Beyond Duty

by Stanalei Fletcher

  Riley saw two more glowing images on the thermal display.

  ATVs. These had to be the vehicles they were looking for.

  Sgt. Zoewolski saw the readout, too, and gave the driver a signal to head toward those coordinates. With a nod, the driver steered the Humvee toward the road that ran through the ravine.

  Chapter Sixteen

  When they got off the main road, Riley suggested they park the Humvee out of sight and search for a less direct route to the house they’d seen on the UAV surveillance screen. Once on the trail, Riley followed Sgt. Zoewolski and his team until they got within sight of the area where they’d spotted the ATVs. On a silent signal from the sergeant, the team split and moved into the woods. Riley headed into the trees to the left of the road and started a zigzag approach to the house. He moved as quietly as possible to avoid detection from anyone who might be on guard.

  As he got closer, he noticed the building was actually more of a cabin. What looked like bedsheets covered the window on the side where the drone had picked up ambient light. Staying close to the tree line, he circled the back of the cabin. The single-story structure had windows on three sides. The only door was up two wooden steps at the front. When he got to the opposite side, he saw two ATVs parked outside a shed. A third ATV, a four-seater side-by-side, parked inside the shed, could have been the one that transported Chip and Fiona back to this place.

  Hope filled him that his gamble had paid off.

  The cabin and shed didn’t take up much property. In fact, the foliage seemed to be reclaiming the land. Overgrown bushes pressed against the walls on every side. A small creek ran alongside of the dirt track they’d followed, and the track ended right at the front door. Tall weeds and grass grew out from the steps and on the trail.

  Two half-ton pickup trucks with flatbed trailers were parked next to the cabin. Riley wondered how many men were inside, and worried about his plan’s chances for success. He wouldn’t leave until Chip and Fiona were safely returned to their families, or until he was dead. But he didn’t want to get any troops killed either.

  He retreated into thicker brush to wait. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to burst through that door with his gun drawn and take down everything in his path that didn’t have stormy gray eyes. And that was why he withdrew. He couldn’t take a chance that Chip might be struck by a stray bullet.

  The plan was to cover every exit, and if the raid was executed correctly, no shots would need to be fired. He checked his watch. It had been just under fifteen minutes since they left the Humvee. That seemed like a long time, but they’d needed the distance to prevent the occupants of the house from hearing any vehicle approach.

  Riley was checking his watch for a second time when he saw a shadow dart across the road toward the cabin. Slowly, he reached for his gun.

  “Easy does it,” a quiet voice said from behind. Riley raised his hands and straightened from his crouched position. His heart pounded in his throat as Sgt. Zoewolski’s voice finally registered. “I’m right behind you, sir.”

  Riley turned, and what his night-vision saw sent shivers down his spine. The apparition standing in front of him was enough to scare any law-abiding citizen. The whites of the eyes and dull gleam of a semi-automatic rifle pointed toward the ground were clearly visible in the eerie green hue of the goggles. The rest of the man was a shadow, a ghost of the forest. Riley supposed he looked much the same with his camouflage.

  “Looks like we found the place.” Sgt. Zoewolski’s lips hardly moved as he spoke.

  “I hope so.” Riley took a grateful breath and refilled his lungs with the cool, night air.

  “We’ve established a perimeter around the building.” The sergeant gestured into the dark brush where the squad of other ghosts had taken up positions. “Based on the number of vehicles and your eyewitness account, I think we should plan on eight to ten tangos.”

  Riley crouched behind the bush again and the sergeant joined him. “Is there any way to get an accurate count?”

  The soldier’s jaw tightened. “We can try. Let’s see how close we can get without raising an alarm.” Sgt. Zoewolski spoke quietly into the throat mic he wore. Five seconds later a corporal appeared next to them, impressing Riley with his silent approach.

  “Scan the buildings for heat signatures.” The sergeant pointed toward the house. “Report back when you have the data.” The corporal nodded and left.

