“He’s a fucking monster,” Troy muttered.
“We don’t know that he was behind the kidnapping,” Blake said, his eyes blazing.
“Hell, we don’t even know for sure if there was a kidnapping,” Grayson muttered.
“Which makes it all the more imperative that he’s found. It may provide us with information on the two missing Americans, and it will prevent further attacks on U.S. and allied forces stationed there. Find Sayed so we can get our damn answers. You’ll be leaving within the hour,” Commander Hutchinson said. “He’s not going to slip through our fingers this time. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the men hastily said.
Their commander dismissed them, and Grayson muttered a curse as they went to gather their gear before getting onto the C-17 that would take them across the Atlantic. Blake glanced over at Grayson, raising his eyebrows.
“I can’t tell Hailey I’m leaving. She’s got her meeting at the Pentagon today and doesn’t have her phone with her. Not that I could say much anyway. I’m going to have to send her a damn text and let her know that she won’t hear from me for a while.”
“She’s DOD. She’ll understand that you have to get sent out.”
“Maybe. I was hoping to explain a little when she got out here though—that I can’t say where I’m going or how long I’ll be gone. She knows I’m a SEAL, but I don’t know that she fully understands how secretive everything is. I’ve talked to her every night this week but haven’t even taken her out on a date yet. It just fucking sucks that I can’t say goodbye to her. I don’t want her to think I’m blowing her off.”
Blake clenched his jaw, frowning. Grayson knew his friend had gotten in a quick call to Clarissa to let her know he was leaving. And the first op they’d left on had been the one where he’d met Hailey. Being a SEAL was rough on relationships, but Blake lived with his girl. He’d kissed her and made love to her. Saw her every damn day. Grayson was just getting to know Hailey—and it killed him to up and go without even the chance to say goodbye.
“She’ll understand,” Blake assured him. “She’s smart and an employee with DOD. She knows how the military works.”
Grayson shook his head as the men went to get their gear. “I hope so. It’s not like I have a damn choice.”
HAILEY GINGERLY SANK down onto the sofa in her parents’ living room later that afternoon. Her meeting at the Pentagon had gone well, but it had hurt like hell to walk through those long corridors when she was still recovering from her injuries. She should’ve asked for a wheelchair or something—not that she wanted to look weak and incompetent.
Much to her surprise, they’d asked her to head out to California a week early. The personnel office she’d met with had said the current employee in her new position wanted to train her. Since she was stateside and not still overseas in Bagram, Hailey had agreed. She’d stay in a hotel since her lease didn’t start for another week, but she was excited to get out there.
She’d have time to learn the area around San Diego and hopefully buy some new clothes and things. Her furniture was already being trucked across the country in order to be ready for her when she arrived. The moving company would hold it in storage there, and then she’d move into her apartment in a week.
Sipping a cup of tea, she checked her messages. Her parents had both gone into work today. They’d taken several days off to help her at home, but she was glad they were getting back to their own lives, and she had to admit, she was looking forward to a few hours alone.
Usually she didn’t hear from Grayson much during the day, but she wanted to let him know she’d be moving out there sooner rather than later and eagerly clicked the messages app on her phone. Frowning, she saw that she already had a brief message from him.
The guys and I have to head out. I’ll touch base as soon as we’re back. I hope your meeting today went well. -Grayson
Head out...where? On another mission? Back to Bagram?
She frowned, wishing she knew more and had a chance to talk to him. Usually his texts were somewhat flirty and he called her sweetheart. This just seemed all business, like he’d been in a rush.
Hi. The meeting went well, and I’m actually moving a week earlier than expected. Are you still there?
She didn’t expect him to reply immediately and turned on the TV while she finished her tea. Her ribs ached, and she tried to get comfortable on the sofa. Half an hour later, she still hadn’t heard back. She didn’t know exactly how things worked with Grayson’s team, but it had been several hours since he’d sent his text to her. Was he already gone?
She sent him one more text.
I’m guessing you left already. I wish we could’ve talked again. Be careful. -Hailey
Trying not to worry, she put her mug in the kitchen sink and went back to her bedroom. It was weird to have nothing to do in the middle of the afternoon. She was used to being at work every day, being around her coworkers and the women she’d befriended on base. Normally there weren’t enough hours in the day to get all her work done.
And now?
She couldn’t seem to find anything to fill her time.
Her friends here in Arlington were all at work, since it was a weekday. She didn’t really have things to pack or unpack since they were either already in storage or had been ruined in the explosion.
She was just...here. Restless. Worried about Grayson, if she admitted it to herself. She barely even knew him but felt like she was falling harder each day. And now she wouldn’t get to have their nightly talks for a while. She didn’t know a lot about being a SEAL, but she certainly understood the secrecy. And the danger. He put himself in risky situations all the time—that was probably why he hadn’t thought twice about rushing to her rescue. She didn’t like the idea of him in harm’s way, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. Clearly, he was good at his job. He and his teammates had been intimidating and scary back in Bagram. They’d rushed in to help when the suicide bomber blew themself up at the gate, and then they’d rushed to the explosion at her building.
