FIRE (Elite Forces Series Book 2) (16 page)

“We need to get you checked out too.  I’ll take care of calling your superior.”  I place my hand on her head while her body relaxes into mine.

“Thank you,” she whispers.  She’s changed me.  This woman whose photo ran across my desk months ago has single-handedly changed me. 

She’s softened me.  Whether I want to believe it or not, she has.  My life is much more complicated with another person to worry about, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I love you.”  I have to say it to her again.  I have to smell her hair and feel her skin.  The chaos of my mind since I left her bed proves to me I’m much better with her than I am away from her.

I hold Jade until we get to the hospital.  She allows me to caress her back and whisper into her ear, but I can feel that she’s distant.  I’m fighting to figure out if it’s the psyche of being kidnapped and tortured, or if it’s about us. 

“Tell me he didn’t rape you.”  I guide her face to meet mine.  I need to see her reactions to everything I ask. 

“No, he didn’t.”

“Tell me what he did.”  I try not to hate a man whom I’ve already made pay for his torture for her, but I can’t.  I look down at a cut down her cleavage and feel my anger boil even higher.

“Kaleb, I’m not reliving that again.  I’m fine.  He’s not a threat anymore, and we made it out alive.” 

“Tell me what you’re thinking then.”  She won’t look at me now and chooses to lay her head back against my chest.

“Nothing.  I just need to see that Harris and Mal are ok.”  I can give her that.  I feel the same way.

“We’ll get you checked out and I’ll have the guys update us on them.  I promise we’ll do what we can to make sure they have the best medical treatment possible if they need anything.”  I try to make her feel better, all the while hoping I’ll feel some relief myself. 

“Some things can’t be fixed like that, Kaleb.  It’s not the surface scars I’m worried about.”  Her words hit home for me.  The internal hurt is far worse than any damage done to the surface.

“I know.”  I can’t say anything different about that.  I do know.  I can’t make her feel any better, knowing she’s probably right.  I just pray to god my brother didn’t do anything detrimental to either of them.  Caressing her back calms me.  I feel close to her even though I can feel her pulling away.

We pull into the hospital drive, where medical personnel meet us outside.   Jackson is instantly asking about Harris and Mallory, while I’m guiding Jade out of the truck.  She refuses a wheelchair like the stubborn woman she is, and we walk inside to a small room to wait for a doctor.

She won’t look at me, and it’s getting to me.  I shouldn’t be making this about me, but it is about us.  I’d give anything for just one normal fucking day with her.

“Jade, why do I feel like you’re checking out on me?”

“Kaleb.  We can talk once I know Harris and Mallory are ok.  Until then, I’m still in my own war zone on a mission.”  She scoots onto the hospital bed, and I step outside in hopes of seeing some sign of the others.  Jackson is walking down the hall toward me, so I watch for any signs he has bad news.  He seems to be indifferent.

“Mallory is upset and Harris is in surgery.  I asked them to get Jade and Mallory in the same room as soon as possible.  They’re going to move Jade here in a few minutes.”

“What’s the prognosis of Harris’ injuries?”

“Shoulder is all I’ve heard.  Should be out of surgery in a few hours.”  A few hours will feel like an eternity with Jade and Mallory together while we wait for his news, but I’ll be there for both of them.

Jade is standing in the doorway with me just as the doctor comes in.  “Alright, Ms. Elliott, let’s see your injuries.”  She steps back into the room and unties her shirt as I close the door.  The jagged cut down her torso isn’t too deep, but any blood shed from her body is too much in my opinion.  I’m just glad she won’t require stitches. 

“Were you sexually assaulted?”   His cold question heats me up with rage.  I’m so damn thankful her answer is no, because I can’t even imagine the guilt I’d feel if it were yes. 

“No.  He just cut me here, I have rope burns from the restraints, and he pulled my hair.”  She points to her chest and then looks over at me.  “Other than that, it was just threats and a forceful kiss.” 
He fucking kissed her.
  I work hard to hide my fury, but I know I’m not succeeding.  Remember, Kaleb, he’s dead.  He can’t hurt her ever again.

“Alright, we’ll get this cleaned up.  You won’t be needing stitches on this. You’re a very lucky woman.  I’ve seen some terrible cases come through here.  When I heard we had a kidnapping victim headed our way, I was worried what I’d see today.”

