“It’s okay. No one else saw.” He grinned again. “There’s a Kevlar helmet here that’s going to look adorable on you. Even cuter than that little hat you’re wearing.”
She elbowed him in the ribs. “Fuck you, Corporal. You’re not gonna get a promotion after this assignment, I can tell you that much.”
Jones elbowed her back. “This shit is gonna be fun.”
* * * * *
It was loud in the helicopter. Loud enough that two people could have a conversation without being overheard. Crunch, Gig, Rosen, and Maier were oblivious to what anyone else was doing. Caroline had her opportunity to talk to Jones about her plan if shit went wrong. She stared straight ahead, toward the other side of the helicopter. “Jonesie, I need you to do something for me.”
He fiddled with his AR. “Sure.”
She cleared her throat. “I don’t think anything will happen but if I get in a situation that looks bad or if things go downhill, I want you to take me out.”
Jones almost dropped his rifle. “What?”
“Shoot me, whatever.”
“I know what the fuck you mean. Why?”
“I don’t want them to capture me, not again. And if I’m not in a position to off myself, I want someone I can trust to do it for me.”
“Princess, that shit ain’t gonna happen. Look, this place is almost deserted except for a few people. We set off a few bombs, we shoot a few warning shots, we provide a distraction, we get the fuck out of there. No big.”
She shook her head. “I want to be prepared. Will you do it?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jones shift his gun to one hand, offering her the other.
“Only if you do the same for me,” he whispered.
A couple of drama queens, the two of them. She was worrying over nothing. Nothing would happen. She kept telling herself that when they refueled at the border, when they flew in with nary a response, when they landed and headed toward the building they were tasked with…remodeling. The CRA special unit had gotten there ahead of time but would not be revealing their location. Once they knew Caroline’s team was there, they’d wait for the diversion and move in to rescue their operative.
It was so easy. Too easy. Easy for them to set off the bombs, easy for them to watch them go off, easy to see the smoke rising from the other side of the building where the other team was located. Why on earth had this been considered such a dangerous mission? Was it simply because they’d crossed the border? Nellis was practically a ghost town.
Caroline heard Gig’s voice behind her. “Got the signal!” he shouted. “Free and clear. Move out!”
Technically that might have been her order to give, but she pretended she’d delegated that authority. She shoved Rosen ahead of her. “Get moving,” she said. “No reason to delay. Get your ass back to the helicopter.”
They followed the steps they’d taken before, running double time. It was a hell of a lot easier now that their loads were lighter. All they had left were their rifles and sidearms. Rosen strayed from the path and she yanked him back. “Stay in line,” she said. “You got no idea what’s out there.”
“Sorry,” he panted. “Didn’t mean to slip.”
It was hot. The sun had already risen. Rosen seemed disoriented. Maybe it was nerves. Caroline let her mind wander as she ran, bringing up the rear with Gig in front.
She shouldn't have come. Why had she come? They didn't need a high ranking officer there. Jack's advisors had said so themselves. But he'd still let her go. He could have stopped her, but he let her go. Why had he done that? And what had been her intention? To prove a point that didn't need to be made?
She would let him make her dinner. That would be the nice thing to do. And she'd get through the meal without yelling at him or thinking terrible thoughts or doing any of the horrible things she'd done to hurt him over the past few months. And maybe he'd forgive her for them. Maybe they could move on. That would be nice.
They wouldn’t have to rehash what had already happened. They could start over. Maybe he’d take her out on a date. She didn’t know where they could go but the beach would be nice.
Unless he didn’t want her anymore. That was a possibility too. She couldn’t blame him if that kiss before she left was a goodbye and nothing else. She certainly didn’t deserve his affection. But she didn’t need to think about that now, not when she was busting her ass to get back to the helicopter. She could deal with all those issues once she was back at the base.
They didn’t have much cover. Brush littered the fields and there were concrete roads everywhere, some of which were overgrown with weeds. Whatever Santos was using Nellis for, it wasn’t anything significant. The United States had abandoned it and moved on, save for a few stragglers at their supposed ‘rest home.’
But it seemed so quiet. Too quiet. So quiet Caroline swore she heard crickets, even though it was still morning. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop. In the middle of fucking nowhere. No wind, clear sky, not another soul for miles.
It had been easy. Too easy. And they’d been lucky as fuck. When Rosen stumbled in front of her and took a step in the wrong direction she finally figured out what they’d taken for granted.
And the world exploded.
End of Part Four
Will Caroline and Jack find their way back to one another? Do you even have to ask? Their love story continues in Rhapsody, coming in late 2016.
Books in The Bellator Saga
Dissident (March 17, 2015)
Conscience (August 17, 2015)
Sojourn (December 7, 2015)
Phoenix (May 2, 2016)
Rhapsody (late 2016 (projected))
Triumph (early 2017 (projected))
The first three books in the saga are also available in an ebook only box set with bonus material (The Bellator Saga: The First Trilogy (February 29, 2016)).
Want to stay in the loop for all things Jack and Caroline? Maybe get access to new releases, special bonus scenes, and contests before anyone else? Join my mailing list here: http://bit.ly/LondonNewsletter
Acknowledgments
[ducks]
Okay, that was a rather harsh cliffy. I admit it. And I expect much wailing and gnashing of teeth and cursing at me, whether via Goodreads review, Facebook message, or random posting. But I hope that otherwise you enjoyed, or at least appreciated, the journey.
I have been writing all of these books simultaneously since November 2013. Much of Phoenix has been sitting on my laptop for well over two years. As you might imagine, it was a very emotionally draining experience to write this book, but I felt that I needed to do justice to this storyline and not gloss over what happened to Caroline. She and Jack love each other warts and all, and I would be doing a disservice to them as well as you if I did not see this part of the story through.
With that said, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is always hope when it comes to Jack and Caroline, and I promise to make it up to you when Rhapsody is released in late 2016.
Now, onto my thank yous. Thank you as always to my alpha/beta readers and editors. And thank you to my early ARC readers, who reassured me that despite hating me for ripping their souls in two, they adored this book. Special thanks to my fellow author and friend Claudia Burgoa for helping me to stay focused in a sea of varying distractions and diversions.
There are so many of you who have helped me so much with every release, and I am grateful that I seem to pick up newly devoted fans with each book that comes out. So thank you to both my Elizabeths (LOL!), Suzanne, Becky, Rachael, Lucy, Kimmy, Kay, Jaime, Myla, Irene, TeriLyn, Deanna, and Jxxx for all that you have done to promote the previous books and this release. Oh, and Kiki Chatfield from The Next Step…my favorite publicist! I love you all so hard.
And, of course, thank you to my readers. It means so much that you are with Caroline and Jack on this whirlwind adventure. While I am sad that there are only two books left in this saga, I am thrilled that you have fallen in love with them the same way I have.
On a more serious note, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are very real and very serious. If you have a friend or family member suffering from any mental illness, please support them in any way you can.
You can catch up with me in the following locations if you want to keep up with what’s going on with release dates, contests, and other fun stuff.
Facebook: http://bit.ly/CLondon
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Email: [email protected]
Phoenix (The Bellator Saga Book 4) Page 40