A SEAL at Heart (22 page)

The water looked black. If the RIB turned over in the water, it would be up to Jack to save her. She wouldn’t know which way to swim to reach the shore. An empty water bottle bounced around the RIB, threatening to fly over the side into the water. She watched it for a few seconds and then secured it under a strap.

The look on Jack’s face was pure excitement. He loved this.
Get
it
together, Laurie. Enough drama. Just do your damned job!

Taking a deep breath, she stowed her uncertainty and gave him her best “I’m on board!” smile. He nodded at her and then went back to his compass and instruments.

The boat curved smoothly to the right, then the left, and back to the right again. Water splashed in her face, jarring her out of her musings.
Thank
you, God! I needed that!

She was grateful for the wet wake-up call as she wiped the salt water from her eyes and cheeks just in time to get another wet smack. Shifting her weight toward the center of the boat, she tried to avoid the next jolt of the RIB on the waves. She came to the conclusion that she was just destined to be wet and gave up as the next splashes of water soaked her shirt.

Jack didn’t take his eyes off the ocean as he maneuvered them through the waves. He was in his element, the captain of the sea, and the RIB was moving so swiftly that it didn’t look like he would slow down for King Neptune himself. This SEAL was driven.

She stared at him, bathed in darkness and looking like some avenging angel. Her feelings were overwhelming. He was one very intense, seriously hot turn-on.

“Nice night.” She smiled at him.

“Oh, yeah.” His answering grin was pure sea wolf.

The inky darkness of the night sky seemed to swallow everything around them. The nighttime fog had already descended on the top of the water, and the clouds kept the moonlight and stars at bay. According to
Papa
Gich’s Bedtime Stories for Small Children
, this was the perfect time for an Op.

A strange feeling came over her. Exhilaration. Excitement. Anticipation. She was living an experience that thousands could only dream of. It was amazing!

She leaned into the next wave as Jack sailed the RIB over it. The splash made her laugh out loud. He looked back at her and winked.

Yeah, this is great!

“Go faster,” she yelled.

He heard her and cranked up the speed. If anyone had seen them, they would have witnessed twin grins of pleasure.

Suddenly, he slowed. “We’re almost there. Hang on!” Jack spoke without taking his eyes off the upcoming landmass. The boat came to a crawl. She’d stopped holding on and tumbled forward, landing spread-eagled on the bottom of the boat.

Water had gathered on the bottom of the RIB, instantly soaking her clothes all the way down to her panties. She wasn’t a sissy girl by any means, though when her underwear got wet, that was a childhood signal that it was time to go home. Tough PJs! She was wearing big-girl panties, and they would dry.

The engine stopped. Carried forward on the momentum and by the motion of the waves, the RIB lifted up and down again and again until it connected with a lurch to the sandbar.

“Oh, good, you’re sitting. I was going to suggest you do that while I haul the RIB into shore.” One minute he was speaking softly against her ear and the next he had slipped over the side and was tugging the boat quietly up onto the sand.

Marveling at his expertise as he pulled the RIB in rhythm with the waves, she was mesmerized by the man. His efforts were pure genius—by using the tides coming into shore, he conserved his strength and minimized the noise. He was Hercules, bringing his maiden ashore.

Laurie grinned and stood up in the boat. As she started to step over the side onto the beach, Jack materialized by her side, molding his arms around her. His wet body soaked hers more thoroughly and she began to squirm. “Stop,” he whispered and then he kissed her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back, rubbing her body against his. The kiss turned hot and wild, and she felt her body aching for his.

A light shone down on the boat from a helicopter overhead, and then just as quickly, it moved away and disappeared.

He broke the kiss. “I was hoping for that. The timing was right on the dot.”

“What?” She was puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

“We took a Team boat, so if we were caught, any guards would think we’re here for some slap and tickle.” Jack grabbed her bag and gently took her elbow, guiding her toward the trees. He secured a rope to a tree, assuring the boat would not be pulled out to sea by the current, she supposed, and then he was assisting her up a makeshift path.

“Have you done this before?” asked Laurie, feeling a little suspicious.

“No. But I have inside Intel. Don did it all the time with Sheila. He shared a few secrets about this place.” Jack released her elbow, transferring his support by taking her hand. “Come on.”

Laurie was silent as they walked through the trees. Moonlight illuminated the path in patches. The eeriness made her heart race. Was this what it was like for Jack on a mission?

Her foot crushed a dead branch, making a loud snapping noise.

He whirled around and looked at her.

