by London James
He takes the seat next to me, his own mug of cocoa in his hand. He looks at the pile of magazines and nods.
“That’s a whole bunch of bullets.”
I laugh. “Yeah, that thought crossed my mind.”
“Bet you never imagined you’d be spending a romantic holiday snowed in, loading magazines, did you?”
“Oh, is that what this is?” I ask. “A romantic holiday?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been on worse.”
I laugh and roll my eyes. “Sadly, I have too.”
“When we get through this, you and I are taking a nice long vacation somewhere,” he says. “Anywhere you want to go.”
I like that he keeps saying ‘when’, instead of ‘if’. It’s not much, but it does give me a small sense of hope that we’re going to come through this okay. It’s about the only slice of hope I have to cling to at the moment, so I’m holding onto it as tightly as I can.
“Anywhere, huh?”
He nods. “Anywhere in the world. You name the place, and we’ll go.”
Stabler chuffs from his spot on the loveseat, making me laugh. Baker looks over at him and smiles.
“Yes, buddy,” he says to the dog. “We’ll take the company jet, so you can come with us.”
“You have a company jet?” I ask, arching my eyebrow at him.
“Doesn’t every company have their own jet?”
“Only the real rich ones,” I smart back.
“We’ve got four,” he smirks and gives me a wink.
One of the things I like most about Baker is that even though he apparently has more money than God, he’s down to earth. He’s humble. He could have taken the easy way out in life, and lived his days as a trust fund baby, living the playboy party-hound lifestyle. Instead, he went into a field of service. A career where he served the needs of others.
He isn’t defined by his wealth. In fact, it’s rare that he ever mentions it, to be honest. Sure, there are things like this house – and apparently four company jets – that give away the fact that he’s got a tremendous net worth. But, for the most part, he lives the life of a simple man. He’s got simple tastes and prefers a quiet, modest lifestyle.
To me, that shows so much about his character. And it makes him all the more appealing in my eyes. That kind of personality trait had never been on my silly mental checklist, but he’d checked that box anyway.
“So, where would you go?” he asks. “If you could choose anywhere in the world?”
I purse my lips and think on it for a long moment – only because I need to sort them in order of importance. I’ve always had a list of places I want to see before I die in my head, but I never really thought it was a possibility. I thought my travels would all be limited to the Internet and television, to be honest.
“Honestly, I’d want to go to Europe. I’m dying to see Prague. Or France,” I say. “Italy has always been on my list. Greece.”
He laughs. “What? No tropical beach where you can sip mixed drinks on the sand all day?”
“Not really my style,” I reply. “I want to go to see the history of a place. I want to walk ancient streets and really immerse myself in cultures that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old.”
He nods. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“Oh, did you now?”
He nods again. “I did. I knew it very well,” he tells me. “In fact, I knew it so well, I put a little something together for us.”
I cock my head as he slides a slip of paper over to me. It’s a travel itinerary – or at least, a sweet facsimile of one. With so much going on, I have no idea how he had the time to put this together, but when I read it, my heart balloons up in my chest.
I look up at him, feeling my eyes sting as the tears well up in my eyes despite my best efforts to rein them in. On the ‘itinerary’ is a coupon he made up good for a trip to the list of destinations he’d printed out – Rome, Scotland, France, and Prague – each with a hotel listed, as well as pictures.
“Obviously, the list will need a little tweaking and fine-tuning,” he says. “This is your trip, after all, and I want to be sure we’re hitting all the places you want to see.”
“You are amazing,” I tell him.
He shrugs. “I know it’s kind of silly since it’s not an official itinerary or anything. But, consider it to be official once we get through to the other side of this,” he says. “I thought we could both use something to look forward to.”
I throw my arms around him and squeeze him tight. This man always knows what to say and when to say it. He knows how to lift me up when I need it most and most of all, he knows how to make me feel absolutely cherished and treasured.
“Once we get clear of this shit, you and I are taking a long trip. We may never even come back,” he says, a wide smile on his face. “We both deserve it.”
“You are – perfect,” I smile.
His smile shrinks. “Far, far from it.”
“Fine. You’re perfect for me,” I amend. “Your rough edges fit perfectly with mine.”
His smile grows in warmth, and he squeezes my hand. “Now that I can get behind.”
I look down at the itinerary again, then back up at him. “You’re serious?” I ask. “We’re going to take this trip?”
“I’ve never lied to you, Isla,” he says. “And I’m not going to start now. Once we get clear of this, we're going to pack some shit and get the hell out of here for a while. We’re going to lose ourselves in another world for a good, long while.”
The tears roll down my cheeks, and I can’t keep the smile off my face. “I’ve always dreamed of traveling the world,” I confide quietly. “I never really thought it would happen though.”
He chuckles. “Good thing you found a guy with his own jet.”
“Very good thing, I’d say.”
