The gate agent in front of him was waiting for an answer. The first flight to Denver in the morning was nine-thirty a.m. But if he didn’t get there he’d have to wait until four or even until Sunday. This was turning into quite the clusterfuck.
“I’ll take a chance on this flight but book me onto the first flight to Denver in the morning. I don’t want to take the chance it will sell out.”
“Of course. Here are your new boarding passes. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”
It was an inconvenience, but it wasn’t their fault any more than it was his. At least he had a spitfire to take to dinner and she was looking a bit hot under the collar at the moment.
“What did you settle on?”
She looked up at him, her greenish-blue eyes glittering with anger. “Ugh. I’m double booked right now. I decided to take a chance on this flight and booked the first one they had for tomorrow which was noon. It’s ridiculous. I know I’m going to spend the night sleeping in one of these chairs.”
“I’d say there is a better than a fifty-fifty chance of that. But you won’t be alone. I took the same option. I won’t get to Denver until either late tomorrow afternoon or Sunday morning though.”
“Damn. I’m sorry. I’m complaining, and I only have to get to Atlanta.”
“It’s okay. Really. You’d be surprised how often this happens.”
“I actually considered getting a rental car and driving to Atlanta. But it’s getting late and I was worried I’d be too tired.”
“I hear you there. I thought about it too. So, still up for some dinner?”
The last meal he’d had was coffee at seven a.m. if you could call that a meal. He’d skipped lunch to get his laundry done. They hadn’t gotten back until last night.
She looked up at him with a considering expression. It was his stomach that growled this time and she laughed. Whatever she’d been thinking resolved itself, and she gave him a huge smile.
“Definitely. It sounds like you could eat half a cow.”
“You know, I think I could.”
Chapter 2
It was getting late and the airport was closing but Rafe knew where to find an open restaurant. Meghan was starving and would have eaten a sandwich from a vending machine but sitting down to a huge hamburger and a side of curly fries was nirvana on a plate. When the waitress put her food on the table her mouth watered.
Rafe ordered the same with a beer. She’d have loved a drink but not sure how long she’d be stuck at the airport she was afraid to get a drink and fall asleep. She didn’t trust her surroundings enough to go to sleep. Her mom hadn’t raised a stupid woman.
Neither spoke while they ate. He devoured his burger in about five bites, but Meghan’s eyes were bigger than her stomach as usual. When she pushed her plate away with half of the burger and fries left, she noticed the yearning on Rafe’s face.
“Would you like the rest of mine? I’m stuffed.”
“You don’t want a doggie bag for it?”
“No, I won’t be able to eat it and fries are gross when they get cold.”
“That’s true.” He hesitated another few seconds.
“Go ahead, I can tell you want it. Better than letting it go to waste.” Without saying a word, he pulled her plate over and inhaled the rest of her meal. She’d never seen anyone eat as fast. It was impressive.
“Better now?”
“Oh yeah. It’s my own fault. I haven’t eaten anything but coffee since yesterday.”
“You consider coffee food?”
“Yeah, don’t you?”
“Not sure. A necessity yes, but food? I don’t think so. I don’t eat the beans or the grounds.” Apparently, that was funny because he threw his head back and laughed. Loud enough that it startled the other patrons in the restaurant.
“Sorry, but you are a breath of fresh air.”
“I am?” She was just being her usual self as far as she knew.
“Yes, you are. And it’s great.”
“I’m glad I’m so amusing.” She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or annoyed. She didn’t usually elicit this reaction from anyone.
“Please don’t be offended. I didn’t mean anything bad. I just haven’t had this much fun with anyone in a long time.”
“Okay. If you say so. But I didn’t think I’d been funny.”
“It’s not so much that you’re funny, just that you say what you think. Except for my team, it’s not what most people do. Women are the worst. Always trying to say what they think you want to hear. The last date I was on, the woman spent the entire night telling me how wonderful I am, how big my muscles are, asking how dangerous my job was, all with the hope of getting into my pants. Sometimes I hate when people figure out I’m in the Navy.”
Good thing he couldn’t read her mind. She’d been undressing him since they sat down. Wondering if he had a six pack or more under that t-shirt.
“I guess I can accept that. But you know, men do the same thing.”
“Touché. But we’re usually a lot worse at it.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Meghan giggled. “Don’t you wear regular clothing when you go out? Like today?”
“Yes, but you were able to figure out I was in the service without it. Norfolk is kind of a small town too and we usually hang out in the same places. Makes it easy to know who is military and who isn’t.”
“So, you can’t really blame the women, then can you? If you’re in a bar that caters to your type, then they know where to go if that’s what they want.”
“Very true. But sometimes we just want to unwind. Hang out with the guys, shoot some pool, and blow off the remnants of the last mission.”
A shadow flitted across his face as he spoke, and her heart squeezed inside her chest. The last mission must have been a doozy. She wanted to ask, but it seemed too much like prying and she had no right to go there. It didn’t stop her from reaching across the table and squeezing, or attempting to squeeze, his hand as he held on to his beer mug.
