Southern Regions (Southern Desires Book 4)

by Jeannette Winters

  Kevin loaded all the weapons into the chopper he’d planned on taking to Buffalo. Then he jogged back to where Johnson was. Standing upright at attention, he saluted him one last time before picking him up and carrying his lifeless body to the chopper.

  This wasn’t the first time he’d lost men in action. They all knew the risk they took each day, but it didn’t make it any easier. Any differences and the doubts he had about Johnson no longer meant anything. They were all brothers in arms, and the loss was personal. The circumstances around Johnson’s death made it even more so for him.

  Kevin placed a blanket on the floor of the chopper before laying Johnson on it. He felt guilty for not knowing more about the man. They never spoke about any family, or what his dreams were when he got out of the Navy, if he ever planned to leave at all. All Kevin knew was he’d been one hell of a SEAL, and he’d just given his life to protect Marina. The woman I love.

  He covered Johnson and carefully secured him before climbing into the pilot seat. It had been a while since he’d piloted a chopper, and he hoped it would all come back to him. He wasn’t supposed to be piloting this one, but with Johnson gone, there wasn’t another option.

  So much was running through his mind. Top on the list was hope that the first chopper made it out of there before any of them had gotten hurt. I’ll never forgive myself if anything happened to you, Marina. I’m supposed to protect you, not love you. And by doing one, I’m failing to do the other.

  Kevin heard sirens in the distance. He needed to get out of there now. Putting on the headset, he flipped the switches to get his bird off the ground before the authorities arrived.

  The blades began to spin and slowly lift into the air. Now he could see the lights, and they had their spotlights on his chopper. Time had run out, and he’d need to reach out to Mark for some damage control. How were they going to explain leaving four dead foreigners in the park? It wasn’t his concern at the moment. Kevin needed to know Marina was safe.

  Once he was out of sight from below, he pulled off his headset, reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. Calling Marina was what he wanted to do. He needed to hear her voice, let her know he was okay. He couldn’t let his feeling for her stop him from doing what needed to be done first. This attack meant they all needed to be on alert. Mark needed to be updated in time to prevent anyone else from getting hurt or killed.

  “Are you all right?” Mark questioned immediately when he answered.

  For a brief moment he thought he’d heard what sounded like panic in his brother’s voice. Kevin wouldn’t blame him if it was. Everything was hitting close to home. “I am, but Johnson didn’t make it.” He hated delivering that news. Kevin knew Mark and Johnson had not only served together, but they were as close as brothers. There’d been many times Kevin resented Johnson for that. Now all he did was feel for Mark and his loss. There was silence on the other end. He knew Mark was strong, nonetheless, he’d just lost his second-in-command and a trusted friend. “I’m sorry.”

  “Where are you?”

  He gave Mark the coordinates.

  “And Johnson?”

  Leaving him behind was never a question and Mark knew that. Kevin turned his head and looked at the blanket behind him. “On the chopper.”

  “Kev, I’ll text you a name and location. He’ll take care of Johnson until his parents can be notified. I need you to get to Buffalo.”

  Since they weren’t acting on any governmental authority, Kevin wasn’t sure who Mark was sending, but this was Mark’s call to make, and he wasn’t about to question it. He knew whoever it was, it would be someone Mark trusted to treat Johnson’s body with the honor it deserved.

  He wished it could be differently, but it was too late. Johnson was gone and there were others who needed him now. “Mark. What about Marina. Is she—?”

  “They’re fine. Graham will make sure she gets to the safe house. You just take care of things on your end.”

  Graham had gotten Marina out in time, and he needed to trust her a bit longer. His parents were sitting ducks in Buffalo, unaware of what might be coming their way. “Are you sure you want me to bring Mom and Dad to Hannah’s?”

  “This place is secure for now. Casey and Derrick are here, too. I think this is where they want to be.”

  Mark was right. There was no guarantee anyplace would be safe, but all of them being together was a comfort in its own. I know being with Marina is where I need—no, where I want to be.