“Thank you, doctor.  Can I see my friend Mallory?  I need to see what he did to her.” 

“Sure thing.  Let me just say, we’re very lucky today on both cases.  Let us get you cleaned up, but why don’t I keep you overnight for observation.  That’ll give you a room to stay next to your friend.  I told her I’d keep her in here until the guy she came in with was released.  I shouldn’t share anything with you legally, but I want you to know he’s going to be just fine.  The bullet is being removed now, and it looks like he’ll have full use of his shoulder if everything goes as planned during surgery.”  We both welcome the information, knowing he wasn’t supposed to share anything.  I can imagine he’s trying to calm Jade and bring some peace to her torn-up demeanor.

“Thank you, doctor.  I needed that information.” 

“Absolutely.  Now, be patient for me and we’ll get you taken care of.”  Patience is something neither of us is good at but lately we’ve been forced into.  I look at Jade and wonder if I’m more impatient about what she’s not saying, or if I need to see the other two are good with my own two eyes. 

“Please, stop looking at me like I’m killing you slowly.”

“Are you sure you’re not?”

“Kaleb.  I can’t do this shit.  I can’t feel like I’m dying inside because you’re in danger.  I can’t feel like I’m inferior because you shut me out.”  I hear that last sentence, and my heart drops.  I’ve done this to her.  In all my focus of protecting her, I never once considered what it would look like on her end of it.  I wanted her safe.  Period. 

I move to her instantly and stop just in front of her.  She’s sitting on the bed with her shirt still open, but she’s covered.  I struggle for the right words, knowing I have to do this right.  I have to make her understand that everything I did was because of my love for her.

“Jade.  I’m sorry if I made you feel inferior, but that is in no way how I feel.  In fact, to me, you’re so far above my level of importance I can’t even consider the thought of losing you.  It terrifies me that you expose me the way you do.  You leave me open and raw with just one frown on your face.  I love you with my entire being, and I can’t comprehend my life without you.  Please, don’t entertain any thoughts of trying to leave me, because I can’t live with that.”

“Kaleb, I can’t live like this.  The way you treated me the past few days is unacceptable, and you know me better than that.  I’ve worked my ass off to be treated with the respect I deserve.  If I can’t get that from the man I love, then how do I expect my fellow soldiers to give it to me?”  I want to pull her against my chest and hold her against me.  If I could just communicate with my body, I know she’d understand me, but I know this isn’t the time or the place. 

“I’m sorry.  I do respect you more than you’ll ever know.  In fact, I’d step into hell if it meant you’d be safe.”

“I know you would.  I’m not doubting your desire to protect me.  I’m doubting your ability to differentiate when you’re protecting me and when you’re simply shutting me out because you don’t want me on a mission that
might
go wrong.  They could all go wrong, Kaleb.”  She stands on the step at the end of the bed, allowing our faces to be even closer.  Looking straight into my eyes, she continues.  “I doubt my own ability to be calm when you’re away for work.  I don’t know how you’ll react when I’m gone on my own missions.  How will we ever deal with the chaos that surrounds our jobs?”  I can’t suggest what I want to.  I’d never ask her to change her career for me, but I wish like hell I could have her next to me every day of my life. 

“We’ll learn to adjust, because there’s no other fucking option, Jade.”

“Get your sexy ass out here.”  I pound on the bathroom door in the villa we rented for two weeks in Bali.

It’s been a long three months to get here.  Paperwork up the ass when we flew back to Florida after a brief hospital stay with Mallory.  Jade’s scars on her wrist are finally healed.

Harris is still off of active duty while he pisses and moans every damn day about the rigorous physical therapy he has to go through.  I can imagine how fucking bored and eager he is to get back out on missions.  I understand completely where he’s coming from.  I’d be out of my mind too if all I did was shuffle papers around on a desk all day long.

The man I hated when we first met has become one of my best friends.  One of my closest brothers.  He’d proven himself before the night I took my brother’s life, but taking a bullet for Jade in the middle of the night when he saw a shadow slither by his room put him at the top of my list.

I know he feels guilty for not being able to stop him from taking her.  No matter how hard I’ve tried to convince him it wasn’t his fault, he still carries that burden on his shoulders.  I can’t help him with that.  We all have our guilt we’re trying to deal with.  He has to work that shit out on his own.  He’s a damn good man.  One I look forward to having by my side in the future.  One I will gladly give my life for.

