by Susan Stoker
Emily nodded and snuggled back into Fletch. They stood like that for a long moment, thankful they were both alive and breathing.
“Yo, Fletch, mind putting the ladder down?”
Emily didn’t want to move, but knew she couldn’t stay up there forever, so she reluctantly pulled back. She started to look at Jacks again, but Fletch put his hand under her chin. “Don’t look, Em. It’s over. He’ll never hurt you again.”
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care.”
“Will you guys get in trouble?”
“No.”
“But—”
“I’ll explain later.”
“How’d you get up here?”
“With a boost. It wasn’t hard, Em. I’d climb mountains to get to you.”
Emily nodded and squeezed his hand as she followed him to the other side of the Conex, where he lowered the ladder. Within seconds, Ghost and Hollywood had joined them.
“Shit’s gonna hit the fan, we gotta roll,” Hollywood urged after seeing Jacks. “The colonel specifically said nonlethal.”
Ghost walked over to the man lying motionless and put his fingers on his throat, checking for a pulse. “First of all, Jacks isn’t dead. Second of all, it’s not gonna hit the fan,” Ghost reassured the other man, as if he knew something Hollywood didn’t.
“Nonlethal force was our directive,” Hollywood argued, repeating himself, ignoring the first part of Ghost’s statement.
“I said, it’s not gonna hit the fan,” Ghost repeated firmly. “Come on, let’s get Emily off this damn roof and reunite her and Annie, yeah?”
Not stupid, Hollywood gave the team leader a long look before finally nodding and kneeling down beside the ladder to keep it steady.
“Come on, Em, I’ll start down, you come down after me. I won’t let you fall,” Fletch told her.
“I know you won’t. I trust you with my life.”
“Damn straight. Let’s get you cleaned up, then go find our soldier girl.”
Emily waited until Fletch had gone down a rung or two and followed after him. She had a ton of questions, but vowed to keep her mouth shut until she was alone with Fletch. She was thrilled to be with him again. That was all that mattered at the moment. Emily supposed later she might have a flashback, or somehow not deal well with Jacks being shot when he wasn’t even a couple inches away from her, but at the moment, knowing she, Annie, and Fletch were alive and in one piece…it was enough.
Chapter 21
Emily sat on the couch with her feet tucked under her and snuggled into Fletch’s hold. She’d taken a long, hot shower, it was now two in the morning, and she was dead tired, but weirdly too wired to sleep. Ghost had followed them home, obviously wanting to talk to his friend before they had to meet with the general the next morning.
Dealing with the aftermath of the events that night had taken longer than it had for the Delta Force team to take out all of Jack’s recruits. Not one minute after her feet had touched the ground, the area had been lit up by two helicopters and about forty soldiers. The cavalry had arrived, but ultimately it wasn’t needed to save her.
All of the men the Deltas had run across lay where they were found, unconscious. None were injured, other than the headaches they’d have when they awoke. Apparently everyone on the Delta team was skilled in ways to make a man unconscious with little to no fuss.
The man who’d been up on the container with her and Jacks, Specialist Brown, was airlifted to the local hospital, most likely with a broken back…but Hollywood had reassured her that he’d live.
And surprisingly, Ghost had been right, Jacks wasn’t dead. Whoever had shot him had either been unlucky, or extremely talented, as the bullet had only grazed the side of his head. A groove had been carved out from his right temple to behind his ear, but he was alive. Fletch wasn’t happy he was still living, but Emily didn’t care.
The best part of the night was when Truck had walked into the clearing after Jacks and Brown had been taken to the hospital—with Annie’s hand in his. The Ranger who’d taken responsibility for her had brought her to the scene after it was safe for her to be there. Emily had never been so happy to see her daughter in all her life. The little girl was beaming from ear to ear, thrilled as she could be to be in the middle of a “military op,” as she’d started calling it.