  “Mark. Tell her that . . .” I love her? No, that’s not something I can say right now. “Tell Marina I keep my promises.”

  “Roger that. Kevin, get them here quickly. This is escalating fast, and we have no idea where JT is or what his next move will be.”

  They had been caught, and neither of them liked what it meant. Somehow JT was one step ahead of them. Did that mean someone on their team was a mole? There was a short list on who it could be. Kevin looked at the blanket again. Through no facts but based on his gut, his money would’ve been on Johnson. The guy was cocky and had an ego that could cloud one’s judgement. The only other team member who knew the location of both places was Graham. He knew Maggie never would cross sides. She had it in for JT and his men as much as Derrick did. If there’s no traitor, could they have found a way to hack into our phones and decipher the conversations? Because I don’t believe in luck, and JT seems to have too fucking much of it lately. Either way, JT, I can’t wait for the day we meet. I want my face to be the last thing you ever see.

  Chapter Fourteen

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  Marina hated flying. Turbulence from the growing thunderstorm shook the chopper in ways that made it feel like it was about to be ripped apart at any moment. If I live through this, I’m never getting in the air again. Marina didn’t like the look of what they were entering. I used to like watching storms from the porch as a kid, but I never wanted to be in one! A bright flash lit the inside of the chopper like daylight, almost at the same time as the roaring crack of thunder overwhelmed her. She was too terrified to scream and closing her eyes only seemed to make it worse. She clung tightly to her mother’s urn, afraid she would drop it each time the chopper shook or took a sudden dip. Her ribs hurt from the straps holding her securely in place instead of being flung around like everything else that hadn’t been secured. I want off this ride.

  The wind whipped the chopper, and when she thought all was lost, Maggie gave her a smile as if they were in the clear.

  When the chopper landed, Maggie turned to Marina saying, “We need to get you inside right away. This thunderstorm is severe and it limits our visibility, plus we need to get this bird out of here before it draws too much attention.”

  Marina tightened her grip on the urn. She climbed out of the chopper but quickly lost her footing on the muddy, uneven ground, causing her to slip and fall. Her heart leaped into her throat as she helplessly watched as the urn rolled away from her. Please don’t open. God. Don’t open. She knew it needed water to be activated, and in this heavy rain, all it’d take was one vial to be compromised and leak, and the nightmare would begin.

  As she started to pull herself up, a sharp pain ran up her thigh. Marina could see the blood dripping from the large scrapes along her right leg. The shorts she’d changed into before leaving hadn’t been much protection from the rocks. I wish I would have stayed in the jeans I wore with Kevin. I’d be hot as hell, but I wouldn’t be bleeding.

  Maggie headed for the urn, and Marina called out over the crack of thunder. “Maggie! I need your help.” That wasn’t the truth, but Marina needed to prevent Maggie from touching the urn at all costs. She knew if the lid came loose, even if the vials hadn’t broken, Maggie would see what was hidden inside.

  To her relief, Maggie came running over to lend a supportive arm. Of course, it came with the expected lecture as well. “You could’ve broken your leg, and there’s no way anyone is here to help you. If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re on our own.”

  Tha
t was obvious by the secluded location. She couldn’t believe the pilot flew in such horrendous weather and actually found a place to land.

  While pretending to lean on Maggie, they headed toward the building. Marina stopped and scooped up the urn as they passed by. It was difficult to tell, but it appeared to be intact. Before they closed the doors of the safe house, she heard the chopper taking off again. It was less of a house and more of a laboratory complex. She’d seen many of these places hidden all over the country, deep in the woods were no one would think to look. I wonder how they found this one and who else knows about it.

  They all seemed to look similar but this was one she hadn’t been to before. Surprising with how much General moved me around. I would’ve thought I’d been to them all.

  “He’s leaving?” Marina asked, filled with panic. After what she just witnessed at the park, she didn’t want her only protection to be Maggie. She’s been shot, so why the hell didn’t that damn pilot stay to help?