So
much
for
being
sneaky! I suck at this.

Jack, God bless him, didn’t seem fazed. Instead, he calmly guided her around the other noisemakers, showing her how to pick out the better path.

“Thanks,” she whispered after they were past the obstacles.

He smiled and then he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently and yet firmly up the path of soft dirt. The thicket of trees was suddenly past and they were out in the open as they climbed a hill.

Fat gray clouds obstructed the moonlight, leaving only an inky blackness. Clutching the strap of the backpack, she allowed him to pull her up the hill. When they reached the top, she was panting from the climb. Looming in the distance was a large shell of a building.

As they drew closer, she could see that it didn’t have any windows, and only a few doors. Nothing was around for miles except for a few trees. Her feet trampled spent brass—bullet casings—as they neared the building, and the smell of gunpowder and something else, crushed leaves and damp earth, made her nose wrinkle.

He dropped his own bag of gear on the ground and took out two dry T-shirts. He handed one to her and kept the other for himself. Stripping his wet one off, he put the dry one on. Pulling out a gun, he put it aside and put their wet shirts in a waterproof gear bag and then stuffed it into his pack.

Laurie stared at the gun. “Uh, Jack. I didn’t know you would be bringing a firearm.”

“My 9mm doesn’t have any bullets,” he said. “I need something familiar in my hand to ground me in realism.”

Nerves smacked her hard. “Show me that there are no bullets.”

He released the magazine and showed it to her, and then he drew back the slide and let her see into the empty chamber. When she seemed satisfied, he reinserted the magazine into the gun and released the slide back. For good measure, he clicked on the safety, though there was nothing in it. “I wouldn’t put you in that kind of position, Laurie. Trust me a little, okay?”

His comment rubbed her wrong. “Listen to me, Jack Roaker, if I didn’t trust you, you never would have gotten back into my bed or my life. Also, I would not be here right now. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Your turn. Show me what you have in there.”

Oh, crap.
She didn’t want him to know what was in there, to see the stuff she’d added. As he lifted his flashlight over her tie-down straps, she knew she’d have to come clean. Her fingers worked the knots until they opened. As she lifted the flap, she said, “Please don’t judge me.”

Jack peered inside and then started to laugh. He lifted out a roll of zebra-striped duct tape. “What’s this for?”

She grabbed it and stuffed it back into the bag. “In case I need to restrain you. There’s zip ties in there, too.”

He shook his head. “I think I get your drift, but those things won’t work on a SEAL.” Digging into his pack, he withdrew a small gun. “Laurie, do you know how to use one of these? It’s loaded with sedatives.”

“Yes.” Her father had collected revolvers, and as a child she had learned about gun safety. Every now and then she went to the shooting range, too, but she’d never been to a place where she might have to actually shoot at a real person instead of a paper target. Nervous energy crawled up her spine.

“I’d rather you didn’t use your pink Taurus .38 on me. That has real bullets, doesn’t it?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but it’s for wild animals. I didn’t know what to expect.” She shrugged.

“Well, don’t wave it around. This is Navy property, and I don’t want to see you get in trouble. Got it?” He pushed a sweater over her pink gun, and then tucked the gun loaded with sedatives into a small hidden pocket under her left arm. “All you have to do is reach, pull, and shoot.”

“I promise not to shoot you unless you’re out of your mind,” she said, nodding her head. But the teasing didn’t alleviate the seriousness of the moment.

“Where is the satellite phone?” he asked.

She pointed to her chest.

“Extra flashlight.”

She pointed to her right hip.

“First-aid kit.”

She looked at him cross-eyed and pointed to her left hip.

“Great.” He adjusted the camera that was secured to the front of her chest strap and then he tightened the waist strap. “Too tight? Too heavy?”

“I’m good to go.”

His kissed her. One brief soft touch and then he moved away, setting up a small hunting blind to shelter her and store their equipment. When he returned, she knew in her gut it was time to begin the mission.

The sky opened up in a cacophony of lightning and rain. It was mesmerizing and for a few minutes all she could do was stare at the sky-savaging flashes. Thunderous waves of energy echoed around her and the wind picked up, blowing trees and bushes around and swirling dust, dirt, and small debris into the air. She was glad to be tucked away, safe in a small hidey-hole far from the area where Jack was working.

Laurie filmed him as he laid out the C-4 and prepared the site, following his every action as he glided through the ground cover. He looked like the Shadow—or some kind of comic-book superhero—as he slid in and out of the darkness. As long as she faced him, the camera mounted on the front of her pack would capture everything he did.