  Several minutes passed before Sgt. Zoewolski got word. Riley couldn’t make out what was said, but realized the sergeant was instructing the others to prepare to take the house.

  “What did they see?” He was anxious about starting the raid. Some knowledge before going in would be helpful.

  “We can confirm seven heat signatures. All inside the main structure.”

  That didn’t seem like enough people for all the vehicles they’d seen. Were there others outside in the dense brush? And what of the women? Were they already dead?

  “Wait…” The sergeant interrupted Riley’s panicked thoughts. “One just disappeared through a door. What looked like one heat signature was actually two. Could be the hostages are staying close to each other.”

  “Let’s hope they’re together.” Riley swallowed the rock-like lump in his throat. “I’m going in with you.”

  “Yeah, I guessed you wouldn’t want to wait here,” Zoewolski replied. “Here’s what we’re going to do.” The sergeant laid out the tactical approach.

  The plan was a simple assault on the cabin. Four of the team would cover the windows. The sergeant would take the lead with his wingman. Riley was to follow through the front entrance. The moment they broke through the door, they would toss in flash grenades to confuse and blind any occupants.

  Once they secured the front cabin area, the others would break through the windows and secure their respective areas. If the plan executed correctly, they would have control of the cabin within seconds and all occupants in custody.

  Riley recalled the last time he’d worked a raid. Chip was involved then, too. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. The adage haunted him as much now as it had a year earlier. If he thought his adrenaline had been running high then, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. Uppermost in his mind was getting the women out alive. It didn’t matter if he got hurt. Saving Chip and Fiona was paramount.

  He followed Sgt. Zoewolski’s silent shadow toward the front door. Even though the windows were covered, they ran in a crouch to avoid being seen by anyone on the inside. Once they were at the door, the sergeant uttered the command. “Execute. Execute. Execute.”

  Riley heard glass shatter on both sides of the house. At the same time, the sergeant forced the door open and lobbed a small black ball inside. Several loud explosions reached his ears. There was a smattering of gunfire and he offered a silent prayer that Chip and Fiona weren’t near any flying bullets.

  Riley was on the sergeant’s heels as they breached the opening. Hacking coughs could be heard from inside. A couple more shots rang out in a random pattern as though a shooter was aiming blindly. As the smoke from the flash grenades dispersed, Riley pulled off his goggles and saw a couple of men doubled over covering their faces. Two soldiers took them into custody while the others searched every corner and nook for more occupants.

  Riley scanned the rooms with his weapon. As he turned to check behind the front door, it slammed into his shoulder. Pain shot down his arm and he dropped his pistol. A figure jumped him and they both went down. Hand-to-hand fighting wasn’t his forte, and the attacker had the advantage of surprise. What Riley had on his side was height and weight. He wedged his foot and knee between the other man’s legs and flipped him to his back, pinning him to the floor in a way that reminded him of how he’d taken down Chip all those months ago. When he sat up and looked into the raging black eyes of his attacker, Riley knew this was the man who’d struck Chip’s head and taken her away from him. He raised a fist, revenge boiling in his gut, ready to put this man d
own.

  “Got your back.” Sgt. Zoewolski stood over Riley’s shoulder. “Let him go.”

  Riley took a few seconds to lower his hand, revenge warring with protocol. But he climbed to his feet, dragging the other man to his knees. “Cuff him.” He practically shoved the man at Zoewolski. “Before I do something I shouldn’t.”

  Echoes of “Clear!” came from the corners of the cabin. Two more men were rounded up, making a total of five. The count was off.

  Sgt. Zoewolski finished securing the man and then filed through the main room. When he came across a door, he motioned to one of the other soldiers to cover him as he examined the lock and tested the handle. Riley’s gut told him Chip was on the other side of that door.

  A couple of soldiers joined the sergeant, taking up strategic positions beside the doorway. Zoewolski turned the handle. With his rifle held high on his shoulder, he switched on a flashlight attached to the stock and pushed the door open with his free hand. It took all of Riley’s self-control not to rush through that doorway after him.

