Stepbrother Soldier's Baby: The Hero (The Complete Series) (6 page)

I held out longer than I thought was possible. It was no use. I swallowed a huge mouthful of the cough syrup.

Satisfied, Jackson released me. He smiled smugly. “Now was that so…” He became ashen; his smirk was replaced by a deep frown. “What the hell…?”

He was staring past me, looking out the window. I followed his gaze to find a car stopped at the gates. A woman was pointing towards the hangar and moving her arms wildly.

“Mia?”

Jackson shot me a dirty look as if I was responsible for her presence. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Would Mia save the day or make things worse?

“Shit… shit…” Jackson repeated.

Seeing him panicked gave me a rush of excitement. They may have won the battle, but the war wasn’t lost. Knowing Mia as well as I did, I had no doubt that she would cause as much trouble as possible. At least Jackson wouldn’t have a clean getaway.

He ran out of the office and slammed the door behind him. I licked my lips and swallowed. The cough syrup was thick in my mouth. The cherry taste was disgusting.

I turned to the window. To my shock, the gate was opening. Whatever Mia told the guard worked. A part of me was impressed.

Mia got back behind the wheel of her car. It was the same car she’d told the police Nate had run her over with. Of course, it was in pristine condition. There was no sign of damage, I thought bitterly.

Its cleanness reminded me of her lies. If she saved us could I forgive her manipulations? Forgiveness is a hard pill to swallow. Best to worry about it once we were safe.

Anxiously I watched through the window. How long until the cough syrup took effect? I was already starting to feel a bit drowsy. I stood up and started to pace around the small room to try and fight off sleep.

A loud commotion sounded from inside the hangar. Several people were yelling and arguing. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I noticed Jackson was now outside my window. He was walking quickly towards Mia’s car.

She drove straight at him. She hit the brakes coming to a stop inches from Jackson. He lifted his hands and smiled wide as if he was laughing nervously.

Mia exited the car and slammed the door behind her. She looked furious. Her face was tight and pinched; the bruise beneath her eye was gone. Had she been wearing makeup to make it look like she was hurt?

I shook my head. I couldn’t think about her lies now. There was nothing I could and they would only make me angrier.

Jackson held out his hands in greeting as if he was going to hug her. Mia walked straight up to him and punched him in the face. He staggered back. Even I took a step back from the window. The blow looked painful. Mia was strong especially for a pregnant woman.

I wished I could hear what she was saying to him. Jackson simply stood before her rubbing his jaw. He kept his eyes on the ground like a child being scolded.

The yelling behind me grew louder. To the far left of Jackson and Mia the plane taxied out of the hangar.

They were leaving.

The shouting from inside the hangar grew more intense. Maybe I could sneak out while they were fighting? I went to the door. As I was turning the door handle, a gunshot rang out. I jumped and stepped back.

A second gunshot echoed through the hangar.

I went to the window. Jackson started to run towards the plane, but Mia stopped him. She gave him a severe look. They started to argue.

The office door busted open. A man carrying a gun entered. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out. I kicked and fought, but it was no use.

The scene inside the hangar was chaos. Several soldiers ran and shouted. A few were hiding behind crates with weapons drawn. Two men lay motionless beside a SUV. They were too small to be Nate. I was grateful he wasn’t dead, but where was he?

The man holding me hostage dragged me out of the hangar. When Mia caught sight of me she pushed Jackson out of the way and ran straight for me. The man with the gun to my head wasn’t sure what to do. He was flustered by her presence. He turned the gun on her.

“Get that out of my face,” she snapped.

Jackson motioned for him to put it down. He pointed the gun back at me. Mia ran up on me quickly. I took a step back, bumping into the soldier with the gun.

“This is your fault,” she hissed.

Gunfire echoed from inside the hangar. Mia didn’t even flinch.

“We don’t have time to do this now,” Jackson said.

He took out his gun and shot the soldier holding me hostage. I screamed.

“Oh, shut up,” Mia said.