  “I told you, it’s just us.”

  They walked down the hallway. Everything was sterile white, and she could see several level four biohazard labs through observation windows on the walls. The place was much bigger than it appeared to be from the outside. They usually were. This place is a biochemist’s dream. Too bad I won’t be using half of it. No one but Kevin knows how close I am, and he doesn’t know everything. Maggie opened a door to what looked like a combination kitchen/meeting room, and Marina went in. Kevin isn’t here to protect me this time. It’s just Maggie and me. If something happens where Maggie can’t get to me, I’m on my own.

  “Maggie, I can’t shoot a gun. If they come—”

  “You just do your job, and let me worry about mine.”

  I don’t know how to shoot a gun. Even if I did, I could never pull the trigger. And Maggie doesn’t want me to worry. That’s not possible nor logical. Marina saw the same look in Maggie’s eyes as she had with Kevin. It wasn’t fearlessness but a respect for what may come. She couldn’t understand how they were able to face the enemy with no emotion showing. She was still in shock from the ordeal earlier. I’m not sure I’ll recover from it.

  As Maggie shut the door and locked it behind them, Marina could only think about Kevin. Communications had been affected due to the lightning storm. Each time she asked Maggie if she’d heard anything more from Mark, the answer was the same: “Systems are down.”

  She knew the saying no news is good news, but that wasn’t the case when she was waiting to find out if the man she loved was dead or alive. Something in Marina told her he was fine. It was as though their souls were connected beyond anything her eyes could see or her mind might rationalize. This is craziness. I’m not the type of woman who believes anything as foolish as souls sensing each other. Life is not a romance novel. No matter how she tried, she still couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling of him being with her.

  She watched Maggie check the phone again quickly then slid it back in her pocket. “Maggie, what if something happens? How are you going to reach anyone?”

  “Collins knows where we are. When he can, he’ll come.”

  “Kevin? He’s alive?” Her voice filled with excitement.

  Maggie reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry. I was talking about Mark Collins, Kevin’s brother. There still has been no word about Kevin or Johnson.”

  She forced herself to control her tears. “Maggie, I’m sorry. I’m acting like I’m the only one who cares about him. I’m sure Mark is losing his mind with worry as well. And you and he were . . .”

  “Out with the same objective. Make these bastards pay.” Maggie’s voice was filled with bitterness and anger. It was the first time since meeting her that Marina heard her voice so cold.

  “Tell me, Maggie, what happened?”

  She turned to Marina with a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

  “You seem . . . different from Johnson and Kevin, as though this is very personal for you. Why is that?” Marina picked up on that when they had first met at the apartment. Was it anxiety she was feeling about Kevin that heightened her awareness of what Maggie was going through as well?

  Maggie turned away, pulled her gun out of her waistband, and laid it on the table. She was quiet as though there were words she didn’t want to say.

  “If you don’t want to tell me, I understand.”

  Maggie shrugged. Without facing Marina, she started to tell her story. “My sister was one of the Marines protecting the lab in North Carolina.”

  The lab I was working at. The one Kevin said was attacked just after I left. Marina thought back to the day she’d met Maggie. Somehow she’d looked familiar and now she knew why. She was one of the guards by the entrance when she was leaving. Oh God. She even helped me carry my bags to the chopper. I never asked her name, never said thank you. I just boarded the chopper and left, never looking back.

  “Was she—?”

  “Killed? Yes. Those cowardly bastards didn’t take them down in a normal gunfight.”

  “How do you know what happened?”

  “Until recently I’d been General Floyd’s aid. I learned a lot more than anyone could imagine. The man was the scum of the earth.”

  Marina swallowed and was glad Maggie had her back to her. You don’t know who I am, do you? I’m glad Kevin kept his promise. I hope he remembers them all. Her heart was already filled with so much pain she wasn’t sure she could handle any more. But she needed to know, and Kevin wouldn’t tell her. “What . . . did he do?”