Another surprise from his little spitfire. She’d gone from defender of women to comforting a stranger in a matter of seconds. It was obvious she’d picked up something from his demeanor. He must be tired normally he hid his emotions better.
“Thank you,” he said as he gazed at her small hand over his. It wasn’t much larger than his ten-year-old niece’s hand.
“You looked sad for a minute.”
“I’m really just tired. We got back to base late last night, and I haven’t had a lot of sleep lately.”
“That sucks…”
He didn’t know what if anything she was going to say next because in the space of a heartbeat she was out of her seat and standing in front of the television in the bar.
“Can you turn that up, please?” Her voice sounded strangled in her throat. He put his hand on her shoulder and it was tight as a board. What the hell had just happened. Then he looked up at the screen as the bartender turned up the volume on the TV.
“We’ve just received word that there has been a bombing in the village of Bamyan. There are several dead and wounded, but we’ve also learned that a group of missionaries who were there to build a school have been kidnapped. No one has claimed responsibility, but this area is widely known for Taliban infiltrations.”
“No, no, no.” Meghan’s shoulder shook underneath his hand. He doubted she’d even noticed he was touching her.
“Meghan?” He squeezed her shoulder a bit harder. “What’s wrong?”
“My brother.”
“Brother?”
“Yes.” Finally, her focus moved from the screen to him. Her eyes swam with tears and her cheeks were white as chalk. “The Taliban kidnapped my brother.”
What were the odds? Pretty shitty obviously. If it was true, then he didn’t know how she was still standing at the bar. Not one of the tears spilled out and she hadn’t even raised her voice. But she was clearly in shock. He knew the signs way too well.
“C’mon let’s g
o sit down.” She didn’t answer but didn’t fight him when he led her back to their table. The waitress hurried over and he ordered two whiskeys, he needed it and she sure as hell did.
“Here, drink this,” Rafe said as he handed her one of the glasses of amber liquid.
“What is it?”
“Scotch. Just take a drink. It will help, I promise.” She looked at the glass in her hand like it was some kind of beast but lifted it to her lips and swallowed. If the situation was different, he would have laughed, because as soon as it hit her throat she choked. Not the reaction he’d been going for, but at least it shook her up a bit.
“Holy crap…” Meghan’s voice was raspy from coughing. But she was back with him.
“Sorry, but you needed something. You were going into shock.”
“I was? Yeah, I suppose I was. Thank you. I think.”
“You’re welcome. Now, how about you tell me what’s going on? And why you think the Taliban kidnapped your brother?”
Rafe wasn’t sure she’d heard his question. Maybe the scotch hadn’t shaken her up enough. Then she lifted the glass to her lips and took a tentative second drink. No coughing this time, and she no longer looked like a corpse. It also meant she was thinking not just functioning. He’d give her as much time as she needed but patience wasn’t one of his virtues and one that his boss, Jake, constantly ripped him about. It wasn’t like they were getting out of there anytime soon. There was no rush, but damn he wanted answers.
“My brother is in Afghanistan with his missionary group.” His stomach twisted, he didn’t need to hear her words to know what was coming next. Fuck.
“They raised money and went there to help rebuild a school that had been destroyed. It has to be his group.”
“It’s possible it is, but there could be other groups there,” Rafe responded. It was his turn to reach across the table to comfort her. When he touched her hand, it was ice cold and sent a shiver down his spine.
“I don’t think so. I mean yes, there are others. But I’m almost positive that the village they said is the one he’s in. I need to call my family. I need to find out what we can do.” As she rummaged through her purse for her phone, he thought about calling Jake to see if they could get any intel at least for her. But that would be pushing it. Nope, not Jake but he knew someone else he could call who worked outside the boxes.
“What are you going to say to them?”
“I don’t know. I’m calling my sister. I don’t think my mom can deal with this.” Before she had a chance to make her call, her phone rang. He’d bet it was the sister but prayed it was the brother saying he was okay.
“Lizzie. Damn. You saw it too? I’m stuck in the airport. It’s a long story. Does mom know? Good. Try to keep it that way until I get there. We’ll get him back if I have to go there myself to kick some Taliban ass. Okay. Love you too. Big hugs to the kids. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Fresh tears filled her eyes as she disconnected the phone. He had to fight the urge to take her into his arms. If there was anyone in need of a hug, it was her. But they’d only met three or four hours ago. The last thing he wanted to do was overstep a boundary. Fuck it. If she freaked out, he’d deal with the fallout, but she needed a hug in the worst way, and he needed to give her one.
He doubted she noticed he’d gotten out of his chair since she was sitting there staring at her phone screen. Probably trying to figure out what to do next. But there wasn’t anything she could do. Not as a civilian. She could call her congressman, but on a Friday night, she’d just get an answering machine. The state department would take a message and call her back. There truly was nothing she could do. But he could and would do something.
Grabbing her hand, he lifted her out of her chair and wrapped her in a big bear hug. He didn’t squeeze her tight at first, waiting for her initial reaction. He was prepared to step back and protect the jewels if necessary.
