Jacob

by Kris Michaels

  Tori gaped blankly at the doctor. Snapping her mouth shut, she shook her head. “They aren’t?”

  The doctor chuckled. “Let’s do an exam, get you on some prenatal vitamins, and check your glucose. That fainting thing? Not medically recommended.”

  Tori nodded and cleared her throat. “Ah...that was probably a combination of stress, lack of sleep, lack of food, and the fear I was dying.”

  Dr. Carter chortled and shook her head. “Well, you’re healthy. The stress, lack of sleep, and lack of food you’ll have to start managing. You are,’t just looking out for yourself anymore. Your body will feed on itself to support your baby. You need to take care of yourself and your little one.”

  The doctor turned towards the desk. “I’ve already put a script in for the prenatal vitamins. The nurse will come in and do a blood draw before you leave and we can schedule your OB appointments with Dr. Julius, who works with this practice. Unless you have another OB in mind?

  “No, that’ll be okay. Is there any way to tell how far along I am?” A thousand questions swirled in her mind.

  “We can do an ultrasound. I have that scheduled for…yes, here it is…Wednesday at 9:00. Dr. Julius will want you to do a history for her before that and then she’ll do an intake exam. You will probably be here for a couple hours.”

  Tears. Rivers of tears fell from her eyes and she did nothing to quiet the torrent. Dr. Carter looked up. “Mrs. King, are you alright?”

  Tori smiled widely, suddenly radiantly happy. “Yes, ma’am, I’m better than alright. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”

  Once again, a friendly chortle preceded the doctor’s smile. “Hormones. Get used to it.”

  Tori floated out of the doctor’s office. The afternoon drained her emotionally but in such an enchanting and magnificent way. Dr. Carter had cautioned her to get some sleep and eat something, and Tori promised herself she would—as soon as she checked today’s intel feeds and a series of photos that should be sitting on her desk by now.

  Tori dropped into her desk. Four manila folders sat in her inbox. God she wanted to jump to the bottom folder and rip out the information from the numerous satellite surveillance feeds, but her training kicked in. The most reliable sources of information were puzzled together, confirmed and validated. The reason you are good at this is because you follow precise rules. Follow the protocols.

  Tori built on the parallels found in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle information into her database. ISIS had concentrated in a valley located just outside the area of interest. Within the last four days, a full contingent of heavily armed forces had camped on the east side of the mountain range. Incoming and outgoing tankers indicated refueling efforts. Several convoys of covered trucks had been marshalled into what was quickly becoming an organized base camp.

  Her bits and pieces of information brought into focus the terrorist organization’s efforts. Human intelligence provided no inputs, which in and of itself, spoke volumes. People always talked. A casual word, a look, and a shrug of the shoulders can be interpreted, but every one of the CIA’s informants in the area failed to report in. Two reasons popped into her mind immediately. The locals had been killed or imprisoned. For that reason, she widened her search and went back several days. Taking a deep breath, she started the painstaking effort of rebuilding the intelligence outside Guardian’s area of focus. As midnight approached, Tori opened the last folder. Methodically the information, data points and assumptions based on other activities were cataloged.

  The effort of wrapping her brain around the entire panoramic consolidation of information took a solid thirty seconds. Her hand shook as she hit the hands-free on the phone and pushed the hotline. God she hoped he was still in the building.

  “Gabriel.”

  “Ah sir…I think…a signal…ah…I found them?” Tori’s voice croaked. She cleared her throat and said it again. “I found them. I think.”

  Tori waited for a response, but none came across. “Ah, sir? Did you hear me? I think they are in a small valley near the evac site. I believe they’ve left markers.”

  Tori picked up the handset and listened, “Sir? Mr. Gabriel?”

  The heavy metal door to her office slammed open. Gabriel filled the frame of the door, his eyes wild as he searched her face. “Where?”