Jack wired up the last of the explosives, made another obsessive safety check and, having confirmed that they were indeed alone, headed toward her. This had been one of the conditions of their plan, as they didn’t want any cannon fodder.

As he neared her—his Teammate—she could see he was wet.
So
much
for
having
changed
clothes.
She sighed.

“Okay. We’re set. I picked this place because it’s a similar terrain to where the incident went down. Also, we practiced for the Sundial Op here.” He looked at her. “Any advice?”

Laurie considered it for a moment. “Let your senses lead you.”

“They always do. Ready?”

She took a deep breath, swallowed the last of her misgivings, looked Jack square in the eye, and nodded.

Boom! Boom! KA-BOOM!

On cue the thunderstorm played into the scene, adding nature’s light and symphonic displays to Jack’s man-made pyrotechnics. The concussive force of the explosions reached them, pressing on their faces and skin. It was followed by the smell of ether, earth, and the distinct odor of the canvas it had been stored in—all of this sensory data carried to them on the storm’s wind. Even the scent of ozone smacked her nostrils.

Jack hefted his sidearm in one hand, dropped into a crouch. He grabbed Laurie’s arm with the other and pulled her forward with him into the darkness.

Nothing makes a man more aware of his capabilities and of his limitations than those moments when he must push aside all the familiar defenses of ego and vanity, and accept reality by staring, with the fear that is normal to a man in combat, into the face of Death.

—Major Robert S. Johnson

Several hours of walking around the area had gained him very little until he accidentally scratched his arm on a rock. It was a superficial wound, but the coppery smell, combined with the dirt and mud and the flashing lights, penetrated the shell. As if a switch had been flipped, he started seeing it in his head and acting it out from the beginning.

The pieces fell into place. He could see himself fast-roping into a clearing in the trees. Felt his feet hitting the ground and at the same time he lifted his gun.

He moved quickly out of the way as Don came down right after him, swiftly and silently taking the spot next to a bush. Lowering himself to one knee, Jack scanned the area. It was standard operating procedure.

Jack’s voice was barely audible as he began to vocalize what he was seeing on the viewing screen of his mind. “From the corner of my eye, I could see Don landing on his feet, like a cat, and lifting his gun. The Team was accounted for; the helicopter took off as we moved into the jungle. Very few animals stirred as we went into stealth mode.” There was a slight grin on Jack’s lips, and then it slowly drifted away. “Except for Seeley, who got friendly with a snake and jumped about a mile out of his boots.

“Other than that one occurrence, no one spoke. There was nothing to say.” Jack crouched down low.

Laurie followed closely behind him. It was odd and yet his comments made her feel like she was right there, on the Op with him. She needed to keep him on track, though. “Unless there’s something important here, speed ahead. Stop when you’re at your goal.”

Jack complied and moved closer to the building. “We’re at the hill overlooking the factory. There is no one around and the place looks deserted. I’m uncomfortable, but I’ve already voiced my doubts about the mission and the Intel. Knotts says over the comm, ‘We don’t change horses in midstream unless something makes us.’” Jack paused, blinking as if he was trying to see or hear more of the scene playing out before his mind’s eye. “But already we spot a few IEDs half-buried in places along the hill.”

“Okay. Then what’s next, Jack?” asked Laurie.

“We noted the path in case we had to return this way and then we made our way single file down to the factory. The rest of the Team goes forward and into the building. Don and I were designated rear security. He was carrying the big gun, tagged the Peacemaker, and I was humping additional ammo as well as my own gear.” Jack took several steps and then stopped. Tilting his head, he looked like he was listening. “We stopped behind an outcropping of rocks. Don and I had a good visual, though there was nothing in sight. Then Pickens and Seeley called us inside.

“Don said, ‘I’m getting spooked by this place. What the hell could be of interest to the brass? No one has been here in months, maybe years.’ Then Don whispered, ‘Jack, you were right to be uncomfortable. Your instincts are dead-on, man. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more support during planning.’”

Jack motioned for her to move ahead and together they entered the building. “I said ‘Thanks, Don. I’ll take that to mean you’re buying the beer when we get home.’ I checked the door. There were no trip wires around it, so I opened it and went in. Don followed me.

“There were layers of dust on the stacks of boxes. I could see six sets of footsteps on the ground in front of me. No one except my Team had been in here for a long time.

