by Susan Stoker
Kemala nodded eagerly. “I help.”
Piper smiled and put one of her hands on Kemala’s cheek. “I want you, Kemala. I want to take you to the United States and enroll you in school. You’re going to become an amazing, successful woman. I just know it.”
“School?” Kemala asked, and her face lit up.
“Here’s to hoping she’s still this excited about going to school in a few years,” Ace muttered under his breath.
Piper turned to mock glare at him before turning back to Kemala. “Yes. School.”
“I like school. Make English better.”
“Yeah, it will.”
“Kemala,” Ace said, and she turned to look at him. “It’s not official yet. We have to go back to the embassy tomorrow. There is a lot of paperwork that has to go through before we can take the three of you to the US.”
The teenager nodded soberly, and the excitement in her eyes dimmed a bit.
“But you have a very important part in all of this.” She tilted her head in question. “Part of the adoption process is for you and the other girls to be interviewed by a government official. You have to want this. We can’t just decide to adopt you and that’s that. You have to want us to be your parents too. You have a choice. Do you understand?”
Kemala nodded slowly. “Yes. If we no want US, you no take us.”
“Right,” Ace told her. “You, Rani, and Sinta will talk to someone in a room without me and Piper there. You will be asked if you like us. If you want to go.”
“If I say yes, we go?” Kemala asked.
Ace smiled. “I hope it’s as easy as that, yes.”
“Then I say yes,” Kemala said with a nod. “I want to go to US. No stay here. Kalee told me about US. Lots of trees. School. Freedom. No shooting.”
Ace wasn’t going to get into crime statistics with the teenager, so he simply nodded. “That’s right.”
“And we live with you and Ace?” she asked Piper.
She nodded. “Yes. For as long as you want.”
Then, without warning, Kemala burst into tears once again. Piper gathered her into her arms and simply held on. Ace wrapped both his girls in his embrace and rocked them.
He wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that when the sound of gunfire sounded from outside the window. It wasn’t close, but it wasn’t exactly far away either.
“Fuck,” Rocco muttered as he squeezed past them to peer out the window.
There was nothing to be seen, but more gunfire sounded to the south.
“Sounds like the rebels have decided to make their move,” Bubba said.
Sighing, Ace pulled away from Piper and Kemala. He took the time to wipe a tear from the teenager’s face. “Good now?”
“Good,” she said with a nod.
Then he palmed Piper’s face. “You good?”
She smiled up at him. “Yeah.”
Without thought or hesitation, Ace leaned down and covered Piper’s lips with his own. It was a short, sweet kiss, but it felt just as amazing as their first. “Why don’t you wake Rani and Sinta and show our girls what you got for them today?”
Piper licked her lips, which made Ace want to kiss her all over again, but he felt as if he should be awarded a medal when he took a step back instead. She nodded and turned to Kemala. “We went shopping. Want to see what we got?”
Acting like any teenager, Kemala quickly nodded. Then said, “I get Rani and Sinta.”
She headed for the mattress, and Piper grabbed ahold of his arm. “Are we safe here? Will the rebels bomb the city?”
“We’re as safe as we can be,” he replied. “We’re close to the coast, I doubt they’ve got the firepower to reach this far.”
“And even if they come down and invade the city, they’ll most likely concentrate on the area around the capital building,” Rocco explained.
“They’re also less likely to invade a rundown-looking hostel like this than one of the fancy tourist hotels,” Gumby added.
“I have no idea what kind of numbers they’ve got, but if things get too dicey, we’ll evacuate to the embassy,” Rex assured her.
“You’re safe,” Ace concluded. “You and our girls will be safe. Trust me and my friends to get you all home.”
“I do, and I will,” Piper said softly. “Thank you.”
Ace watched as she wandered over to where Kemala was waking the younger girls, greeting them with hugs. There was a lot less tension between her and Kemala, which he was glad to see, but now they had more to worry about than just the adoption papers going through.
Rebels. They could be a huge headache or a slight inconvenience. Either way, Ace would feel better once they were actually on a plane headed back to the States. “Come on, Tex,” he muttered. “I need you to come through in a big way.”
Chapter Nine
Things in the city had become chaotic. The rebels seemed to have more firepower than anyone would’ve thought, but as the SEALs had said, they were concentrating their efforts on the capital and the government buildings.
That didn’t mean things were status quo elsewhere, however. Everyone was on edge and people were sticking to their homes. Piper had barely gotten any sleep the night before, even though Ace had finally gotten tired of her tossing and turning next to the girls on the floor and had joined her, hauling her on top of him like they’d slept during their flight from the mountain.
“Maybe now you can sleep,” he’d murmured.
She felt much safer and content with him under her, but every time gunfire sounded from outside, it reminded her of hiding under the kitchen with the girls and praying the rebels didn’t find them.
They weren’t in a crawlspace now, and they had six badass Navy SEALs to protect them this time, but her brain still wouldn’t shut up and let her get some sleep. Ace obviously knew she wasn’t sleeping, but he didn’t complain. He simply held her to him and stroked her back.
