Guarding Amberley

by Nicole Flockton

  Again a feeling there was more to Samantha’s story filled Amberley but she let it pass. It wasn’t her business. Samantha had shared a lot with her. Information she wasn’t sure the actress had shared with anyone. Amberley certainly hadn’t heard anything about her sister being held captive on any of the gossip sites. And if a good reporter was doing their job, they’d have dug that sort of information up. Hopefully, it would stay that way, even when Samantha made it big.

  Her phone beeped and she pulled it out, hoping it was a message from Tom but didn’t recognize the number. Without giving it much thought, she unlocked her phone to read the text.

  I missed you while you were away. Hope we can catch up soon. T

  A shiver of dread rolled down her spine. What the hell, Simon Wilson messaged her again? He hadn’t messaged her in months, why now? She deleted the message and blocked the number.

  “Everything okay?” Samantha asked.

  Amberley shoved the phone back in her back. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Wanting to forget all about the annoying Simon Wilson, Amberley picked up her script and smiled. “Shall we go through the first act?”

  Chapter Seven

  Tom slapped at the bug as it landed on his knee. “Fucking bugs. Why do they always hang the fuck around me?”

  Cowboy chuckled at his side. “Because they know you’re single and don’t want you to feel lonely.”

  Tom flipped his teammate the bird and slapped another sucker away, while trying not to think about Amberley and what she was doing. Or remember what she’d told him before he walked out the door.

  They’d been in Sudan for the past five days. As much as they wanted to use the intel they’d been given and extract the photo journalist, it wasn’t always that easy.

  As with all missions, there was a need to survey the area. Find out how many insurgents they’d have to deal with. He and his team were in pairs around the perimeter of the camp. They’d yet to set eyes on the hostage, but one particular cabin had a lot of action with men going in and out. Sometimes with a bowl, cup or both. More often than not, it was just two guys and they’d walk out, zipping up their pants laughing their heads off.

  Tom was glad he wasn’t teamed up with T-Rex, not that he didn’t like his team mate, but this mission would have to be tough on him. Robot had paired with T-Rex, no doubt keeping his emotions in check.

  A distant rumble of an engine rent the air and Cowboy straightened beside him. “Looks like there’s going to be some action soon.”

  “Beat up jeep with two occupants and a truck bearing down fast from the east side of the camp. Be alert, and wait for my signal. Go time has arrived.” Robot’s low voice sounded in his ear.

  With silent communication he and Cowboy took up different positions, while keeping the camp firmly in their line of business. A flurry of activity had sprung up and men began moving at a fast pace, collecting up fire arms. So far no one had entered the cabin and Tom hoped it stayed that way.

  If luck was on their side the occupants of the camp would be too busy dealing with whoever was approaching, allowing Italy and Joker the opportunity to extract the hostage. Tom and the rest of his team tried not to rely on luck while on missions. Lady luck could either be a bitch or a princess. He hoped today she was feeling princess-like.

  “Jeep and truck about to round the bend and arrive.” This came from Joker.

  Getting down on his stomach, Tom adjusted his rifle keeping his focus on the gathering men. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Cowboy doing the same.

  In that split moment before all hell threatened to break, Tom allowed himself one last thought of Amberley, hoping she wasn’t having dinner with another loser her parents had set her up with. They may have only had sex one time, but it was enough for Tom to want more.

  The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the camp and the people milling around the small cabins fell to the ground, some hit, some taking up positions to fire back.

  “What the fuck is this? Watch your six. Don’t fire back, we don’t want to give our presence away. Italy and Joker, when you see your chance, get in and get out. This could be the break we’ve been hoping for.” Amidst the chaos of gunfire Robot sounded cool and calm. The ultimate team lead and Tom was glad he’d been assigned to this team.

  His finger cramped on the trigger, and he stretched it out before crooking it again so it caressed the small piece of metal that, once depressed, could stop a man in his tracks.

  The men in the truck jumped down, a couple tumbling off as they were hit with gunfire by the insurgents they’d spent the last few days watching.

  “Fuck this looks like some sort of rival terrorist battle.” Cowboy said. “These guys are mowing each oth—”

  “Hostage secured, fall back.” Italy’s voice interrupted Cowboy’s.

  Tom crawled backward, his eyes remaining on the chaos in front of them in case one of the men took off running in their direction. When there was enough distance between the gun fight and their position, he and Cowboy stood and hot-footed it through the trees.

  “Helo en route to extraction point A. ETA forty minutes.” Again their team lead spoke to them.

  The extraction point was the same place where they’d been dropped off. The sun was beginning to set so by the time they were picked up, the security blanket of darkness should help their escape.

  The shouting and gunfire sounds faded the farther they moved away from where they’d been located. Either the battle had ended with them all killing each other, or one side won and was now dealing with the aftermath. All Tom hoped was that they wouldn’t notice the hostage was now missing and come looking for them.

  Thirty minutes later he and Cowboy arrived at the extraction point. A quick scan showed the positions of the rest of his team.

