Angel's Truth

by Liz Borino

  Squirting lube on both of them, Jordan smiled as he hiked up Aaron’s legs and entered him. “No need for witch hazel today. I have no desire to be rough.” They worked a slow rhythm for what felt like a beautiful eternity. The white cream climaxed their fears and satiated each other.

  After cleaning up, Aaron took his place on Jordan’s chest again and asked, “Did you make any progress on those pro-con lists for schools?”

  “Since you didn’t care where we lived, I was leaning toward Stanford,” Jordan responded. “But with my dad’s stroke, I don’t think we can be so far away.”

  Aaron quieted for a moment. “Why couldn’t we find him an apartment close by us out there? I hear Stanford has visiting nurses associations.”

  “Unless he needs more than that.”

  “Then they also have assisted living facilities. We can research the options. One positive is that we have some money, so a cross-country move is not unfeasible,” Aaron commented. “But… we don’t need all of it, do we?”

  “Of course not. Did you have a charity in mind?”

  “It’s going to sound really strange,” Aaron started.

  “I am not donating to Focus on the Family,” Jordan teased.

  Aaron stared at him. “You have done the impossible. I don’t even have sarcasm for that.” He shook his head. “Troy was a despicable human being, but he had a ten-year-old daughter who did nothing to deserve the loss of her father, which at the very least took away means of support. Would you be all right with setting up an anonymous trust fund for her? I won’t do it if you’re uncomfortable with it,” he added quickly.

  Jordan’s heart warmed as he listened. He tilted Aaron’s chin up and brushed their lips together. “You amaze me with the ways you earn your nickname.” He kissed Aaron again. “Yes, we’ll talk to the lawyer.” Jordan lifted his finger with the ringing of his phone.

  “No,” Aaron protested. “Ignore it.”

  “You know I can’t,” Jordan responded. “It’s Bryant.”

  “Glad we didn’t go too far,” he muttered.

  “Hello?” Jordan said into the phone.

  “Captain, I’m sorry to bother you on your vacation,” the lieutenant colonel answered.

  “It’s fine, sir. What can I help you with?”

  “First of all, I wanted to congratulate Aaron on identifying Jalalabad’s location. He is being taken care of at Walter Reed.”

  “I’m relieved to hear that.” After the superior officer paused for longer than necessary, Jordan prompted, “Was there anything more?”

  “Yes, um, Adeela Nadar seems to be under the impression that you will be joining us on the mission… and she won’t offer any more assistance without speaking to you.”

  Did I tell her that? Jordan wondered. Shit. “Do you need me to come in?”

  “Would it be too much trouble?” Bryant asked.

  Aaron rolled his eyes.

  “No, but Aaron will be joining me,” Jordan told him.

  A pause and a sigh on the other end of the phone. “That will be fine, Captain. Thank you.”

  Following another kiss, Jordan shed the covers and stood to dress in the jeans and button-down shirt he bought yesterday for just this occasion.

  “Jor?” Aaron, too, pulled on clothes.

  “Yes, Angel?”

  “If you must go, and I would prefer you find another way, then I am going, too,” Aaron said, tying his shoes.

  “I might not have control over that,” Jordan protested.

  “You have control over what you do. And that will include me.” Aaron looked him in the eye. “We’ve had too many brushes with death in the last few months to face the possibility worlds apart. Tell me the promise you made to me when you came home – that I would never have to sit around praying to a god I don’t even believe in that you’re safe – is the most important thing to you. Assure me before we go over there that it ranks higher than the promises you’ve made to the Army and Adeela. I need to hear it from you.”

  Jordan stared at him. He had plenty of rebuttals. Adeela had saved his life, the Army could force the issue. But Aaron’s words rang with truth and love. “I promise, Angel.”