Emily had seen one of the soldiers who was late to the party, unvelcro the rank from the front of his uniform and pin it onto Annie’s shirt, after the whole story came out about what she’d done. Emily didn’t care if her daughter told the world that she saved her mom’s life…as long as she was safe, and emotionally healthy, Emily was content.
She hadn’t wanted to be separated from Annie after everything that had happened, but it was obvious the higher-ranking officials wanted answers. She agreed, after Fletch’s reassurance, to allow another soldier to look after Emily by the vehicles. She waited for the adults to be done, safe and out of earshot.
Emily had been surprised to find the general was out for blood and had detained everyone involved in the “incident,” as he’d called it, until he had answers as to exactly what had happened that night. She kept her mouth shut as Ghost explained, in great detail, his team’s role in the entire thing. She wanted to know as much as the general, what had happened between the time she’d been kidnapped and when she’d seen the Deltas while she’d been on top of the shipping containers.
“You mean to tell me Sergeant Jacks—”
“Ex-sergeant, Sir,” Ghost interrupted. “He’d already been chaptered out of the Army.”
“You mean to tell me ex-Sergeant Jacks planned to kill Ms. Grant and her daughter?” the general asked, obviously pissed off about the entire situation.
“Yes, Sir.” Ghost kept his answers short and to the point, which Emily thought was probably a good idea.
“And he knew you had no-kill orders?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Does anyone want to explain to me then, if this was a nonlethal op, how ex-Sergeant Jacks was shot with a live round?”
Nobody around them said a word, which didn’t help the situation.
“Obviously, someone didn’t get the memo,” the general complained. “I have a conference call scheduled with the President tomorrow, when I have to try to explain just what the fuck happened with this goat-screw tonight. You’re all restricted to quarters until further notice,” he snarled out.
“Sir?” Emily ventured cautiously.
“What?” The word was still barked, but lacked some of the bite he’d used toward the men.
“I don’t know who you think shot Jacks, but it wasn’t Ghost or his men.” Emily could say that with one hundred percent confidence. She continued at his doubtful look. “Jacks had his arm across my chest and his pistol pointed at my head. He was going on and on about vengeance and how he was going to kill me to get back at the guys. I can tell you, I heard every single one of Ghost’s men trying to talk him down. They were on the ground below us. I knew I was going to die, and there wasn’t anything they could do about it.”
The general frowned at Emily and crossed his arms over his chest. “The bullet creased the side of his head. Only someone extremely trained would be able to do that. Someone like a special forces operative.”
Emily nodded. “I know,” she whispered. “I felt his blood spurt on me and thought for a second he’d actually pulled the trigger and it was my blood I was feeling.”
The highest-ranking man on the entire Fort Hood base cocked his head and didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, he asked in a low voice, “Why should I believe you, Ms. Grant? It’s obvious Fletch has feelings for you, and that they’re returned. Maybe he did it and you’re covering for him.”
“With all due respect, while I might love Fletch and I would cover for him if I thought it’d work, how in the world could Fletch shoot Jacks and then be shoved up the back side of the container two seconds later? I know without a doubt that he wouldn’
t have risked it with me so close to him.”
The general had looked away from her then, and had met the eyes of each of the men on the Delta team. One by one, without a word, he studied them.
Finally, he speculated, “I talked to Specialist Brown before he was taken to the hospital, and he backed up your stories, but the bottom line is, someone shot ex-Sergeant Jacks. Despite what I asked Ms. Grant, I am aware the angle of the bullet wasn’t an upward trajectory…meaning if you were all on the ground, or getting Fletcher’s ass up to the top of the containers, it couldn’t have been any of you. So—who was it?”
Silence greeted him again, and finally the general sighed. “You guys are killing me. Go home. All of you. But be in my office tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred. We’ll continue this discussion then.”
A chorus of “Yes, Sirs” rang out around them. Each of the men saluted the general as he turned to leave. At the last minute, before he disappeared around one of the shipping containers, he turned around and stated, “You’re a very lucky woman, Ms. Grant. I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thank you, Sir. I am too.”