  Over the rapid beating of his heart from running through the trees, the reassuring thwump thwump thwump of a helicopter reached his ears.

  “Helo two minutes out. Any injuries?” Robot asked.

  A chorus of negatives sounded and a little of Tom’s tension receded. It wouldn’t fully disappear until he was safely stateside.

  The helicopter arrived and Tom crouched low as he ran to the bird, Cowboy right beside him. They climbed in and seated themselves.

  The second Robot climbed on board, he thumped the roof above the pilot with his fist and the machine lifted off the ground. He then addressed Tom and the rest of the team. “Good work, we’re headed to Camp Lemonnier where we’ll then head back stateside.”

  Tom didn’t need to look around to know the guys were happy to hear those words. The woman they’d freed huddled in the corner. Her clothes were tattered, hair a mass of knots and her face covered in dirt. Cowboy, the medic of the group, spoke softly to her, no doubt reassuring her that she was safe and asking if she’d allow him to look at her wounds. Her eyes darted around the space and Tom could only imagine the myriad of thoughts going through her mind. After not showering for five days he was pretty sure he and his team smelled as bad as the men who kept her captive. Not to mention how intimidating they all looked with their faces blackened out.

  He saw T-Rex get up and squat in front of her as well. If anyone knew how to deal with someone so lost after an ordeal like this woman had gone through, he would. He’d brought Brielle back from the brink after she’d suffered many anxiety attacks. He could also reassure her that life won’t be the same as before, but it would get better.

  “Fuck, this has to be hard for T-Rex,” Joker muttered beside him.

  “I’m sure it’s bringing back memories he’d rather do without. But having him here is probably the best for her. He can keep her attention focused on him while Cowboy checks her out.”

  “Yeah, there is that.” Joker wiped a hand down his face. “I’m looking forward to getting back home.”

  A note in his tone drew Tom’s attention away from Cowboy and the victim and to his team mate. “Something going on at home? Are Suzie and Emma okay?”

  Joker smiled at the m
ention of his family. “Nah, everything’s great at home. Suzie and Emma are wonderful. I just miss them is all. It gets harder and harder to leave them.”

  “Are you thinking of leaving the team? Does Suzie want you to do that?”

  “I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t crossed my mind since Emma was born. But having a child only makes me want to keep the world safe for her. Italy and I have talked about it, he feels the same and with Brielle pregnant, T-Rex is going to be having the same thoughts. Particularly after knowing what the woman we rescued went through while we were watching her.”

  Memories of seeing the men go in and out of the cabin flashed across his mind. How would he feel if it was Amberley in there? Her every right stolen from her. Her body being used as an entertainment tool for men who would be less than gentle with her.

  His hands clenched into fists and he wanted to go back and pummel the men’s faces until they were unrecognizable. He would do anything to protect Amberley.

  God, he needed to see her. The second he finished his debriefing, he’d get on a plane to LA and persuade Amberley to take their fake relationship and make it a reality.

  “Yeah, that’s exactly why even though sometimes I want to walk away I won’t. Suzie doesn’t want me to either.”

  “Huh?” Had he missed part of the conversation with Joker while he’d been thinking about Amberley?

  Joker canted his head toward Tom’s clenched fists. “I see the way you’re reacting. You’re thinking about it being your woman in the cabin and wanting to get revenge on the motherfuckers. Trust me, it took everything in me not to storm that cabin when those guys continually walked in and out. But the outcome may not have been as successful as it was if we’d done that.”

  Tom nodded, they’d been on enough missions to know that a planned attack was better than a rush in guns blazing type. Still hadn’t made it any easier for any of the team to sit and wait for the best time to rescue her.

  Loud sobs filled the cabin as T-Rex gathered the victim in his arms. As much as Tom loved his job, it sucked balls on occasion.

  Tom raised his fist and rapped on the white wooden door. Tiredness pervaded his every pore but the second he’d landed at Norfolk, his attention had been on getting back on a plane and flying to the other side of the country to see Amberley.

  When he’d turned his phone back on, there’d been a couple of messages from her. The first one letting him know she’d arrived back to LA safely. The second saying that everyone loved the script and thanking him for his input.

  He tried not to read too much into the second message. Part of him felt like she was saying goodbye. Like he would let that happen. Not after what he’d thought about on the helicopter. His thoughts reconfirmed his desire to make the fake relationship Amberley had told her parents about real and he wasn’t wavering from that path.

  Her parents, well her mother, would be more than happy for him to keep himself as far away from Amberley as possible. No way was he going to let that happen, unless Amberley answered his knock and told him to go away.

  His gut clenched at the thought. What if she’d only been using him for her script? What if now that she’d gotten what she wanted, she didn’t need him anymore?

  “Tom? Oh my God, you’re back. And you’re okay.” He had a split second to comprehend the door had been opened, before Amberley launched herself at him. Instinctively, his arms closed around her as hers looped around his neck. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  Okay then, she wasn’t going to blow him off.

  “Hey Ambs,” he murmured as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. He inhaled, her unique scent and relaxed as a sense of contentment washed over him. This was so right, having her in his arms. She belonged there and he was going to do everything possible to keep her there.