And what had happened to Kim? No one was telling her anything about her friend.
Tears smarted her eyes as she laid down on her bed and shut them tightly. She was lonely and scared, she realized. Worried about Grayson. Upset about Kim. She’d been so focused on healing from her injuries for the past few days, that she hadn’t had much time to process everything that had happened.
She’d nearly been killed.
If Grayson hadn’t looked for her, would she have died there in her room?
Choking back a sob, a few tears slipped down her cheeks. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t do any good, but at the moment? She just wanted to give in to her emotions and let herself feel. Maybe tomorrow she’d feel better and stronger, but right now, she was emotionally drained and exhausted.
Chapter 9
“THANK FUCK WE GOT HIM,” Grayson muttered five days later. He dropped his gear down onto the ground near the building of the forward-operating base in Afghanistan, resting his weapon against the wall. He pulled out his canteen, chugging the cool water as sweat dripped from his forehead. It was hotter than hell lugging around their gear, wearing Kevlar vests and helmets out here. And after days of tracking Sayed from his camp up into the mountains, they’d finally nabbed the motherfucker this morning.
Troy spat on the ground, crossing over toward him. “Still not a word on the women though. I wish we had time to search the area more.”
Blake clenched his jaw, nodding, as he scanned the area around base. “They weren’t in the abandoned camp or where we found Sayed. It would’ve been nice if we’d lucked out and stumbled upon them. As far as we know, they’re still possibly being held by someone.”
“Or dead,” Jackson said flatly.
Grayson glared at him. Sure, it was a damn possibility, but that was Hailey’s friend. He didn’t appreciate the negative thought, no matter how likely or unlikely it was.
“Let’s hope like hell we g
et info on the mole though,” Ethan said, taking his helmet off. “If some assholes were feeding intelligence to the enemy, they deserve to spend their lives behind bars.”
The Humvees they’d climbed out of rolled off to another part of the compound, and Grayson and his team looked at one another.
“I’ll be in contact with the commander,” Blake said. “We’ll debrief when we get home, but I’ll inform him we have Sayed. I hope like hell we can get the info we need. This took longer than any of us wanted, but thank God we have the bastard.”
“I’m gonna need a few days to recover after this,” Logan joked, rolling his shoulders. “That terrain was rough. Maybe we can meet some pretty girls when we get back to nurse all our wounds.”
“Speak for yourself,” Blake joked.
“Hell, you’ve already got a woman,” Ethan complained. “The rest of us wouldn’t mind a beautiful lady in our bed.”
Grayson muttered a curse. Yeah, that would’ve been exactly what he did in the past, too. Hell, hadn’t he run straight to Shawna’s when they all got back from Colombia a couple of months back? Being with her had been more about slaking his need though. With Hailey, everything was different. He wanted to talk to her. Hear her voice.
And someday, when he’d actually taken her to the damn dinner he kept promising, he wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her goodnight. Eventually bring her home to spend the night. He hadn’t heard back from her before they’d flown out—not that he’d totally expected to. She’d had her meeting at the Pentagon that day and couldn’t bring her phone. They’d up and left almost immediately after briefing with their Commander.
Damn if he hadn’t worried about her though.
The men moved inside, grabbing chairs around a table as Blake called Commander Hutchinson. They were all tired and dirty, but they needed to update him and find out how soon they’d be flying out. It had been a long few days with little sleep, and Grayson was looking forward to getting home and just crashing.
Some missions were easy in and easy out, but this one had drained him. That, and worrying about Hailey.
“You okay?” Jackson asked him a low voice.
“Yep. I’m good.”
Jackson raised his eyebrows, and Grayson chuckled. “This mission was rough, and it was harder than I thought not talking to Hailey. It seems crazy since I barely know her, but we had talked every night for the past week.”
Jackson lifted a shoulder. “You connected with her. Hell, you saved her life. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Well, she’ll be out in San Diego in another week or so. I won’t have to wonder any longer if it’s all in my imagination.”
“I don’t think it is,” his friend said. “We all saw you two a few weeks ago. Both of you seemed to be on the same page. And hell, you wouldn’t have rushed into a burning building for a woman you didn’t know if she wasn’t special. I mean, there were plenty of other people to help there, right? You went straight for her. I’m just glad she was okay after that bombing.”
“Me too,” Grayson agreed.
They quieted as Blake began talking to their commander, updating him on what had happened that day. Sometimes the commander listened in on their op, but since this had spanned several days, they’d taken to briefing him periodically. The men listened to his instructions, and Grayson was dismayed to learn they weren’t flying out until morning. It wasn’t surprising, but he was more eager to get home than ever. He couldn’t call Hailey from here or check on her. He didn’t have anyone to let her know things had gone okay.
And hell. He hadn’t even talked to her before leaving—he’d just up and flown out with his team.
The life of a SEAL was rough—their first duty was always to their country. And it was hard as hell knowing he finally had someone at home that he cared about.
NEARLY TWENTY-FOUR hours later, Grayson finally pulled into his apartment building. They’d put away their gear, debriefed with the commander, and he’d finally made it home. He was exhausted and was looking forward to spending the next twelve hours or so doing nothing but sleeping. At the moment, he was too tired to even cook himself a damn meal.
