by Jaime Lewis
Ace could see the emotion in Bear’s eyes, and it made him even more curious to know what she did because Bear was one of the least emotional men he knew.
“She killed five men. Ashraf killed Bert, but Ashraf, Hill, or Naveed as his father calls him, and Yaseen, along with two other men, were her doing.” Bear ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, seeming rather upset by having to talk about it. Hell, it was difficult for Ace just hearing details. “Jesus, Ace, they fucked her up so bad. We thought most of the blood was coming from her chest. But, her back…fuck, she took a lashing Ace. Her entire back, from what we could see on the video, was split open. Then along with everything else she sustained, I don’t know how she was able to function, much less go on the defensive like she did.”
Ace could tell there was more to the story, but before he could ask, the doctor walked in.
Ace, along with everyone else, stood, and the doctor seemed thrown for a loop at the large audience.
“Well, I see the nurse wasn’t exaggerating when she said Ms. Hardesty had a crew waiting for her. I’m Captain Addock.”
Ace stepped forward and introduced himself. “How is Alex, Sir?”
The doctor removed his glasses and took a deep breath. Ace’s legs almost gave out as he prepared for the worst.
“She’s out of surgery and currently stable. She will have a long recovery ahead of her.” Ace swore he heard everyone release a breath hearing she was alive, then the doctor continued, “With the severity of her injuries, it was touch and go for a while. We lost her twice on the table, but she had a will to survive. We will monitor her for a couple of hours, and if she stays stable, we’ll get her on a plane to Germany where she’ll probably stay a few days.”
He shook the doctor’s hand, and the doctor said they could see her once they moved her to a room and got her settled. He did warn them that she wouldn’t be awake because they had her sedated, and that was fine with Ace; he just needed to see her.
Ace wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but finally, they were being led back to where Alex was resting. As all sixteen team members and the Colonel made their way through the hall, they caused a lot of heads to turn.
When the nurse pointed to the last room on the right, Ace thanked her. As he opened the door and saw her small body lying in bed hooked up to wires and tubes, he almost lost it right there. It was Potter’s whispered voice next to him that pulled him out of the dark hole he was heading down.
“She’s alive. Be strong for her, man.”
He stepped up next to the bed, and the rest of the guys followed, creating a safety barrier around her. The bruises they could see looked even worse now.
Ace looked at the guys, “I swear to God, if those sadistic bastards weren’t already dead, I would hunt them down and give them a slow, painful death.”
“You’d have a lot of help,” Stitch angrily said as he took her one hand in his.
“I’d say our girl here gives a new meaning to fight to survive. How in the hell had she managed is another story. All that matters is that she survived and kicked-ass,” Irish commented and smiled.
“Like the doctor said, she’s going to have a long recovery,” Ace admitted looking in Stitch’s direction.
Frost blew out a breath, and Ace could see the tormented look on both Frost and Stitch’s faces. They’ve known her for most of their lives, so he could only imagine how they were feeling.
“Good news is she’ll have her family to help her through this, and, I don’t see any of us turning our back on her. We will all be there to support her with whatever she needs. Hell, she’ll have the support of every SEAL once they hear what she did. Right now, I’m more worried about how Derek is going to handle seeing her like this.”
Everyone stayed by Alex’s side until Derek and a few of Alex’s other uncles had arrived, and only then did they leave their teammate’s side, so her family could have some alone time with her.
Leaving her was hard for Ace, especially when he found out from Derek that the team was being shipped out again. It was the first time in his career he wanted to disobey a direct order. However, Derek must have read his expression because he pulled Ace aside and assured him that he and Alex’s uncles would take care of her and that he needed a clear mind to focus on his next mission.
Hearing and doing were two vastly different things, but Ace understood. Until he got through with this next mission and could get home, he would rely on Derek to help her through her recovery. Derek at least gave him a couple of minutes alone with Alex as if knowing he needed to say good-bye to her.
Once he was alone, he took her small delicate hand into his and kissed her knuckles. God, this was so hard to do. He didn’t want to leave her, not now when she was going to need him. But he knew he had to.
He leaned over the bed rail and kissed her cheek and forehead. Then he gently pressed his lips against hers.
“I love you, baby.”
Chapter Eighteen
Alex leaned back in the lounge chair and tilted her face up towards the warm sunshine. With her eyes closed, she focused on the soft sound of the gentle waves lapping at the shoreline mere yards from her. She was shocked at how relaxed she felt lying here alone.
Over a month had passed since she had gone through what she considered to be to hell and back. In that time, a lot had changed in her life. Besides recovering from the injuries and being whisked off to secret locations by the government to be mentally picked apart until she felt she had no brain cells left, she had moved back home to be closer to her family.