  Zoewolski secured his weapon against his shoulder. “Going in hot!” He disappeared through the doorway with his comrades on his heels.

  Riley waited for the inevitable gunfire, but it never came.

  “Mr. O’Neal, you’d better come in here.”

  Riley rushed into the room. Off to the side, Zoewolski had the last tango kneeling on the floor, a gun barrel pointed at the back of his head.

  On the grungy floor in front of him, Riley saw the two women. Fiona kneeled next to Chip’s body sprawled on the floor. He rushed over, fear tightening his chest as he knelt to get a closer look.

  “She’s alive.” Fiona’s voice was shaky and she was trembling. “She tried to take out that man over there when we heard the explosions.”

  He studied the senator’s wife. “How are you doing? Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No.” A tear rolled down one cheek. “Chip took the blow meant for me.”

  He could see Chip’s breathing was shallow. Her once neatly braided hair splayed in a tangled mess on the floor. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he carefully rolled her onto her back.

  Chip moaned as though the simple movement was too much for her. Her hair fell away from her face, revealing a large bruise coloring her swollen jaw in addition to the cut on her cheek.

  “Chip.” He unclenched his fist, and gently touched her face. “Chip, can you hear me? It’s me, Riley. Oh, baby, you’re safe, now.”

  Sgt. Zoewolski had secured the last prisoner and stood behind him. Riley barely registered the sound of another squad member as he walked up to the sergeant and spoke to him.

  “The premises are secure, Sergeant.”

  “Very good, Corporal. Have Royce take a team and double-check the vehicles and shed. Then, call for a transport. We need a chopper to medevac the LT to the nearest hospital.”

  Riley gratefully let the sergeant take control of the situation. He was torn with so many emotions. He wanted to hold Chip close and spend the next hours—days—cradling her in his arms. He wanted to wrap his hands around the neck of the SOBs held captive in the other room. His anger was so intense he’d tear the prisoners apart with his bare hands. Lucky for the kidnappers, the soldiers would stop Riley from doing exactly that.

  Riley’s heart wanted vengeance. His head told him they had only found the tip of the iceberg. There were others involved, and if he listened to his rage, he wouldn’t find the leader of this group. He let his head win the battle. This time. Turning back to Chip, he fished out his folding knife and cut away the rope around her wrists.

  Sgt. Zoewolski had already freed Fiona, who hadn’t budged from Chip’s side.

  “You love her, don’t you?” Fiona whispered to Riley as she rubbed her wrists.

  Riley dragged his gaze from Chip and stared in surprise at the senator’s wife.

  She gave a small smile. “You didn’t know, did you?”

  He shook his head, still too stunned to speak.

  “Love’s like that sometimes.” Her voice turned wistful. “It sneaks up when you least expect it.”

  “I don’t think the feeling’s mutual.” Riley swallowed at the boulder in his throat.

  Fiona looked down and stroked a lock of hair away from Chip’s face. “Don’t give up on her. I think you stand a better chance than you believe.”

  Through all of this, Chip never regained consciousness. The large bruise covering the side of her face bore evidence of a severe blow to her head. Only her soft moans and the warmth of her body gave him the assurance she was still alive. He leaned down and pressed his lips gently to her forehead.

  The sergeant cleared his throat and Riley looked over at him. Zoewolski glanced toward the kidnapper. The man was going nowhere with two squad members guarding him. Riley nodded toward the other room. “You’d better talk to him out there.” He glared daggers at the man. “I’ll kill him if I get near him.”

  Sgt. Zoewolski dipped his head in understanding. He motioned for his wingman to move the prisoner, leaving Riley alone with Chip and Fiona.

  “Are we getting out of here soon?” Fiona still hadn’t moved from Chip’s side.

  Riley nodded. “A few more minutes.” He stood, but his gaze never left the quiet figure on the cold floor as he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial number. He knew those on the other end of the line were extremely anxious. The call connected and he said, “Tell the general and the senator we have the women. They’re alive and safe. But Chip’s been hurt. I’ll update you once we’re at the hospital.”