“Don’t rush me.  I have to be perfect.”  Jade and her smart-ass mouth hollers back at me through the wooden door.  I’m about ready to bust the fucking door down and tag her ass right on the bathroom counter if she doesn’t hurry the fuck up.

“I’ll be by the pool.  You have five minutes.”

“What the hell ever, Kaleb.  Don’t be so damn bossy.” 
Fuck.
  I love her.  Our life will never be boring.  Not with the way we both still fight each other for control.  I may pretend at times, but she knows damn well who’s in charge here.  She controls my heart, which I learned very quickly, controls me.

Moving away from the door, I snag my phone off the kitchen counter and make my way outside, knowing good and well she’s going to be longer than five minutes.  Whatever the fuck surprise she has for me sure as hell can’t compare to the one I have for her.  I start to remember our talk at the hospital.  All I wanted to do was take her home and hold her in my arms, so I could pretend we didn’t need to have a talk. 
The talk
I’m willing to admit scared the shit out of me.

I remember every damn word she said and I remember every single promise I made to her.  Treating her like my equal is all I’ll ever do.  She agreed to be with me as long as we don’t keep any secrets.  I know this will be difficult as missions come, but I know we’ll work through it all in time. 

Now, here I stand, staring into the light blue sky, the sun blazing down over the clear ocean water in its numerous shades of blues and turquoise.  This is fucking paradise.  Never in a million years would I think I’d be standing here, waiting for a woman to grace me with her presence so we could swim in the ocean or lie by the pool.  Or fuck like we’ve been doing for the past few days.  Christ, I’ll never get tired of having her wrapped around my cock.

I need to quit thinking about her for one minute and call my mom.  It’s her birthday.

Powering up my phone, I find her name and hit call.  This woman is the epitome of strength and courage if ever there was one.  The minute we pulled into the hospital parking lot, Jackson pulled out his phone and called Vice and Ace. Told them it was over and to get on a plane and fly my mom and sister to me.

By the time they reached us, Jade was ready to go.  Harris was out of surgery already, while Mallory stayed by his side.  Mallory is another contradiction I need to figure out.  Something’s up with her.  Whenever I bring it up to Jade, she says Mallory is still fighting her demons over what happened that night.  I’m not sure what to think about it all.

“Hey, son,” my mom answers, and her still delicate voice softens me every time I talk to her.  I lied to her face about what happened.  I told her Ty was dead when we found him, killed by one of his drug lords, guessing it was over the money he owed them for drugs.  I couldn’t hide the fact that Jade was in the hospital, but I lied about that too.  Both Jade and I did.  We told her the same drug lord he owed money had taken Jade and brought her to the motel, hoping I would pay his debt.  Then I was too late to save him.  Jade had told them there was no way I’d help out.  They tied her up and roughed her up because she wouldn’t call me. 

The look in my mom’s eyes when she finally realized her son was truly dead is a look I will never forget.  A piece of her died that day.  A piece she’ll struggle with for the rest of her life.  The sad part about it all is, I tried to sugarcoat it the best I could, but there was no way I could come up with an easy way to tell her.  I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her the truth.  I know my mom though.  She knows I didn’t tell her everything.  She knows I killed him, but she’ll never tell me she does.  She’ll take it to her grave to save me the pain and suffering she knows I struggle with every day and will for the rest of my life.  I killed my brother.

“Happy Birthday, old lady.”  I chuckle.

“Thank you, Kaleb.  You two having fun?”  Her idea of fun and mine are two different things.

“Fuck, yes, we are.”

“Language, boy,” she reprimands me, and I laugh some more.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I appreciate the call, Kaleb.  Now, go.  Enjoy yourself.  Lord knows you two have earned it.”  I sigh heavily, knowing she’s still dealing with the aftermath of all of this, while I’m here trying to forget and moving forward with Jade, hoping to start a beginning to our normal sooner rather than later.

“I love you, mom.”  I close my eyes.  Her ‘I love you’ back to me becomes lodged in my throat.

I hang up the phone and toss it on the lounge chair before I spin around, ready to start bitching about whatever the hell is taking her so long, but instead, my mouth hits the floor.  She’s standing there, naked.  Her nipples harden when I look at them.  Her body glows.  Her eyes turn dark, and that sweet spot between her legs has my cock hard.

