FIRE (Elite Forces Series Book 2) (4 page)

I’m crouched down alongside Harris.  He demanded I not leave his side the second we piled out of the back of the truck.  We have enough ammunition to blow up everything in this wooded area.  I’m not about to ask where it came from.  In this particular situation, I couldn’t care less if the shit is stolen or if it belongs to the president of Mexico or the damn Queen of England herself, as long as we get Kaleb.  Kase forced us all to implant a tracking devices into our inner leg, just in case one of us gets captured.  I love that he has the technology and the initiative to get us this in such a short time.  I could see Kaleb loving this idea.

The giant bushes and trees make it hard to see.  The thicket is grouped together like the overgrown tangled mess it is.  This shit needs to be bulldozed down, but I'm sure they consider this a form of protection for their shitty structures hidden behind it.  How sweet it would be to drive up through the darkness, mangling these half dead tresses of trees in an Abrams tank. Then blow these fuckers up who dared to take Kaleb.  My fingers start twitching; the stress I’ve been under is becoming an addiction, a devotee to my life for the past few weeks, and I want it gone.  It may never leave my side.  Hell, I may be on medication for the rest of my life, especially if things work out between Kaleb and I. 

That single, one-syllable word ricochets throughout my body like I hope one of my bullets does soon through Kaleb’s captors.  I shouldn’t be thinking about anything else right now, except the plan we have to get him out of there.  I know he’s here.  I feel him.  My need to be close to him and save him is blinding me right now.  I’ve been as strong as I could be throughout all of this, and now when I should be resilient to anything... that's when the tears threaten to fall. 

“You hanging in there, Elliott?” Harris whispers, nudging my side.

“I’m good.  I want this done.”  I even try to sound confident.  Both of us know good and well I’m far from it right now.  Hell, in the time we’ve known each other, I’ve always been the most confident bitch alive, but today…Today is different.

“Fuck.  Someone’s flipped on a light in the house,” Harris says with hope.  God, let whomever the hell it is take us right to Kaleb.  I find myself grinning, now hoping I'll get the opportunity to kill because I'm craving it. 

“We need to wait for the go-ahead from Kase, Jade.”  Does he think I’m an idiot?  I know that. Just because I’m antsy doesn't mean I’m going to shoot bullets into the thick goddamn air.

“Where the hell are they? They should all be here by now.” Harris, Jackson, Steele, and I took off through the woods. While Jackson and Steele kept going deeper to guard and get into position on the other side of the house, the two of us stopped here.  This is taking too damn long.  The thought of it being Kaleb hanging there has tears once again stinging my eyes.  My heart is barely beating; its own repair depends on what we find when the moment strikes for us to move in.  Hurry the hell up.  Someone make a damn move.

I adjust my scope when I finally see movement inside the house.  This place is a fucking dump.  The poor, barely-there structure would be better off burned to the ground.

Lights flicker on outside just before two men walk out in soldier's uniforms.  I wince when I see one of them with the American flag stitched on the upper side of his arm.  I damn near combust internally.  If there is one single American who has anything to do with this at all, they will pray to the god above that they were born anywhere except the United States by the time I’m done with them. 

“Motherfucker,” Harris hisses.  His voice is pained with the realization of what's happening.

“What?”  I'm instantly horrified by his response.  I aim my scope and watch their every move as they lead me right to my worst nightmare. 

“No.”  I shake my head.  My entire body goes into tremors when I see the lonely figure hanging from a large limb of a tree just like Ricardo said.

“What the hell have they done to him?”  Harris continues to whisper in a voice filled with a similar hatred to my own.

It’s Kaleb.  I know it.  His head is hung low and his arms are pulled tight by a rope above his head.  This is the first time looking through my scope that I wish I wasn’t seeing the sight before me.  The night they took him comes rushing back to me.  Even though I barely understood the words they were saying, there was no way to misread the anger and hatred they had for Kaleb.  We left him to this fate.  I will never forgive myself for this.

They have beaten the hell out of him.  He’s naked.  The man I love is fucking naked and hanging from a tree. 

The sight before me makes me sick.  Yes, for the exact reason that it’s the man I love.  He's the man I’m here to bring home with me and so very far away from this shit I'm seeing today. 

“Harris.  Please tell me he’s breathing.  I’m sorry.  I’m losing it here,” I whisper the truth.  I'm fucking losing it.  Everything I’ve learned ceases to exist right now.  I need to know.  And yet, I can't look.  Seeing him like this is ripping my heart out.  This marks the second time in my short-lived life that I’ve had my heart traumatized.  I can't breathe.  The first was when my brother died, and now this.  Seeing a man so strong hanging there, lifeless, all bloodied and abused.   
How could they do this?

