Freefall (16 page)

Amy watched him sitting there in the moonlight. Suddenly he looked so serious. “What can you tell me about what you do? I mean, besides rescuing hostages and preventing terrorist attacks.”

Brent shrugged. “That pretty much sums it up. We also spend a lot of time training so that when something does happen we're ready. My unit was specifically created to stay on the East Coast, and there are other SEAL teams that are based out of California. That way no matter where something happens, the military has the right expertise somewhere close by.”

“Where will you go from here?”

“We've got a temporary assignment at Quantico for the next few months. Then we'll head back to Virginia Beach. What about you?”

“Day after tomorrow we're going to fly to Miami to visit my brother Matt and his family for a few days. Then we'll go back to Virginia.” Amy looked up at the clear sky, wishing this time with Brent would never end. She could feel reality coming too quickly as she asked, “When will you leave?”

“Sometime next week.”

Amy hesitated but forced herself to ask, “Will I see you when you get back to Virginia?”

Rather than answer her, Brent shifted closer. Softly he ran his fingers through her hair, watching as her eyes darkened under the moonlit sky. He stared down at her, memorizing every little detail so that he could pull the memory out to warm him on the cold, lonely nights that were sure to come. Her eyes were questioning, her skin pale in the moonlight.

He lowered his lips to hers and brushed them softly, once, then twice. She leaned into the kiss, and he felt like he might drown right there even though water was miles away. He felt her sweetness and her strength as he let her kiss seep through him. He had thought he knew what to expect, but something was different, something he couldn't identify.

She pulled back, uncertainty in her eyes.

“I should get you back.” Brent stood and held out a hand. Together they moved through the darkness, both wondering what tomorrow would bring.

Brent didn't settle into a deep sleep until five minutes before someone reached down to shake him awake.

“Come on, Miller. Time to get up.” Tristan's voice broke through Brent's foggy, dream-filled mind.

“Go away,” Brent mumbled. “We have today off, remember?”

“Not anymore.” Tristan picked up Brent's shirt and tossed it at him. “We're wheels up in fifteen minutes.”

Brent sat up, forcing himself awake. “What?”

“Kel said he'd brief us on the plane. Grab your gear.”

“This isn't happening.” Brent swung his legs over the side of the bed, grateful that he had showered the night before. He quickly dressed, packed his things, and then grabbed his cell phone. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was only six in the morning, but he pressed speed dial for Amy's number anyway. He waited anxiously as it rang and rang and rang. Her voice mail came on just as Quinn's footsteps sounded in the hall.

“Come on!” Quinn called from the doorway. “We've only got three minutes!”

“I'm coming,” Brent shouted back and hung up the phone. Though it took some effort, he forced Amy from his mind and grabbed his gear.

* * *

She should have known. She had seen how fast he could vanish right in front of her eyes, but still she had let herself believe that Brent was just a normal guy, someone who made her feel like the world was a place made just for them. She still wasn't sure what to make of his almost voice mail message. All day she had waited for him to call back, but her phone never rang.

She had gone through a series of debriefings, as had her father and brother. Reluctantly, she had relinquished the phone Kel had given her to the base commander. She then joined her father and brother on a military transport for the first leg of their journey. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Amy had slept most of the way home. Her dad woke her during their commercial flight so she could eat, but she only picked at her food.

Frustration that she had not heard from Brent had turned to anxiety when she found that his whole unit had left just hours after she had seen him last. Anxiety had settled into worry and apprehension. She knew what his missions could be like and prayed that she would hear soon that he was home safe. Following that thought was the realization that she might not even know when he got home.

All her life she had liked to be in control of her own destiny, to plan out her future. She wasn't sure exactly when Brent had become more important than planning for tomorrow, but as she moved through the airport with her dad and brother, she knew she would much rather have uncertainty in her life if it meant Brent could be a part of it.

Amy tried to shake off her mood as she climbed into the back seat of a taxi. They had taken an earlier flight than they had originally planned, arriving at five in the morning. Rather than call Matt in the middle of the night, Jim had opted to take a cab and surprise the rest of the family with an early arrival.

Amy looked out the window as they drove through Miami. Palm trees swayed in the warm breeze, and she could smell the ocean. Everything looked so peaceful and blessedly normal, yet somewhere in the world something was happening that had taken Brent away from her. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions, a sense of emptiness settling deep within her.

They turned the corner toward her brother's house and Amy sat up a little straighter. “What time is it?”

“A little after six,” Jim answered.

“Do you think they'll even be up?” Charlie asked.

“There's only one way to find out,” Jim replied. He paid their driver and then helped Charlie get their bags from the car. A moment later he rang the doorbell.

Only a minute passed before the door swung open and CJ's gray eyes lighted with surprise. “You're home!”

CJ moved to hug Amy, and then she hugged Charlie and Jim in turn. “Come in, come in.” She pointed to a hallway off to the side. “Just leave your bags there and make yourselves comfortable. Matt won't be home for a couple hours—he had an away game last night. But I'll go tell Katherine that you're here.”

“You don't have to wake her,” Amy said.

“If I didn't, she'd never forgive me.” CJ passed through the kitchen and started up the steps of a closeted stairway. “I'll be right back.”

A couple minutes later footsteps sounded on the main staircase. Katherine came rushing in, the ties of her robe flapping behind her. Tears were in her eyes as she moved straight to Amy and pulled her into her arms. Neither of them spoke as a minute passed into two. Finally Katherine pulled back and looked up into her daughter's face. “I am so glad you're home.”

“Me too,” Amy said. She very nearly believed it.

* * *

“Something's bothering her,” Charlie commented as he watched Matt flip hamburgers on the grill in the backyard in preparation of their Memorial Day feast.

