by F. G. Adams
“I’m sorry. What are you talking about? We only had dinner once. It wasn’t a date. Just friends, remember?”
“You are wrong, Sage. We are so much more than friends.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are bringing me here? I mean, honestly, you took me against my will. Insinuating there is a romantic relationship between us? When there’s not. I demand you take me back immediately. I don’t want to be here, Malik. You’re keeping me here without my consent.”
“You are so wrong. You want to be with me. You chose to come.”
“Delusional much? Please. Let me go. I want to go home.”
“I have to return to my post. My shift is scheduled to begin soon. I will check on you when it ends. Enjoy your refreshments.”
“Malik!” I bolt from the other side of the room, running to the door only to have the lock on the other slide into place. I bang on the solid wood and yell his name repeatedly.
“Please let me go! I want to go home!”
My voice is slightly hoarse from my high-pitched cries for help, and the consistent pounding on the door has my fists throbbing, but I don’t waiver from the effort. Helplessness, agony, and desperation blanket me, unwelcome companions emerging from times gone by. “Lukas, where are you?”
I’m crumbled on the thick carpet, leaning alongside the obstacle in between me and freedom when the doorknob above me fractionally twists and returns to its former position. I frantically scoot backwards on my butt, searching around the room for a weapon to use. The high-heeled shoe positioned on the floor gets my attention. I hug it close as fear and anger knot inside me. If I overpower him, I might have a chance to escape. I could hide in the bowels of the ship and search for a satellite phone to call for help. My mind is a crazy mixture of hope and unease with so many scenarios floating about in it.
The sound of the locking mechanism moving along the other side barely registers and the knob slowly rotates. The door inches open. The silence in the room is deafening. I raise the heel above my head, primed and ready to strike my victim. My pulse beats rapidly on the verge of erupting. The barrel of a gun protrudes through the cracked door. I choke back a scream and focus on the gloved hand that appears.
I attack. The heel flies out of my hand across the room to land on the bed by a second masked man. I’m twisted around sideways, my thrashing arms anchored by my sides. I’m shoved up against the wall and a large body when a giant hand covers my mouth, smothering the bubbling scream about to transpire.
“Shh, princess, it’s me,” a familiar male voice whispers.
Right away, I quit moving.
Lukas? I’m stunned, amazed, and shaken. Relief spreads like a wildfire at the realization the cavalry has arrived. I’m saved.
“Not a peep. I’m going to remove my hand. Nod your head if you understand,” he adds softly.
I do as he requests and instantly, he claims my lips, crushing me with a soul-shattering kiss. Then, just as quickly as it began, he raises his mouth from mine and passionately gazes into my eyes.
“You ready to blow this joint, babe?”
21
Lukas
“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” Dr. Seuss
Today, the voices inside my head are screaming out from the depths of my soul; Sage is my one and I am hers. I fought for her so long, giving every excuse as to why we shouldn’t be together. Like she did the same. Fighting a losing battle neither one of us thought we could win.
In the end, no one can deny fate. Destiny brought Sage into my life, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let it ever take her away from me.
Forty-eight agonizing hours of torture and what ifs. Forty-eight painstakingly long hours in order to create a perfect plan, assemble everyone from our teams necessary to complete the mission, and be ready to execute. We needed every detail constructed, forged down to the most minute component of the operation.
No matter how much I wanted to storm the battlefront and rescue Sage myself.
The special operations craft quietly whizzes through the rough ocean water easily, jumping swells and bouncing wildly as we move closer to the yacht. The full moon shines brightly in the sky, giving us light during the cloak-and-dagger campaign.
Adrenaline pumping at an all-time high for everyone present in the boat. My body is tense, muscles quivering, and jaw clenched, Sage perpetually at the forefront of my troubled mind. This may be the most important mission of my life.
The raging Hulk inside me waiting to escape. Failure is not an option.