“Olivia, get to the plane. Mia, get back in your car and leave. I’m not going to tell you again.”

Mia responded by bending over the dead soldier and taking his gun. Calmly and coolly, she turned and shot Jackson in the shoulder. He fell to the ground.

The world started to spin around me. My eyes felt heavy. I wasn’t sure if it was the drugs or shock. I suddenly had the desire to lie down for a very long time in a dark room.

“Come with me,” Mia said.

She motioned with the gun towards her car. I took a step. My legs shook; the edge of my vision was going dark. I tried to take another step, but it was like my legs didn’t want to cooperate with my brain. I felt drunk.

“What’s the matter with you?” she asked.

I put a hand to my head. It was becoming harder and harder to keep my eyes open. Blood spread across the asphalt towards me feet. The sight of it filled me with unspeakable horror.

I took a step away and fell into darkness.

2

A gentle hum surrounded me. I was lying down on what felt like a recliner. I squirmed in my leather chair. It was warm and cozy. My eyes were still heavy with sleep. They didn’t want to open. Then I felt a hand take mine. Fingers traced the lines on my palm.

“Liv?” Nate whispered.

“Nate…?”

I forced my eyes open. The first thing I saw was Mia. She sat in a seat across from me a row over. If looks could kill, I’d be dead because she was staring at me like she wanted to strangle me.

I sat up with a jolt.

“It’s okay,” Nate said from the seat beside me.

At first I thought we were in a car. I turned to my left, looked out the window and was met with blue sky. We were on a plane.

My head still felt hazy with drugs. I was having a hard time processing what was going on.

“You’re safe now,” Nate said.

Mia shifted in her seat. He handed me a drink. I sipped it cautiously. My throat felt raw. I gulped down the sparkling water and asked for another. A sharp pain cut through the back of my head. I felt like I was hungover.

“Take it easy,” he said, handing me another drink. “Drink slowly. You don’t want to get sick.”

I saw Mia roll her eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked away.

“Where are we going?” I asked. My voice came out scratchy. I barely recognized it as my own.

“We’ve had an unexpected change of plans,” he said with a smile.

There was something different about Nate. He smiled easily. He didn’t seem as tightly wound.

“Mia saved us,” he said.

At this Mia shot me a dirty look. I know she had no intentions of saving me despite what Nate believed.

“While she distracted Jackson, I was able to break free,” he continued.

I remembered the two dead soldiers in the hangar. He’d done more than escape; he’d fought his way to freedom.

“I was able to board the plane and force the pilot into the air.”

“You know she killed Jackson,” I blurted out.

Nate looked out the window; his smile faded.

“I didn’t kill him,” Mia said defensively.

“Yes you did. I saw you. How can you just deny it? Please don’t tell me you believe her, Nate?”

“She’s telling the truth,” he said quietly.

I stared at him blankly. “Unbelievable,” I whispered. “She really has you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?”

At that he tensed. I’d struck a nerve. Good.

“I know she’s telling the truth because he’s on the plane,” Nate responded.

“What?”

“I shot him. I didn’t kill him.” Mia smiled with satisfaction.

There was a groan from behind me. I turned to find Jackson tied to a seat a few rows back. His shirt was covered in blood and his shoulder bandaged. Clearly, he was still alive.

“Satisfied?” Mia asked.

“Your mother called Mia when she came home to find us missing and the house in disarray,” Nate said. “Mia calmed her down, told her she’d handle it.”

“I bet she did,” I whispered.

“I saved your life, so stop pouting,” Mia said sweetly, but acid flowed through her words.

“How’d you know where we’d be?” I asked.

At that, Nathan stiffened.

“I know because…” Mia’s face went blank as if she was searching for a lie. When one failed to materialize, she broke down and told the truth. “Because Jackson told me you’d be there. Days before he begged me to come with him to live overseas while they worked on their secret project. But I have no desire to give birth in some-”

Now it was Nathan’s turn to give her a dirty look.

“Well, let’s just say I’d prefer to give birth and live in America. Anyway, I assumed he was bringing you here,” she said.