She had been super lucky to snag the house that had gone up for sale right next door to her friend Tenley. It was in one of the newer communities in the area. It was a gorgeous 4,100 square foot home with five bedrooms and four and a half baths. Yeah, it was a little over the top for the ordinary person, but she wasn’t ordinary. Her uncles had stopped giving her shit about how big it was when they had seen how much stuff she owned. While she rested at Derek’s house, her family and friends had all driven up to Maryland and packed her rental house up and moved everything to her new home. That reminded her, once she got home, she wanted to have them over for a cook-out as a thank you for helping.
Another huge life change was her job. She no longer worked for Mason, although she had stayed in contact with both him and Bowman and maybe did a little consulting work on the side from home, but that was something she wasn’t telling her uncles. During the long plane ride from Germany, she thought back to her and Potter’s conversation about her enjoying what she did. She explained to Derek and the others her conversation with Potter. To say her uncles were happy had been an understatement. They were ecstatic about her idea of forming a non-profit organization to help aid military personnel and their families. They even offered suggestions, and by the time their plane landed, the Jacob Hardesty Foundation had been unofficially formed.
Unfortunately, the changes weren’t all positive, as she had been falling into a deep depression. She knew the signs of PTSD and knew she had symptoms, but she chose to ignore them rather than reach out for help. She kept telling herself each day she could get through it on her own, but it only progressed. Every time she would fall asleep either day or night, she would relive those last hours of her confinement. She was so afraid that she always had someone stay the night with her. Most of the time, it was Tenley, but if she had to work at the hospital, Derek or one of the other uncles would stay with her.
To make matters worse, she couldn’t stop thinking about Ace and the guys. Not hearing from them had further pushed her down the depression hole. She wasn’t blaming them for having shipped out as she understood they were out doing their jobs. But, call it selfishness or whatever, she was feeling needy, and her need for the last few weeks had been Ace. Having him near was an instant safety net. Her love for him was still forefront, and she only hoped he was still interested when he returned.
Most of her days were spent laying around in complete silence since that was ab
out as much as her body would tolerate. That had lasted until a week ago when she’d finally had enough and needed an escape–something to possibly bring her out of the funk she was in. Which is why she could now hear, see, and smell the crystal blue waters of St. Thomas.
The past week had been somewhat therapeutic. She’d done a lot of soul searching and pondering her future. She had been staying in the guest house of Dr. Caleb Matthews, a college friend of hers. Caleb helps run his family’s medical practice on the island. The two of them had met when she was enrolled at the University of Maryland. Even though he was a few years older than her, they had become great friends. His family was like royalty on the island, very wealthy with a long line of well-established doctors.
When she had called and explained her predicament to him, and the need to get away for a few days, he didn’t hesitate to help—even going so far as to have his family’s private jet available to come to pick her up and take her home when she was ready.
Physically, she was healing and getting better each day. The bruising on her face had almost all faded, though not quick enough, in her opinion. Her midsection was still very sore. How she walked away with only three fractured ribs again amazed her. The gunshot wound had healed nicely, though she was still sore, which was expected since the bullet had torn through muscle tissue. Her back had been a different story. It had taken over a hundred stitches to close all the wounds she suffered. Two of the larger lash marks still had stitches, but Caleb told her he might be able to take them out later today. He had warned her that she would most likely have some scarring from the damage done by Ashraf.
The hardest part had been dealing with the flashbacks and nightmares. Sleeping, of course, had been a major issue and something she hadn’t had much of since returning home. She was prescribed some sleeping aids, but she’d been afraid to take them out of fear she wouldn’t be able to wake up during one.
She took a deep breath and again could smell the saltwater air.
“Alex?”
She popped her eyes open and saw Caleb sitting on the lounge next to her. Damn, she must have been really daydreaming because she never heard him approach.
He smiled at her. Caleb was a very handsome man, not to mention a total sweetheart. There had been a time back in college where she and he had almost started dating, but things worked out the way they were meant to be. She would have hated if they had dated, and things ended badly, ruining the great friendship they had.
Caleb looked at her. “How are you doing today?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?”
Okay, that was lame; of course, she wasn’t going to leap up and exclaim she was fantastic. Something was missing, and she didn’t know how to explain it.
Caleb took her hand in his. “I’m going to offer my professional medical advice. You need to talk to someone. You may be healing on the outside, but I can tell that you are wilting away on the inside. Sweetie, look at you, you aren’t sleeping, you’ve lost weight, your nightmares are getting worse, and certain things trigger panic attacks. You need help, Alex. Please let your family help you.”
Alex looked down to where their hands were clasped together as she let Caleb’s words sink in. She didn’t want to put any burden on her family, but now she realized that she was hurting them by pushing them away when they were trying to help her. Her uncles had all dealt with PTSD at one time or another during their careers. The nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks from their days in the Teams weren’t anything new to her. She had the best resources at her fingertips to help her get through this, and she was a stubborn fool for not utilizing them.
She squeezed Caleb’s hand. “Thank you, Caleb, for everything. You’re a great friend. I think I’m ready to face this head-on.”
“Does that mean you are ready to leave this paradise?”
“As relaxing and peaceful as it has been, yeah, I’m ready. I need to be with my family.” She leaned over and hugged him. “Thank you for being patient with me.”
