“Well you’re gonna hear it. All of it. If you won’t let her explain it to you I will.”
His temper was getting the better of him. “Leave it alone, Sam,” he snarled when she put a halting move on him.
From the corner of his eye he could see Kong running across the parking lot. This was going to turn into an all out brawl and someone was going to get seriously hurt. Ricochet stopped Kong short.
“Let ‘em have it out. You can have your turn with her when it’s over,” he said pulling Kong away.
“When she found out she was pregnant with Raya she packed her bags and ran as far as she could. She never laid eyes on him again until the other day at the school. As far as she was concerned he didn’t exist anymore.”
Boomer pulled out of her grip and took a step back. “That doesn’t excuse her not telling us she knew him. She could have told me, Sam. I wouldn’t have cared then.” His emotions were on a full rolling boil now. “Instead she invited me into her home and acted like she cared about me,” he ranted. “Things happened between us, Sam. Good things. I started feeling something real for her and Raya and she was just using me. Do you get it, using me as a shield between her and Parker. She didn’t care about me at all. She made love to me and the whole time she was laughing behind my back. And you know the worst part?” he asked getting right in Sam’s face. “I still care about her. Ain’t that a fucking hoot? I still care about her. When I walked into that apartment and saw her I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms. I wanted to take her and Raya and run. I wanted to kill that son of a bitch with my bare hands.”
It felt so good getting it all out he couldn’t stop. Kong and Ricochet were standing there with their hands stuffed in their pockets. Sam was staring at him, her angry face softened into compassion.
“Then I saw it. The cold, calculating woman she was. She took one look at me and felt nothing but disgust. I’m disgusted enough with myself, I didn’t need to see it in her eyes too.”
“That wasn’t disgust, Ben. That was strength. You two really need to sit down and talk.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore.” He turned to leave only to be stopped by her once more.
“I agree her not telling us she knew him was a shitty thing to do. But she has her reasons for not telling—good or bad they are her reasons. And as far as not caring for you, you’re blind for not seeing it.”
“Well, you can add that to my list of faults along with stupidity and foolishness.” He was wrung out, drained and exhausted. There was nothing left, no more words to describe or explain how he felt. Releasing anger was comparable with running ten miles. All he wanted was sleep. He turned his back on his friends and dragged his feet as he made his way toward his room.
“Let him go Sam,” Kong said grabbing her hand and stopping her from going after him. “You gave him enough to chew on for a while.”
Sam watched him walk away. He looked so defeated and miserable, it broke her heart. The fact that two people couldn’t sit down and talk was ridiculous. They were adults for crying out loud, not children.
She inhaled the chilled night air and released it into a cloud of mist. Kong was right. He needed time to think and he couldn’t do that with her climbing all over his back. She turned and looked at Kong and Ricochet.
Rico was rubbing his bald head and avoiding her. Kong was giving her that “we have something to talk about” look. Oh yeah, he was going to give her hell for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.
“I ain’t goin’ in there yet. He needs time to cool down. There’s a burger joint up the road, you want somethin’?” Rico asked trying to break the tension between them.
“No thanks, Rico. I’m good,” Kong replied.
“Same,” Sam told him.
“I better bring somethin’ back for the big guy. He hasn’t eaten since we checked in.”
Sam and Kong watched Ricochet strut up the street. When he was a good distance away Kong turned to her with a scowl. She thought the air was cold. Things were going to get much colder when they got into their room.
Maybe I should have minded my own business, she said silently in her head.
It is not your nature, Samantha. He is aware of this, her guide whispered inside her head.
A lot of good that’s going to do when he’s lecturing me.
“Come on, Sam. I don’t know about you but I’m freezing and need a nice, hot shower.”
“We could share the hot water,” she said with a big smile hoping to lighten his mood with the promise of sex.
“We will,” he said taking her hand and dragging her toward their room.
Works every time, she laughed to herself.
“Then we talk.”
Sam groaned out loud.
“Thought you could distract me didn’t ya? It isn’t that easy, babe.”
Chapter Sixteen
Boomer stretched out on his bed, folded his arms behind his head and kicked his shoes off as his feet hung over the edge and closed his eyes. What he wouldn’t give to just evaporate into nothing and not have to feel the turmoil eating at his insides. Just a few days ago he was happy and content with his life. How quickly things could go down the toilet. He hoped this mission was over soon. The faster he could get out of this area the faster he could resume his life.
Sam’s words bounced around inside his head. He tried to push them away but they wouldn’t leave. They drifted and clung to every piece of gray matter he had. When the door opened and Ricochet walked in he was grateful. His best friend would help take his mind off of things.
“Got ya something to eat,” Rico said tossing a large bag on Boomer’s stomach. “It ain’t much but you haven’t eaten for a while and I’m sure that ain’t good for recovery.”
The smell of warm meat and fried potatoes made his mouth water. He hadn’t realized he was so hungry. “Thanks buddy.”
“No problem,” Rico responded flopping on his own bed.