The Deltas hadn’t said a word, hadn’t given each other secret looks, they’d merely acted as if the fact that they’d almost lost their jobs—and everything they’d worked for in their career—was a nuisance, rather than the disaster it really was.
“Come on, Em, let’s get you and Annie home,” Fletch said, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her into his side.
It wasn’t quite as easy as that, but eventually they were allowed to leave, and now Emily was sitting next to Fletch at home, safe on the couch, and it felt divine.
“So what really happened tonight?” Emily asked Ghost and Fletch, feeling oddly mellow.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t act dumb,” Emily scolded Ghost. “Who shot Jacks?”
“Is that like ‘Who shot JR?”
Emily glared at the man sprawled out in the chair next to them. He looked unconcerned with everything that had happened, as if it was just another normal night for him.
Ghost finally wiped the smile off his face and leaned forward. He spoke in a soft, serious tone. “You can’t ever tell anyone this, Emily.”
“I won’t,” she agreed immediately.
“No one. Not Rayne. Not Mary. Not Annie. Ever,” Ghost reiterated.
“I almost died tonight,” Emily said, instead of reassuring Ghost again. “I knew you guys were in no position to do anything to help me. I didn’t lie to the general about that. Jacks was hyped up and was shaking with adrenaline. I knew it was just a matter of time before I’d die. He was going to pull that trigger and I would’ve never gotten to see Annie grow up. I’d have missed out on everything in her life. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I don’t care that he was shot. I don’t care that he may or may not recover. If one of you managed it, great, fine. I just…I’d like to know.”
“We had a back-up plan in place, just in case. We didn’t know if we’d need to use it or not. There aren’t a lot of Delta Force soldiers out in the world who have retained their skills. It’s tough to get in and it’s even tougher to stay in. It’s a shit job where we have to do shit things. We learn loyalty early, and that doesn’t end when someone leaves the teams. There are no ex-Delta Force solders. Once a Delta, always a Delta.” Ghost paused and looked Emily in the eye.
Apparently seeing the seriousness of his words was sinking in, he continued.
“I worked with a guy before I was stationed at Fort Hood. He got out, but he’s a highway patrolman who works down in San Antonio. As soon as we knew who it was that took you, I called him. He was a sniper.”
Those four words said it all. He. Was. A. Sniper. Thank God.
“Thank you.” Emily breathed. “And when you talk to your friend again, thank him for me too?”
“I will. We good, Fletch?” Ghost asked.
Emily had left the men alone while she’d gotten Annie settled. It had taken a while, the little girl seemed to be as hyped up as the rest of them. She wanted to go over what she’d done, and how Fletch had grabbed her, and then how she’d made her way back to home base with the Army Ranger. It was one big adventure for her, one that Emily knew would be rehashed over and over again, like the shooting at her school. But since the ending was a good one, Emily didn’t mind.
Obviously during that time, Ghost and Fletch had worked out what they were going to tell the general the next day.
“Are you guys gonna get to talk to the President?” Emily asked in awe.
Both Fletch and Ghost laughed. “Hopefully not.”
“But that’d be cool.”
“Trust me,” Fletch said, kissing Emily on the nose. “It would not be cool.”
“Whatever.”
“I’ll see you in a few hours,” Ghost told Fletch as he stood up to leave.
“Will you tell Rayne if she wants to come over tomorrow…I wouldn’t be opposed?” Emily asked, suddenly shy. She knew Rayne, they’d spent some time together, though they weren’t best buds yet. But Emily thought it might be nice to talk to another woman dating a Delta. They truly were a breed unto themselves, and she knew now she could use all the help she could get in understanding them.
“Will do.” Ghost leaned down and kissed the top of Emily’s head. “Glad you’re all right. Annie too. See you tomorrow, Fletch.”
Fletch didn’t bother to get up and see his friend out, he tightened his arm around Emily and asked her, “You good?”
“I’m good.”
“Are you really all right, or are you just saying that because it’s what you think I want to hear?”
