No Woman Left Behind (24 page)

Chapter Forty-Five

Captain Bischoff, Gray, Jason and the others were on hand to greet us when we landed at Camp Lemonnier. An ambulance was waiting and whisked Hulk, Wills, Elvis and a couple other SEALs who had received minor wounds away to the base hospital. Gray practically jumped in my arms, she was so happy to see me.

“You did it.” She spun me around. “It worked. I can’t believe you got Broodryk.”

“
We
got Broodryk. Your assistance was invaluable. We got Muller, too. It was a good day’s work, but we took some serious hits. I hope Wills and Hulk will be okay.”

“I hope so, too. They’ve got a good medical staff here, Lexi. They’ll do everything they can to save them.”

“I know.” We started to walk to the barracks. I desperately wanted a shower, food and six years of sleep.

“I can’t believe how calm and focused you were. So cool under pressure. You never cracked.”

“If you only knew how much that wasn’t true. But thank you anyway.”

She put an arm around my shoulder. “You’re welcome. We did a lot of people a favor today.”

* * *

The flight back to Washington was uneventful, most likely due to the fact that I slept through a lot of it. Wills and Hulk were left at Camp Lemonnier until their injuries permitted them a medical evacuation to Germany and then finally back to the US. The good news was that while both men had suffered serious wounds, they were expected to fully recover. I was beyond relieved.

I’d been told Elvis had significant injuries, too. He suffered from severe dehydration, three broken ribs, a broken nose and cheekbone, a fractured elbow and some internal bruising. Broodryk hadn’t wanted to damage his prize too badly, so Elvis had been spared worse. Of course, I had no idea of the psychological damage he’d suffered and how that would all play out.

Right now, I was simply thankful he was alive. We could work out anything else later.

The medical team at the base wanted to keep him for observation, but Elvis was adamant that he travel back to the States with me. Since he was medically stable enough to do so, the suits in Washington agreed to it.

I sat next to Elvis on the military plane home and introduced him to Gray and all the SEALs. Although Elvis seemed a bit overwhelmed by the attention, he listened intently to Hands’s unabashed embellishment of the actions that led to his release. Even I couldn’t help but laugh in certain places and be charmed by his story, though it had me single-handedly fighting off a group of bloodthirsty militants with my bare hands.

I was coming back from the bathroom at some point during the flight when Hands pulled me down into an empty seat next to him.

“I’d like to ask you something, Keys, before we go our separate ways.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

He bobbed his head toward Gray, who slept with her head back against the headrest, her mouth open. I was pretty sure she was snoring, possibly drooling.

“What do you think about a girl like her and a guy like me?”

“Wait—what? You’re asking for relationship advice from me?”

“Well, you got to know her on the mission. I know she’s way out of my league, but I hoped maybe we’d made some sort of connection.”

For a moment I simply marveled. Hands was asking
me
for relationship advice. I tried to think how to answer appropriately. Instead I asked a question of my own.

“There are leagues?”

He snorted. “Yeah, like classy women and guys like me.”

“Like you?”

“You know, working stiffs.”

“I think you’re classy.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Sure. You are a decorated sniper and quite capable in your job. I’d probably go as far to say you exceed expectations in your work. Plus, you are honest and hardworking. All of those things are classy to me.”

A smile crossed his face. “So, you think I have a chance with her?”

“Does that mean you intend to pursue her?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

I glanced at Gray again. Her head had lolled sideways and she was definitely drooling. “That may be difficult. She hasn’t had many successful relationships in the past.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m batting a thousand in that department either.”

I looked between the two of them. “You know, and it’s really odd for me to say this and even odder that I even
thought
about it in the first place, but I think you two might be good together.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Hey, would you put in a good word for me? That is, if you have any good words to say.”

I considered. “I’ve never put in a good word for anyone before. Until now, that’s been completely outside my area of expertise. I’m willing to give it a try, though. And yes, I’ve got at least a few good words to say.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”

We fell into a comfortable silence. There was something I’d been meaning to ask him, but the time had never been right. Now the timing was right, but I struggled to find the right words. Finally I just decided to ask.

“Hands, can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Ask away.”

“How do you do it? Day after day.”

He didn’t need me to clarify. He knew what I wanted to know. “Someone has to do it. Better that it’s the good guys. We try to do it right.”

“But how do you keep your sense of self intact? Your humanity? Your faith?”

“Those are a lot of weighty questions, Keys. You worried about me?”

“Yes, and if I’m being honest, I’m worried about me, too.”

He shifted in his seat to face me. “Then let me say it this way: I’m okay with myself when I go to sleep at night. What I do isn’t pretty and it isn’t for the faint of heart. But someone has to be on the front lines doing what is right. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be here. So, this is how I see it. God, or whatever you believe is a higher moral authority, has an eye on the big picture—the greater good. For me, it’s all in the details. Have I done right by that person, that situation? Hard to say, but so far, my conscience is clear.”

I studied him. “You surprise me, Hands. There’s a thoughtful man beneath that outward bravado.”

He grinned. “Look, Keys, I want you to know that anytime you need my assistance, I’m at your service.”

“Thanks. That’s good to know. Likewise, I wish you the best of luck with all your future missions. I had no idea of how much danger you and your fellow SEALs put yourselves in day after day. I can only say I stand in awe of you and the others who serve so selflessly in the armed services. You have my sincere gratitude and respect.”

He held out a fist. “Keep in touch. And for God’s sake, stay out of trouble.”

I bumped my knuckles to his, quoting the SEAL motto. “The only easy day was yesterday.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Upon arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, we were met by the Assistant Director of the NSA and the Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Center. They shook our hands, gave a little speech, and invited us to a reception to be held in our honor in one week. I wanted to attend the reception about as much as I wanted to jump from an airplane again, so I smiled and didn’t commit to anything.