  Aaron smiled and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I am surrounded by stubborn people who spend way too much time being right, Jordan griped to himself as he waited at ready in the secret American Army base, a quarter mile from the prison he’d been trapped in. As predicted, Adeela refused to trust anyone except Jordan to free her. She had informed Bryant that, no, she would not blindly place her life in his hands. When asked why, she cited his recent track record, but the United States needed her knowledge and proximity to enemy forces. Jordan agreed to assist, which turned to lead. Therefore, Aaron stood across the room discussing enemy movement with Colonel Bryant. Jordan smiled in spite of his annoyance. Aaron was hot when he got impassioned, which he had been quite a lot lately.

  “All clear,” Bryant called, yanking Jordan from his daydream about Aaron’s ass.

  Bad thing to think about now, anyway.

  “Captain, confirm with Adeela,” Bryant directed.

  Jordan sent a text message: “Ready for us?”

  “Yes. Anwar is quiet,” she responded immediately.

  Quiet… Jordan flashed back to the day he woke up to find the Afghanistan government had taken him prisoner.

  “No, I was ordered to clean you up,” she said. “Dead prisoners are too quiet.”

  Jordan leaned his head back. Prisoner. Now he understood. “Where are the other American prisoners?” he asked.

  “Free. The lieutenant is quiet,” Adeela responded. “Sorry.”

  “She’s ready,” he answered.

  Bryant pointed to the door. “Move out then.”

  Aaron gave Jordan a nod of encouragement. No time for long goodbyes. Jordan led the five men backing him on the mission out of the underground base. The only sound in the night air was the tread of the soldiers’ boots on the sand. They had planted several IEDs around the building the night before, which would be activated once Adeela and the Afghani prisoners were safe. They chose the night so Adeela had the best chance of leaving unnoticed, but why was her husband dead? The American soldiers on guard had reported no unrest between him and his guards. “Have we spoken to the soldiers staking out the prison?” Jordan asked the man behind him.

  “Yes, sir, been a very uneventful day,” he replied. “No one has gone in or out.”

  “Keep alert, Sergeant.”

  Jordan pressed the call button on his headset as they neared the prison. Adeela answered on the second ring. “Where are you?”

  “Admissions,” she responded. “All is clear.”

  “We’ll be there in less than a minute.” He ended the call to keep all of his senses on guard for an attack as they approached, but no guards blocked the entrance. “Draw your guns.” Jordan noted six guns leaving their holsters as the men followed him through the stone entranceway. He turned on the light on the end of his gun and allowed it to guide them across the dirty floor toward the admissions office.

  “I’m alone, Jordan,” Adeela said.

  Jordan lowered his weapon with his heart pounding and stepped into the office to find Adeela sitting on top of the desk, gun at her side, and blood on the walls. Nadar’s blood. The man lay lifeless on the floor. “Where are the guards?” Jordan asked.

  “Quiet in the back.” Adeela was more relaxed than he expected. Almost… detached.

  “Two of you, go down the hallway and confirm the status of the guards,” Jordan ordered and waited while they obeyed. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

  “That is one word for it,” Adeela answered. She grabbed the gun by the muzzle and offered it to Jordan. He grasped the handle and dropped it in his bag.

  Jordan reached his hand out to her and helped her off the desk. “You’re a good shot.”

  Adeela gave him a faint smile. “I have lots of surprises.” She dropped h
is hand as they left the office.

  “Why aren’t you carrying her?” a soldier asked Jordan.

  “If I can shoot and kill four men, I should have no trouble walking out of a building on my own,” Adeela replied.

  “She isn’t injured. We need clean-up crew,” he told the man. “Did you free the prisoners?” he addressed Adeela.

  “No. They are guilty. I did not kill them if that is your next question.”

  “But they’re quiet,” the soldier protested.

  Adeela turned to him. “You would be, too, if you saw your meek nurse kill the men who struck you with terror for years.”

  The rest of the soldiers stifled their laughter. “Report back to Colonel Bryant,” Jordan instructed. As one of them did, he turned to Adeela again. “What did you need us for?”

  “Immunity,” she answered. Adeela cringed. “May we leave? This place smells like death.”

