Code Name: Luminous (21 page)

She ignored his question. “Mace is right,
Tony. We all have to believe in something, especially in our darkest hour.
Lumin is desperately hanging on for you. In the warehouse, she told Nina and me
how much she loved you and what she shared with you. As a Catholic, she was
raised to believe that sex before marriage is a sin, but she saw so much
goodness in you that she gave you her innocence. I know this is hard to
understand, but she needs to ask for forgiveness. Don’t deny her this right.”

Tony hung his head and nodded.

“I’ll go talk to the
Father,
maybe he can offer a prayer for our friend as well. I think he needs one,”
Kayla said quietly.

Mace squeezed her hand.

“Kayla’s going to tell the Father he can come
in.” He gnawed on his lip. “How are you feeling?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Tony said, still staring at
the ground.

“You matter to us.”

“What else could I have done? What did I do
wrong?” Tears welled in Tony’s eyes when he raised his head. “How can I protect
her now? I’ve never felt so useless and empty.”

“No easy day, buddy.
Especially
today.
I hope years from now, you and Lumin will look back and say this
was the hardest day.”

“I’ve never felt like this. I hate it,” he
choked out.

Mace nodded, remembering when he held his
sister in his arms as she took her last breath. He’d been gutted from the
inside
out,
and nothing before or since that day hurt
as bad.

“Nina?” Tony asked.

“She’s recovering.” Mace saw the Father step
into the compartment. They’d put him in a suit for protection, but the scarf
and the cross hung on the outside. He knew he wouldn’t be permitted to take
them with him when he left. “Be by her side, Tinman. Pray for her.”

“I don’t know how,” his voiced stuttered. “I
wish I did.”

“Sure you do. You don’t have to believe in
God, my friend, but he believes in you.”

Tony swiped at his tears and nodded. Kayla
joined Mace, and together they held each other’s hands, bent their heads, and
prayed with all their hearts for their friend, and for Lumin.

Life could be lived in solitude, but love had
a mission as well. It was as much a part of a human as any organ. Seeded at
birth, it waited till it found someone to make it grow and fill the void in
one’s heart. Lumin was Tony’s seed, and Mace prayed that God would give them
the chance to fill a lifetime with challenges and happiness till the end of
their days.

Lumin was injected with the vaccine and
another doctor injected Tony. They both stepped out of the priest’s way and
exited, giving them a little privacy. Tony gripped Lumin’s hand and remained
silent as the Father began, “May the blessing of almighty God the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit come upon you and remain with you, Lumin, Amen.”
He gently placed an invisible cross upon her forehead. “Lumin, your sins are
forgiven.”

He and Kayla watched Father Pickering
administer the Last Rites. When he was finished, the Father looked into Tony’s
eyes and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I can see your love for this woman and
your hope. God’s arms are always open, son.
Blessings to you
both.”

Tony was wide-eyed and he swallowed deeply.
His lips quivered and his brow kneaded together. “Thank you for coming, Father.
I wish you could forgive my sins as well, but there are too many.”

“All you have to do is ask.”

Tony’s head jerked. A large tear trickled down
his cheek. “I don’t have the right to ask.”

Father Pickering’s compassionate brown eyes
gleamed. “We all have the right to ask, Petty Officer Bale.”

“I want to be a man she can be proud of.”

“I absolve you of your sins in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Father Pickering brushed a cross on Tony’s
forehead, and a heavy breath escaped Tinman’s throat. They all saw the movement
at the same time.

Her eyes remained closed, but Lumin’s lips
formed the sweetest smile under her mask. “Amen,” she mouthed.