  “There was no way four Marines would be taken prisoner without a fight. I questioned him on it, and he provided me with a scenario that could’ve happened. Floyd said if a team dressed in Marine uniforms showed up and pretended to be the replacement detail, the true Marines, like my sister, would’ve let their guard down, never suspecting the general actually had set them up.”

  Marina felt as though she’d vomit. My father had them killed? “Are you sure?”

  “Four Marines all executed. Yes, I’m sure.”

  Marina walked up to Maggie and put her hand on her shoulder. She wanted to hug her and tell her she was sorry for what her father had done. “I’m sorry. What was your sister’s name?”

  “Master Sargent Margaret Graham. I used to call her Maggie.”

  Marina stopped. That’s your name. “I don’t understand. That’s you.”

  “That’s my twin sister. When I was informed she died in what was supposed to look like a flood, I went crazy. Something inside me told me it was a lie. The names of the four dead Marines were struck from the record, but I knew where she was stationed, even though I wasn’t supposed to. Since there was no official record of her death, I decided to take on her identity to do my own digging. It didn’t take long for me to figure out who was in charge. Floyd was a cold-hearted bastard. Life meant nothing to him. Give him enough brandy, and he couldn’t help but run his fucking fat lips. The general was an abusive son of a bitch. He loved only two things, power and money. When it came to women, he had no respect for them. Trust me, I reported to him for far too long. At least he never tried to kill me. I can’t say that for every other woman. Can you believe that bastard bragged about having some woman’s brake lines cut so she’d be out of his life forever?”

  Brake lines? Hearing the words was like a knife in Marina’s heart, and so many things started tumbling together. Does she mean Mom? Brake lines let go. They said it was an accident. Could my father have done that? Would he have killed my mother? She remembered the day she called him, crying. The police had just told her that her mother was dead. Her father never said I’m sorry. He only said he’d send someone there to pack up her things. He never once asked me how I was. Never asked me about her. Had my mother tried to stop him from being in my life? Marina ran to the trash can and began vomiting. Her body shook as the waves of nausea continued. Mom. I’m sorry, Mom. Dad, how could you do this? How could you do this to a person who loved me so much? Mom would never hurt anyone. Sobbing u
ncontrollably Marina slipped to the floor. Mom. Mom. Mom.

  “Marina, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Maggie said from behind her.

  Oh, this isn’t your fault. No one should feel bad for me. You’re a victim of my father’s. You and so many others. Marina brushed away the tears and pulled herself upright. No matter what she was feeling, she needed to remember she wasn’t the only one suffering.

  “I’m sorry about your sister, Maggie. I mean . . . the real Maggie. What is your name if she was Maggie?”

  For the first time, she saw a lost look in Maggie’s eyes. “I’ve been Master Sargent Margaret Graham for six years. Until the day that this is over, and her death is revenged, that is the person I’ll continue to be.”

  Marina knew that revenge included her. She might not have pulled the trigger, or cut the brake lines, but it was her capabilities and knowledge her father had wanted. If I’d let my father stay dead and never searched for him, maybe none of this would’ve happened. My mother would be alive. Maggie would be alive and all the other countless people.

  “The general is dead,” Marina said coldly. It was a reflection of what was in her heart when she said his name.

  “I know.”

  “It wasn’t a heart attack.”

  “I know,” Maggie said plainly.

  Are you the one who killed him? I wouldn’t blame you, but you don’t seem to be a cold-blooded killer, not even to avenge your sister. “How do you know?”

  “Collins. Mark. He has connections that were able to uncover the truth.”

  “Did you do it?” Marina asked before she could stop herself. It didn’t matter if Maggie had pulled the trigger or not, she just needed to know for herself.

  Maggie shook her head. “Not that I didn’t want him dead, but that was too good for him. And my sister never would’ve wanted that. I wanted the bastard to be revealed to the world and brought to justice. He got off too easy if you ask me.”