Before Sunrise (2 page)

Liam belonged to a counter-terrorism force.
Like the Delta Force, he’d told her, but they didn’t worry so much
about extractions. Or something like that. They went in first and
did recon, which meant they weren’t there when the real shit went
down. Those were his words; she’d repeated them to herself so often
they were imprinted upon her heart. If they weren’t there when the
real shit went down, it meant he wouldn’t be in harm’s way and he
wouldn’t be gone long. Right? She prayed so.

The toilet flushed. She heard the tap
running in the sink. Her body hurt. Mainly her coochie, but her
nipples ached, too. She could do nothing but lie there as Liam
returned. He looked at her with the saddest eyes. It made her
scared, more scared than she’d ever been. He opened his mouth to
say something.

“
What is it?”

“
I-I’ll finish dinner, babe.
You stay there,” he said, and was gone.

Kennedy sighed.

After a quick shower where she could let the
cold water run over her tender, flaming flesh, she got dressed. She
put on a strapless sundress and didn’t bother with underwear. Liam
said he would make it up to her tonight, which meant there would
definitely be a round two.

Kennedy nearly wept when she walked out into
the living room. Liam had cleaned up as best he could. He stacked
stuff in corners and on chairs. Somehow, he never knew where to put
away any of their few possessions. But he’d turned down the lights
and lit candles. The table had been dressed with a nice setting,
the cloth napkins, just for them.

He brought out a bowl of instant mashed
potatoes, and stopped when he saw her. “Come on, beautiful. Dinner
is served.”

Kennedy’s stomach grumbled. It was strange;
so far, she’d never had morning sickness, not even a burp. But she
had the appetite. Liam grinned when he said she ate like a horse.
She knew he thought it meant she’d have a boy.

“
Yummy. This is so nice. I
love it.”

“
I want to hear all about
your news.”

Kennedy stopped at the table. She’d
forgotten all of that. Her heart skipped a beat. “Okay.”

Liam sat. He poured her juice from the
carton then twisted the cap off his Budweiser. She stopped him with
her hand when he picked up his fork. “Grace, Liam.”

“
Oh, yeah.
Whatever.”

Kennedy closed her eyes. “Thank you, Lord,
for this wonderful blessing. We are grateful for your bountiful
offering and the loving hands that prepared this. Please bless our
country, and our soldiers currently being called to serve as we
brace for your current test of perseverance. And those less
fortunate than ourselves and fill their bellies with nourishment.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Kennedy looked up and Liam winked. He dug
in. When she made dinner, she fixed his plate and practically fed
him, like it was a movie or something, but when he cooked, she was
on her own. She stared down at her meal and touched her fingers to
her temples, wondering where her head went. Liam cooking and trying
to set the mood was a show of love. He couldn’t get any softer than
he was, right this moment.

“
Okay, what’s this news?” He
spoke with a mouth full of potatoes.

“
School.”

Liam swallowed. “School? More school? We
just got here.”

“
Law school, silly. Phil
thinks he can get me into UNC.”

Liam’s smile faded.

“
Don’t be mad at him. This
is what I want, Liam. I called him and asked about a
recommendation, since we’re here and all…well, I thought it would
be great to go to law school. Um, here. See, they have a great
civil rights law program. Phil says he knows the dean.”

“
So you and Phil discussing
your future?” Liam asked through clenched teeth.

“
No. Not like that. I did my
own research. It’s hard to get accepted and it’s on me. Still, if I
can use a recommendation….” Kennedy’s hand froze, her fork hovering
over her plate. Was he angry? She checked his eyes for that switch
of color she always noted. They remained clear blue. Then a grin
slowly crept over his mouth.

“
Well, I’ll be damned, babe.
I’m proud of you.”

Kennedy laughed. “You are?”

“
Hell, yes! You’re standing
on your own.”

“
And Phil?”

“
Fuck him. I’m not jealous
of him. I know what you’re doing. You’re taking control of your
life.”