Chapter Sixteen

For four days, Tony sat next to Lumin holding
her hand, barely moving from his chair. He couldn’t sleep. Afraid if he closed
his eyes, she’d leave him. After the first twenty-four hours, they removed her
oxygen mask. She was weak and slept a lot, but when her eyes opened he wanted
to be the first thing she saw. When the thirty-hour mark came, she sat up for
the first time and ate a little soup that he fed to her. Between each mouthful
he kissed her and praised her for her bravery. She was his warrior, and every
minute that passed she strengthened and so did his heart. By forty-eight hours
the color had returned to her cheeks. Although she was in a lot of pain, she
made improvements. The doctors had done several tests assuming there was organ
damage. Tony began to pray in his own way for God to protect her. There were
things only he noticed, like the light in her eyes returning to a brilliant,
youthful glint.

On the fifth day he woke after exhaustion
pulled him down for a short nap. The feel of her fingers ruffling his hair in
rhythmic passes woke him. He raised his head from her stomach to see her
smiling at him. It was in that moment he knew for certain
that
five days ago had indeed been the hardest day he would ever know.

“Good morning,” she said.

He pushed himself up and kissed her mouth with
a long, slow, loving touch. “I love you,” he breathed on her lips. They held
each other. The constriction in his heart and the thickness in his throat were
from happiness, not loss.

“You saved me again,” she whispered sweetly
next to his ear.

“And every day for the rest of our lives,” he
said, kissing her quickly, and then sat down.

“You need to eat, Tony. I’m worried about
you.”

“I’ll get something later,” he said. His body
had gone into starvation mode sometime yesterday when the grumblings in his
stomach had stopped.

“How are you feeling?”

“Depends.”

“On what?” she asked, her brow wrinkling.

He squeezed her hand and brought it to his
lips and kissed her palm.
“On how you’re feeling.
Apparently, I can’t live without my light.”

She chuckled, brushing his hand against her
cheek. “You’re silly.”

“Maybe, but I don’t mind showing you that part
of me, and every other part. There’ll be things I won’t be able to share with
you in the future, but I’ll explain why.”

She nodded.
“About your
job?”

“Yeah, but I promise I’ll never shut you out
again.”

She rearranged the bed sheet and took a deep
breath. “We’re making a lot of promises today.”

“There’s more. Like, I promise to make you
happy you chose me. If you do,” he paused. “Choose me, I mean.”

“I’m supposed to play the field, aren’t I?”
she teased.

He cleared his throat. “Anyone you have in
mind?” he asked, as Cracker jumped into his head and jealousy nipped him.

“No, but you’ve had a lot of—experience.” She
blushed. “Well, you know what I’m trying to say.”

He laughed and played with the ends of her
blonde strands. “You and I are going to learn it all over again.
Together.
Slow.
Seductive.
It’s a
journey that will never end because I will never stop loving you.” Lumin was
filled with a creative sexual energy, and he didn’t doubt for one second that
she’d come up with ways to surprise him. He had a dream he’d replayed in his
mind many times already. He’d come home to find her wrapped in a red ribbon and
nothing else, just to keep their fire burning hot. And he would be the most
romantic fool she’d ever know. “I’m never
gonna
be a
rich guy. In fact, you’ll probably make more than me eventually.”

She placed her fingers over his mouth. “Do you
really think I care about that?”

He didn’t, not for a second. “Guess it depends
on how many pairs of shoes you want.” He grinned at her.

“I only need one pair,” she said, her gaze
softening with emotion.
“The ones that will let me walk
beside you for a lifetime.”

“Lumin—aw, shit woman, you make me so happy.”
He threaded his fingers through her hair and attacked her lips, nearly sucking
the soul right out of her. He wanted to brand her with his mark. Branding? Hell
yeah! He knew exactly what he was going to do, but he’d keep it as a surprise
for now. She sighed when he finally released her lips.

“You have to leave me and rejoin the team,
don’t you?”

He shrugged. “Can’t, I was infected. I need
another day or two before they’ll clear us. The rest of the team is being
vaccinated too.”

Lumin shuffled to the side of the bed and
pulled on his hand. He slid next to her, and drew her against him. His eyes
threatened to close and he gave in, comforted by the beat of her heart next to
his.