“Don tapped me on the shoulder and pointed. About five steps in, something was in the corner—thick shadows. I was using my night-vision goggles, but couldn’t get anything useful. I just knew something was wrong. So, I pulled them off and grabbed my blue light, and that’s when I spotted them… at least a dozen bodies in various states of decay… staked out on poles.

“Some had their skin peeled off. Others had missing teeth or fingers… How had the rest of the Team missed this? The victims had most likely been tortured. There was stuff scattered around: knives, needles, barbed wire, steel bars. Christ, some items were still sticking out of them! God, what a horrific way to go!

“The suits were CIA. I’ve worked with spooks before. They’re pretty identifiable.” Jack took a slow long breath.

“Don’s radio wasn’t working so I used mine to communicate with the rest of the Team.” Jack’s voice was barely audible.

“Jack, what were you afraid of?” asked Laurie.

Jack shook his head as if he didn’t want to answer; her question was throwing him off. The pieces… the pieces were coming together in his head, and he frowned as if he didn’t like the picture that was forming.

His tone changed, going back to reciting the incident. “My Teammates had retraced their steps. Sure enough, they had confirmed seeing more explosive devices, trip wires, et cetera, and had thus far avoided setting them off. Down below were cases of guns and ammunition as well as several million dollars worth of cocaine. It could be a plant, or this could really be someone’s stash.

“There was no way we were going to investigate a booby-trapped building without knowing the area was completely secure. We don’t like surprises.”

He looked at Laurie. “I asked the team, ‘Did you guys see those bodies?’ Nobody answered until Knotts finally said, ‘I’m getting that bad-mojo feeling. We’re scrubbing the rest of the mission. Let’s move.’”

Jack paused and then turned back to the door. His head tilted. “I saw Don turn toward the door, retracing his steps very carefully. He checked the door again. No wires or anything were there, and then he slowly opened it. Don walked about three feet and then the bullets hit him.”

The memories rained down on him then, thick, hot, and fast, knifing him in the gut and knocking him to his knees. “Don’s body danced in the gunfire. I dove onto him, bringing him to the ground. The firefight was going on over his head. The helos were trying to get to the landing zone to extract them, and only one made it as flames consumed the other. The victim of a rocket-propelled grenade. The explosions. The bodies. Everything. Every sight. Sound. Smell. Emotion. And the frustration.” It was all there. His memories. Down to the last grain of sand and sour taste of fear and grief in the back of his throat.
Oh
God! Oh holy, fucking glory.
He knew. He had everything back and the pain was the worst he’d ever felt.

He was panting; his entire body shook with the stress and grief of the memory.

“Jack?”

Strong fingers grabbed Laurie’s forearms, wrapping tight like steely bands. They bruised her but she didn’t care. He drew her close to him. His face was only inches from hers and his eyes searched hers wildly. “I remember. I remember it all, Laurie.” Then he hugged her and she wrapped her arms around him like a vise.

They held each other for a long time. When he broke contact, his face was solemn. “Can you… can you give me… some time?”

She nodded.

He escorted her back to the relative dryness of the blind and made sure she was safely ensconced, and then he walked away. She couldn’t help admiring him for wanting to know the truth and for confronting the pain. A cry cut through the wind and she was instantly on her feet. It took all her will to stop herself from going to him. But she said she would give him time, and she meant to honor that.

Silently, she sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chin, hugging them. She thought of the sorrow he must feel for his best friend, and the trauma he’d had to slog through to find the truth. Her tears fell for him and for the ones who didn’t make it back.

She must have fallen asleep, waiting for him to return, because sometime later she felt Jack move her onto a blanket. Then, he curled up beside her. His heat warmed her. Laurie closed her eyes and sent her love into him, willing him to heal, or at least feel comfort from her presence beside him.

His arms squeezed tight, his breath soft and shallow on her neck as she slipped away into a dream, held safe in his arms.

***

Later on, the rain woke them, forcing them out of the no-longer-waterproof duck blind and into the semidestroyed building. The fine mist of rain had turned into a barrage of wetness as they ran the short distance and settled themselves inside. When lightning fired up the sky again, he turned her toward him and cradled the back of her head. He murmured her name and then kissed her.

Lightning crashed around them, and yet she felt perfectly safe here with him, especially with his arms wrapped tightly around her body.

“I need to get our packs,” he whispered against her mouth.

“So romantic,” she quipped as she watched him run outside. She’d have bet a trip to Hawaii that their shelter would be completely dismantled, too, and nary a trace of it would be identifiable.

“I’m home.” When he came back in, the lightning illuminated him in the door, and he looked like the mythical Thor, God of Thunder and son of Odin.