  Jordan nodded and led her and one of the soldiers to the base while the rest coordinated the cleanup. As soon as Jordan entered, Aaron threw himself into arms. Jordan laughed. “Angel, that was the least dangerous rescue mission ever.”

  “I’m fine with that,” Aaron replied.

  “You didn’t confront Nadar?” Bryant asked.

  “Didn’t need to.” Jordan motioned Adeela forward. “Adeela, this is Colonel Bryant.”

  “Pleasure, Khanum Nadar.” The lieutenant colonel bowed his head.

  “And you as well, Colonel. It was unnecessary for Jordan to kill Anwar because I had already taken care of him and his friends. The only people left alive are the prisoners, and the American soldiers,” Adeela informed him.

  “You… killed your husband? There was no battle? The only Afghani people left alive are those that pose no real threat to us?” Bryant clarified.

  “Yes. Are you disappointed at the lack of explosives?”

  “Um, no…” the lieutenant colonel stuttered.

  Aaron buried his face in Jordan’s neck to quell his laughter. The correct answer was yes, it took a lot of money and planning to coordinate the placement of those explosives. So, it would be a shame not to see them used. “Should we let the Afghani government know about the murders?” Jordan asked.

  “Will you take credit for them, please?” Adeela requested.

  “Adeela, that is never a problem,” Aaron answered. “Our military is glad to take the credit for any heroic acts.”

  “Doesn’t he exhaust you, Captain?” Colonel Bryant sighed.

  Jordan started laughing. “Yes, sir, he does. Every day of my life.” He glanced at Aaron. “No, don’t say it.”

  “Not saying a thing,” Aaron replied.

  Chapter Eighteen

  And forty-eight hours later, they stepped onto American soil. Bryant had told them repeatedly how sorry he was to sign Jordan’s discharge papers, but Aaron did not share his sentiments.

  Adeela had been quiet, only speaking when asked a question. The United States government had promised her full citizenship and sixty days in government housing. “What am I supposed to do after sixty days? Do you think American hospitals are going to be jumping to hire an Afghani nurse whose experience mostly came from working in a prison?” she asked Jordan and Aaron when they were alone in her hospital room at Walter Reed where the government insisted she receive a battery of tests.

  “You can use those sixty days to take the tests required to…” Aaron trailed off as an idea formed. He smiled.

  “Oh no,” Jordan said.

  “What?” Adeela glanced between them.

  “He’s smiling.”

  “How is that bad?”

  Jordan lifted one corner of his mouth. “Unless you can tell me what he has to smile about, it isn’t necessarily good.”

  Aaron tried to scowl at him, but the energy from his epiphany prevented the annoyance from sticking. “You’re right, Adeela. It may be difficult to find a job in a hospital so quickly, but I may have an alternative for you.”

  “What’s that?”

  His grin widened. “Can you handle stubborn patients?”

  Adeela laughed. “I handled him, didn’t I?” She gestured to Jordan and Aaron joined in her laughter.

  “You did. Now imagine Jordan’s stubbornness in a seventy-five year old stroke patient.”

  Finally Jordan smiled, reached over, and grasped his hand. They spent the next four hours filling her in on the plans for their move and Elliot’s condition, at which point the doctor kicked them out to allow Adeela rest.

  Once they entered Elliot’s room, Aaron blinked at his brother sitting in a chair. “Chris, what are you doing here?”

  “Keeping Elliot company while you two prevent terrorist attacks,” he replied.

  “You should have gotten more recognition for your part in it,” Elliot added.

  Jordan sat down. “We declined the medals of honor. You always told me not to get into the military for glory. We did what we did because it was right.”

  Elliot glowed with a pride Aaron was not used to.

  While Jordan told Elliot about their future plans, Aaron walked out in the hallway with Chris. “You’re leaving for good?” Chris asked.

  “Good or bad, we’ll see,” Aaron replied.

  “Will you visit Dad before you leave? He’s been trying to call you.”

  “No,” Aaron said. “What he said when Jordan was gone… unforgivable.”

  “We all said—”

  “No. Chris, don’t.”

