Intimate Strangers

by Danielle Taylor

  “Oh God, Mac!” She threw her arms around his shoulders with her fierce, vise-like grip. “You promised,” she sobbed into his chest. “You swore you’d never leave!”

  “Baby…” Sliding his hands through her hair at the roots, he gripped the back of her head and brought her even closer. “I’m not leaving, I’m going to get Chelsea back and then we’re coming home.”

  “And wh-what if you don’t…c-come h-home?” Her words were weaved with sadness and despair, and her body quivered against his. “I can’t live without you, Mac.”

  It might very well have been a lie, plain as the sun rose in the east and set in the west, but he still said the words she so desperately needed to hear him say. “I’ll be back, Hannah. Count on it.”

  Releasing her, he moved back into soldier mode and gathered the necessary items – this time, however, his mission wasn’t solely to take a life. It was to save one. A very important life at that. His ‘team’ wouldn’t – and couldn’t – fail here. Ruan needed his mother, and Tiaan needed the woman who helped him begin to heal. He knew what it felt like to yearn for someone so badly that nothing else in the whole world made sense except for being with them, and Tiaan would never be the same again if anything was to happen to Chelsea.

  The other men in the room, all long-time friends of his who went off in different directions during their professional relationship, were busy readying themselves for this mission. They all knew the implications of what they were about to do, going off half-cocked to save someone they had never met, and yet they didn’t care about any repercussions. Every one of them knew the rest would do the same for someone they loved if the tables were reversed.

  “Mac,” Hannah’s voice pleaded once more.

  He swivelled on thick booted heels to find her standing by the door now, his teenaged daughter clinging tightly to Hannah’s waist and face pressed to her shoulder. Kayla wore a resigned and knowing expression, those icy blue eyes steeling as she observed his preparations.

  Mac recalled a conversation they’d had shortly after Erik was born where they discussed the possibility of his having to jump back into an operation at some point in the future, be it for the safety of his family, or for a friend. He promised his daughter that he’d never take on anything where the risks outweighed his chances of survival. However, he did mention the one time he would do whatever it took and this was one of those times.

  “I’ll never allow a person to remain in the hands of a sadistic psychopath, Kayla. I just can’t do it. Especially if it’s someone I know and care about,” he had said to her.

  Kayla had nodded before gripping him tightly. “I know. I just…I don’t like to think of you not coming back, even though I’ll have Hannah and Erik.”

  “I’ll always be with you though, Kayla.” He touched her forehead. “In here–” Next Mac had brought his hand to her chest and pressed his palm to her heart. “–and in here. I know I haven’t been around your whole life, and I’ll never replace those ideas you had about me, but just know that I love you and I always will.”

  Standing before her now, Mac gazed wistfully at his daughter who had grown up too damned quickly for her own good. Kayla released Hannah and strode purposefully towards him and when she reached his side she didn’t hesitate to grant him the same death-grip hold she’d had on her step-mother just seconds ago.

  In the past year and a half, many things about Kayla had changed. She’d gained quite a bit of height, which didn’t surprise him since Vivian – her mother who succumbed to her illness just weeks after Kayla came to live with him – was five foot eleven and he stood at just over six foot four. She’d also grown her hair out and it now almost reached the middle of her back.

  However, what hadn’t changed at all was her determination and strength. Kayla had to be the strongest almost-sixteen year old he knew – not that he did know many, other than the few friends she brought home – and over time, she only grew stronger, more confident. A better daughter he’d never be able to conjure up in his mind.

  “Bring her home, Dad,” was all she said before stepping back and motioning to the ammunitions locker.

  A quick glance at Tiaan and Mac replied, “We will.”

  He waited until Hannah and Kayla left before spoke again. They did so hesitantly – more Hannah than his daughter – but eventually the pair went up the basement stairs, shutting the door behind them. One look at Tiaan told him the man would do just about anything to get Chelsea back and he didn’t want to wait around here any longer.

