Code Name: Luminous (20 page)

Dafoe snatched the weapon from the man standing next to him
and pushed the muzzle into her shoulder. “I have every right,” he yelled into
her face. “The Americans think they’re unstoppable. Your self-righteous husband
has killed thousands of people without regard for innocence.”

The end of the barrel dug into her bone, but she refused to
flinch. She darted a look at the professor, who’d backed himself up against the
bookshelf. Would he tell Dafoe she held the combination to where the vaccine
was hidden? So close. They were so damn close. If she failed, there was nothing
to stop a pandemic. Dafoe wanted to live while the rest of the world expired.
His wife’s life would never be vindicated, he just didn’t know it.

Like him, she’d wallowed for years fighting her PTSD, only
to be dragged into the light by the most unlikely of men. She’d made Thane a
promise to be safe, but none of them were safe. Their son would die. They’d
never hear their daughter’s cry.

The corner they’d been backed into was sharp and solid. No
way out but through impossible odds.

“My husband shook tyranny by the throat. Men like you.
Men who don’t know when to stop.
Men who are sadistic
bastards who want to conquer and cause pain to people who can’t protect
themselves. You’re bloodthirsty. You’re something that sticks to the toe of my
shoe and smells like shit,” she railed.

“Kayla!” Mace shouted. “Shut the fuck up.”

The blast from the weapon rapped against the walls of the
tiny office.
Silence.
Numbness.
Chaos.

* * * *

Date: 07.27.2014

Time: 1900UTC 1100hrs PST

Mission: Code Name Luminous

Tony checked the time and willed
it to stop. Fifteen minutes ETA to the base. Even through the constant rush of
sound from the helicopter, he heard Lumin moan in her sleep. Sweat dripped from
her forehead. He contacted Base Command and requested instructions.

“Black Hawk One, you’re cleared
for landing, southern parking lot. Remain in the aircraft until further
advised.”

The sun hung high in the sky.
Seven hours past the time the virus was meant to kill its host.
“SITREP on Snow White?”

“No joy.”

Fuck
. He’d told himself a hundred times he would save Lumin. There
was no other outcome. “Where are you, Kayla?” he muttered, seeing the painted
lines indicating the landing pad come into view. “Base Command, I need water.”
Lumin had begged for water thirty minutes ago. He’d given her his and she’d
choked trying to drink it, most of it puddled on the deck. The whine of the
blades changed into a slow
whip
as he
put the skids on the pavement.
“Base Command, Black Hawk One,
shutting down.”

“Roger, good copy. A vehicle is
en route to your position.
Standby.”

Tony shut the craft down. He
tossed his helmet and knelt beside Lumin, cradling her in his arms. Fear dug
its biting nails into his chest, making him sway back and forth. When he’d been
a kid, scared and alone in an empty house while his mother worked in the bar,
he’d sit in the corner and wait for her to come home and do the same thing.
There’d been no one to comfort him, and there was no one now. He closed his
eyes and whispered to her, “My light.
My beautiful light.
Can you hear me?” Lumin’s pulse barely beat beneath his fingers as he clutched
her wrist.

“My hero,” she breathed. Lumin’s
beautiful eyes shone with fever and a tear trickled from the edge.

“We’re together, and I won’t let
them separate us again.”

“I don’t want you to die.” She
reached up and brushed his cheek.

“Wouldn’t be much of a hero if I
didn’t rescue the woman I’m falling in love with.”

She coughed and her entire body
shuddered. “I thought you blamed me for Nina.”

Truth pirouetted on the end of
his tongue. He shook his head. “No. Your hero lost his nerve. I saw my best
friend coming apart because he loves Nina so much. Truth is
,
it scared me. I hate feeling vulnerable, and that’s what you do to me.”

A smile creased her feverish
lips. “Tony?” Her eyes closed, and he couldn’t feel her breath on his cheek it
was so shallow.

He kissed her hot forehead.
“Stay with me,” he urged. Cold fear gripped him. “No, Lumin. No, just a little
longer.”

“Don’t be mad,” she said in a
sweet, small voice.

“Mad? Never,” he rasped. “You’re
my forever girl. I want to hold your hand when we’re old and grey. You have to
live to keep me on the straight and narrow. The second I looked in your eyes,
my heart pumped so hard I broke into a nervous sweat. I became a man with a
future in that moment, but I need you with me.” Lumin’s inhale rattled and his
heart skipped then stopped.