Boomer devoured his three hamburgers and two packets of fries while Rico flipped through TV channels silently. The silence was annoying, it allowed him time to think and he didn’t want to think. Rico was probably pissed at him just like Sam was. The more that thought sat in his head the bigger it got.
“You gonna chew my ass too?” he finally asked.
“Nope.”
“Come on, I know you want to.”
“Not really.”
“You think I’m a son of a bitch don’t you?”
“Nope.”
Boomer stared at the TV. This wasn’t what he expected. Yeah they had sort of a rule about not interfering in each others’ private lives but this had passed the point of courtesy. He’d insulted a woman in front of everyone, acted like a real ass and had a shouting match with one of their teammates. He had to have some thoughts on the whole situation.
“You can chew me out if you want to.”
Ricochet turned off the TV, swung his legs over the edge of the bed and tossed the remote on the nightstand. “You’re gonna make me do this ain’t ya?” he said disgusted.
“Do what?”
“Talk about all this mushy relationship stuff. Man, what happened to not interfering?” He tossed his arms in the air and stood. “Okay then, you wanna talk we’ll talk. First of all that comment you threw at her was nasty, uncalled for and just plain mean.”
Boomer dropped his head. This he knew.
“Now I know you got it bad for her ‘cause the Boomer I know would never be so cruel. You’re the last person to criticize anyone for the choices they made in their past. Second, this shit about her not carin’ for you and only wantin’ to use you is a load of crap. I think, and this is just my opinion, she had her eye on you from the moment you came runnin’ out of that blast with her kid on your back. She stayed at the hospital to find out if you were all right when she could have gone home and not given a shit. Then she came back. She didn’t have to. Maybe, just maybe, she thought havin’ you around would be helpful, she’d get to
know you better and have your security.”
Boomer sat listening with is mouth agape, watching his friend pace and flail his arms around in the air as he spoke.
“Third, so she was afraid to tell us she knew the guy. She has this big macho man who smiles at her like she’s the only woman on earth and adores her kid. Who the hell wouldn’t be afraid to tell him her kid’s father was a terrorist they were sent to take down? From what I can tell she’s been alone since she conceived the kid. She’s built a wall around the two of them to protect them and you’re apparently the only dumb ass she’s let in.”
That hurt. Rico was right he was the only man she’d been with in years. He could tell when they were making love. Her hesitant movements when she touched him, her quick response to his touch, her tightness when he slid inside her.
“Instead of givin’ her the chance to explain herself you go off half-cocked and convince yourself that every woman on this planet is here to use you.” Rico flopped down on the bed across from him and rubbed his tired eyes. “Look man I know you have trust issues with women. I don’t blame you for that. But somethin’ drew you two together so quickly, maybe it’s the kid, maybe it’s somethin’ more powerful. Hell I don’t know. What I do know is you’re a mess about this and if you didn’t have some kind of real feelin’s for her you wouldn’t give a rat’s ass. Now that’s all I’m gonna say about it. I don’t want anymore part of this. If you wanna throw away the best thing you’ve had then fine. What you do is your business.”
Rico stood walked to the other side of the bed, stripped down to his boxers and crawled under the covers. “I’m goin’ to bed.”
I asked for it, Ben thought to himself as Ricochet doused the lights. Between Rico and Sam he’d not only been enlightened to what a jerk he was but now he had even more to think about after not wanting to think at all.
He didn’t bother getting undressed. He simply fell back on the bed, threw his arm over his eyes and spent the next five minutes asking himself why he pushed Ricochet to talk about it. He’d think twice before doing it again. The man’s carefree façade hid a truly insightful and painfully truthful mind.
“Rico?”
“Yeah.”
“Remind me not to ask for your opinion about women anymore.”
“Not a problem.”
* * * * *
Three days passed without any sign of Parker at Hannah’s apartment. The men Walt had watching him reported in daily, Kong was updated and he in turn filled in the team. Boomer took the downtime to build up his muscle-strength around his now nearly healed wound. He also mulled his personal feeling for Hannah over in his head.
Sam was sitting on the floor going over intelligence trying to make sense of Parker’s movements. Kong and Ricochet had gone to look the school over, hoping to find where he would strike next and purposely leaving the two of them alone to straighten out their differences.
They hadn’t said two words since the shouting match in the parking lot. There wasn’t any tension between them, just awkward silence. He missed his conversations with her.
“I never asked why you learned sign,” he said looking for some way to break the ice.
Sam pulled the pen she was chewing on out of her mouth. “When I was little I had a friend who was deaf.”
“How’d you two meet?”
“Her dad and Uncle Walt were associated somehow. I can’t remember how. Anyway they introduced us. I remember she was such a pretty little girl with long, blonde hair. I always thought she was fragile. She was a lot of fun. We played all the time and she taught me sign. When they moved I found a place that gave classes and took it.”
“What was her name?”
“Jennifer. Can’t remember her last name.”
“Hunh,” Boomer said rubbing his chin.
“What?” Sam still hadn’t taken her eyes off her papers.
“My sister-in-law has blonde hair and her name’s Jennifer.” He could tell it took a few moments for it to sink past the clutter in her mind. When it did she dropped her pen and turned toward him.