In a matter of minutes, we arrive at the yacht, skirting around to the stern. We immediately assess the number of guards visible; seventeen in all guard the outside of the boat. A sure sign of someone influential aboard the craft, and it stands to reason more will be below decks.
When we prepare to dock, two armed guards come into view. Shannon quietly maneuvers the skiff up to the stern of the boat. With the engine silent, we tie off onto the large vessel. In the cover of darkness, no one detects we’re there.
Stealthily, the team moves out, scaling the ship’s hull walls without a sound. Shannon stays behind to man the craft and ready it for escape. One at a time, we board the ship under the cover of blackness, moving as one. Utilizing hands signals to communicate, we leave no survivors in our wake.
The first guard I catch unawares, as I slice his throat from ear to ear. Blood gushes from his carotid artery, and I lay him on the deck to die. One down.
The second guard taken by surprise reacts a little too late as Keagan snaps his neck in two. Two down.
Oliver takes the lead as we move forward into the next layer of the ship. Dodging behind doorways and halls when more guards approach. One by one, we rid the world of the filth plaguing life itself. One by one, we progress, closer to finding Sage and Mustaf.
As we maneuver around the next corner, Ollie halts forward momentum, gesturing with his fist in the air. Voices echo through the corridor, ones we’ve heard before. Calista Cabricci and her whiney tone projects around us. A heated discussion between her and an unknown male arguing back and forth. We halt progress. The next few words spoken cause the blood to stop cold in my chest.
“We had a deal, Mustaf. Just because my cousin isn’t around doesn’t mean you can up and run on our deal,” Calista shrieks.
“Do. Not. Call. Me by my given name, woman,” Mustaf booms into the air. “You are not worthy.”
“Are you crazy, you sorry son of a bitch. You do not speak to me like that. You know who I am,” Calista’s ranting escalates.
“Mother, let me handle this,” Cade, one of Calista’s twins, speaks up.
A rustling ensues, and then a door slams as clacking heels echo down the hall away in the opposite direction from our current location.
In a whisper, Keagan says, “It’s confirmed. Mustaf is here, and it looks like Calista got the boot.”
“Yeah. And now we’re shut out. Can’t hear a damn thing, brother. We should move. Let’s set up for the fireworks. Everyone knows their part,” Oliver responds.
“Move out,” I mutter, and we continue down the long passageway, then down another flight of stairs further into the belly of the beast.
We scatter into groups; Oliver and I proceed to the lower deck level. Thermal imaging indicated that there was a single individual located on this floor with armed guards outside the door.
Getting ahead of Ollie, I trek down the hallway, searching for Sage.
“This is it, Bishop. Ready?” I ask.
I glance around the corner and spot the three sentries posted outside the door.
“Confirmed. Three armed and dangerous a yard away,” I validate.
“Ready on three. One. Two. Three,” Oliver counts off, and we rush the guards, shooting as we go.
The bullets hit their marks precisely. Due to the silencers on our guns, the faint, muffled cries of the guilty are eerily silent.
I grab the keys from the downed guard and unlo
ck the door. Slowly, I open the door, my acute senses on high alert as the muscles in my arms quiver.
Opening the door carefully with the barrel of my gun, I reach my hand inside. Unsure of what I will find. My stomach commences to flip-flops of what could be on the other side of the locked entry.
When I see a roaming red heel cocked as a weapon through the crack of the door, I instantly feel relief. That’s my Sage. A fighter till the end.
Quickly, I usher inside the dimly-lit room and find a soft, warm body. Sage. Our souls collide, recognizing the other.
I place my hand over her mouth to silence the scream and unwanted guards rushing in on us. I don’t want to traumatize her more.
“Shh, princess, it’s me,” I whisper in her ear, and her body relaxes on the spot.
I don’t wait for another minute to pass; it’s been too long already. Crushing my lips to hers, I pour in all the love I have for her. Needing her to feel my soul, feel my love. I release her abruptly. Stakes are too high and we have to get out of here. The need to bring her to safety takes over.