“How about if I take a look at your back, then I’ll arrange for the plane to be ready at your disposal.”
She thanked him. She was ready for this. Thinking of all the support she had back home, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit of emptiness, not knowing where things stood with Ace.
Every night she fell asleep with him on her mind. She missed sneaking snuggles with him. She hadn’t asked her uncle for any type of update on the team. She would wait as long as it took to see those blue eyes that captivated her from the start.
◆◆◆
Derek sat on the patio deck at Bayside Bar and Grill. It was a clear summer evening with a breeze that blew in from the ocean. The waves rolled in as the seagulls chirped as they scoured the beach for dinner.
Alpha team had arrived back stateside earlier in the afternoon. After the debriefings and standard bullshit, they were all enjoying a nice cold beer together. It was sort of a tradition when the team returned home from a mission.
Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their beers and gazing out at the horizon. Derek knew Alex was on all their minds. Since they landed this afternoon, every one of them had asked about her. His standard answer had been that she was okay.
He knew that having to leave her in Bagram had weighed heavily on them all. He wasn’t surprised to learn they had declared her an unofficial member of their team. Every one of those men would protect her from anything and anyone. Derek knew most of these guys would admit they didn’t have a heart, but she had found a way into each of theirs. They were trained killers and protectors, and for them to see the aftermath of what a malicious individual had done to one of their own, especially a woman, angered them.
After he had a chance to review the video from her time in captivity, he knew she was going to come back home a different person, and he was prepared for it. The time he had gotten to spend with her, he could see she was struggling emotionally. He knew from experience that she needed to talk to someone.
Her ordeal was the talk of the base, and he couldn’t be any prouder of her, although he wished she never had to endure the situation, to begin with. She not only survived the wrath of a madman, but she also saved the lives of a lot of people.
“So, Commander, how is Alex really doing?” Irish asked, his low but deep voice slicing through the nighttime air.
Derek blew out a breath and shook his head. “I won’t lie. She’s in a bad place right now. She has some good days, but most are bad. Tenley or I have been staying with her.”
“Wait, staying with her? Is Alex here in Virginia Beach?” Ace asked, and Derek had to hide his smile at the Lt.’s sudden upbeat tone.
“Sure is. She’s been here since we got her home.”
“What about her job?”
Derek’s eyes moved from Ace to Potter.
“She resigned. Apparently, she had a very moving conversation with someone. Now she has moved on to something that makes her happy and will bring even more happiness to a lot of people. I’ll let her explain it to you guys.”
“So, she’s staying with you?” Stitch asked.
“No. She bought the house next door to Tenley. The couple who owned it were looking to make a quick sale. As soon as Tenley told Alex about it, she jumped on it, and things just fell into place. Tink and the guys drove up with me, and together, we packed her up and moved her home.”
He peered over at Ace and tipped his beer bottle in his direction. “I’m hoping now that you’re back, maybe you could try talking to her. From what I hear, you seem to have a way with her.” He gave Ace a wry smile before lifting his beer to his lips.
Ace raised his eyebrows in question, obviously stunned, but Derek found it amusing. Did he and Alex think he wouldn’t find out?
“Oh, don’t look at me like that, son. Are you seriously going to sit there and insult my intelligence and tell me that you don’t have any feelings for my little girl?”
Derek h
eard the snickers from the others. He knew something was going on between Ace and Alex the day they had that video conference with him. He wasn’t stupid. And honestly, he couldn’t be any happier for Alex. Ace was a good man, and she deserved someone like him. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t make the guy sweat a little.
“No, sir. I’d never do that,” Ace replied, looking a little unsure.
Derek grinned and tipped his bottle before taking another drink. “Good. Have you tried to call her yet?”
“I did, but it went straight to voicemail.”
“Ah, she must have been on the plane already.”
“Plane?”
“Yeah, she went on a trip to St. Thomas.”
“Is she healthy enough to travel?”
“I wasn’t in favor of it at first, but she’s staying with a friend from college, and he is a doctor. His whole family are doctors.”
Derek slid a piece of paper over to Ace.
“What’s this?”
“Meet me there in about an hour.”
Derek guzzled the last drop of beer, then stood up and threw some cash on the table.
“If you want something bad enough, you can’t be a quitter. Trust me on this. Meet me at the pier in one hour.”
◆◆◆
Ace needed a few minutes alone. Using the excuse to make a phone call, he walked to the other side of the patio and stood against the railing. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he looked to the sky. The stars and moon had started to reveal themselves against the backdrop of the dark blue sky.
“You okay, man?”
Ace turned and saw Potter standing there, looking a little concerned.
“I’ll feel a lot better when I can see her.” He ran his hand through his messy hair. “After hearing what Derek said, I’m worried about her. I can’t lose her.”
“She’ll recover, Ace. She’s one of us, remember? She’s a natural-born fighter.” He grinned, then leaned against the wood railing.