  Chris nodded. “I really respect your ability to move on with your life after all the shit that’s been thrown at you.”

  Aaron didn’t understand what was commendable about surviving. “Thanks,” he said anyway.

  “I’ve had the same job for three months,” Chris stated.

  “That’s a start. Do you like it?” Aaron asked.

  “It… pays the bills, not as exciting as yours,” Chris replied.

  “I am more than ready to be boring,” Aaron told him.

  “Your life could never be boring.” Chris released a breath. “Can I visit?”

  Aaron smiled. “Sure. When you’ve been employed for a year we’ll celebrate by going skydiving.”

  ****

  The day of Adeela’s discharge coincided with that of Jalalabad’s. He had a seat on a flight to Afghanistan the next morning. “Adeela, would you like to see Imam Jalalabad before he leaves?” Jordan asked.

  “I thought he was under constant protection,” Adeela said.

  “He is, but I talked some people into clearing you,” Jordan explained.

  Adeela fingered the bed sheet. “I do not know if he would want to see me after what I have done to his people.”

  “He does.” Jordan spoke softly. “He made the request.”

  She raised her gaze, infused again with fierceness. “Then please take me to him.” Adeela adjusted her hijab and followed Jordan out of the room with her shoulders back. He was not sure if she was happy or steeling herself for a battle, but the idea that the imam called for her increased her confidence.

  Jordan led her to his room, knocked, and walked in at the sound of his voice. “Imam Jalalabad, Adeela Nadar,” Jordan announced, bowing his head.

  Adeela advanced past Jordan, met Jalalabad’s eyes, and dropped to her knees, sobbing. “Please forgive me,” she sputtered in Farsi.

  Jalalabad placed his hand on her shoulder and replied in kind, “Be still, my child, Allah loves you.”

  Jordan nodded to the soldiers guarding Jalalabad’s room to indicate her safety and stepped out to give them some privacy.

  Epilogue

  Nine months later

  “So, let me get this straight,” Adeela began as she, Aaron, Jordan, Chris, and Elliot rode down Highway 4 to Bay Area Skydiving. “Jordan, you survived multiple deployments, imprisonment by a foreign government, broken bones, and a bad case of pneumonia. And, Aaron, you lived through a home invader who intended to kill you.”

  “Yeah. That’s right.” Aaron grinned as h
e watched the blurred palm trees along the side of the road.

  “After all of that, you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?”

  Jordan laughed. “We’ve been talking about this for months, Adeela. Why are you only now getting incredulous?”

  “I thought you were joking!” she answered. “Elliot, why are you allowing this?”

  “Ever tried telling him no?” Elliot countered then shrugged. “Besides, if they both die, I get their fortune.”

  Fortune was stretching it, but none of them had to worry about money. They were giving half of it to charity, anyway. Elliot and Adeela hit it off immediately. They shared passions for debating military politics and driving Jordan crazy. But Adeela’s no bullshit nature made her the perfect choice for Elliot’s caregiver. With her help, he’d been regaining use of his left arm.

  In the back seat, Chris protested that Elliot should not automatically get all of it, but Adeela ignored him and asked, “But after surviving all of that, why would you defy death intentionally?”

  Jordan reached over and squeezed Aaron’s hand. “We’re skydiving because angels should fly.”

  After Aaron hit the radio button, Billy Joel’s “You’re My Home” filled the car. Aaron smiled at his husband and said, “Heroes, too.”

  About the Author

  Liz Borino transcribes the world inside her head onto the page, and shares it with the people who are stuck in the “real world” to makes their lives a little more interesting. Because in her world, heroes fall and stand up again with the help of their partners and friends. Liz’s world is littered with formidable obstacles, which her heroes overcome with a fire of courage and passion. The beauty of love between two men is celebrated. Who wouldn’t want to live there?

  When not with her heroes, Liz enjoys exploring cities, working toward social justice, and editing for other authors. Liz is less than three months from obtaining her Masters’ degree in English and published seven books since 2010.