Small arms slipped around his waist and she snuggled into his chest. Thank God he’d read her right. He pulled her in a little closer until she was closed in the cocoon of his arms.
“Thank you.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he heard it and felt the vibration.
“You’re very welcome. Any better?”
“Yes, but if it’s okay with you I’ll just stay here for a minute or so more.”
“I’ll stand here until the plane leaves if it will help.”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that,” the waitress said as she dropped their bill on the table. “We’re closing now. I’m sorry.”
Meghan pulled out of his arms so quickly she would have fallen if he hadn’t grabbed her arm. “Easy there, Spitfire.”
“What did you call me?”
“Uhhh. Spitfire. It’s a plane.”
“I know what it is, but why… Oh never mind. I’m sorry if we kept you late.” Meghan reached for her purse he presumed to get her wallet. Since he’d eaten most of their meals there was no way he would let her pay for her dinner.
“I’ve got it,” Rafe said as he handed the waitress his debit card.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t, but I ate more of your dinner than you did.” She seemed to think about it and then nodded.
“Thank you for dinner, and the company.”
“Again, you’re welcome. But I’m not going anywhere,” he answered as he looked at his watch. “At least not for the next four hours if the text I got from Delta is right.”
“Four hours? Better than canceled, I guess. I need to get to Atlanta. My family needs me.” He’d expected her to be having a hissy fit or whining, crying, something, but she lived up to his view of her. She’d break down eventually, but it wouldn’t be in public among strangers. Right now, her mind was going a million miles a minute working on the problem. He knew it for sure because that’s what he’d have done.
Chapter 3
Four more hours of sitting there doing nothing was going to make her crazy. Pacing wouldn’t help. It was after ten p.m. on the east coast, if she could even get someone in the state department, they wouldn’t do anything right now. Just a bunch of missionaries. These things happened all the time, that’s what they’d tell her. Charlie knew he was taking a risk, but it was his mission. He believed God would watch over them.
“You’d better not let him down either,” she mumbled as she sat down in the waiting area once again. These had to be the most uncomfortable seats on the planet.
“I’m not sure what you mean?” Rafe commented from beside her.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I was thinking about Charlie. My brother. It was something he said before he left.”
“Gotcha. I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the offer. I’m antsy, I need to do something. Sitting here like a bump on a log is going to drive me out of my fucking mind.” Damn. Even she heard the accent that time. Stress, baby. It had been erased by her mini-Virginia vacation with her best friend. But now she had it back, in spades.
The few days hanging out with Chrissy had been great and she’d been so relaxed, ready to tackle her editor to get better assignments. Chrissy was always so good for her. Pushed her to be the best she could be. It had been the first time they’d gotten together since she’d gotten a job for the FBI at Langley. She was one smart cookie and they were lucky to have her analyst skills.
“I understand. It sucks when your hands are tied, and you have to wait on others for answers. Although, I’m not sure how soon you’ll get any since it’s the weekend.”
“I know. It’s part of what’s making me crazy. There’s got to be a way to find out something, anything.”
Rafe had a strange expression. It wasn’t one she’d seen before and she’d cataloged a bunch of them in the time they’ve spent together. This was almost like guilt. But what could he feel guilty over? It’s not like he could jump on his ship and race over there in a week and rescue Charlie.
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“Hopefully you’ll hear some good news while we’re waiting.”
That made her laugh. This whole return trip had been a big ole hot mess. If she’d been smart, she’d have called Chrissy the moment the flight was canceled and stayed with her. But on the other hand, she wouldn’t have met the giant hunk of sexiness sitting next to her, but he was only a temporary distraction.
“You’re in the Navy. What do you think will happen to them? The missionaries?”
“I don’t know. The Taliban, if it is really who took them, will probably want a ransom.” That’s what she thought too, but was he saying that to reassure her or was it what he believed?
“Is it horrible to hope it’s the Taliban and not ISIS? I don’t think they’d have a hope in hell if it’s them.” Rafe didn’t answer, but the anger in his eyes was enough. It made her wonder what he did in the Navy. He never said but then she hadn’t asked. He didn’t know what she did either. They were still just strangers.
She’d wanted a distraction. She got one and should have known better than to even think what else could happen. The universe always had a way of showing you.
“Attention passengers on Delta Flight 393. I’m sorry to say it looks like it will be morning before we can take off. We have hotel room vouchers for anyone who wants one.”
It was tempting to get a room, lie down and get a few hours of sleep. But not tempting enough. She wouldn’t sleep, she’d just pace and wring her hands, and go online searching for anything she could dig up. In other words, she’d drive herself out of her mind. So no, she’d stay put right where she was and hope that they’d get the damn plane fixed before morning.
“Are you going to take the voucher?”
“Nope. I have an apartment, I could just go there. But they closed security about an hour ago. If anyone leaves, they can’t get back in until five a.m.”
SEAL's Spitfire (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Black Eagle Book 1) Page 2