Stripping his clothes off, he stuffed them into the wet sack, and then he came to her and removed her wet clothing. His tenderness touched her deeply, especially after everything he’d been through. Then he was touching her, smelling her hair, rubbing his cheeks and lips against her throat and breasts until she moved into him, silently asking him to take her.

Pulling a condom from his pack, he sheathed himself. Lifting her up, he turned her away from him, putting her hands on the walls. Gently pushing her feet apart, he played his fingers between her legs, making her juicy and wet until she sighed with want. “Jack.”

Then he turned her around, dropped to his knees, and buried his mouth between her legs, licking and lapping a path to her clit and making her move wildly against him. His tongue tormented the tiny nub over and over as a climax crashed over her senses.

“Yes!” she screamed.

Wetness bathed his face and her thighs as he spread her wider, and he stood and slowly teased his cock at the entrance of her. With one push, he thrust himself into her.

She came again, and as the climax wound down, he began to move in earnest, thrusting in and out, harder and harder, pounding his body into her with an edge that was almost violent and yet reverent. And when the climax hit, they both shouted their release.

The night was not over, though, as Jack laid her on the blanket. He explored her—her breasts, her neck, her hair, and the curve of her rear. They cuddled, touched, kissed, and renewed themselves with each other’s energy.

They didn’t talk about Jack’s experience again that night. Laurie knew he had the answers he’d sought, and she wasn’t going to interrupt the time he needed to process it all. The best thing both of them could do… was live.

***

Morning came too soon for Laurie. Birds chirped and the sun pushed through the window, lighting the barrenness of the old building they had slept in. She loved the outdoors; camping was definitely her thing.

Wrapped around Jack, who was like her own personal heater, she never imagined she could be this warm and see her breath at the same time. The only thing she lacked now was a steamy shower and hot cup of coffee, which weren’t the only two things that woke her up.

“Look at this!” said an unfamiliar voice. “Who’s that hot dame?”

“Jack,” she whispered hurriedly. Laurie’s eyes had sprung wide open. She was awake now and very alarmed. Pulling every piece of clothing within reach on top of her, she rolled away from Jack.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Don’t look!

“What?” asked Jack sleepily, throwing an arm over his eyes. “I know those voices. Don’t worry. They’re fine. Go back to sleep.”

Shoving her feet against his body, she pushed him with all her strength. “Get up, Jack. I’m naked!”

Jack rallied. He sat up and said, “Laribee. Hanks. Good to see you, guys. When did you get back, and who did you piss off to get stuck with morning patrols on the island?” Then he got to his feet and just stood there, shaking hands with the two guys who had discovered them.

Laurie was incredulous. Why didn’t Jack care if his cock was hanging out for the entire world to see? What? Did they just like the fact they had one that much?

“Two weeks ago. Don’t ask about the extra duty. I could live without going through that particular hell again,” said Hanks. “What brings you to Bomb Island?”

“Sorry to interrupt,” said the stockier one with a shit-eating grin. He leaned down and presented a hand to her. “I’m Laribee, ma’am. If you ever get sick of this loser, give me a call. I’ve got more in the, uh, manhood department than this FNG.”

The fact they were teasing each other about being fucking new guys meant they were friends. Only buds teased each other with such callous pleasure.

Despite the lighter mood, Laurie could feel a blush rising from her toes and going up to the top of her head. God, she was a prude when it came to public nudity! Wrapping one arm tightly around the clothes that were pinned in place, she freed a hand and shook his. “Gee, thanks.” Unfortunately, his enthusiastic shake sent her clothes askew and she had to scramble to make sure her, uh, assets were hidden.

“My BUD/S class was two before you. Who is the new guy?” corrected Jack as he stretched. She couldn’t believe he was still just standing there, naked. Why did men look like Highland warriors—all sexy and godlike—and she just wanted another layer to cover up?

“Put me on the list, too, ma’am,” said the taller one. “I’m Hanks. Jeffrey Handel Hanks. No relation to the composer, unless that helps my case.”

“Would you guys get the hell out of here so my lady can get dressed? And for your records, she is
mine
. Got it?” Jack pushed them toward the door, laughing. “Head toward the landing. She’s got a gun, and she’ll use it if you stand there and stare in the window.”

“Crap! I was hoping he wouldn’t think about that,” said Laribee.

“She had nice tits. A really sweet ass, too,” added Hanks.

“Is that anyway to talk about a fellow Team member’s lady?” asked Laribee.