  Mac placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s get out there and get our girl back.”

  ~~~

  Tense didn’t even come close to describing the strain in his body as Tiaan followed Mac down the concrete corridor. Chelsea was here, he felt her presence while the team descended the crumbling steps. He even swore that her milk and honey scent tinted the air, and he inhaled deeply, catching a minute trace of it. If he lost her…

  Tiaan grew rigid, something he often did in the past when his anger was about to surpass all rational thought. This time, he wasn’t on his own. Mac must have sensed the change in him. He spun on his booted heels and gripped Tiaan by the shoulders, bunching the fabric in his glove-encased hands and giving him a little shake.

  “Hold yourself together, Carstens. Losing the plot now will get you nowhere. Keep your fuckin’ head in the game – for Chelsea.” He finished by patting Tiaan on the jaw in an almost-slap that garnered his attentions once more.

  Ahead of them in the tunnel, Roger flashed his penlight a few times, letting them know it was safe to proceed, but to use caution.

  Nostrils flared, Mac used that same expression he always did when seeking nothing but absolute compliance from his men.

  Tiaan nodded once, falling into line. “Let’s get the foking bastards,” he growled, adjusting the weapon in his grip.

  The closer they got to the others, the darker the corridor became. Tiaan and Mac simultaneously pulled on their night vision goggles from around their necks and modified them accordingly.

  A small mouse scurried past him but Tiaan didn’t flinch. He had shifted into that man who simply obeyed his orders and performed each task given to him with surgical precision. Body tensed, buzzing with awareness of his surroundings. Vision focused, sharp, eyes scanning and taking everything in as he advanced down the underground passageway.

  Gunfire sounded up ahead, sending the pair into a dead run with their weapons held up in the ready position. Tiaan reached the corner first and didn’t hesitate to take out the man reloading his clip with a direct shot to the skull. No mercy. They didn’t deserve any, not after abducting an innocent woman. He watched, emotionless, as the body crumpled to the floor

  “You alright, Blitz?” Mac offered his hand and hoisted Blitz to his feet.

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his head, wincing. “Asshole caught me off guard, that’s all.”

  Things were under control here so Tiaan moved back into play, ignoring the strain on his body from disuse. His abdomen was aching. Knees burned with each new step he took.

  Most of all, his heart ached for Chelsea. He needed to feel her in his arms again. Needed to see her safe and sound, away from this nightmare. Christ, he needed that woman, no doubt in his mind about that now. Chelsea and Ruan were everything to him. The three of them, together. That’s all he wanted, what he craved.

  At the sound of a woman’s voice, screaming out in distress, his chest constricted painfully, throat tightened until breathing became a near impossibility. His body turned to stone, feet cemented to the floor. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

  A hand connected with his shoulder, breaking the stony-trance. Mac leveled a stern look in Tiaan’s direction and threw out a few stealth hand signs. He and Tiaan were to go first. Roger and Blitz would take up the rear and cover them. Wordy was to remain in position and keep them appraised of any movement or radio chatter.

  Every fibre of his being told him
to run, to throw open each door he came across and search every room until he found her. Tiaan remained a SEAL though, following his superior. Mac always knew what to do. Not once had he ever let a man on his team down.

  The agonised shriek turned his blood to ice. Tiaan swung his gaze to Mac’s, ready to do whatever necessary to get to Chelsea as soon as humanly possible – but his fears were unfounded. Mac was already running for a steel door near the other end of this short hallway and Tiaan followed close at his heels. The door was open when they got there and the sight inside filled his body with ire.

  Held on her knees, her wrists secured behind her back with cable ties, Chelsea sobbed while Sewell stood before her. In one hand, he grabbed her hair at the back of her head and his free hand was reaching for the zipper on his combats.

  For a spilt second, everything around him froze. Dust particles floating in the room, visible only where light seeped into the room, remained still in the air. This moment was almost magical in the way it helped to clear his mind and allowed him to perform the next task. Tiaan raised his weapon, aimed for the bastard’s head, and fired off three shots in succession.

