so calm? You’ve waited six years
for this.” Riley narrowed his eyes. “You think he’ll
back out?”
“No, I’m sure he meant to ask me.” James
shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not going to freak out
until he’s standing in front of me on a boat.” “Or lying underneath you on a bed.” Riley
snickered.
James laughed and pulled upthatmental image.
“Damn, could you imagine Derek naked? Splayed
out on a bed for me to play with?” James sighed
and sat back in the chair. “Gives me goose bumps
just thinking about it.
Riley smiled and thought about Mateo. “My God,
the first time I laid eyes on Mateo I thought, ‘Fuck,
could this guy be any hotter?’” Riley sighed and smiled at the memory of Mateo making love to him
for the first time.
James raised a brow. “Get out of bed with
Mateo.”
Riley giggled. “I want a full report!”
“You know I’ll call when I come up for air.”
James chuckled softly.
Riley sighed and rested his chin in his hands.
“This is so cool. I always wondered how long it
would take for Derek to come to his senses. Josh
gave him a beat down in Alaska, you know.” Riley
smiled when James’ mouth fell open. “Oh, you didn’t
know?” Riley laughed. “Oh yeah, Josh yelled at him.
Called him a coward and shit.”
James sat back. “And Josh survived? If there’s
one thing I know, Derek Jacobs is no coward.” “He is when it comes to you and Josh told him in
no uncertain terms that if he waited too long, he’d
lose you to someone else.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, and Derek did not like that thought at all.” James shrugged. “Whatever works, I mean if
that’s why he invited me I’m not going to complain.” “So when is this little ‘trip’ taking place?” “August, he comes home in July, which is good
for me because I’m due vacation time. I’m headed
to D.C. for a few days to talk to Keegan about Markov.”
“You still plan on sending him in to bring Markov in? Isn’t Keegan a bit…” Riley scrunched his brow. “Delicate?”
James smiled and leaned back in the chair. “Keegan is perfect. First, he’s been working this case since he started at the bureau, and believe me we’ve been training him for months just for this assignment. Second, he’s so fucking adorable you can’t help but like him.”
“This is true. If he were my type I’d be all over him.” Riley sat back in thought. “Why not just talk to Vince yourself?”
James shook his head. “Nope. Even Devin agrees - I have a look of seniority and Vince hates government officials.”
“The Russian thing, huh?” Riley said. “I kinda feel bad for the guy, even though he’s notoriously vicious. Could you imagine? Having to watch your mother and sister slaughtered right in front of you?” Riley shivered. “No wonder he’s damaged.”
The front door opened and Riley smiled at James. “Uh oh.”
“I heard that!” Mateo shouted from the front room.
“Do you not want him to know?” Riley whispered.
“I don’t want him calling Derek and freaking him out.” James sighed and watched as Mateo came into the kitchen. He stopped and looked from Riley to James.
“Okay, what did I miss?” Mateo sat down at the table.
Riley took Mateo’s face in his hands. “You are sworn to secrecy, and if you open your mouth I cut you off for a month.”
“Jesus!” Mateo put his hands up in defense. “I won’t say a word.”
“Promise!” Riley growled.
“I promise.” Mateo kissed Riley. “Now what’s up?”
“Derek asked me to go to Washington with him when he comes back from Afghanistan.” James said.
Mateo sat back in the chair and looked from Riley to James. “So Josh’s talk worked.”
Riley nodded. “Yep, I think so. I think the thought of James with anyone other than himself freaked him out enough.”
“It’s about time.” Mateo smiled grabbing a roll. “You two belong together, always have.”
“Thanks Mateo.” James looked at his watch. “Ah crap, I have to get back home and pack. I will call you when I know what’s going on though.” James stood up and got a hug from Riley and a handshake from Mateo. “You two have fun.”
“Always.” Riley smiled. “You take care of yourself, James. I look forward to hearing from you.”
“Oh, you will.” James winked.
~~ Derek was sweating like a drunken celebrity at a sobriety test. The MRAP was packed, and being in close quarters with so many men in the fucking heat was stifling. He grabbed another bottle of water and poured it over his head. They were driving down a dirt road, weaving back and forth to avoid IEDs on their way to a small village. He was going to have dinner with one of the village leaders. He’d wanted to go with just a few of his men but was given a nogo on that shit. As a general, he was a target.
“Sir?” Derek wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yes?” “We’re here.”
An explosion rocked the MRAP and Derek stood
up. “Back the fuck up!” Derek looked at his men; most of them were frozen in place. “Jesus!” Derek pushed his way to the front of the vehicle and hauled the driver out of the seat. More IEDs were going off under them as he pulled back and turned the monster vehicle around. He got on the radio and informed the base of what was
happening. One of his soldiers was finally blinking.
“Jessup!” Derek shouted. “Pull your head out of your ass!”
“Yes sir!”
“Get behind the fucking wheel!” Derek grabbed Jessup by his sleeve and hauled him up.