She eventually fell asleep, only to be woken at the crack of dawn by the sound of Rani puking. Apparently, the food she’d eaten the night before had been too rich for her deprived stomach. Piper had spent the morning trying to entertain the girls with silly drawings, tic-tac-toe, and reading a children’s book that they’d picked up the day before.
Kemala had been a huge help, and her attitude had taken a dramatic shift. The sullen, moody teenager was gone, and she’d been replaced by an eager-to-please girl who was going out of her way to do whatever she could to be supportive. Piper had to admit it was a nice change, but she also didn’t want her to feel obligated to always look out for Rani and Sinta. Hopefully, when they finally arrived back in California, she’d relax a little.
Now it was late afternoon, and Rocco and the others had made the decision to head back to the US Embassy. They hadn’t heard anything more about the adoption application, but the gunfire had been getting closer and closer to the hostel, and no one wanted to chance being cut off from the embassy.
So the ten of them had set out, in small groups, and had finally arrived back at the unassuming but well-fortified building. This time, there were armed guards standing inside the gates, and they’d all had to show their US passports to be allowed inside. Even then, they were made to stand outside until the same female employee who had met with Piper the day before vouched for them, and gave permission for the three girls to enter as well.
Piper, Ace, and the kids were ushered into one room, and the SEALs into another.
“Any word on the application?” Ace asked.
The woman pressed her lips together and shook her head in disbelief. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“What?” Ace asked anxiously.
“We got the approval for your adoption from the USCIS today. They received the application and sent it in this afternoon. All that’s left is for the girls to meet with the government official and for him to sign off, and they’re all yours.”
Piper turned to Ace and whispered, “That Tex pers
on really came through huge.”
“That’s Tex,” he replied. Then he turned to the woman. “Any chance we can get that interview done this afternoon?”
She looked doubtful. “With the skirmishes that have popped up, everyone is on edge. I’m not sure anyone will be able to come out here, or will want to. Not for something as inconsequential as an adoption.”
Piper pressed her lips together in annoyance. She was holding on to both Rani’s and Sinta’s hands, and she squeezed them reassuringly instead of reaching for the woman’s neck to strangle. But she shouldn’t have worried about being blown off. There was no way Ace was going to let the employee’s comment slide.
“Inconsequential? It might seem that way to you, or to an overworked government employee, but to us, it’s the most important day of our lives. See these girls?” he asked, gesturing to Rani, Sinta, and Kemala. Not waiting for the woman to nod, he continued. “They’ve waited for this day all their lives. After this adoption goes through, they won’t have to go to sleep praying there’s someone out there who will want them. They won’t have to worry if there will be food for them to eat. They’ll know they have two parents who love them, and will always love them, and who want the absolute best for them. Every day that goes by is one more that they live in fear they’ll be left behind to fend for themselves.”
The woman looked a little sympathetic, but she didn’t immediately jump to call someone to come and interview the girls.
“I’m sure you’re wondering how we were able to get that application submitted and approved so quickly,” Ace said in a deceptively conversational tone.
The woman nodded eagerly. “Yes. It’s been the talk of the embassy, actually.”
“I’m a Navy SEAL. As are the five men standing in the other room. We have connections you could only imagine. We’re sent into countries to deal with the worst of mankind, and we do it day after day without asking for a thank you or an ounce of appreciation. But you can bet when one of us does need a favor, we’ve got people who will bend over backward to make that favor happen. All I want is to get a signature on the paperwork and get American passports issued so I can take my girls home and get out of your country. You want that too, right?”
“Of course, but—”
“I’m assuming it wouldn’t be a good thing if those rebels found out six SEALs were holed up in the American Embassy, would it?” Ace asked.
Piper stared at him. Was he trying to intimidate the woman?
“Not that we ever advertise our whereabouts, but there have been a lot of people who’ve seen us. The taxi drivers, the vendors at the shops, the hostel employees…word gets around, I’m guessing. And if I was a rebel, I’d want to take out the most dangerous marks first, to make things easier for them and their cause.”
Holy shit, Ace was totally being intimidating on purpose. Piper held her breath and squeezed the little hands in hers even tighter.
“You’re right, I apologize,” the woman said stiffly. “I’ll make the call and see if I can convince someone to come out and do the interview. I’m sure you and your…friends…will want to get home as soon as possible.”
“We would. Thank you,” Ace said, as if he hadn’t just forced her hand.
“If you’d please wait here,” she asked before slipping out of the room.
“Ace—” Piper said, but he cut her off.
“I know, that wasn’t cool. But I was sick of her condescending attitude. And if it gets us out of here faster, all the better, right?” he asked with a small grin.
“But I thought you guys were supposed to be on the down-low?”
He shrugged. “I think the down-low went out the window when we spent an hour wandering around the local shops. We don’t exactly blend in.”
That was very true. With their beards, muscles, and their badass vibe, no one who saw them would think they were anything but soldiers of some sort. And with their very clear accents, it wouldn’t be hard for anyone to figure out where they were from.
Piper kneeled and turned Rani and Sinta to face her. “Okay, girls, hopefully soon, you’ll be asked to go talk to someone about whether you want to come to the US with me and Ace.”