“Lumin,” he whispered into her hair. She
squeezed him to let him know she was listening. “
There’s
been plenty of times I’ve been scared in my life.” She raised her eyes to look
into his. “But I never knew fear, real, cold, biting fear, until you died in my
arms. Promise me you’ll never leave me again.”

“Petty Officer Bale, are you saying you like
me?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m saying something I
never thought I’d ever say to a woman. I don’t want to live without you.”

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead
against his. “What about all the good reasons for staying a bachelor? Or the
seven years that separate us?”

“I stopped being a bachelor a few days ago
when I saw you standing at my front doorstep. The only people that might be
concerned about seven years are your parents.” He kissed her soft lips, and
probably held her a little too tight, but she was holding him the same way.

“I think they’ll be more concerned that you’re
not Catholic than our age difference.”

He kissed the tip of her nose and nuzzled her
cheek. “Then I’ll become Catholic.”

She blinked at him. “You will?”

He was like two pieces of a chain, and when he
met Lumin she was the missing link that made him whole.
Her
innocence.
Her faith.
Every last little cell
that existed inside her made him whole. “I’d do anything for you. I
will
do anything for you.” She snuggled
closer and that’s how they drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Date: 08.02.2014

Time: 1800UTC 1000hrs PST

Mission: Code Name Luminous

Captain Patrick
Cobbs
finished his
comms
with Master Chief Briggs. Fox was deploying ten
teams, locking down major routes in northern Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Canadian and Mexican border patrol had been given Dafoe’s picture and advised
to detain him if he attempted to cross. Ghost gave an ETA of one hour to join
the team outside of Kingman. Lumin had been found, but both she and Tony had
been infected. Snow White and Callahan appeared in the eleventh hour with the
vaccine. The good guys were now one up on Callum Dafoe.

The mission had acquired a minor victory, but they were all
waiting for the final curtain with two scenes left; Dafoe to be apprehended or
neutralized, and the lethal crawl of the virus beneath their feet to be
stopped. Would it make it to a main source of water? It was a ticking time
bomb, but the longer it remained within the earth, the longer USAMRIID had to
vaccinate as many people as possible before it raised its head and sunk its
fangs into an unsuspecting population.

He dug his cell out of his pocket and thumbed the long list
till it highlighted Marg’s number. He needed to hear her voice. It had been a
hard decision to send her away, and where to send her. If she returned to
Hawaii with their girls, she could be trapped on an island with a virus. Marg
gathered all three of their daughters and went to her parents’ place on the
East Coast. He couldn’t get her much farther away from the virus unless he put
them on a transport to Alaska, which he’d considered.

“Hello.”

Just the sound of her voice leveled his blood pressure.
“Hey, sexy lady.”

Marg laughed. “Well, if it isn’t my very own hero. How are
you, handsome?”

“Better now,” he said, beginning to walk. His boots dug into
the dry sand, and he headed toward a tent used for their field HQ. Not to
mention some shade. “Did you pick up the water?”

“We did.
Gallons of it.
We’re not
turning on the taps.”

“I know, I’m being overcautious.
The virus can’t make it out east that fast, but when it comes to you, I’m not
taking chances.” He halted in the shade. “How are the girls?”

“They’re good. They miss their dad, and
Rayanne
misses her boyfriend.”

“What boyfriend?” he growled.

Marg chuckled. “The one she’s afraid to tell you about.”

“Who is he?”

“A young man from school.
He’s
starting his second year of structural engineering at the university in
September.”

He grunted. “Where does he live?”

“His parents are from L.A.”

“Good part or bad part?”

“Pat.” Her tone dropped by a few octaves, and he knew after
spending twenty years with the woman, he had to rein it in.

“Guess I’ve got nothing to complain about. I convinced you
to date a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.”