Big blue eyes filled with love
and pain looked up at him. “I believe you.”

He looked up and saw two
transport trucks approach through his tears. Failure had been an enemy he
always put aside when he became a SEAL, but in this moment he was a man. Scared
that the delicate creature
who’d
made him laugh and
his heart swell within a short time would be taken from him. Nothing he’d seen
or done could harden him against the bitterness of losing Lumin. They were
opposites, his darkness and her brilliance collided, and he had fallen into her
dainty net, caught within her innocence. He’d lost his ages ago, but she
offered hers, and he had to have her. Keep her. Protect her.

“Stupid wishes,” she murmured.

“Tell me your wish, my lady.
I’ll move heaven and earth for you.”

“I wish,” she paused and licked
her lips. “Wish…we had time to make dreams come true.”

Three men exited the back of the
truck wearing bio suits. Lumin hadn’t wanted to die in an airtight bubble. He
didn’t either. Life, he wanted it, but not without her. He squeezed her wrist
tighter, the weak beat a small, feathered flutter. “Baby, please, we’re the
center, remember? We’re the center. Everything else is moving but us.” He
looked down to see her eyes closed.
“Lumin!”

Her fingers released their grasp
on his, and his heart broke into a million pieces with the last flutter of her pulse
as her light burned out.

“Oh God, no.
Hang on. Hang on to me.” He rocked her in his arms, his cheek against her hot
skin as his body jolted with heartbreaking sobs. “Don’t take her from me,” he
begged the heavens. “Please, don’t take her from me.”

                                      
Chapter
Fifteen

Thane charged through the anteroom door to
Base Command. “Barry, SITREP on Snow White?”

“Negative, sir.
It’s been thirty minutes since she checked in.”

Kayla wasn’t answering her phone and neither
was Mace. His SEAL sense was on high alert and it was screaming with a red
warning bell. When it came to his wife, he was so tuned into her it was like
half of him walked away every time she did. “Try again!” he ordered.

“Yes, sir.”
Barry slid his chair to another console and attempted with nil
results. “Admiral, Petty Officer Bale has landed. They’re transporting him and
Lumin to the quarantine tent. She’s unresponsive at this time.”

His cell rang. It wasn’t the Canadian anthem
Kayla kept programming into his phone, and he tucked it back into its pouch
without answering. “Unresponsive?”

“Cardiac arrest.”

“Shit! Put a chopper on standby, I’m flying to
Irvine.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thane had the pilot land next to Kayla’s Black
Hawk waiting in the middle of the football field of the campus. The first kid
who made eye contact was motivated into showing him the way to the Virus
Research Center. His heart beat fast as he ran into the muddle of people
surrounding an office. A stretcher was being rolled out, the sheet covering the
entire body. It’s not her. Not her. He repeated to himself. He pushed through
the throng of people rammed into the small office. Police and campus security
all looked at him when he entered.

“Kayla?” he shouted, his eyes searching. Three
men lay dead on the floor. Where was Callahan? A cop approached him. “Where’s
my wife?”

The cop gave him a once over and nodded.
“Admiral,” he paused looking at his name tag, “Austen. Kayla Austen is being
escorted along with the SEAL and Professor Linden to a lab downstairs.

“Is she all right?”

“Um, not really, but she refused medical
attention.”

His insides turned cold.
“How
bad?”

“Bullet grazed her arm. She’ll be fine once
she gets it stitched up.”

He shook his head, knowing he should have
stopped her from running after Bjornson. “What happened here?”

“Trying to work that out ourselves, but it
appears
your
SEAL, I assume he works for you, took out
four men. There were more bad guys, but they escaped. We’ve put out an APB on
Callum Dafoe.”

“Take me to my wife.”

“Right behind you, Admiral,” Kayla said.

He swung around. She clutched a small cooler
in one hand and her other palm clamped her upper arm. Blood seeped down to her
wrist and through her fingers, but she was smiling. “You’re going to the
hospital.”

“Where’s Lumin? We have to get this to her
first.”

Mace entered the room.

“Take the vaccine, Petty Officer Callahan. I
need to take care of my wife.” He prodded the box from her and handed it to
Mace. “And we’re
gonna
have a little talk about
keeping communications open on our way to the hospital, woman.”