  “I missed you,” she said a second before her lips found his. Whatever had caused her to keep her distance from him after they’d had sex in his kitchen had disappeared. He couldn’t be happier.

  Tightening his grip on her as his mouth roved over hers, Tom lifted her feet off the ground and walked into her house, closing her door with a back kick. The second the door slammed shut he had Amberley up against the wall.

  Fuck, nothing had ever felt as perfect as holding Amberley did right that second. The need to breathe was the only reason he pulled his lips away from hers.

  “That’s quite the welcome home,” he said as he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

  “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”

  Everything in him urged him to ask her where her bedroom was and get reacquainted with her body, explore all the places he didn’t get a chance to the last time they were together, He needed to find out if what he was feeling wasn’t one-sided and she felt the same way.

  “Ambs, as much as I love holding you, we need to talk.”

  The second her arms dropped from around his neck and she stepped away, he regretted his words. He should’ve just acted and then they could’ve talked later. When they were both mellow after an amazing bout of sex.

  “I know. I’m sorry that I jumped you the second I opened the door. It’s just, I was worried about you. And I wasn’t expecting you but it’s the best surprise.” She looked away as if embarrassed by her outburst.

  Tom crooked a finger under her chin, waiting until her eyes connected with his. “I missed you too, Ambs. All I could think about on the way back was coming to see you. I don’t know what it means, but I’m here because I want to continue what we started at my place. If I’m wrong about this and, I’ll go back to the airport and get on a plane and fly home ag—” Two of her fingers pressed against his lips, halting the flow of words.

  “I want that too, Tom. I’m sorry I freaked out after what we did in the kitchen that first night at your place. There were so many times I wanted to creep into your room, crawl into your bed and curl myself around you.”

  His body immediately hardened at her words. She was wearing the same type of flowy dress she’d worn that first night at his place. He was beginning to love them. They hinted at her curves and could be removed very quickly. “I wouldn’t have turned you away if you had,” he murmured answering her question.

  Amberley laughed, the husky sound igniting the flames even further in him. He clenched his fists to stop himself from dragging her close again.

  “I know we come from completely different backgrounds and I know I would never be your parents’ choice. But I can’t walk away from you. I don’t want to walk away.”

  “Oh Tom, I don’t want you to. I don’t care what my parents think. It’s my life and I want you.”

  “So are we taking fake to real?” he asked as he hooked a loose piece of her auburn hair behind her ear.

  Her green eyes sparkled like the brightest emerald and her kiss-plump lips curved into a sexy smile. “We sure are. Tom will you have dinner with me?”

  Chapter Eight

  Amberley tossed the paper napkin into the empty pizza box. After declaring that she was on board with making her and Tom’s relationship real, she pushed down the urge to drag him to her bedroom and have her wicked way with him.

  There would’ve been no argument from Tom if she’d done that, he’d given her every indication he wanted to cement their relationship in the bedroom. But she’d wanted build the anticipation so the moment they ended up in the bedroom it would be magical. Which was why she’d invited him to dinner.

  “I’m having déjà vu,” he commented beside her as he copied her action of getting rid of the napkin.

  “Really? Why?”

  “Well that first night you arrived in Virginia we had pizza.”

  Amberley curled her legs up and cuddled into Tom’s side. His arm immediately went around her shoulders and started to play with her hair. “From memory you ordered three pizzas, tonight we only ordered one.”

  “Hey, I was giving you options. Besides that fueled me and my team the next day.”

  She laughed. “I ca
n’t believe you guys exercise your assess off and then scarf down cold pizza.”

  “If you knew what we ate while on missions, you wouldn’t find it strange at all.”

  And just like that the temperature in the room cooled a little. So far she’d been able to push aside the fact that Tom had been on a mission. “Was it really bad?” she asked. Having him beside her reassured her that he was safe, but still she needed to know.

  “It wasn’t as bad as some.”

  The news had been full of how a kidnapped photo journalist had been rescued while Tom had been away. After what Samantha had told her, her curiosity was piqued and she had to find out if Tom had been part of the rescue mission. “Where did you go?”

  A shudder rippled through Tom and because she was practically in his lap, she felt every second of it. “I can’t tell you. Our missions are covert for a reason. If we’re going to make a go of this, you’re going to have to understand that there are some aspects of my job I can’t tell you about. My missions and what we do are classified and I’ll only ever talk about with my Commander and my team.”

  “I understand, and I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but sometimes I may slip and ask.”

  Tom dropped a kiss on her head and she relaxed against him again. “It’s okay. I know it’s going to take a little getting used to.”

  Silence cocooned them for a few minutes. How would this relationship between them work? She lived and worked in LA and he lived and worked in Virginia. Could they do a long distance thing?

  She sat up abruptly. “How long are you here for? Don’t you have to be on base seeing as you just got back from a mission?”

  “We usually get a couple of down days after we get back. Normally we still meet up to do PT, but I think after this trip. The guys want to spend time with their families.”