I focus on pulling my shit together.  Then I focus through the scope and set a target directly on the chest of the man closest to Kaleb.  There are three men, and I know I could take them all within a few seconds.  I just need the clear.  We need to know what’s inside that house and in the surrounding area.  I get how Kase wants to make sure this all goes down like it’s supposed to, but if one of these fuckers touches him, I’m shooting.  I’ll blow their fucking head right off their disgusting body and enjoy every minute of it.

They all seem to be talking and laughing like this is a joke.  I watch them all walk up to Kaleb and keep watching as each one of them pull out their dicks like they’re going to take a piss, all of them aiming at him.  This is it.  I'm fucking done, and I don't give two shits what anyone says. They are done torturing him. Their lives are over. I lower my scope and fire hitting him straight in the dick.  Then I do it again.  Before I can hit the third one, he turns away, so I hit him in his ass before he has the chance to take a step.  They fall to the ground, and I hear pissed-off voices in my headphones as they scream for everyone to move now. 
Fucking finally.

I put the strap of my rifle over my shoulder and pull it tight against my body before I run straight for Kaleb.  The others will have my back even though I hear them calling my name through my earpiece.  I will not stand by and watch anyone piss on one of my guys, especially my guy. 

As I get closer, I see our American flag spread across the ground below him, but my eyes are searching for movement from Kaleb.  He’s just hanging there, and my heart is screaming at his hopefully beating heart to show me he’s alive.  Give me a sign, Kaleb.  Give me a fucking sign.  Inhale, exhale.  Scream in pain.  Anything to let me know you're still here with me.

My footing is quick, and I jump over broken branches the entire way.  I catch a glimpse of Harris to my right and speed up along with him.  Two men exit the house, and I hear two shots echo through the air right after, so I'm only guessing there'll be more.

I don't stop to think.  I'm aware I'm acting on impulse right now and a sniper shouldn't be running in like this.  It's a good thing I'm good at many things.  I draw my pistol to the front of my body and aim at the guy I shot in the ass trying to crawl away from Kaleb’s feet.  Sending a bullet straight through his head, I scan the other two for any movement, but they're not even trying to move.  Good.  Rot in hell, you sick fucks.

My focus is back on Kaleb as soon as my feet come to a stop.  My eyes water at the sight of his wounds, and my heart hurts so fucking bad I can hardly move.

His head hangs low, and if I didn't recognize his tattoos, I'd never know this is him.  He's been beaten beyond recognition, and an overwhelming rush of anger flows through my body.

Harris goes straight for Kaleb’s restraints with his knife, working to free him, and I move in to hold his lifeless body.  He's so cold.  The night is hot, but he's cold.  “Kaleb, baby.  I'm here.”  My eyes race over him for any fucking sign he's still with me.  “Please, god.  Please, don't take him from me.”  Tears roll down my face, and I blink past them, trying to see him completely.  Harris finally breaks the tension of the ropes, and his weight falls into my arms.  It takes everything I have to hold him as I drag him a few feet from the bloody, piss-covered flag beneath him.  Harris helps me with his heavy, lifeless body, and we both fall to the ground with him at the sound of gunshots at our backs.  I check for his pulse on the side of his neck right away, and thank god, I find one.

“Fuck.  Elliott.  Tell me he's alive.  I've got to kill these motherfuckers.”  Harris pulls out his gun and begins to fire toward the house.

“There’s a heartbeat.”  My eyes land on his swollen lids, and I let my fingers brush his face.  He's covered in mud, blood, blisters, and there are open wounds all over his body.  I'm afraid to touch him, but I have to, so I keep my fingers near his neck.  It seems to be the least injured, and through the sound of chaos I try to bring calm to him through my touch. 

“Kaleb.  Don't you dare leave me here.  I need you.  You promised me that fucking vacation.”  His eyelids flicker slightly, and I wish I could see his blue eyes.  His lips move to say something, but nothing comes out.

The air is silent again, and Harris turns to look at Kaleb.  He takes his shirt off and covers Kaleb’s body in an attempt to spare him the embarrassment of this situation.  Kaleb winces with every touch from us, and I start to worry how we’ll ever get him out of here.