“
I did. I wasn’t sure, and
with the baby—”

“
Bullshit. Come here. Of
course you will attend. Come here,” he said, extending his hand.
She got up and went around the table to him. He put her on his lap.
“Do you know how proud your man is right now? Do you?”

“
Yes.” She grinned. “But
slow down. I haven’t gotten accepted yet.”

“
Gonna need me an attorney,
to keep me from killing every young punk who shows up on my
doorstep trying to get next to my baby girl.”

“
You mean like you did when
you took me from my daddy?” she kidded.

Liam bristled. “So you want to go
there?”

“
I’m just kidding. Besides,
we don’t know if it’s a girl yet.”

“
True, just hoping.” He
grinned, chewing down the last of his food.

Kennedy laughed. She kissed him. “I was
afraid you’d be mad.”

“
What?”

“
Well, the baby and
everything. I know you worry. Besides, we just moved here, it means
I’ll have to commute to Chapel Hill.”

“
I’m happy. We can have two
places. I’ll get you an apartment up there. Okay?”

“
Two places? We can’t afford
that, Liam.”

“
Actually, it’s perfect. You
can stay on campus maybe? Be a real college student.”

Kennedy frowned. She’d suffered greatly when
he went off to school to get into the SEAL program. She’d commuted,
first to Tidewater Community College and then to Old Dominion.
William and Mary was too long a drive. She had no desire to be away
from him when he returned home after a deployment.

“
Now we have a reason to
celebrate, some good news to replace the sad.”

“
What?” Kennedy
frowned.

“
I have to leave, babe. Me
and Eric got our orders. Deployment’s in two days.”

“
Two days? That’s not enough
time!”

“
Shhh.”

“
No, Liam. Please. I need at
least a week to get ready.”

“
Hey, it’s all right, Kay.
You know our rule.”

He always liked to hear her say it. She shut
her eyes and tried to smile. “When I close my eyes on the day of
your return, you will be home...before sunrise,” she repeated. It
was from a short poem she’d written him and put in his bag on his
first deployment. He told her later that’s what had gotten him
through.

“
That’s my girl. Now let’s
eat. Your man is starving.”

Kennedy decided to make their own little
movie. She picked up his fork and began feeding him. Liam smirked
up at her. She couldn’t love him any more than she did.

Kennedy woke alone. She kicked back the
covers and found her robe. The house had settled into a still
quietness, but she felt a draft and looked over to the patio door.
It was ajar. Her vision sharpened as she sought Liam through the
shadows. He sat out in the yard, his dog tags glistening in the
moonlight and on several empty bottles at his feet. He turned up
the neck of his beer and took down big gulps, making his Adam’s
apple bob in his throat.

“
Liam?”

“
Go back to bed,
Kay.”

“
Everything all
right?”

He just stared at her. She walked out into
the night and immediately regretted that she hadn’t put on her
slippers. “Come back inside. Let me hold you until you go to sleep.
Don’t drink, Liam.”

“
I’m cool, Kay. Go back to
bed.”

“
No.”

Liam sighed. “Fine, come here.”

Kennedy went to him. He set all four legs of
the deck chair back on the ground. She dropped into his lap.
“What’s wrong?”

“
Look, I want you to send me
e-mails of the sonogram and any news from the doctors, I don’t care
what.”

His eyes were bloodshot. She rubbed the side
of his face. “Okay.”

“
Also I plan to ask Phil to
look in on you.”

Kennedy froze. Liam hated
Phil. This had to be some kind of mistake. “You
what
?”

“
Oh, trust me, that
motherfucker knows I’ll bury him if he ever touches you, steps out
of line in any way, shape, or form.” Liam’s eyes flashed a deep
blue as he ground out each word. “But I need someone who’s on their
game. A man. I don’t want you having to go back to your mother. She
fucking hates me, will talk shit about me to poison my kid before
she ever gets here. And I can’t trust this truce with my mom. We
cool now, but yeah, I can’t trust it. So as much as I fucking hate
that sneaky dipshit, I know he’ll be on ten when it comes to my
girl. And don’t forget, I got eyes behind my back. I just need a
reason to throttle his ass.”