We sit together, sipping our cocoa, and revel in each other. I honestly don’t know what I ever did to deserve somebody like Baker stepping into my life, but I’m eternally thankful he did. Even if this is it for us, if we die in this coming fight, at least I’ll have known this happiness for a little while. I’ve dreamed of it but like traveling the world, never really thought I’d get to experience it firsthand.
I look at him evenly and smile. “Thank you, Baker.”
“For what?”
“For existing,” I tell him. “For showing me that dreams actually can come true.”
His smile is warm and engaging, and as he leans forward and kisses me, I feel a new depth of warmth and connection to this amazing, amazing man.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Baker
I roll out of bed and go to the windows. I stare at the world outside and frown. The storm’s broken. The world outside is pure white as far as the eye can see, and gray clouds still clog the sky overhead, but the blizzard is over.
Which means that Hernan and his men will be coming soon.
“It’s time, isn’t it?” she asks from the bed behind me.
“Yup,” I sigh, letting out a deep breath. “Sure looks that way.”
I hear her sigh, and when I look back at her, Isla’s face is etched with fear. The last week has been like a dream. A fantasy really – well, except for the whole preparing for war thing. But the evenings spent with her have been nothing short of magical.
If this is the end of the line for us and this is where we die, at least I can say that I spent a week of pure happiness and love with somebody who’s become an integral part of my heart and soul. I never thought I’d find somebody like her. After Jenny died, I stopped even trying. But Isla has changed my entire life and world and has made me feel more whole and complete than I ever have in my entire life.
If this is the end of things, I’m glad I got to at least experience that – if only for a brief time.
I go to my closet and pull out my black tactical pants, boots, and a black shirt. I pull out a Kevlar vest and put everything on. Isla watches me from the bed, her face grim. Once I’
m dressed, I turn around and give her a smile.
“So? How do I look?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
“Like you’d be the belle of the SWAT team’s ball,” she teases.
“SWAT team chic,” I say, twirling an imaginary skirt. “I like it.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I cross over and pull her to her feet, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. I kiss the top of her head and look down at her.
“We will get through this,” I tell her. “You’ll see.”
“You sound so sure,” she replies.
“Of course I am,” I say. “After all, we have the world to travel.”
She wraps her arms around me, squeezing me tight. I hold her, trying to impart strength and courage to her. I honestly don’t know if we’re going to come out of this okay or not. But I’m not letting her go into this thinking we’ve already lost. And it’s not in my nature to accept defeat either. I will fight to my last breath for anything – most especially, for those things I love.
If the fight comes today, I will be ready. And I will fight like hell to keep her and our child safe. Like I said, we have a world to travel together.
I’ve been bouncing between pacing the platform on the wall and checking the forest entrance for the better part of two hours. So far, nothing. I don’t know if Hernan is coming today, but he will come. And I can’t afford to let my guard down. Not for a second.
My cell phone rings, and I slip it out of my pocket. I frown when I see the call is coming from an unrecognized number. I connect the call though and press it to my ear.
“Redmond.”
“Kid, it’s me.”
I let out a silent breath of relief, hearing Walt’s voice on the other end of the line.
“Lose your regular phone?” I ask.
“This is a burner,” he says. “Goddamn phones issued by the department have been compromised. They’ve been listening to us, same as we’ve been listening to them.”
“Jesus,” I mutter. “What an absolute shitshow.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” he says. “Heads are going to roll. Wait and see.”
The fact that department phones have been compromised doesn’t change my situation one iota. Hernan already knows where we’re at. A phone call isn’t going to change that any.
“I’m just glad to hear your voice, kid,” he tells me. “Glad to know you’re still alive.”
“We’re hanging in there,” I reply. “Got no idea how much longer that’s going to hold true though.”
“What do you mean?”
I fill him in on the first attack and what happened with Hernan’s men.
“Christ,” he mutters.
“Yeah, I’m expecting them to come back with greater numbers. That was just a recon hit.”
“Sounds like it,” he agrees.
“I’m locked and loaded, Walt. I’ll take as many of these bastards out as I can, but if they show up with big numbers, we’re going to be in deep shit,” I say. “Real deep shit.”
“Goddamn, kid. I am so fucking sorry I pulled you into this,” he says. “I never saw it going this way. I really didn’t.”
“I know. You couldn’t have known,” I say. “I just need to tell you a couple of things before this dance starts.”
“Don’t you dare talk like that,” he snaps. “You’re a goddamn U.S. Marine. Don’t you dare start talking like this shit’s over. It’s not over.”
“I’ve got no backup, Walt. I’m out here alone. There’s no cavalry coming to save my ass. I’m just being a realist here. There’s every possibility I’m not coming out of this, and I need you to be aware of a couple of things.”
He sighs, and when he speaks again, it’s with grim resignation in his voice. He knows what I’m saying is right. Yeah, I’m a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. But even Marines – even Force Recon Marines – have been killed by forces with superior numbers. One Marine may be worth ten other fighting men, but if Hernan shows up with more than that, I don’t know that I’ll make it out.