“You ready to blow this joint, babe?”
Sage replies, breathless, “Let’s do this, Jolly Green.”
I glance over to see Ollie standing guard by the exit. His posture is rigid, on high alert. The watchman ever vigilant, protecting us. The need to disclose my feelings overpowers my purpose.
“Wait. Before I take you out of here, I have to say something,” I start off.
“It can’t wait, Luc? We need to get out of here. You said so yourself,” an exasperated Sage follows.
“I love you, Sage. I love you, and I want the whole world to know it,” I confess finally as the tension moves out of my shoulders.
She captures my face in her tiny hands and tugs me to her awaiting lips. Nirvana. Bliss. I’ve finally found my happy place.
The next few minutes are a blur. Sage is in my arms, right where she belongs. Oliver ushers us out of the room, and we move without detection from the lower decks of the ship to the awaiting skiff. I carry her the entire way, because I can’t let her go.
When everyone is in the escape boat, we disembark for the shoreline.
“Charges are set,” an out-of-breath Grady reports.
“Most of the guards were taken out. They’ll be none the wiser once the fireworks begin,” Keagan informs the crew.
“Then let’s finish this,” Sage provides her opinion, invoking a chuckle among the guys.
“Blood thirsty much, boo?” Keagan asks as he settles in beside Shannon at the front of the skiff.
“Not really. I just want to get the fuck out of here,” Sage replies.
The large craft speeds away swiftly in the water, putting distance between the two vessels. Once we’re at a safe distance, Grady ignites the charges.
“Bon voyage, motherfuckers,” Grady yells as he presses the button of the detonator.
“Masaa' al-khayr, Badahar. (Good evening, Badahar.) Report.”
“MarHaban (Hello.) The Trident team should arrive within the hour at the coordinates you supplied. The mission is to retract the Blackwood woman. They are aware you live but aren’t certain of your whereabouts. They only suspect you are aboard.”
“As it should be. I must conclude my business with the Cabricci family. Their shipment of product is crucial to a new buyer in the east. The order must be filled. We cannot find a new supplier in time for the delivery to take place. Business is business. Then I plan to sneak away into the night right under Keagan’s nose.”
“Shouldn’t we kill them? At first, you wanted them annihilated. That was the plan, and the opportunity has landed in our laps to take them out. We must strike them down.”
“He and the others live with the knowledge of their fallen brethren. Besides, they are not clever enough to figure out my master plan. Go. Finish the job and return to your post in Afghanistan for further instruction. as-salaam ‘alaykum, Badahur.”
“As-salaam ‘alaykum, Mustaf.” (Peace be upon you.)
22
Sage
Love is a game two winners celebrate victoriously, an achievement so remarkable, the two are considered to be in a league of their own. First, the pair is chosen with delicacy. Minor bumps may occur along the traveled path, but the end justifies the means. Then handled with the upmost care, sprinkling tidbits of affection and respect around. Finally, the results will astound you—pure, unconditional love. Lukas and I have run the gambit and won the ultimate trophy.
I’m somewhere between twilight and consciousness, a warm body pressed against the length of me. Firm hands securing me into position, his partial leg hiked over my hip. One hand on my breast, the other lying at the juncture of my thighs. The low, steady sound of his breathing at the curve of my neck. I’m surrounded by him, a silky blanket protecting me from the outside world—Lukas.
He loves me.
I reverently trace the muscular forearm draped across me. Tears swell and a pain squeezes my heart at the thought of being deprived of him. I was willing to miss out on loving him, choosing to forfeit happiness based off a small child’s perspective and loneliness. The lengths he went to find me assure the little girl of the sacred bond in place. The one she coveted but held little hope of ever finding. The gentle giant to slay the dragons and rescue her from the solitary tower in the sky clouds above.