  Tori jumped at his unexpected appearance. “It’s all there. I just had to widen the scope. ISIS is building in a concentrated area. The villagers are being systematically wiped out. But, sir? I think Alpha team left us markers. She pointed a shaking finger to the pictures in progressive order. She touched each photo. “J.T.K. Jacob is telling me where they are. Three letters, three days, same place. It is a signal. Our men are talking to us. Here is the longitude and latitude of the markers and the last known location of the hostile forces.”

  Gabriel grabbed her and swung her around dropping her to her feet as he grabbed the papers out of her hand and bolted out the door. Shouting over his shoulder he called out. “You got ‘em Tori. Command center. Now!”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Tori sat at the top of the theater seating, out of the way. Her eyes remained fixed on five huge screens, topographical maps that showed the rugged terrain in detail and the enhanced satellite imagery that had ignited the rescue operation. The tightness in her chest grew with each passing moment. An infrared satellite feed from Homeland Security’s newest asset filled the main screen, a camera that, strictly speaking, could not be activated unless over the United States. Apparently, the satellite had malfunctioned. In a stroke of luck, the satellite just happened to over-fly the area where Guardian needed coverage. Tori shouldn’t have been as impressed as she was. Gabriel was the right and left hand of the most powerful man in the world, and David Xavier wielded resources few could comprehend.

  Pulled by the images on the screen, Victoria moved down closer to the floor and the depiction of the transports. The huge red spots indicated the heat from the helicopter engines. Scanning the terrain, she could see several smaller red dots surrounding the landing zone. People? Vehicles? Campfires? She didn’t know. Her heart pounded so loud she swore everyone in the room could hear it. The helicopters on the screen made a full circle of the mountain where the signal lay.

  Gabriel pointed to the screen. “There. There they are.” A small mass of red dots appeared on the screen. There was no way to distinguish how many men comprised the grouping. The helicopters remained stationary and nobody spoke as the undulating spots of red moved towards the machines.

  “Hostile fire!” Gabriel snapped. One Blackhawk took off. Its heat signature veered violently to the right and sped along the mountain. Three bursts of red spit from the area. A massive explosion of color appeared on the screen. Oh, god, are they down? Were they hit? Tori tore her eyes away from the massive flare of red to the bird still on the ground. The larger heat signature of the aircraft slowly consumed the clump of smaller red. The assault helo lifted off and turned left avoiding the direction of the attack.

  Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer. She never finished. Shouts of excitement ripped through the command center as the second helicopter emerged from the exploded heat signature. They watched as the birds tracked out of the hostile area. Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes before communications would be re-established. Fifteen minutes.

  Tori rubbed her arms. How could it be so cold in a room full of people and computer equipment? Her eyes bounced from the slow moving graphic of a helicopter to Gabriel and back again. Gabriel stood motionless, only his eyes moving from one screen to the next. His face displayed absolutely no emotion.

  The digital clock on the wall seemed to grind to a stop. Breathe. Remember to breathe. Working silent prayers in rapid succession did nothing to stave off the bile that rose in her stomach. The healthy meal she forced herself to eat completed gold medal gymnastic moves in her belly. The uncommon quiet in the command center reinforced the intense atmosphere. The heating system kicked on and the rushing of the air insulte
d the silence, intolerably loud.

  The crackle of the radio drew all eyes to the speaker at the front of the theater. Time stopped. It crackled again. “Alpha team leader requesting permission to RTB.” Jacob’s tired voice reached across a thousand miles. Tori couldn’t halt the rush of tears that flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks. ‘Permission to return to base.’ Dear God, he was coming home. She gripped the chair back in front of her to stop the room from reeling as she collapsed into the seat behind her. Her vision clouded. On its own volition, her body released the fear, helplessness, and worry she had pushed past in order to keep her search for them alive. Oh, God, Tori! Don’t pass out now. With a conscious effort, she drew slow breaths in through her mouth and exhaled from her nose.

  The eruptions of joyous shouts were quickly hushed. Tori compelled her shaking body to focus on Gabriel. His eyes held a sheen before he closed them and keyed the microphone. “Alpha Leader, this is Archangel. Sit Rep.”

  “Five out, one critical.” Alive! They are all alive! Oh, thank you sweet Jesus!