  He then dropped the gun and ran to Chelsea, eager to take her from this place. Rage wasn’t fueling him like he thought it might, but something else, something much more substantial. Powerful even.

  “You got her?” Mac yelled out between gunshots as he covered the door.

  “Ja,” Tiaan bellowed back, framing his sweet Chelsea’s face in his hands. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glistening.

  “I’m here, my darling,” he ground out, brushing her cheekbones with his thumbs.

  She blinked. Once. Twice.

  Swallowed.

  Chelsea opened her mouth but all that came out was a strangled moan that shredded his.

  “Let’s get her the fuck out of here, Carstens!” Mac called, chucking an empty clip on the ground and reloading.

  Tiaan nodded. First he took out a knife, methodically sawing through the plastic ties around her wrists until they snapped free. Next he pulled her into his arms and held her for the slightest fraction of a second before hauling her upwards. Her stiff form draped over his shoulder, Tiaan moved swiftly through the tunnels and he didn’t stop until they reached daylight. As he placed her feet on the ground, her fingers enclosed around his sleeves tightly and he knew that she needed him now more than ever.

  “Jesus, Chelsea, I was so worried…” Tiaan let his voice trail off as he scanned her sweet face, streaked with dirt and stained with tear-trails. His fingers were itching to touch her and he didn’t hold back. Her face fit perfectly in his hands. Staring into the depths of her eyes, he came to a startling conclusion, one which shocked him as much as it did her. “I love you, my darling. I never want to be apart from you. Ever.”

  Chelsea’s mouth dropped open, hands hung limply at her sides. For a moment, he wondered if he had said the wrong thing, or perhaps now wasn’t the time to make such an admission. Tiaan decided to give her another moment to respond, or he’d have to assume that she didn’t feel the same. The mere thought shook his world off balance and caused nausea and self-doubt to mingle in his gut before exploding like vinegar and baking soda. On what planet did he think a woman like Chelsea could ever love a man like him?

  Christiaan was fucking kidding himself. They had a child together and, in the throes of passion, she agreed to marry him. But a woman like Chelsea was far too beautiful, far too kind, and too damned bloody beautiful for a mess of a man like him. His heart was breaking and he wanted to curse God and everyone around him for this cruel twist of fate, but held his tongue. The last thing Chelsea needed at this moment was for him to get volatile.

  She kissed him then, throwing herself at him with enough force to knock him back into the side of Mac’s SUV. He remained still, terrified of frightening her away. When her legs wrapped around his waist and she gripped onto him for dear life, Tiaan knew these weren’t the actions of a woman who wanted only friendship.

  Chelsea kissed her way along his jaw and ended up nibbling his earlobe. “I thought you’d hate me…” she whispered, her tears wetting his neck.

  “Never.” The word came out a little harsher than he’d have liked. “I could never hate you, ever. Why would you even think such a thing?”

  Breath trembling in her throat, Chelsea grabbed her chest, wearing a look of pure anguish. She held it for a fraction of a second before exploding in a choked-up mess of sobs. His heart ached for her as he realised what she meant.

  “Oh, my darling…” To show her that he didn’t hold her accountable for actions forced on her, Tiaan brought this sweet woman to him and held her firmly. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  She sobbed even harder, tears seeping through his vest and combat jacket.

  Looking to the others for help and receiving only nods, he knew what he had to do. Their roles had once again been reversed. He was now the strong one and needed to prove that he didn’t blame her for something completely out of her hands. “Chelsea, I love you. I know I’m not some great poet. I can’t sweep you off your feet with my words. But for me to give you my heart, that’s a big thing. I could shower you with diamonds and buy you expensive things, but that doesn’t prove what I feel for you.

  “Look at me, Chelsea, darling.” He cupped her jaw in his palms, drawing her away from his shoulder. Her ochre eyes slowly flitted up. “You’ve got me forever, my sweet, lovely Chelsea. Not a thing in this world could ever change how I feel about you. Until my last day on this earth, you’re it for me, Chelsea.”