“Charlie, she was held hostage, had to walk for days through the desert, and then helped stop a terrorist attack.” Amazement filled Matt's voice even as he said the words he knew to be true. “You can't really expect her to get over all of that so quickly.”

“I don't, but that isn't what's bothering her,” Charlie insisted. “You didn't see her in Italy. She worked with those Navy SEALs like she had been part of their unit for years, not hours.”

“Maybe she's having some sort of delayed reaction,” Matt suggested as he opened up a package of hotdogs and started adding them to the grill.

“I think what she's having is a broken heart,” Charlie told him. “She really fell for the guy that got her out of Abolstan. Ever since he shipped out without telling her, she's been down.”

“Maybe we need to find this guy and intimidate him.”

“He doesn't intimidate easily.” Charlie sat down in one of the deck chairs. “Not to mention that no one knows where he is.”

“No wonder she's upset.” Matt turned to see the patio door open and watched Amy walk outside. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she had on only a light dusting of makeup covering up the freckles that were sprinkled across her nose. Not for the first time, Matt thought she could have been a model. Between her height and her natural beauty, he had little doubt she would have succeeded in the career, but she hadn't been interested in such things.

Amy crossed to her brothers. “CJ wants to know how long until dinner.”

“Just a couple minutes,” Matt told her.

Charlie stood and offered Amy his seat. “Here, sit down. I'll go tell her.”

Amy saw the look pass between her brothers, but she sat down anyway. As Charlie went inside, Amy turned to Matt. “I gather he told you about Brent.”

“Is that his name?”

“Lieutenant Brent Miller, U.S. Navy,” Amy said flatly. “I'm sorry, but I don't know his serial number.”

Matt turned and held his hands up. “Hey, I'm not trying to chase the guy away. Heck, I haven't even met him yet.”

“It's not likely that you ever will.” Amy's eyes misted and she tried to fight it.

“Come here.” Matt reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I'm just worried about you.”

“I know. I'm sorry.” Amy sniffed back most of the tears. “I just don't understand how out of all the guys in the world I have to fall for one who leads an impossible life, one who will probably never have room for someone like me.”

Matt laughed. He couldn't help it. “Hey, you're talking to the expert on difficult relationships here,” he said. He leaned back so he could look into his sister's face, then reached out and brushed away a stray tear. “If it's meant to be, you'll find a way.”

Amy sighed, pointing to the grill in an effort to distract him. “You're going to burn the hot dogs.”

“I've got it covered.” Matt stepped over and loaded up the serving plate with hamburgers and hot dogs. “I hope you realize that just because you're in love with this guy doesn't mean I don't get the chance to play big brother and make sure he's worthy of you.”

As Amy's face paled, he took her hand and led her inside.

* * *

“Since when are you a Florida Marlins fan?” Kel sat down next to Brent in the officer's club and motioned for the waitress.

“Is there something wrong with kicking back and watching a ball game?” Brent asked, avoiding Kel's question.

“I'm just wondering what's going on with you since the Nationals game is on in the other room.” Kel looked up at the waitress. “I'll take a Sprite.”

Brent remained silent.

“Have you talked to her since we got back?” Kel picked up his soda and took a sip.

“Talked to whom?” Brent kept his face deliberately blank.

“Oh, come on, Brent.” Kel hooked an arm over the back of his chair and shifted to look at him. “We all know you're hooked on Amy Whitmore. Why aren't you on the phone right now planning when you can see her again?”

“Because there's no point in seeing her again.” Brent's voice was low, but regret hummed through it.

Kel shook his head in confusion. “You're going to have to explain that one to me. You like her, she likes you. Heck, she's even LDS. What's the problem?”

“You tell me.” Brent turned on him, anger in his voice now. “How does your wife like it when you disappear for weeks, sometimes months at a time?” He dropped his head into his hands. “I can't do that to her. I just can't.”

“Look, I've made enough mistakes in the marriage department for both of us. Don't give up on your own chance for happiness because I did it the hard way.”

“How can you say that?” Brent pushed on, looking up again. “How can any woman actually want to be married to someone with a career like ours?”

“I don't know. I married one who didn't,” Kel admitted. “She thought I would give up this life, and I thought she loved me enough to let me keep it. It's been generally miserable all the way around for both of us, but that's both of our faults. We didn't talk about it before we got married. Not really.”

Again Brent fell silent.

With a shake of his head, Kel pushed back from the table. He took two steps before he turned back. “By the way, church is at ten tomorrow.”

Brent nodded and turned his attention back to the television. A few minutes later Matt Whitmore walked to the plate. Brent watched as the pitcher had him on the verge of a strikeout and then threw the wrong pitch. Matt slammed it high over the left field fence. The camera stayed on the field as he rounded the plate behind his two teammates who were already on base.

He had hoped that the camera would flash to Matt's family in the stands and maybe give him a glimpse of Amy. She had said she was going to spend a few days in Florida before heading back to Virginia. That had only been four days ago.

With a shake of his head, he ordered another soda and settled back to wallow in his misery.

Amy followed her escort through the maze of hallways in the Pentagon, finally arriving at Admiral Mantiquez's office. Amy had returned home to Virginia the night before to find that the admiral wanted to meet with her as soon as possible. Now here she was at eight o'clock on a Tuesday morning wondering what in the world this man could possibly want with her.

“Amy Whitmore?” The admiral moved to shake her hand and motioned for her to sit down, then closed the door behind her. He wasn't very tall, probably an inch or so shorter than Amy, and his dark hair was mostly gray. He smiled at her as he moved to sit down behind his enormous desk. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice.”

“Your message said it was important,” she said simply, smoothing her skirt over her knees.

“I know you went through a series of debriefings in Italy, but I hoped that you could clear a few things up for me,” he began.