  “Roger copy, Alpha leader. Your return to base is authorized.”

  “Bravo Team status?” Jacob’s inquiry about his Jason, Dixon, and Drake reminded Tori why she loved him.

  “All are safe, Alpha.”

  “Roger that, Archangel. Tell her, tell her I knew she’d understand.” The crackling of the radio couldn’t disguise the emotion Jacob tried to contain.

  Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Tori. His face blurred in the tears welling up and overflowing from her eyes. Clasping her shaking hand to her mouth, she blew the screen a kiss, willing her love across the miles. With a solemn nod in her direction, Gabriel keyed the mic, “She copies, Alpha.”

  *

  The deafening noise of the rotors muffled any conversation. Helmets had been passed out with built in headsets as soon as the aircraft commander cleared hostile airspace allowing the rest of his team to communicate. Jacob’s head hit the bulkhead of the helicopter. Jared and Joseph sat on either side of him, Doc was on the deck being treated and Chief, for once, was strapped securely into the gunner’s position. A look at the men told Jacob they were all pushing the limits of endurance. In the seven weeks since they had started the rescue mission, each had lost considerable weight, strength, and stamina. The medic working on Doc pushed another syringe into the IV while four sets of eyes watched him work.

  Jared elbowed Jacob. “So where are you taking Tori for your honeymoon?”

  Jacob chuckled and shook his head. “Right now I’m planning to barricade us in our bedroom at the Georgetown house and pretend the world doesn’t exist for a couple of months.”

  “Don’t figure I’ll be staying, so a barricade probably won’t be necessary.” Jared’s voice over the radio seemed distant and detached.

  Jacob looked at his brother. Jared had been beaten up pretty bad during this mission. “What do you mean you’re not staying? Are you leaving Guardian?”

  Joseph leaned forward and Chief twisted in the gunner’s seat. Jacob snorted when Jared flipped a double-handed bird towards the two onlookers.

  “No, but I’m never working an overseas assignment again. I’m a cop. Evidence, forensics, and paperwork I understand. Hell, even the damn networking social bullshit I can do. But not this. Never again.”

  Joseph’s eyebrow rose. “Damn straight, son. Get your ass home and leave this shit hole to me and those like me. All of you need to stand down.”

  “Gabriel has already grounded Alpha team. He’s ordered me to take over international operations, leading a desk, not a team. No more field work.” Jacob’s eyes met and held with Chief. He assumed the big guy wouldn’t be happy with the news, but as was typical, Chief’s expression didn’t change.

  “About fucking time. You two are good, damn good, but you don’t need to prove yourself anymore—and that’s a fact, not my opinion,” Joseph growled. He fixed his stare on Chief and asked, “What about you?”

  “I’m sticking with Jacob. I’ll stay stateside.” Chief threw his chin towards Doc. “He isn’t going to be able to work like this again.”

  Jacob’s eyes rested on his best friend. “We’re talking about building a training facility at the ranch.” He glanced at Joseph and explained, “It’s a place where teams can recover from missions, train new members, work scenarios and build cohesive units.” His tired eyes landed on Doc again. “We’ll need a doctor who has been in country to staff the recovery center, someone who knows the hell our teams go through. Who better than Doc? When he is up to it, the job is his.”

  Chief leaned back against the doorframe and bulkhead and closed his eyes. Exhaustion showed clearly on his face. “If you’re building a facility there, I want in. That ranch is the closest thing to a home I ever had.”

  “Done. I need someone I can trust to run it. It’s yours.” Jacob smiled at the sudden shocked look Chief threw at him. “But remember, I learned my employee management skills from Gabriel. If you fuck up, you’re fired.”

  In unison, all four men said, “Again.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jacob opened the front door to the Georgetown house and closed it quietly behind him. He and Jared had landed two hours early, just before the snow storm had closed Dulles. Jared was spending the night at Jewel’s to give Jacob and Tori the house to themselves. Chief accompanied Doc on the MedEvac to The American Hospital of Paris, the finest medical care facility in Europe. Doc’s condition had stabilized slightly, but his recovery was going to be a long, long haul. Joseph disappeared in Germany when Jacob and Jared were loading Chief and Doc into the aircraft for the flight to Paris. God only knew where he went, or what he was doing.