  He disconnected the call as two of the troops raced in with a stretcher. Riley helped lift Chip onto it. Then the troops took Chip out of the room while Riley assisted Fiona to her feet.

  When they entered the kitchen area, Fiona shrugged off Riley’s support and marched over to the prisoners lined up on their knees, hands secured behind their backs. She stared into the faces as though memorizing each one. Then she glared at Sgt. Zoewolski. “Where’s Dean Weston? Why isn’t he in custody with the rest of these men?”

  The sergeant squared his shoulders. “Ma’am. These are the only men on the premises.”

  “Weston is a coward.” One of the prisoners spat on the floor. “He left hours ago. I hope when you find him you put a bullet in his head. He deserves to die for deserting us.”

  Sgt. Zoewolski gave Riley a nod. “Guess that confirms all our suspicions.”

  Fiona spun around and pointed a finger at Riley. “I want Weston arrested for kidnapping me and my assistant, Lorraine Voras. Can you make that happen?”

  Riley offered a grim smile. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

  ****

  They arrived at the hospital by helicopter thirty minutes later. Riley refused to leave Chip’s bedside until he was finally ushered from the emergency room by an insistent nurse. After washing the black paint from his face, he stood in front of the men’s room sink and stared unseeing into the mirror. The details of the raid played over and over like a bad home movie.

  To his reckoning, he knew of at least two blows Chip had taken to the head. The first when she was kidnapped, and the other when she stepped in to protect Fiona. What concerned him most was that she hadn’t regained consciousness even after they arrived at the hospital.

  The prisoners had been taken by Humvees back to Kirkland AFB for detention until they could be properly interrogated about their participation in the abductions and blackmail. Riley was certain these men provided the muscle behind the kidnapping at the directive of those who wanted the bill stopped. They must have used Dean Weston to get close to the women. The men’s identities had yet to be confirmed, but Riley was sure the information wouldn’t take long to get.

  His primary responsibility was to the assignment. He should be in that room when the interviews took place. But for the first time since he began working for his father’s firm, he had ignored those directives, and surrendered to the impulse to remain at the hospital near
Chip. He was starting to understand and appreciate why his sister, Kellee, had defied Dad and took off on her own to find answers about her past. Not that he’d blamed her before, but he’d never experienced this deep need to allow his emotion full rein in the way he was experiencing it now. With Chip.

  Riley grabbed a paper towel and scrubbed at a stubborn spot of black face paint while he pondered Fiona’s claim that he was in love with his pretend wife.

  He hadn’t fully analyzed his desire to be with her, but couldn’t deny this attraction, either. The curve of her face and soft voice would continue to haunt his dreams long after this assignment was over. But there was more to these feelings than pure physical attraction. The strength of her character, her commitment to protect the innocent and seek justice, had garnered his respect and admiration. They were so alike in that way.

  Strength to succeed was one thing, but Chip was different from him in that she followed her duty regardless of her personal feelings. Taking this assignment was evidence of that. She hadn’t backed down when he pushed her or when things got rough. It didn’t matter that her career happened to be in a predominantly male arena. She insisted on being treated as an equal.

  He tossed the towel in the trash and grabbed another, wondering if his sense of duty was as strong as Chip’s. Even though his father was the director of Northstar, it wasn’t a given that Riley would take over when his father retired. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to. He enjoyed the mission assignments, and doing things his own way. Chip, on the other hand, did things by the book, never straying from her responsibilities. Responsibilities that nearly got her killed.

  Riley slammed his palms against the side of the sink in frustration. She had to pull through this! She was a fighter. She must win this battle.

  When they had escorted the prisoners to the waiting vehicle, the corporal noticed a pronounced limp on one of the men. When asked what had happened, the man hissed, “That stupid bitch kicked me.” The confession surprised Riley. Not that Chip had fought back, but that the man admitted as much. He smiled, remembering his own experience when his knee came into contact with Chip’s swift foot.