“Stay with me, brother.”  Harris runs his hand over Kaleb's forehead, and I hear the rustle of many boots approaching.  The team is surrounding us now as they all watch the entire area, guns drawn and ready to fire at anything that moves.

“Fuck.”  The word comes out of his mouth as a near growl, but it comes out.  Kaleb’s swollen eyes pull together tighter, and I move closer to his ear.

“Please be strong.  I promise to make it worth your while.  We have so much left to do, Kaleb.  Just stay with me.”  The guys start to talk behind me, and I catch the end of what they're saying.

“It's not a great plan, but it's a fucking plan.  We need to get him the hell out of Mexico and to a hospital that can take care of him.  He's going to need care here though.  And probably a few days of recovery before we move him back to the States.”  Jackson and Kase crouch down behind me as I'm still lying beside Kaleb.  Harris hasn't moved either, and we both work to cover him and protect him in case someone else is alive and tries to shoot him.

“The house is clear.”  Steele’s voice rings through the night air, and I feel the guys relax just slightly.  “I count twelve bodies.  We’re going to need to move now.”

“The truck is five miles out.  It'll be a few minutes,” someone rumbles out.

“Stand watch so I can stabilize him.”
 
Bullet moves in and crouches as Harris stands to his feet. His determined eyes scan our surroundings, and I find comfort in knowing they're all on watch, while I focus on Kaleb.

I want to feel relieved I have Kaleb near me, but just looking at him, I can tell he's in so much pain.

“Alright, Ice.  Move your ass.  I need in here.”  I move to let Bullet inspect him.  “Fuck.”  Bullet practically growls his frustration.  The look on his face as he takes in all of Kaleb’s injuries tells me what I already know.  This is brutal.

“Goddamn it, Kaleb, stay still.” Fucking Bullet. “Where is she?” I cringe and damn near pass out from the pain shooting across my entire body.

“I’m right here.”
Jade. Thank fuck.
I wish like hell I could see her clearly, but damn, I’m struggling to open my eyes. My lids are heavy and my vision is blurred.  If I didn’t hear my team rustling around, I would swear my head was half hanging off of my neck by the way it feels. I feel like shit. Like I’m halfway to hell and only the sound of her sweet voice is holding me back.

My mind drifts in and out. I’m conscious, then I’m not, but I know Jade is here.

“I’ll carry his ass.” I hear the deep rumbling of Jackson’s voice.

I can’t talk. My throat is raw and dry, and I’m fighting like I’ve never fought before to stay conscious, so I can be alert.

The last thing I remember before the beautiful sound of her voice and the sweet smell of gunpowder were my brother’s threats.

Did they kill the piece of shit? Damn it, I need to know.

“He’s stabilized, but hell, we have to get him to the hospital. Where the hell is Steele with that chopper?” Bullet is barking orders loudly, and I wish I had it in me to tell him to shut the fuck up, so I can hear her. He doesn’t know how to tone down his voice when he’s excited.

“Are you positive he’s strong enough to make the trip? Or should we take him to a hospital here?” There she is. My brave girl. I need to see her to know if this is real, or if I’m hallucinating on my fucked-up trip to hell.  I blink, trying to force my eyes open again. My eyes are drier than the damn desert we are in, but damn it, they open. Barely.

“Kaleb,” she speaks softly. I continue to work my eyes up and down repeatedly until I’m staring into the eyes of the most stunning woman I will ever see in my life. She’s a sight for these strained, sore eyes. A vision I’ve held on to since the last time I saw her up close.

“Fucking tell me this shit is real?” I bite out, only to go into a coughing fit that practically dislodges my windpipe from my lungs.  “I’m right here. We all are. Don’t try to talk.” On a normal day, the warmth from her hand in mine would be enough to calm me down, but not tonight.

“I need water,” I choke out. “There’s some right here.” I follow her movements with my eyes. I’ll admit to anyone I’m scared to have her out of my sight. Knowing she’s safe is all the medicine I need right now. Fuck going to the hospital.

Jade is calm and seems so delicate when she helps me lift my head, bringing a bottle of water to my lips. It’s cold and feels good going down my throat, until I start coughing again. The small sips she’s giving me keep dribbling down my chin.

“Baby, please. I can’t imagine how you feel, but for me, close your eyes and rest. Steele should be here any minute. You’re safe. I have you and we're going home.” Call me a pussy, a dick, or a spineless bastard, I really couldn’t give a fuck, but hearing her call me baby along with the love in her voice is enough for me not to argue with her.