“That’s a coincidence,” she said with her head tipped and her brow furrowed.
“That’s what I thought but since we’ve been friends I don’t believe in them,” he said with a hint of a smile.
When she returned his smile warmth radiated in the room. “We’re still friends then?”
“Sure we are. You’re the only one who could get away with manhandling me the way you did,” he chuckled.
Sam let out a hearty laugh. “I suppose if Ricochet or Kong did that fists would be flying. I’m sorry, Ben, but I was so mad at you.”
“It’s okay. Kong give you hell?”
“Oh yeah, he gave me hell.”
“So you think it’s possible my Jennifer and yours are the same?” he asked turning the conversation.
“I don’t know. I’ve often thought about her, wondered whatever became of her.”
When her eyes went vacant and distant he knew not to speak. They all did, it was when she was communicating with her guide. He knew what she was asking and waited anxiously for the answer.
“I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said smiling, “but I always am. Yes Boomer she’s one and the same.”
When she giggled he laughed with her. “What did it say?”
“That during our lives we are prepared for many things,” she said mimicking her guide’s soft, breathy voice. “My life and Jen’s touched for a brief time but enough to send me in the direction of learning sign which became vital in this mission. You were affected when your brother went deaf. You learned sign which was vital in this mission. They meet and marry. We meet and save children’s lives and you meet…”
When she stopped abruptly he knew what she was about to say. “Wow, what did Kong say to you? I’ve never seen you pull back like that.”
“Sorry. Anyway, it’s all connected in some way. You get the picture,” she said going back to her papers.
Kong and Ricochet sauntered through the door.
“I’m tellin’ ya that’s the best bet. He ain’t gonna try the exact same routine, just the same location.”
“I don’t know, Rico, sounds risky. I wouldn’t go for it if I were him.”
“What’s going on?” Boomer asked.
“Rico thinks Parker will forgo the explosives the way he did last time and just go in blasting.”
“I didn’t say that. I said he’d use a gun. I didn’t say anythin’ about blastin’.”
“You two see anything funny?” Sam asked.
“Not a thing.”
“I’m gonna call Hannah see if she needs anything or if she’s heard from him today.”
When Sam got up and went outside Boomer felt a twinge of guilt. Any other time she would have made the call in front of them, now she felt the need to leave the room all because of him. He still hadn’t come to a conclusion on the whole Hannah affair but he was sure it didn’t matter at this point. She surely hated him by now.
Sam stormed into the room with a stern look on her face.
“We have a problem.”
“What is it?” Kong asked.
“Her phone rang once and stopped. I swear I heard a struggle before it went dead.”
“He’s there,” Boomer said grabbing his bag as Kong’s phone rang.
“Yeah, stay on him. Keep me updated.”
Boomer was halfway out the door when Kong grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. “Listen to me, Boomer. This is going to be ugly. Hannah took Raya to school this morning so she’s on the premises. Parker just took Hannah from the apartment building and they’re headed toward the school.”
“What? If he’s taking her to the school that means today’s the day. I thought we had people on this? What happened to being told when he was ready, being a step ahead?”
Panic flowed through his bloodstream, fear enveloped his heart. His breath came in short pants and sweat beaded on his skin. She was in trouble. Parker was going to kill her
and Raya along with other children.
Even though he knew this was coming, that this was what they were planning for, it didn’t seem real. It was simply another mission. But it wasn’t just another mission. It was Hannah and Raya. The thought of never seeing Hannah again, never holding her in his arms or hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, feeling her touch, it was devastating. How would he go on?
Kong was talking, giving instructions but the roar of blood through Boomer’s ears deafened him. He could see Kong’s mouth moving but heard nothing but a muffle. Was the dream going to come true? Was he going to lose them to a horrible death?
Then a realization hit him. He’d spent the last few days sulking, when he could have been with her, with them. Days wasted because his ego was bruised. The vision of Hannah’s severely burned body sitting next to a pile of rubble with Raya’s tiny little foot exposed flashed through his mind. His fear choked him, his breathing became heavier and quicker, his knees buckled and everything went white.
“Come on, buddy.”
He felt hands on him, pulling him. The void he was trapped in kept dragging him deeper and deeper. He struggled and fought his way back far enough he could begin to understand the muffled voices in his ears.
“Boomer, look at me.”
It was Sam. He focused his eyes on her face. She was blurry and distorted but slowly she came into focus. Nausea welled in his stomach.
“I feel sick,” he managed.
The words were no sooner out of his mouth when he felt his head shoved forward and down between his knees.
“Take a nice slow, deep breath through your nose and let it slowly out your mouth. Come on Ben, you know to do this,” Sam instructed.
He focused on his breathing until the queasiness dissipated. When he felt better he sat up. His vision was clear, sweat poured down his face and back and all three of his friends were sitting in front of him.
“You okay man?” Ricochet’s deep chocolate skin was pale. His eyes were huge and he too was sweating bullets.
“I’m okay now,” he said blinking his eyes and letting his gaze drift across Kong and Sam’s faces.
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