“Yes!” Sinta said excitedly.
Piper smiled. “Just be honest with the man when he asks you questions. You can talk about what happened in the mountains, to your old home. It’s okay.”
Kemala suddenly began to speak Tetum to the other girls. Rani and Sinta stared up at her for a long moment, then nodded when she was done.
“What’d you tell them?” Ace asked.
“That this is the best thing that has happened for us. And we need to say and do whatever it takes for the man to let us go with you. If he doesn’t…” Her voice trailed off, and Piper saw her blinking back tears.
She reached up and grabbed hold of the teenager’s hands. “He will. I know it. Just tell him what you want. He’ll listen.”
The door reopened then, and the embassy woman came back into the room. “Someone will be here in five minutes. I can take the girls into the interview room now.”
Piper stood and took a deep breath. This was it. She hated to let the girls out of her sight, though. What if the woman took them away, then rushed them out a back door or something?
As if Ace could read her mind, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. “That’s fine. We’ll go out and wait with my teammates, if that’s okay.”
When the woman nodded, he asked, “How long do the interviews usually take?”
“Typically around half an hour, but I’m guessing this one won’t be as long,” she said cryptically.
Ace nodded, as if she’d said exactly what he expected to hear.
“Rani doesn’t talk much,” Piper said when the woman gestured for the girls to follow her.
“I’ll let the interviewer know,” the woman said.
When Kemala passed him, Ace reached out and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. The teenager nodded, then reached for both Rani and Sinta. They walked hand in hand out the door after the embassy employee.
“Come on, Piper, let’s go wait with the guys.”
She allowed Ace to pull her toward the second door in the room, the one they’d entered through. “What’d you say to Kemala?” she asked.
“I told her to cry,” Ace said without remorse.
“Seriously?” Piper asked.
“Yup. I’m guessing the government rep is a man. And men hate it when girls and women cry. If they say they want to go with us then start crying, that interview will be over in a matter of minutes.”
“But won’t he think they’re crying because they don’t want to go with us?”
“I think our girls are gonna make it more than clear who they want to live with,” Ace said with confidence.
“True,” Piper muttered. “Question…”
“Shoot.”
“You said guys hate tears, but I don’t see that you’ve been bothered by mine or Kemala’s so far.”
Ace turned to her in the middle of the hallway and took her head in his hands. “I’ve had a lot of experience with females crying,” he admitted. “I hate when you cry, but I can deal with it, because shedding tears makes you feel better. They’re an emotional release. The kind of tears I can’t deal with are the ones caused by physical pain. Or the ones that come because of something someone else does to you to make you cry. Those I’ll deal with in my own way. But you or Kemala or Rani and Sinta, crying because you’re emotional? I’ll hold you until you’re done, then I’ll hold you some more.”
Piper swallowed hard to keep the emotional tears he was talking about at bay. As if he knew she was struggling, he smiled. Then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go hang with the guys. I’m sure Rocco’s been on his satellite phone with our commander. I can practically smell the jet fuel now. If we have our way, we’ll be on a plane out of here within hours.”
Excitement threatened to overw
helm Piper, but she held it back. The girls weren’t theirs yet, and no matter how confident Ace was, she couldn’t be sure of anything until she was holding three additional American passports in her hands. Until they boarded a flight out of the country with Rani, Sinta, and Kemala, she couldn’t relax.
Twenty minutes later, the door to the room they were waiting in opened and the same female employee they’d been dealing with motioned to Piper and Ace.
“The interviews are done.”
“And?” Gumby asked impatiently.
“The papers have been signed, and their passports are being printed now. There’s a fee that has to be paid and—”
Piper didn’t hear anything else the woman said. She turned to Ace and threw herself into his arms. “We did it,” she whispered.
He spun them in a circle and nuzzled the skin on her neck. “You’re officially a mom,” he told her softly.
Piper looked up at him when he stopped and put her feet back on the floor. “And you’re a dad.”
“Holy shit!” Ace said with a smile.
Holy shit was right. It was overwhelming as much as it was exciting.
“I’ll go and take care of the admin stuff,” Rex told them, slapping Ace on the back as he passed.
“Thanks,” Ace told him. “Appreciate it.” He turned to Rocco. “Do we have an ETA for extraction?”
“Twenty-two hundred,” Rocco said immediately. “Plans have changed a bit with the rebels moving into the city. We’re now meeting a group of Australian citizens who’ve been ordered to evacuate. We’ll fly to Sydney with them, and the commander has arranged for us to catch a ride back to California with a military bird.”
Ace smiled at his friend and nodded. Then he looked down at Piper. “We’re going home.”
“Home,” Piper breathed. “There were a few times I didn’t think I’d ever make it out of here alive.” Then her expression fell. “Poor Kalee. She should be here with me.”
“I swear on my life, Kalee will make it home,” Phantom said in a low voice from nearby.
Piper turned to him. She had no idea what the man’s obsession was with getting her friend’s body back to the US, but she appreciated it all the same. “Thank you,” she told him softly.