“Is this my surprise?  Because if you think for one second you're going swimming like that, you’ve lost your fucking mind.”  I may have softened up a little bit after the hell we’ve been through, but there is no damn way she’s walking out with her sinful body showing like that.  Hell, that’ll have every man’s head turning, doing a double take to get another look at her when we walk by them.

“I’m lying out naked.  And no, this isn’t your surprise.”  She moves in my direction.  I stop her by blocking her with my body before she crosses over the threshold of the open breezeway that leads to the pool and the beach.

My itching fingers grip her ass, pulling her flush against my cock.  Her brows quirk up.

“I’ll decide if you get to take another step out of here like that or not.  Now, tell me what this big surprise is about.”

“I'm retiring from the Army when my term is up in two months.”  I look down at her to search for any sign she feels regret over her decision.  Her giant smile and playful attitude tell me she's relieved this is coming.  I can't say I'm not fucking thrilled, because I am.  I want nothing more than to have her by my side every single day and night.

“You sure this is what you want?”  I have to give her the opportunity to change her mind here.  This has been her entire life for years now.  I know how hard this decision was for me.

“I'm positive.  Kaleb, I’ll still be able to do what I’ve trained my whole career for, but now I’ll be able to do it all with you.”  She moves her fingers over my ass and squeezes with both hands.  “Plus, you need someone to save your gorgeous ass out there.”  Her teasing only makes this much sweeter. 

“How did I get so lucky?”  My internal thoughts escape my mouth before I have the chance to hold them in.  She smiles through her kiss when I pull her legs up around my waist.  “Guess it was fate… Or some of that romantic crap people talk about.”  Her laughter sends a jolt straight through me.  I take a moment to think about where I am in my life.  I'm in love with the woman of my dreams.  This is exactly what I hoped I'd get with Jade.  It's exactly what I prayed for in the desert, and it's what I've always wanted to feel before I met her.  She's it for me.  She has my heart, my mind, and my fucking soul. 

“Jade Elliott, future Mrs. Maverick… You're not fucking leaving this room without some damn clothes on.  You'll either cover yourself with some little piece of material you own, or I'll cover you with my body.  You'll have sunburnt feet, because you'll have them wrapped around my ass while I fuck you all damn day.” 

“You’re so damn bossy.”  She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls her face close to mine.  Nose to nose, she’s looking into my eyes.

“Are you just now figuring that out?” 

“No, I vaguely remember thinking it the first time I met you.”  She pulls another smile from me, and I start walking us back to the bedroom.  This place is gorgeous, and I love the open feel of the beach right into the bedroom.  It doesn’t help knowing that if anyone walks by, they’ll be able to hear us fucking.  I don’t mind that one bit, but they won’t be able to see.  Our villa is on stilts, sitting high enough that we have the privacy we came here to have.

“Come with me tomorrow.”  I’ve been trying to decide how to do this.  We’re not a normal couple.  It’s only fitting that this be different as well.

“Where?”  She looks into my eyes after I lay her on her back on the bed.  I crawl over her body and prepare for this next chapter in my life.  One I’m dying to get started on.

“I want a new tattoo.”  She smiles, knowing I’ve been itching for a new one.

“What are you thinking about getting?”  She kisses my lips as I lower myself playfully on her body.

“I’m thinking a ring or something.  Maybe your name across my ass.”  Her laugher fills the room, and I take this opportunity to kiss the crook of her neck, gliding my body in place on top of hers.

“I do own it.”

I sit up and look straight into her eyes again.  Yes, she does own it.  She owns me and my future.  If she’s not involved in it, I want nothing to do with it.

“You do.  Now, let’s make it official.  Marry me, Jade.”  She pulls her smile into a serious facial expression, looking for any sign I’m kidding here.  She won’t find one.  I’m dead serious.  I want her in my life forever.

“Jade.  You’re my forever.  With or without a shiny fucking ring, you’re mine and I’m yours.  I don’t want some bullshit piece of gold to wear to commit my love to you.  I want it permanently on my body to last forever.  Just like we will.”  She starts to slowly smile while she continues to study my face. 

She pulls me down into a passionate kiss before she says the words I hoped she’d say. 

“Yes, Sir.”  Fuck.  That’s it.  I’m done forever.

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Coming this Summer in the Elite Forces Series… Harris’ story!