“So generous of you to rescue me,” I said.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I was trying to save Nate from Jackson. I know he was planning on killing him the first chance he got. As for you, well, I was going to use you as leverage.”

As she spoke she stared at Nathan. I could see fear in her eyes. Was she afraid of losing him? Her expression softened. I’d always assumed her feelings for Nate were territorial. She treated him like a prize she’d won, not a husband she loved.

I was surprised to see genuine concern on her face. Did she really love him? I wasn’t sure. Mia was the kind of woman who hated losing. She always got her way. Maybe she was simply afraid of being seen as a loser.

Jackson muttered in his sleep behind me. I turned to look at him. His face was twisted as if he was concentrating hard. The way he’d yelled at me nonsensically back at home still gave me the chills. The boy I’d known as a teenager liked to laugh and drink; he was like Nate’s brother. This man he’d turned into was a stranger.

I looked at Nate. Was he a stranger too? How much had the war changed him? The plane hit turbulence, dipping and rocking. I grabbed the armrests hard. My knuckles were white with the strain of holding on.

I looked to Nate. He gazed out the window; totally unfazed by the turbulence. He used to be afraid of flying. Now he didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

The plane started to descend. I looked out the window. A tower loomed in the distance.

3

I recoiled away from the hot desert wind. Sand pelted my skin and blew in my eyes. Already, I was red with the beginnings of a sunburn. I watched Mia wrap a scarf around her head. She tucked her hair perfectly beneath it and let the light violet fabric fall around her shoulders. She looked quite stunning against the desert backdrop. It oddly suited her.

Mia marched off across the tarmac to a parked SUV. I glanced back at Nate; he was half-leading, half-dragging Jackson off the plane. He nodded towards the SUV. I followed behind Mia.

A man sat behind the wheel. He glanced at me as I approached. He wore dark glasses that hid his eyes and a tight expression. He looked away from me as if bored with what he saw.

Mia sat down in the back of the car like this was her normal routine. I didn’t want to sit next to her, but I didn’t want to sit in the front beside the driver either. Looking at my options, I decided it was better to deal with the devil you know.

I slid into the backseat beside Mia.

Nate pushed Jackson into the SUV’s third row seating and sat down beside him. He mumbled to himself; his head tossing around like he was having a bad dream.

“We’re ready,” Nate said.

The driver took off. From behind me, Jackson mumbled: “Get down,” and “Stay away.” In spite of Jackson’s actions, it made me sad. He clearly suffered from PTSD. Whatever happened to him in the war had changed him for the worse.

I glanced at Nate. He smiled thinly. We’d gone through a lot these last few weeks. He was about to be the father to a child- possibly two, if Mia is to be believed. How was he coping?

I looked at Mia. She stared straight ahead, a determined expression on her face. She looked like she was in her element, like this was where she belonged. It was strange. She seemed to have more knowledge about Nate and Jackson’s business than I would have guessed.

She sighed and rested a hand on her bulging belly. The baby was due soon. Would she give birth in this country? Would I? I wasn’t even sure where we were.

I looked out the window. We passed a billboard with what looked like Arabic writing on it. The tower I’d spotted from the airport grew taller before us. It appeared as if it was our destination.

We pulled up to the front; a man in a suit opened the door. He spoke to Nate in a language I didn’t recognize. Nate responded in the same language. I had no idea he was bilingual.

Mia got out of the SUV and stretched. I followed behind her. Nate pushed Jackson out and threw a jacket over his handcuffed wrists.

The front of the tower was teeming with people. Families moved in and out of the building, taking pictures and laughing. The tower was apparently a hotel. No one paid us much attention, except for a little boy that pointed and stared at Jackson’s black eye.

Jackson responded by smirking and winking at the kid. Nate pushed him forward into the hotel. The man in the suit handed Nate an envelope. He didn’t open it until we were on the elevator. Inside was a room key and cash. Whoever Nate’s contacts were, they knew we were coming. I wasn’t sure if I found that comforting or unsettling.