  The warmth of the house surrounded him. Standing in the foyer, he could hear the melody of Tori’s voice. Following the softness of her words to the back of the house, he stood in the doorway, his hair and jacket sprinkled with melting snow. Just stood looking at her. Wasn’t he a fucking wimp? A royal wuss. Too emotional to say a damn thing. Choked up. Feet planted in the doorway just looking at the woman that owned him heart, soul, and body. God, he was never going to leave her again. She spoke to someone on speaker phone, her back to him.

  “The airports are closing?” Tori’s voice held panic and disbelief. She seemed fixated on the Weather Channel’s coverage of the winter storm blanketing the East Coast. Jewel’s voice on the other end of the phone appeared to cut through her dazed gawking.

  “This is not just a snow storm. They are calling it the storm of the decade.” Jewel’s voice held the same defeated disbelief as Tori’s and Jacob almost said something but the strange paralysis that gripped him at the sight of her wouldn’t release him.

  “Seriously, are the fates aligned to keep me away from my husband?” Tori walked to the huge bay window in the back of the house that overlooked the back yard and opened a panel of shutters. Pure beautiful white covered the lawn and trees with large feathery flakes drifting down. An occasional gust of wind forced the huge tufts of white to dance sideways.

  “I doubt that. If the fates were working against you wouldn’t have seen their signal. I mean who sees something like that? A data analyst mines for information through chatter, troop movements, local intelligence. How did you ever think to look at the satellite images that way?”

  “I had so little information to work with, Jewel. I felt like I was letting him down so I made a folder for each data line and went through each twice a day. I stared at those photos so often I knew when something looked different, but it wasn’t until the last initial that I knew it was a signal. In all honesty, it just wasn’t skill. It was luck.”

  “Then I’m the luckiest man alive.”

  Tori’s eyes flew open, twisting around she gasped, “Jacob!” The phone clattered to the ground. Tori launched across the room but only made it a few steps before his arms locked around her, picking her up and crushing her into him. The dropped phone began to ring insistently, but both of them ignored it. His embrace, like h
is kiss, demanded everything, wanted everything and gave everything. Her arms tightened around him as possessively as his claimed her.

  The months of trials melted away and all that mattered was in his arms. He pulled back, both of them gasping in a lungful of air. He wiped the tears from her cheeks. These tears he could deal with.

  Her eyes searched his face. Her hand trembled as she lifted it to his cheek. “Oh my God. You’re here. You’re really here?”

  Jacob chuckled a little at her disbelief. He kissed her again, slowly this time, tasting her tears on her lips.

  “When did you get back? Where are your brothers? How is Adam, Doc?”

  Questions fell from her as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. “Shh…we can talk later. I need you. Now.”

  As soon as he put her down, their clothes disappeared, shed in record time. Animalistic desire, intense need, and a driving lust swirled through him, eagerly answered by Tori. Jacob pulled her to him and cupped her ass. His arms lifted her. Immediately he felt her legs circle his waist. Familiar. Hot. Sexy. “You fit me perfectly. God, Tori, I need this. Need the feel of your skin under my hands, your body pressed to me, against me. I need you.”

  Her lips were on his throat. She bit his neck possessively and licked his skin. He shuddered at the restraint it took not to throw her on the floor and take her. Her hands traveled his chest, shoulders and back. “I want you in me now.” Her whispered demand unleashed what restraint he imagined he had.

  With his hand under her, he positioned his cock at her wet center. He pulled back and watched her face as she loosened her legs and dropped onto his shaft. Her eyes closed, a small gasp escaped before a low, sensuous moan shattered the silence. Her core slid over him like a glove two sizes too small. His body vibrated with need, his senses on fire. Slowly he lifted her off him and allowed her to slide back down. “Oh God, Tori, I’m not going to last.”