Some official had started speaking to me when I noticed a man nearby, leaning against the wall and watching me. Right in mid-conversation, without even excusing myself, I stepped away and broke into a run.

“Slash. You’re here.”

I jumped into his arms at full force. He held me tight, kissing my hair and cheeks and murmuring things to me in Italian.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,
cara
.”

“Oh, it’s so good to see you. I’m glad you came.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He pulled away and cupped my cheeks. “Hey, you’re crying.”

“Tears of happiness, I guess.”

He flicked away the tears with the pads of his thumbs and then pulled me into another hug, resting his chin on the top of my head. “
Mio dio.
You have no idea how good it is to see you, to hold you again.”

“Likewise. You were great, Slash. Brilliant. We saved Elvis. We shut down Broodryk. We did it.”

“
Si
, we did.”

“I wasn’t sure our plan would work. What if Broodryk hadn’t been in South Africa? What if you and the team hadn’t made it to his compound in time? What if I’d misjudged the electronic set-up in the shack? There were so many variables that could have gone wrong that it’s mindboggling.”

“Sometimes,
cara
, things line up and the good guys win. It doesn’t happen all the time. In fact, it doesn’t happen as often as it should. But this time it did.”

“I heard that Washington gave orders to try and take Broodryk alive.”

Slash shrugged. “
Try
being the operative word. There wasn’t time for a vote, so I did what I thought best. He was nanoseconds from releasing the virus.”

I considered his words. “You did the right thing. Were you able to secure all his computer equipment?”

“It’s already at the NSA.”

“Oh, Slash, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I am now that you’re here with me. That’s all that matters. That’s all that ever mattered.”

“No, that’s not all. You matter. You matter to me.”

I studied his face. He’d gotten some sleep. He looked tired, but the exhaustion and intense stress I’d seen before I’d left was gone. He was freshly shaved and smelled wonderful, as always. The strains of worry around his eyes had eased, and a smile settled on his lips. He looked at me and I saw love there. He’d
said
he’d loved me before, but how was it that until now I’d never really
seen
it?

“You love me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “
Si.
I love you.”

“I like hearing that. At first it scared me because I wasn’t sure what you meant by it. But here’s the deal. I get it now. And I think I love you, too. I’m not sure what all that entails or where it’s headed, but when you came to the airport to see me off—when you made your decision to stay with me—
that’s
what mattered.

He stared at me as if he couldn’t believe my words.

“You...love me?”

When I smiled, his expression and posture relaxed. His brown eyes warmed as he lowered his mouth to mine for a long kiss.

I wound my arms around his neck and held on tight. After a bit, he pulled away and gently cupped my cheek with his hand.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Now I want you come to dinner again. Let’s go back to my parents’ house, not because they’re making me ask you, but because I want to integrate you into that part of my life. There is a high statistical probability they’ll do exactly the same annoying stuff they did before, but I still want us to go. Because we’re a team, and I know what that means now. It means we’ll always stand together, even when my parents are watching.”

His face softened as he looked at me. “I’d be honored. But first, right now, I want to have you all to myself. So, what do you say,
cara
? Are we done here?”

I glanced over my shoulder where Hands, Gray and the other SEALs were talking with dignitaries. Elvis was being transferred to a stretcher. Our eyes met across the room. He gave me a smile and a thumbs-up. I gave him one back.

My world had righted.

Turning, I leaned into the warmth that was Slash. “Absolutely. Let’s go home. Mission out.”

* * * * *

Watch for Lexi’s next adventure,
NO ROOM FOR ERROR, coming December 2015

About the Author

Julie Moffett is a bestselling author and writes in the genres of historical romance, paranormal romance and mystery. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious 2014 HOLT Award for Best Novel with Romantic Elements, a HOLT Merit Award for Best Novel by a Virginia Author, a PRISM Award for Best Romantic Time-Travel and Best of the Best Paranormal Books of 2002, and the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Action/Adventure novel. She has also garnered additional nominations for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Julie is a military brat (air force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan; backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months; a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland; and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues. Julie has a BA in political science and Russian language from Colorado College and an MA in international affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is finishing up her M.Ed at Liberty University. She has worked as a proposal writer, journalist, teacher, librarian and researcher. Julie speaks Russian and Polish and has two sons.

Follow Julie on Facebook at:
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@JMoffettAuthor

Visit Julie’s website:
JulieMoffett.com

Re-live all of Lexi Carmichael’s adventures right from the
beginning!

Hi, I’m Lexi Carmichael, a 20-something, on-again, off-again
hacker. By day, I work as the Director of Information Security at a hot new
cyber-intelligence firm just outside of Washington, DC. By night, I’m a gamer,
book nerd and fangirl. I’ve got long brown hair, no discernible curves and zip
in the social skills department. I double-majored in mathematics and computer
science at Georgetown University with a specialty in cybersecurity. Ask me to
talk about a rigorous axiomatic framework or computational complexity theory,
and I’m all over it. Ask me to make small talk and I’ll imagine myself jumping
off a bridge.

I can count the number of my closest friends on one hand, but
those friends are pretty cool. There’s my former college roommate, Basia
Kowalski, the pretty, social butterfly who speaks a zillion languages; the
genius Zimmerman twins, Elvis and Xavier; my boss, Finn Shaughnessy (who I may
or may not be dating); and Slash, a sexy uberhacker who comes and goes in my
life with alarming irregularity. As of late, my ho-hum existence has become
downright treacherous. Who knew hacking could be so dangerous?

Come along for the ride and get your geek on!

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