  It was the words she whispered while placing a sweet grazing kiss to his jaw near his earlobe that shook all doubt from his mind. “Oh Christiaan, you have my heart. You always will.”

  Simple words that held so much meaning instantly healed him. In one swift move, he spun their bodies around so she was pressed against the passenger side door, and held her there. Chelsea, here in his arms, forced all reality into a faded dream. Chelsea, loving him, it made everything better.

  Thirteen

  Two days had passed since Chelsea’s return. She did little more than sit and stare, her face a blank slate, as if waiting for someone to tell her how she was supposed to feel. Tiaan struggled to find composure in her presence. He wanted for her to forget the traumatic event, however he knew such a thing was nearly impossible. One didn’t simply fail to recall capture and torture – it remained hidden deep within the psyche, tendrils curled around vital organs, making removal a near impossibility.

  It took nearly three whole hours of convincing Chelsea that Ruan would be fine with Mac, Hannah, and Kayla, for Tiaan to get her buckled in to the front passenger seat of Mac’s armoured SUV, but she was finally there and soon they’d be on their way. At first the idea of taking Chelsea to a secluded cabin in the mountains close to Helm Lake felt like the perfect way for them to reconnect and spend some time together, just the two of them with no interruptions. As their departure time drew ever closer, Tiaan wished he’d planned things better.

  “It feels like I’m missing my heart,” Chelsea had said to him, cheeks slick with tears. “I can’t be away from him – please don’t make me leave my baby behind!”

  Now he understood that sentiment. He hadn’t even gotten into the driver’s seat yet and Tiaan wanted to postpone this trip and all others as well. Staying here with his woman and his son, that sounded like a much better plan. The three of them, holed up in her bedroom, only leaving the room to acquire sustenance or to use the facilities. Secluded cabin vacation be damned; when he was looking at his baby, fast asleep in another woman’s arms, Tiaan had to resist the urge to snatch him from Hannah, grab Chelsea’s hand, and run into the house.

  He reminded himself of everything that Chelsea had been through over the past few days and listened to his conscience – finally – when it said how much she needed this. Mac’s gruff voice reinforced that very thought while guiding Tiaan around the back of his vehicle and over to the driver’s side.

 
; “Just in case, anything and everything you could possibly need is in here.” He patted the side of his SUV with a large, meaty palm. “And I mean everything.”

  Just considering the need for weapons on what was meant to be a relaxing getaway sent fury through his veins. “I’d better go before I change my mind,” Tiaan muttered, fumbling with the keys.

  Mac stopped him, one hand over Tiaan’s. “I uh, I forgot to mention…no, I didn’t forget, I just…” He shoved a hand through his dark hair which, Tiaan noticed, had the beginnings of silver showing in it. “I uh, I let Blitz take one of them alive. Says he knew the whole plan and even named Reynolds on tape. I uh, I called a friend of mine and the bastard is done, Tiaan. He can’t hurt you anymore. Can’t get Chelsea either. I sent all the info necessary to the only man I could trust to see this through. They’re going after him, Christiaan. He’s finished.”

  Those words nearly sent him over the edge. Tiaan looked up at Mac, knowing full well he had unshed tears in his eyes, and he didn’t give a damn. There was nothing he could say in return, nothing that would equate to a big enough thanks. He owed the man his life, twice over now. Thrice if he counted what Mac had done to help him get Chelsea back.

  Sensing this, the larger man grabbed Tiaan’s shoulder and squeezed. “Just love her, Carstens. Love her and cherish her, and just…be.”

  Eyes prickling, Tiaan swiftly threw himself at his mentor, his brother, slapping Mac on the back hard in a show of respect, and love. He’d never admit it aloud, but he bloody well loved the man.

  They both grunted and backed away from one another, uncomfortable in the display they’d just put on. Tiaan nodded, eyes on the driveway, and found his way into the vehicle.

  “Drive safe!” Hannah called, waving.

  “Have fun!” Kayla chimed in, her smile almost contagious.

  Mac, having already said what he needed and wanted to, took a moment to examine Chelsea through the open driver’s side window. He offered a nod of his head when Tiaan pushed the key into the ignition and turned it, then he stepped back when the vehicle began pulling out from the driveway. A cursory glance in her direction and he caught the few streaks of moisture down her face.