“Sir?”
“Drive!” Scrambling into the turret, Derek positioned himself and waited for the gunfire to erupt. He didn’t have to wait long. Rounds hit the side of the MRAP and Derek fired back with the .50 caliber machine gun. Insurgents were running around the meeting house and Derek tore up the ground all the way to the front door.
“Get us the fuck out of here!” Derek shouted down below.
The MRAP ran over another IED and the vehicle almost flipped. Derek kept firing until they were far enough away; he slipped down from the turret and looked at the men. They were all ready and waiting for orders. Derek ran a hand through his hair.
“Look, I know for some of you guys this is your first tour, but you cannot freeze up like that! All it takes is one damn second and you’re gone. It’s you or them, do you get that?” Derek shouted.
“Sir?”
Derek looked at the private who’d spoken, he looked about eighteen. “Connelly?”
“We…” Connelly looked at the rest of the guys. “A lot of us have never been deployed, sir. This is our first tour. I wasn’t prepared for this, sir.”
“You’re never prepared for this shit, Connelly.” Derek put his hand on Connelly’s shoulder. “Learn a lesson from this because if you don’t, you just left your wife a widow and your kids without a father. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!” the chorus of men erupted.
By the time they pulled back into the base the sun was down. Derek jumped from the MRAP and was greeted by the General of the Army, Prescott.
“Jesus, Jacobs, you really like living life on the edge.” Prescott smiled. “Looks like our MRAP are just that, mine resistant and ambush protected.” Prescott laughed at the
look on Derek’s face.
“What the hell happened, sir? This was supposed to be a friendly meeting.” Derek followed the general back to operations.
“I am trying to get intel on that now. As far as we knew, that’s exactly what this was.”
“Well, their welcome was a little less than desirable.” Derek sat down and put his feet up. “My guys were shitting themselves.”
“We should have sent you with more seasoned soldiers.”
“No, this was good for them. They need to know what to do when shit like this happens. None of them were prepared. Jessup was the only one who snapped out of it.”
Prescott leaned over the desk. “You loved every second of it.”
Derek smiled and leaned back in the chair. “Come on, you know what it’s like. Once you put rank on, they feel like you can’t take a piss anymore. Today just proved I can be in the fight just like my men.”
“Well, you get to leave all this soon.” Prescott motioned to the miles and miles of sand.
Derek sighed and looked out the window. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to retire.” Derek looked up. “It’s time. I’ve been deployed for most of my career in one way or another. Sure, it’s great for rising in the ranks but my personal life is shit.”
“Hell, I’ve been divorced three times.” Prescott leaned against the desk. “Being gone half the marriage didn’t help.”
“That’s why I never got married.” Derek looked at his bare ring hand.
“Oh?” Prescott leaned over. “I thought it was because you are in love with Agent Pruitt.”
Derek almost fell off the chair. As it was, he stumbled getting up and stammered. “What?”
Prescott laughed loud. “Oh my God, if you could see your face right now. Calm down Derek, I figured it out a long time ago at one of the meetings. The way you look at him says it all. And no, I haven’t said a fucking word. It’s your business who you fuck or don’t fuck and you are one hell of a soldier.”
Derek sighed and sat back down. “Jesus, and here I thought I was being all covert and shit.”
“I pay attention.” Prescott winked. “Now, call your man and tell him you are just fine and you’ll be home soon.”
Derek stood and shook Prescott’s hand and watched as the man left his office. He looked at the time and wondered if James was even up. Looking out the window, he watched the men he’d just returned with getting an ass chewing. He knew what that was like. He’d only frozen up one time and that was in Somalia. Derek put his head on the desk and banged it.
“Sir?”
Derek looked up to see Jessup looking at him. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to tell you…” Jessup sighed loudly. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Granted.”
“I fucked up, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Derek stood up and came around the desk. “Yes it will and let me tell you why. Every situation is different out here and you have to know what to do. You won’t always have the luxury of knowing that. Sometimes you have to improvise.” Derek sat against the desk and crossed his arms. “You came through today after a little screaming.”
“You are one hell of a badass.” Jessup smiled. “I hope one day I am as confident as you are.”
“Years and years of practice.” Derek took Jessup by the shoulders. “Don’t get dead.”
“Yes, sir.” Jessup walked to the door and turned. “So, a game of spades later with the guys?”
Derek chuckled. “Prepare to lose.”
“No, sir.” Jessup laughed and left.
Derek smiled and sat down looking at his desk. It’d been close today. Derek looked at the time, he had just enough time to get a shower and eat before heading out to play cards. As a general he wasn’t supposed to consort with lower ranking soldiers. Derek laughed and stood up, as if he ever followed the rules. Camaraderie was important, and he made it his business to know the men that took orders from him. Derek flipped the light off in his office and headed for the showers, he’d call James later.
~~The General’s Lover~~ Coming this summer.
For the Love of Caden Page 14