She scowled at him.
“How
about an
atta
-girl, Admiral?”

He pulled her under his arm and guided her out
of the office. “How about I put you over my knee for scaring the shit out of
me—again,” he growled into her ear.

“Thane—”

“I’m rescinding my orders. You’re retired.
As of fucking now.
Do you understand me?”

“I—”

He grilled her with a look, and she closed her
beautiful lips. “I’ll be talking to Callahan and if he tells me you put
yourself in front of a bullet, I’ll put you on a plane and secure the buckle
myself.”

They zigzagged down the hallway, ignoring the
stares of the university students.

“Give me a break. It was that or let Dafoe
win.”

“Where is he?”

“Ran for it when Mace took out
four of his security team.”

He lifted Kayla into the back of the Black
Hawk and ordered the pilot to the base hospital. The other Black Hawk was
already lifting off the ground with Mace and the vaccine. He rummaged through
the med kit and then pulled her hand away from the wound. It bled freely, and
he darted a glance at her. Gore was something a SEAL got accustomed to quickly
or he wouldn’t be a SEAL for long. Kayla had endured a few injuries since he’d
met her and each one had the same affect. Bile rose in his throat and his heart
thumped hard. She watched him carefully, and although he could keep his
composure in front of his men, Kayla unraveled him like he was unraveling the
gauze.

“Thane—”

“Don’t talk to me. I’m pissed at you.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re
worried.”

She’d fessed up while they walked across the
football field as to what she’d done in the office to throw Dafoe into a rage,
giving Mace a chance to take out some of his men. It had worked, but his wife
had a big chunk of flesh gone from her arm and Dafoe was still on the loose.

He palmed her cheek. “I want my wife to be
safe. It’s old-fashioned as hell, but I need you to be there for me when I come
home. Not because I demand it. You know I’d never do that, but because we have
a family to
raise
. You are my life. I can’t even think
about you standing toe to toe with a terrorist. It terrifies me.”

Her gaze dropped to their hands twined
together. Her blood covered his fingers. She’d spilled too much and it had to
stop. She nodded.

He gently raised her chin. “Was that a yes?”

“This was extraordinary circumstances, Thane.
You know that.”

He leaned against the bench seat after
securing the gauze with some tape and gave her a stern look. One that worked on
his men, but he knew it did nothing to faze his wife. “This time, but I don’t
care if the world comes to a screeching halt, topples on its axis or fire ants
take over the North Pole. If we live through this, we promise never to break
stride again.”

Her deep, beautiful eyes stared into his. “I
hate those hoity-toity dinner parties.”

“You think I don’t? It’s part of the job, and
if you don’t want me on the front lines, it means me in my number ones and you
in silk from time to time.”

She shuffled over and leaned her head against
his chest. “That sounds a lot like blackmail, Admiral.”

“Whatever it takes, Snow White.” He kissed the
top of her head and held his delicate wife in his arms. She showed her soft
side to him more and more, and he loved how they had evolved from two callused
warriors into a couple who had formed a united front that no one could tear
apart.

As the chopper began to descend, she turned
her face up toward him and the anger melted away with the warm brush of her
mouth. He loved her too deeply, but it would never dissipate, it had only
gotten stronger and more entrenched with every day that passed. When her lips
curved into a smile, the one she saved for him, he shook his head and rolled
his eyes knowing what was coming.

“I want to see Lumin. Where is she?”

“Your arm first, then you can see her. Admiral
Pennington erected a quarantined area on the southern edge of the base. Tony
infected himself to save her,” he said, as he gently gripped her waist and
pulled Kayla from the craft. They both leaned and cleared the whirling blades
of the chopper. Two attendants with a gurney appeared from the back entrance of
the hospital.

“I’m walking in on two feet, Thane.”

He swept her into his arms and laid her on the
stretcher. Leaning over her, he said, “I’m joining up with the squad. When
you’re finished here, call me.” A brief brush of his lips to hers made his body
come to life. Her soft hand palmed his cheek, and she kissed him ferociously.
With a gentle swipe, his palm stretched across her stomach, his fingers making
small circles to reassure his baby girl growing in her stomach. “I love you.
We’ll find Dafoe, bring him down and then we’re going home.” He kissed her
again quickly. “I’ll call Nina’s mom and find out how Adam is doing.”