Hell, one minute, my body feels the fire from every stinging strike from being whipped and punched, then the next, I feel like I’m lying naked in a tub of ice. I smile at the thought of the word ice. Her call name. I drift back to sleep, warm this time instead of freezing and shivering, because the next time I’m lying naked it sure as fuck isn’t going to be hanging from a damn tree.  It’s going to be inside of her.

I wake from a nightmare, or is it reality? I’m not sure. Desperation sets in as I try to figure that out. I can’t lift my arms or move my feet. “What the fuck?” I yell while I try to adjust my eyes to the blinding lights.

“Hey, calm down. You're going to be okay. We’re back in the States in a hospital in San Antonio.” Jade’s once again at my side. Christ almighty. I’ve never wanted to see anyone like I do her now. She literally takes my breath away. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she has a little makeup on her face. Her low-cut tank top shows the cleavage to her perfect tits, and my fucking cock twitches in perfect timing to show me it still works after all the torture. Well, fuck, at least I know being hit and punched in my dick didn’t break it.  Now, I can say this is a dream come true, not a nightmare.  I prayed for days to see her again, even if it was like this.

“I’m calm.” I try to lift my hands up in surrender, but they won’t budge.

“You have an IV in your arm. Stay still, damn it.” She places my arm back straight and I wince slightly from the tightness of my skin. I’m all kinds of fucked up. Now that I’m awake, I have questions. A hell of a lot of them. Questions I’m not ready to ask yet because I’m afraid of the answers. 

Plus, I don’t want to interrupt her smell invading my nose. There were moments I thought I’d never see her again. Let alone have the chance to inhale her sensual smell. God, it sucks not to be able to move and touch her like I so badly want to. I’m desperate, half groggy, and one horny fucker with her this close to me.

“If you’re my nurse, then I demand you take your clothes off.” The look she gives me lets me know that isn’t going to happen.

“I need to get the doctor in here.” She stands, leaning over me, and those damn tits of hers are right in my face. I’m going to kill her for this. No, I take that back. I’m going to fuck those tits and tease her while I hold back a release from her on purpose, as a punishment for taunting me like this.

“What?” The innocent look on her face would make a normal man believe she has no idea what she’s doing, but I’m not normal. Far from it.

“You put those tits in my face again, and I don’t give a fuck if I’m in a hospital or not, nor do I care I have an IV in my arm. I’ll rip the fucker out. Then I’ll tear that barely-there shirt off of you and slide my cock between your tits. Then I’ll glide it straight into your mouth, where you can say you’re fucking sorry.”

“I hate to break this to you, Sir. You won’t be using that big dick of yours for a long time. Although,” she leans in close, her shiny lips within a few inches of mine. “There’s no need to try to get all alpha on me and punish me for anything.  I’ll glide you into my mouth without any encouragement from your pissed-off mouth.” Before I can respond, a man in blue scrubs walks in.

“Glad to see you awake, Kaleb. I’m Doctor Weiss.” He saunters in and sits in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from Jade with what I assume is my chart in his hand.

“Tell me when I can get the hell out of here.” I’m assuming he’s paying attention to Jade and not me by the way he’s staring at her.  If this little shit doesn’t take his eyes off of my woman, wrapped up and bruised body or not, I’m going to beat his ass before I shove those nerdy glasses down his throat and stick my foot up his ass.

“Kaleb. You’ll go home when you're healed and not a damn day before. Sorry about this grumpy ass here; he seems to have woken up without any manners. Please, carry on.” She smiles at him, and I nearly growl. I’m lying here flat on my back, unable to move, and she’s flirting with some jock of a doctor. Oh, hell no.  I’ll remember this, and when I do, I’ll have her on her knees, begging for me to forget it. 

At least I know I’m feeling better.  I’m back to my barbaric ways when it comes to this woman. 
Damn, Jade, you have no idea what you do to me.

“It’s fine, Mrs. Maverick. He’s been through quite a bit.” Mrs. Maverick? The doctor carries on, telling me all the bullshit I don’t need to hear.  I can feel where my injuries are.  I felt every one of them as I endured that hell.

While I was out for almost a week, they have hydrated me and cleaned my wounds. I had to be stitched up in several places. They kept me knocked out just to help me tolerate the pain.  Now that I’m coherent, they would like to test my pain tolerance to see if they need to increase my dosage or not. He continues on about every damn organ in my body, from my head to my toes.  I’m trying to register what he’s saying. However, the only thing I’m registering out of all of this is why the hell he addressed her as Mrs. Maverick.