Emily turned in Fletch’s arms and said earnestly, “I’m good. Seriously. You’re okay. I’m okay. Annie’s okay. I’m more than all right. Promise.”
“I almost lost you tonight.” Fletch’s words were muffled as he buried his face in her hair. It was just dawning on Emily that she should’ve been asking Fletch if he was all right instead of the other way around.
“You didn’t.”
“I would’ve if Ghost hadn’t called TJ.”
“But he did. While I can’t say I’m thrilled that I was that close to a bullet, I can say that I’m one hundred percent fine with the outcome. Fletch, look at me.”
“I can’t say that I’m thrilled you were that close to a bullet. He could’ve shot Jacks on the other side of the head…away from your face.” Fletch ran his hand through his hair, agitated at the thought of how close the bullet from the former Delta Force operative’s rifle had come to her skull.
“Fletch,” Emily said gently.
He finally looked up.
Emily waited until Fletch’s eyes met hers. “From the second I woke up in that container, until I heard and felt you behind me, I knew you’d somehow save me and Annie. That’s the only reason I allowed my six-year-old to wander off by herself. I knew you’d be out there. I trust you with my life, but perhaps more importantly, I trust you with Annie’s life. If tonight had to happen again, I’d want it to go down exactly the same way. I love you, Cormac Fletcher. I am so damn thankful I got up the courage to inquire about that apartment for rent.”
“Me too, darlin’, me too.”
“Will you get in trouble tomorrow?”
“I doubt it. The general is a stickler for the rules, he has to be, but the colonel will vouch for us, and I think what you told the general tonight went a long way.”
“Won’t he want to know who shot Jacks?”
“Yeah, but he won’t find out. TJ is back home, and from what Ghost has told me, he’s too good to leave any trace that he was here. The general is going to have to get used to the idea that he’ll never know who it was who shot that fucker.”
Emily yawned and closed her eyes as she settled even deeper into Fletch. She felt him turn sideways and pull her on top of him. Without opening her eyes, Emily groaned in contentment. “Man, this feels good.”
“I should’ve drawn you a bath. You’
re gonna be bruised tomorrow.”
Emily shrugged. “Whatever. I’ve been bruised before. Not a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me,” Fletch returned resolutely.
“You can make it up to me later,” Emily mumbled, half asleep. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Em. Sleep. I’ve got you.”
“Don’t you need to lock the door? Set the alarm?”
“Nope, Ghost did it on his way out.”
“’Kay. Fletch?”
“Yeah, love?”
“Between losing a couple of years off my life during the school shooting, when I didn’t know if Annie was in the gym or not, to being blackmailed, and then tonight…I think I’ve had enough adventure to last me at least the rest of the year.”
“Me too,” Fletch agreed, chuckling. “Me too.”
“I just want to go to work, come home, and live my life quietly with you and Annie.”
“I can give you that.”
“Good.” There was silent a moment before Emily spoke again. “Fletch?”
“Yes?” If Emily was more awake, she would’ve heard the laughter in his voice, but she was almost asleep and it went over her head.
“I want to jump your bones but I’m too tired.”
“No worries, Em. My bone is available for you to jump whenever you feel up to it.”
“Good. I like your bone.”
Fletch almost choked on his laughter, but he held it back…barely. “I’m glad. Now, shhhhh, go to sleep. I have to get up in a few hours.”
“’Kay. Night.”
“Good night, love.”
Emily didn’t feel Fletch’s lips touch her forehead, or hear his next whispered words, as she was already out, the day finally doing her in.
“I’ll never take you for granted, Emily Grant. I’ll love you and Annie until the end of our days. There’ll never be another woman in my life as important as you.”
Epilogue
Fletch looked down at the little girl standing proudly by his side. Annie was between him and Emily, holding both of their hands. She’d listened solemnly as the judge went through the questions for him, not saying a word as he’d answered what he did for a living, if he felt he could provide for Annie, and other required inquiries from the court.