Marg’s sexy chuckle shot straight to his loins. The woman
still held magic over him. He’d been caught in her spell when he first saw her,
and nothing had changed. They’d struggled through years of her parents’ poorly
disguised dislike for him and his own demons. Marg had met Ghost first and
they’d shared one sweaty roll in the sheets together. Pat had wanted to walk
away, he wouldn’t be second choice, but Marg wouldn’t let him. She was a
determined woman.
 

“I didn’t care if you lived in a train car, Patrick Cobbs.
You made me feel beautiful and loved.”

“That’s because you are, sexy lady. I’m standing here trying
to hide a hard-on just listening to your voice. I don’t know how the hell you
do it, but don’t stop.”

“Pat—
are
you safe?” she said, worry
icing her words.

He blinked with her sharp change of course. “We’ve made it
this far, Marg. None of us would have guessed we’d see this type of attack get
so much mileage. It was always a possibility. Hell, Hollywood has made millions
on the same scenario. When we bring Dafoe down and contain the virus, you and I
will head back to Hawaii, and the worst thing I’ll endure is a paper cut.”

“I love you forever and ever, Patrick Cobbs.”

“Amen, my beautiful wife. I miss you and the girls. I always
do, but I have to get back. We’re waiting for a team of geologists to
advise
on the virus tracking underground to a major water
source. Everyone is holding their breath, hoping the three towns that were hit
don’t connect with any subterranean waterways.” The line was silent. “What’s
wrong, honey?”

Marg spoke through her tears. “Please, be careful.”

His brow tightened. Marg hadn’t cried since they said
goodbye when they started dating and he was deployed for the first time. They’d
broken up. At least he’d tried to break up with her. “Marg, I’m always careful
because I know you want me home.”

“I do. I guess I never imagined you out in the field again
after you took the new posting. I didn’t have time to prepare myself. I’m
sorry.” She sniffled.

He smiled to himself, but his heart hung heavy. “I didn’t
expect it either, honey, but they need as much experience as they can get on
this mission. I’m doing this for selfish reasons.
For you and
the girls.
We’ll have no future if this virus unleashes itself on the
population.”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean I’m any less scared. For twenty
years I watched you leave us, and I held strong, because that’s what a SEAL
wife is supposed to do.”

“And you did a great job. You were my strength too. Every
time I left. Every close call I had, I thought of you.”

It had been a long time since they’d spoken like this. After
so many years of marriage, things just got comfortable. They loved each other
more today than in the beginning. She was always ready and willing to love him,
and he thanked heaven for its blessings, and for Marg being the woman she was.
He’d seen a lot of marriages flushed down the toilet, but it took two
strong-willed, determined people to stay the course. She’d fought like a
warrior when he tried to walk away from her. It took a while before he realized
she was never going to give in, that she loved him, not his swim buddy.

Once they’d married, Ghost would give him the gears from
time to time about it. His best friend never let him forget what an ass he’d
been and what a good woman Marg was. His career in the SEALs had been
challenging, but he was surrounded by strength and love, and their faith kept
them going whenever they faltered.

“Come home soon.”

“Can’t refuse that offer.
I’ll call
when I can. Kiss the girls for me.”

“Watch your feet, SEAL.”

“Always.
Bye, beautiful.” He hung
up and lifted his gaze to the desert stretching out before him. Scrubbing the
three-day-old growth on his chin, he exhaled deeply. The quiet before the
storm, he thought to himself. He and the team had been here many times. A SEAL
learned early on the back end of a hurricane was usually the worst. His eyes
felt the cool relief as he pulled his shades down. Some guys missed the
adrenaline rush when they stood down from active duty, but he’d had a few
months to get comfortable in an air conditioned office in Hawaii. Coming home
to Marg every night with dinner waiting wasn’t a hardship. Having to choke down
MREs in the field and ignore the aches and pains that his service years had
bestowed on him while he trudged over rough
terrain,
weren’t
missed.