She nodded. “I’ll head back to Base Command
after I check on Lumin and Tinman.”

“Bye, baby.”
He nodded at the attendants and watched as they wheeled her away.
He knew she was safe, but it didn’t stop his stomach from rolling over. Every
time his wife was out of sight he worried about her. No matter how many years
would pass, it would always be that way. Every day was a blessing, one he
didn’t deserve, but coveted with his soul. He turned his gaze toward the sea,
and hoped Tinman would have a chance to find what he, Mace, and the other married
men on the team had.

Home and heart kept them alive, gave them a
place to center themselves when faced with an endless battle. Once upon a time
he took up arms because of the rush it gave him, now he did it for his son and
for his little girl who would soon join the world. His priorities had shifted
since becoming a husband and father, but the end result was the same. There was
no room for terrorism and tyranny, and if he could bring those responsible to
their knees, he’d neutralize them all. Callum Dafoe was at the top of the list.

* * * *

Mace hit the base tarmac running. The cooler
he carried wasn’t just vaccine; it held his best friend’s future. Lumin had
touched Tinman like no other woman. Not even Nina had brought out the dormant
qualities of Tony, long ago hidden by a harsh upbringing. Two Frogs from SEAL
Team Three stood guard in front of the quarantine tent. “How is she?”

Paul Armstrong pulled aside the entry flap.
“Bad, really bad,” he said.

Four figures in airtight suits mulled around
the mobile equipped enclosure. One of them raised a hand and passed through two
small partitions to meet him. “Is that it?” the man muffled through his mask.

He handed the cooler to the guy and peered
through the plastic walls where two beds surrounded by medical equipment sat.
Lumin lay in one, Tony sat by her side, gripping her hand in both of his, his
head bent watching her chest rise and fall with help from a ventilator. Mace
read the taut, scared expression on his face as he looked down at the girl who’d
swept his heart away like sand in a windstorm. “How is she?” Mace asked.

“She should be dead by now, but she’s hanging
on. We resuscitated her twice,” the suited figure said, taking the cooler from
him. “It’s safer if you wait outside.”

Tinman looked up and closed his eyes in
relief. Mace gave him a thumbs-up. “Never give up, buddy,” he yelled. Tony
nodded, but he recognized the face of a man whose faith only had a few precious
drops left to draw from.

As Mace pushed the plastic flap aside he came
face to face with the base priest. “Why are you here?” It came out with a sharp
edge.

“I was requested to perform Last Rites.”

Mace shook his head. “Father, with all due
respect, if you do that, you’re giving her permission to die, and she can’t.
She has to live.”

“And if she does die, she’s a soul without
preparation and absolution.” Father Pickering gave him a sympathetic smile.
“You know this, Mace.”

Mace was Catholic and so was Nina, but Tony
hadn’t been raised in any particular religion. He wouldn’t understand. “How did
you know? Who called you?”

“Dr. Mallory comes to Mass. He’s in there with
her, and she asked for a priest.”

Mace blew out his breath. “One second. Stay
right here.” Mace skirted the tent and got as close to Tony as he could,
remaining outside the walls that kept the virus trapped within. “T-man,” he
said loudly.

Tony released Lumin’s hand and stepped to the
plastic wall. His eyes were red and tired, his features aged with worry.

“Tinman, the priest is here. I don’t want you
to kill a man of the cloth. Lumin asked for him.”

“Why?” he said, his voice ragged.

“Last Rites, my friend.”

Tony paled and his head whipped around. When
he set his gaze on him again, Tony’s brow was wrinkled tight. “No. She can’t.”

“Remember when my sister Leslie was dying? I
explained it to you then. Lumin was raised Catholic. It’s important to her. It
doesn’t mean she’s going to give in, but if God makes the decision for her,” he
paused, “she was born a Catholic, she must die as one.”

“She’s not going to die,” Tony said gruffly.

“Buddy, you know that’s not all up to her.”

“Bullshit.”

“Tinman, your heart is talking right now. I
know what it’s saying to you, but faith is part of her life and if you want to
help her, you have to help every part of her, including this.”

Tony’s lids snapped shut and tears ran down
his face. His agony tore at Mace’s heart. A hand touched Mace’s shoulder, and
he turned his head to see Kayla standing there. Her arm was bandaged, but
there’s no way she’d already been tended to by a doctor. “Did you go to the
hospital?”