I shudder at the idea of missing my chance at happiness with Lukas. It’s true that your life flashes before you when facing a life-or-death situation. The moment I lifted the heel to defend myself, I realized if this was it and I died, I would die without really living. I had wasted the precious opportunity of life to love and be loved. My time syphoned through an hourglass over without grabbing the bull by the horns and facing my fears. We are not my parents.
He moves slightly, tightening his hold, and releases a low, husky groan. His hard cock nesting at the seam of my pussy.
“Go back to sleep,” he whispers in my hair.
“Sorry, Lukas. I didn’t mean to wake you. I imagine you’re tired and need your beauty sleep.”
“It’s an illusion. I’m not awake. I’m sleeping soundly with my woman safe in my arms. Sleep.” He yawns.
I chuckle and attempt to get up.
“Nah-ah. You’re not leaving my side for a very long time, so cease your squirming around and rest.” His grip tightens.
“I’m not sleepy. I’ll get up and watch some television while you snooze.”
“No way, José. Not letting you outta my arms. Deal with it.”
“Come on, Lukas. Pretty please. I will be in the next room.”
“Way too far. Nope.”
“It’s only twenty-five feet, if that. Geez.”
“Where you are is where I want you to be. Deal with it, princess.”
“You’re awfully demanding today.”
“It’s a gift.”
I jab him with my elbow, and he feigns a painful grunt.
“What time is it?” he asks.
“Almost noon. We missed breakfast.”
“That’s a shame.”
“I just can’t believe it’s really over.”
“Yeah. No more looking over your shoulder wondering who’s behind you or around the next corner. It’s finished. Mustaf and Malik are dead. Ka-boom. Blown to smithereens. Time to move on.”
“Too bad Calista and Cade made it. Ollie wasn’t exactly thrilled.”
“There’s always tomorrow. He knows the drill.”
“I understand. The last few months have changed so many things. My home. Car. My relationship with you. Nicholas needs me in the clinic, and I want to get back to work. My charity work is extremely important to me. I don’t even know the results from the gala. So many wounded men, women, and children benefit from the proceeds. I’m just not sure where to go from here.”
“That’s a no-brainer—we’re getting married.”
“Oh, really? Do I have any say in the matter?”
“Dress and place. That’s about all I�
�m willing to give.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“I have always dreamed if I did get married, I would have a big church wedding, bridesmaids, groomsmen, that kind of stuff.”
He crawls down the bed and lands in front of me. His prosthesis on the floor. He stares at me with love blanketing his expression.
“I might look a little silly here on a knee and a nub with my arms stretched open wide, but I love you this big, princess.”
Silly man. He’s my world. “Okay, Lukas, I’ll bite. What are you doing down there?”
“Sage Blackwood, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I stare in disbelief.
“Lukas, this isn’t some game, right? Our connection is real, tangible—deep in the marrow of my bones, I’m aware of your presence. Your desire for me, mine for you. We share an intense magnetic force pulling us together, but there’s more. You have the power to destroy me. Wreck me.” I wait for his response and attempt to swallow the lump in my throat. I’m putting myself on the line, and I urgently need his reassurance.
“Sage, there is more so much more. From the moment we met, we’ve been linked by an invisible chain, shackling us together. And no matter how much you attempted to deny me, running in the opposite direction, I was bound to you, running behind you in the same direction. When I faltered, you were there. Have faith in our love that it will see us through the rough patches.”
The caress of his lips on my mouth is gentle, so many unsaid words in the meaningful act.
“I’m so in love with you, Sage. Every succulent inch of you.”
“Please tell me this thing between us won’t change. We will always want each other and no one else. The fire burning in your eyes will burn for me. Promise me you’ll also be at my side when I fall asleep at night and we’ll never go to sleep angry. Promise me when I wake up in the morning, it’s your handsome smile I’ll be graced with. Promise me this feeling will never end. Promise me you’ll never let me go.”
