Enlisting Her Heart (9 page)

The group parted ways at the airport, the normal anxiety from the women and kids radiating around them. It was never easy to say goodbye, but although it didn’t get easier, the family had learned to hide it better. Even Alaina who was on the hormonal roller coaster from hell did her best at keeping her tears at bay in front of the weeping children. The team made sure to see them on to their plane safely before they went out to the private hanger at the opposite end of the airport to load up. With nothing besides civis with them, they’d opted to send their bags home and travel with only the clothing they wore.

General Ashburn was there to greet them, only giving them the location of their assignment. “Sorry to rip you from paradise, troops, but sunny Afghanistan awaits.”

“What part, sir?” Joker asked.

“Southern. I’ll brief you on the plane, but our sources have located another compound of both drugs and weapons this time. The insurgents have wiped out two villages and taken men ranging in age from nine years and up. Most of the women and daughters were massacred.”

“Shit. Is it a capture and seize, or a seek and destroy mission?” Kodiak asked, hoping for the latter.

“We want the compound and its inhabitants neutralized except for those who are being held there against their will. That being said, if they are a threat, take them out.” General Ashburn took his seat with the others as the plane began to take off.

“Are you accompanying us, sir?” Pop asked.

“I’m going as far as Kandahar. I’m not taking any chances this time. If you get in a bind, I’m on call with our boys from the Cav if you need back up. You’ll be flown by Chinook to south of Kabul.”

“Get a nap while you can, guys. We’re gonna hit the ground running.” Dom leaned back in his seat, lacing his fingers with Vice’s. Normally, he kept their relationship at bay while they worked, but there was only the tight knit family aboard. Plus, he hated flying in the windowless sardine can for eighteen hours and needed a bit of discrete reassurance to maintain his hardass reputation.

“Who needs Ambien?” The General pulled out a bottle of pills, distributing them to those who opted to sleep through the first leg of their trip. Flights this long seemed to never end, and they all needed to rest up while they could. Who knew the next time they’d have an opportunity to sleep.

Hulk was overly anxious to get home. Sitting on a damn plane for six hours wasn’t helping. An overly obnoxious group of teens in front of him made for a hell of a long ride home. By the time the plane landed, they were tired, hungry, and ready to get home. Hulk drove the van, allowing the others to rest and hold the sleeping children who had passed out the second they hit the seats. It wasn’t but a short drive thankfully, but it was well after two in the morning when they pulled up at the farm.

“We’re here. Ladies, go on in and get to bed. We’ll bring in the rug rats and the luggage,” Hulk offered.

“Thanks, Hulk. You’re a lifesaver.” Alaina was dragging on her feet. Between the hormones, being separated from Rock and Maverick, and the trip home, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and escape.

“I’ve got sleeping beauty.” Michael climbed down the stairs of the bus toting Lizzy.

“I’ve got little man if you could grab Heather for me, Hulk.” Vince emerged with Skyler’s legs wrapped around his waist and his head plopped on his shoulder.

“I can get her.” Bella reached for her daughter but Hulk stopped her.

“No, go on to bed. I’ll get them all tucked in.” Hulk picked up a half awake Heather and laid her head on his chest, easing out of the van so he didn’t knock his head on the celling—again. He followed Bella and Vince to her cabin, helping to get Skyler’s shoes off and left Vince to tuck him in. He flipped on the nightlight and kissed his forehead, leaving the door cracked as he went into the front room. Once Hulk had done the same for Heather, he wanted to make sure Bella was okay. “Is there anything else you need, Bella?”

“Nah, I’m just going to bed. It’s been a long day.” She fought the tears that stung the back of her eyes. Being tired only made it harder to hold back the fears and sadness of Joker being deployed. Usually she had some kind of warning ahead of time and could mentally prepare for their absence, but this time it was sprung on them all. Hulk saw through her act and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her.

“They’ll be home soon, Bells. Nothing's going to happen to him, okay? He’s a tough son-of-a-bitch. And, if things go right, they should only be gone a couple weeks, three tops.” He felt her crying against his chest and his heart sunk. As hard as deployment was for them, seeing this side of it was worse. “Go get some rest, okay?”

She nodded and pulled away, wiping the moisture from her cheeks.

“Do you want me to stay here tonight, Bella? I can crash on the couch if it’ll help,” Vince offered, hugging her.

“No, that’s okay. You need to get some good sleep and that damn couch isn’t comfortable after the first few hours. I’ll be fine, just having a moment. I’ll see you both at breakfast in the morning. Thank you, guys.”

“If you need anything just call me. Night, Bells.” Hulk followed Vince out, leaving her to sleep off her despair. They both knew how hard it was for her for Joker to leave after what had happened to Venus, and they all worked hard at being strong and positive for her and the kids’ sake.

With everyone off to bed, Hulk and Vince carried the luggage into the main house and turned in for the night.