“
Liam, you won’t be gone
that long—”

“
Listen, babe, we don’t know
nothing for certain anymore. So let me handle this. Phil will check
on you, help you get into law school. Then we work out how to set
you up in Chapel Hill. I know he has this crush on you and I’m
trying to set that aside. Trying to be secure here, not be the
hothead everybody says I am.”

“
No, he doesn’t.”

“
Whatever. I also want you
to stay with Angelina until we figure out the school
stuff.”

“
No.” Kennedy stood. “I
won’t leave our house. No way.”

“
Not open for debate. She’s
going to be alone with those twin babies. My boy Ant is sick about
it. Talking crazy shit about getting a psych leave to delay his
deployment.” Liam looked her right in the eye. He made his
disapproval of Vasquez’s plan perfectly clear. A psych leave meant
Ant’s career would be over.

And then who will have
Liam’s back
? she wondered. Kennedy nodded
slowly and surely. Liam continued as though there had been no
interruption. “So this will set both our minds at ease. You said
you liked her. You two can be strong together. Get close. Do some
knitting or something, what mothers do.”

Kennedy smacked him upside the head. He
caught her by the wrist and yanked her toward him. She straddled
his lap in a full pout.

“
C’mon, Kay, don’t fight me
on this. I need you to be okay.”

“
How long? A few weeks,
right?”

Liam sighed. “This time it’s different. The
world is different, babe. I don’t know how soon I’ll be back.” He
took her hand. “But go ahead and start the process for school.
Maybe by the time you finish, this mess will be over. I think we
can swing this. No, I know we can.”

“
But how will we do that
when you have to be on base? I need to be here when you return.
Besides, the baby and everything, maybe school should wait. I’ll
have to stop soon after anyway.”

“
We can wait now or wait
later, but you will be a lawyer. I’m going to make sure that you
get all your dreams. I know your family thought I’d ruin your life
when you left with me. I know you gave up a lot to be with
me.”

“
I’d do it all again, Liam.
We’re going to have a baby. Law school can definitely
wait.”

“
If we can’t do them both,
then we’ll deal. But right now, let’s try. Okay? You know I don’t
give up.”

“
I love you.” And she did.
She cupped his cheek, staring him in the eyes. Their lips, like
magnets, were instantly drawn to each other. The spark of Liam’s
urgent need, his probing tongue, sent her head to swimming. He ran
his calloused fingers down her back and she shivered through her
nightgown. The night felt comfortably warm all of a sudden, or was
that her blood? Kennedy eased up, reaching between them to release
his cock from where it coiled behind his zipper. She was well
practiced at this. The kiss became flicks of her tongue against his
and nips to his succulent lips as she lowered on his
erection.

Oh, it felt divine. Thick hardness filled
her to the point of a scream. She dropped her head back and he
peppered her neck with kisses. She stretched and adjusted to him.
He hooked her legs over the bends of his arms so he could open her
wider. His strong hands, twice the size of her own, cupped and
separated the halves of her ass, lifting and dropping her on his
cock. Kennedy held to his shoulders. She worked her body as best
she could, feeling him down to her curled toes. Suddenly, his
movements grew frenzied. She bounced on his cock and dug her nails
into his shoulders, holding on for the explosion. Then she came
apart.

Liam held her. She went through two deep,
climatic spasms with him buried inside of her. She wrapped her arms
around his neck.

“
Kay, I love you so much. I
won’t be gone long. Trust me, babe, I’ll be back before you know
it.

“
Before sunrise?” she
sighed.

“
Before sunrise.”

Chapter Two

September 2006

Desert sand swirled into a frenzied funnel
cloud that made the night air impossible to breathe. During the day
this would have been a telltale sign of the squad’s approach.
However, in this part of the world, the night proved to be
excellent cover. The descent of the stealthy black helicopter,
hardly seen, and barely heard, hovered then plunged lower. Two
four-man strike teams scaled down cables, swift, silent, and
deadly, just as they’d been trained, then double-timed it to their
checkpoints outside the compound of the high-value target.