“Where the hell are you going, Mrs. Maverick?” I ask Jade the second the doctor leaves the room. I love saying that. Although, Jade Maverick sounds better.

“You need to settle down. A lot of things have happened in the week you've been here.” She smirks when she talks. Damn her, that jealousy I felt is gone. I need her lips on mine. She can fill me in later. Fuck everything else for a while. I’ve missed her.

“You need to kiss me,” I demand and challenge her to come closer.  I’m hurting all over, but something tells me Jade is all the medication I need. I push myself up, avoiding showing her how much anguish my body actually feels, while I grab her by the back of the neck and pull her in for a kiss I’ve been thinking about for far too long.  The cord from my IV pulls my tight skin, but I don’t give a shit. I need her oxygen to be able to breathe.

Her lips are soft and she smells delicious. I could kiss her entire body right now. She slowly moves her tongue over my lips, and I still to a completely frozen state just to let her slowly kiss me.  We remain face-to-face, and both of us open our eyes to look deep into each other’s.  I know I look like shit to her, but I can feel her looking into me.  She feels what I feel inside, and this is the first time in my life I’ve felt this kind of connection with someone.  I let my eyes move over her and internally thank god for letting me touch her once more.                      

Civilian casual looks so good on her.  I know she’s lost sleep and has been worried about me, but honestly, after everything I’ve been through, she couldn’t look bad to me.  But shit, if she’s not so far from that side of the scale and causing all sorts of craziness in my heart.  It’s amazing to want something so bad that it’s the very thing that keeps you alive.  I’ve got my chance with her, and as I close my eyes and softly kiss her again, I know I’ll do anything for her.  Anything.  I had no idea how hard I had fallen for her until I was held hostage.  I knew she had gotten to me, but the shit I was thinking about while hanging from that tree was far from the realm of possibilities in my mind before Mexico.                         

“I love you, Jade.”  She sits back and looks at me, not saying a word as I continue.  I run my hand down her arm and try to say the right words to let her know just how much I need her.  “You saved me out there.”

“I tried.”

“No, you did.  It was you I talked to every time I spoke, even if it was all just in my own head.  I felt you there with me.  I knew you were hurting, and I kept fighting because I knew you wanted me to.  You gave me a reason to stay, Jade.”  A small tear slides down her cheek, and I move to stop it.  This is supposed to be a great fucking day, and I’m in here, making her cry.

“Kaleb.  You scared me.  I thought I had lost you, and my heart hurt so damn bad.  I can’t deal with losing you like that.” She’s whimpering now, and I can tell she’s on the verge of breaking down. It kills me seeing her like this.

“You won’t have to. I’m not going anywhere for a very long time.  I’m going on a very long fucking vacation and plan to take you with me as soon as I can break out of here.” That draws a smile from her gorgeous face.

“You know I’ll have to go back soon. I’ve talked to my superior several times. I’m good with more R&R, considering everything that’s happened, but I do have to report in when we get back. I guess there’s a shit ton of paperwork before I can do anything.  I’ll have to do that, and then we can go from there. They know it’s been a rough several weeks, so I’m good for a few more if we stay local in the States for sure.  I’m not being called to duty for at least a month.”  I can’t comprehend that right now.  I don’t want to talk about what we’ll do when that happens.  It doesn’t matter when it is, I won’t be ready to let her go.

“I know you do, but I promised you a trip and we are taking one.”  Maybe if I sound demanding enough, it’ll work.

“How about Bali?”  Holy shit, that sounds perfect.  Of course, I’d say anything is perfect compared to this hospital in southern Texas.

“Tell Kase, and he’ll get us out of here.  That fucker can plan anything.”

“That is very romantic.  Have your friend plan our trip, while you just lie around here and bark orders.” There’s my sarcastic girl.  She smiles and leans in for another kiss, and I watch her soften again before my eyes.  She runs her fingers through my hair and pulls her mouth from mine, allowing only about an inch of space between us.

“Kaleb Maverick.  Fire.  Commander. Sir.  Whatever it is you want me to call you.  I love you too.”  There’s a knock at the door, interrupting her, but she kisses me once more before she stands.  “And if you ever fuck around on me, I’m going to shoot you in the dick just like I did those other guys.  So think about that as you move forward from here.”  I watch her ass through my swollen eyes and smile.  That’s my ass.  That’s my woman.  Even with that feisty fucking mouth, I wouldn’t change one single thing about her.