He grabbed his gear from his trunk and strode toward his building. It was light outside but might as well have been midnight. After not getting enough sleep all week, crossing multiple time zones, and being constantly on alert, he was wiped. After a quick shower, getting the rest of the dirt and grime off of himself, he planned to crash.
At the moment, nothing sounded better than his own bed.
It was only seven at night, but damn. He’d survived on barely any sleep all week. Dropping his bag down after he walked inside, he headed straight for the bathroom. He was barely awake while he showered, and although his stomach rumbled from hunger, he was too tired to do much about it.
Grayson tugged on a clean pair of boxers after toweling off, crossing his bedroom. He turned his cell phone back on, looking at it in confusion when he saw the messages from Hailey.
Hell.
He wanted to talk to her more than anything but knew he could barely form a coherent thought at the moment. And what did she mean she was coming a week earlier? Would her things even have arrived yet? Would her apartment be ready? Was she coming in just a few days?
He was too tired to even understand what she meant. He’d talk to her tomorrow, and then they could hopefully figure out a time to see each other next week. Grayson would likely be busy on base again, but maybe he could take off a few hours and pick her up at the airport or something.
Damn.
He couldn’t wait until she got here to the west coast.
Thumbing a quick text back to her, he hit send:
We just made it back, sweetheart. I’m exhausted. I’ll call you tomorrow. -Grayson
Then he put his phone down and collapsed onto his bed, sleep immediately overtaking him.
Chapter 10
HAILEY’S PHONE BUZZED on the nightstand of her hotel room, and she glanced at it, shocked to see Grayson’s name flash on the screen. It had been nearly a week since they’d talked, and she’d missed their nightly phone conversations more than she wanted to admit.
The five-hour cross-country flight earlier that day had been uncomfortable with her still-healing ribs. She’d been on painkillers when she flew from Landstuhl back to DC, but this time, she’d sat in the uncomfortable seat with only a couple of Tylenol to relieve her discomfort. Although she was doing better than a week ago, sitting in the same position hadn’t done her any favors.
She was sore and exhausted, and her first night on the west coast involved nothing more than relaxing in bed.
Her belongings had arrived ahead of her in San Diego, and the moving company was holding them for a week in storage until her apartment was ready. She’d need to buy a car out here, buy more clothes and personal items since many of her things had been ruined overseas, and then get settled into her new apartment a mere seven days from now.
Just the thought of unpacking and decorating was overwhelming, but she hoped she’d be feeling even stronger by then. Moping around her parents’ house wouldn’t do any good. She’d practically been bored out of her mind for the past week.
And her exhaustion now was probably from the flight, time change, and still-healing injuries.
Groaning as she reached for her phone, she realized she’d bitten off more than she could chew. Her parents had offered to come out to California with her, to help her get settled, but she’d insisted she could do it all alone. Now, she was doubting herself. A long day of travel had left her with a pounding headache, and she gingerly touched her forehead. She was supposed to go into her new office a couple of days this week for training before the current person left. Although she knew having someone show her the ropes would be immensely helpful, at the moment, she also felt like crap.
Picking up her phone, she smiled as she saw Grayson’s message. He really was back. And she was here in San Diego. Instead of talking on the phone every night, she
’d actually get to see him soon. Hopefully even within the next few days, as long as she was feeling better. She assumed he was busy on base right now but quickly texted a reply anyway:
Yay! I’m so glad you’re back. Guess what? I’m here, too! I’ve got training in my new office this week. I can’t wait to hear your voice again. xoxo Hailey
She almost deleted the “xoxo” but at the last minute, left it there. What the heck. They’d spent hours on the phone talking. She couldn’t wait to see him. Certainly, he was at least as enthusiastic about her as she felt towards him. A man wouldn’t spend hours talking on the phone with a woman he wasn’t interested in.
Grayson was as different from most men she’d met as night and day. He was macho and buff, sure. He’d literally charged in there and rescued her back in Bagram. But he was sweet, too. He’d brought her flowers in Germany. And she certainly wouldn’t expect a man like him to talk on the phone for hours, taking the time to get to know her. He’d called her every single night when he’d been here.
Goodness, after all this, she was excited and a bit nervous to see him again. She liked him. Really liked him. And oddly enough, they’d connected even more being apart. Would he hug her when she first saw him? Kiss her hello?
They weren’t officially dating or something, but he’d been more than attentive the few times they had been together.
Nervous butterflies filled her stomach. Maybe the first time she saw him would be their date. He’d pick her up and take her to dinner—or she’d meet him somewhere. She didn’t have a car yet, but she could catch a cab.
Somehow she didn’t think Grayson would like that though. He’d seemed protective of her in all their conversations, and she didn’t doubt he’d want to pick her up himself for their date, even if she was just staying in a hotel room for the next week.
She set her phone back down on the nightstand, assuming she wouldn’t hear from him again tonight. If he just got back, no doubt he’d be busy in meetings and probably be totally exhausted.
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