Fourteen hours, three MRE meals, and thirty-eight games of Angry Birds later, the plane made it’s decent to Kandahar airfield. The time zones had bled together, making it hard to calculate how long they’d been in the air. The team had changed into their DCUs in flight, and now geared up in their battle rattle ready for whatever awaited them when they arrived. The short ride in the bird beat the hell out of the carrier jet, and allowed the team to get in the mindset and be ready to hit the ground running. They had been given a strict timeframe to set up camp and leave the next night to follow out their mission. With it only a few hours before daybreak, it’d be a hustle.

As the bird touched down, the team fell into motion of unloading as fast as possible to get the aircraft safely out of there and undetected. When the last crate had been removed, Pop gave the signal and the Chinook took off. “Okay let’s move!” Everyone began opening the crates, working together like a well-oiled machine.

Since they were at a FARP, no tents were needed. Temporary makeshift shacks had been built, complete with cots. The boards were painted with other unit crests and mottos, showing some of the different troops who’d been stuck in this hole in the dirt out in the middle of the desert. They weren’t pretty, but kept the elements out and a barrier against the sand storms. A porta john was the only latrine, and a water buffalo had been brought in for showers. If it was hot as hell outside, so was the water out of the tank. If it was cold, your dick shrunk up and your balls took refuge inside your body. Not the most ideal camps, but they’d seen worse.

“Joker, finish up with the radios and let’s gear up. We need to get in position to scope the area out before we move in.” Pop opened the weapons crate, handing out the rifles and ammo to each member. While they loaded their clips and weapons, Vice went through and distributed the gadgets they’d used on their last mission.

“You like those toys, Vice?” Rock joked.

“Hell yeah. More than one of them saved my ass if you remember correctly. These little computers are badass. Plus, we need the GPS trackers so I can come save your sorry ass when you get in over your head.” She laughed.

“My ass? Well, since we had to save you last time, it might be a good idea.” Rock chuckled. Vice’s eyes narrowed as she flipped him the bird.

Once everyone was geared up, they loaded into the Humvees and took off toward the Pakistan border. With the night as their cover, navigation was slow and steady, trying to drive and watch for any sign of an IED on the road. With no time to clear the road, as they went all they could do was watch intently and hold their breath.

Three hours later, they stopped and regrouped, using their night vision goggles to scope out a way in. “What the fuck?” Vice whispered.

“I see no movement. Are you sure this is the correct coordinates?” Kodiak asked.

“Let me check again, but I know it is.” Dom flipped out the map and compass, locating the area in front of them. He double checked on the GPS and nodded. “This is it. Now, what the hell is going on?”

“I’ll radio the General.” Maverick called it over the radio, listening to the General sound off the same location.

“Sir, there is no movement.”

“Approach cautiously and clear every inch of the place. I’ll be on call if you need air support.”

“Roger that, sir, out.” Maverick ended the call. “You heard the man, let’s move in.” He led the way, keeping low to the ground as they entered the gates. Pop and Vice had parted ways, positioning themselves at opposite high points to snipe out anyone if it was a trap. As the team moved in, silence fell over the radio.

“First building all clear,” Joker whispered over the earbud.

“Second clear,” Juju added. Each building after came up with the same results. The place was totally abandoned.

“Nothing here,” Vice added.

“All clear from my side.” Pop kept his eyes moving, but hadn’t seen anything other than a stray dog digging in the trash for scraps. They searched for hidden rooms and tunnels and came up empty handed.

“The place is a ghost town. Maverick, radio it in. Let’s head back.” Dom exited the gate with the others behind, headed back to the vehicles.

The General had been just as surprised at their findings as they had. They hadn’t moved for weeks, building, and adding to their compound. It was obvious they were planning to stay long term. So why had they up and left in a hurry? There was only one logical answer that lingered. Someone had warned them. With the elite team being so small, having a leak was impossible. But if not one of them, who?

The ride back to camp was somber. General Ashburn was sending a bird to get them, but it’d be midafternoon before it arrived. That gave them time to pack up and rest, but more importantly figure out how they were getting information.

“Do you think it’s on the General’s side?” Maverick asked.

“Could be, but he’s careful. There’s no way a spy would be able to gather that kind of Intel on us though. It just doesn’t add up. Everywhere we go, they are one step ahead of us. Someone knew we’d be in Cabo, and the resort we were at,” Dom said, deep in thought.

“Whoever it may be, may God have mercy on their soul. That mother fucker is gonna die a long, painful death,” Romeo grumbled. He, like the others, was more than concerned about the two terrorists showing up while they were with their families. Danger that close to the one thing they held dearest was unacceptable.

“For security purposes, no communication home until we get back to the ranch. I know they will want to know we are coming, but we can’t risk it this time,” Dom instructed.

“Roger. Hell, that’d be better for me anyway. I can crash at the ranch a few days before I go home to the real war zone.” Pop shook his head. As much as he joked, it was wearing on him. His relationship with his wife was getting worse and worse. He’d suggested they go to therapy, which had more than backfired, along with shoes, a vase, and an angel figurine—straight at his head.

“We got room, Pop. Hell, we can make this deployment a few months long if you want to…” Kodiak laughed.

“Really?” Pop laughed.

“All right, let’s finish up so we can grab some grub.” Maverick stacked a crate in their pick up pile.