I’m behind the eight-ball here and have nowhere to go.
“Okay, kid,” he says. “What do you need to tell me?”
“First, Isla has a box her brother gave her. Says it will make the case against the Zavala’s and bring them down.”
“I knew it,” he growls. “I knew she had something, but she’s been denying it for years now.”
“Go easy on her, Walt,” I tell him. “I understand why she hid it. You should too. When she turns it over to you, accept it graciously and don’t give her any shit. You got me?”
“Yeah, I got you.”
“Say it and give me your word.”
He sighs. “No need to be dramatic about it.”
“Do it, Walt.”
“Fine. I will take it graciously and not give her any shit,” he says. “I give you my word as a Marine. Happy?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Okay, next thing?” he asks.
“She’s going to be locked into a secret bunker underneath my house,” I tell him. “Once she goes in, I’m going to seal the electronic lock, so nobody can get in – and she can’t get out. She’s going to be pissed, but it’s on you to calm her down. And she’s going to have to sit and wait for you to show up to let her out. Which means you need to get your ass here to let her out.”
That’s the part of the plan I haven’t told Isla about – primarily because I know if I do, she’ll throw a fit and will never agree to it. I was afraid it might come to this, so the one thing I didn’t tell her about the bunker door is that I can lock it from the outside. I can effectively seal her in.
It was a last resort measure, but given how everything has played out, I’m thinking that’s what we’re down to – our last resort measures. Given the choice to protect her and ensure the survival of both Isla and her child – our child – or protect myself, I’m going to choose her every damn time.
“Why don’t you just seal the both of you in there, kid?” Walt asks.
“I could,” I admit. “But, when Hernan shows up, if he doesn’t find either one of us, he’s going to tear this place apart. Eventually, he’s going to find the door. And if he finds the door, he can eventually get somebody in to hack the keypad.”
“What makes you think he has people who can do that?”
“They hacked the Marshal’s Services phones, didn’t they?”
Walt sighs. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“All I’m doing is trying to buy some time for her,” I explain. “If I can put up a good fight, maybe even string them out for a day or so, it’ll give you time to get here. If I can inflict enough casualties, maybe they’ll even decide to fall back and regroup. Either way, it buys time.”
“How long does she have down there?”
“She’s got enough food and water to last her for the better part of a month,” I say. “But you better not leave her down there that long. The code to unseal the bunker is my serial number. You got that?”
“I can get it.”
“Good. Punch in my serial number followed by the green key,” I instruct. “That will deactivate the external lock.”
“I won’t leave her down there long, by the way,” he says. “I was actually calling you to tell you I’m en route. I got some of the guys from our old squad, and we’re rolling, kid. It’s just going to take a few days to get to you because of the snow.”
“I appreciate it, brother, but I don’t think I have a few days left,” I admit. “The fight’s coming to me, and it’s going to be here sooner, rather than later.”
“Just hold out, man. The cavalry is coming.”
“I’m going to do my best. You know I always do,” I tell him.
“I know you will, kid.”
“How’d you get the time off? Isn’t PTO suspended?”
Walt laughs ruefully. “I told Henderson to get fucked and that he can fire me if he wants.”
“Bold words.”
We share a laugh, and it feels nice. It breaks up the tension a bit, which I appreciate. It’s short-lived though, as I look across the open field of white, just waiting for the snowmobiles to appear on the horizon.
“Last thing,” I say.
“Lay it on me.”
“Stabler,” I say. “Unless Isla wants to keep him, get him to Frank. He’s the owner of Frank’s Place in town. He and Stabler have a good relationship, and I want Stabler to go somewhere he’s going to be happy, well-loved, and well cared for.”
He sighs again. “I hate that you’re doing this, kid,” he says. “I hate that you’re giving up –”
“I’m not giving up, Walt. You know me better than that,” I chide. “And you also know that I always have a plan. This is my plan in case it all goes to hell. Which, it very well might. There’s no shame in admitting that. It’s not giving up. It’s acknowledging reality.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line. “Okay,” he concedes. “Stabler needs to go to Frank.”
“Only if Isla can’t take him,” I remind him. “They’ve gotten pretty attached to each other since she’s been here.”
“Just hold on, Baker,” he says. “The cavalry is coming. Just hold the fuck on.”
“Going to do my best.”
“Anything else?” he asks. “Is there anything else I can do?”
“Short of having some of the Force Recon boys parachute in?” I say and laugh.
“Just hang tough,” Walt tells me. “We’re putting the hammer down, and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Hopefully, I’ll see you get here. And if not, just remember everything I told you. Those things are mission critical.”
“You can count on me, kid.”
“I know I can. I’ve always been able to count on you,” I say. “No matter what happens or how all this plays out, just know it’s been the honor of my life to have served with you and to have been your friend, Walt.”
“No, kid. The honor has been mine.”
“Catch you on the flipside, brother.”
“Count on it.”
