by KL Donn
Two pitchers of margaritas later…
“Why are men such jerks?” Lola hiccups as she stands, barely able to walk. So much for three.
“I don’t think they are,” Codie slurs.
“Of course, you don’t, Ry is a dreamboat,” she mumbles.
“Foster isn’t,” I whisper, trying not to slur or tip over. I didn’t realize how cheap of a drunk I was. I’ve only had two of these puppies, and I’m dizzy. “But the rest are.” I point to her. “Except Ryder. He was nice.”
“I thought he loved me,” Lola whimpers by her seat at the window, forced down by wobbly legs.
“Who?” Codie and I ask simultaneously.
Her gaze is unfocused as she looks at us. “A boy at school. I thought I could love him. Get over, Theo. But he didn’t want to love me back.”
“What happened?” I attempt to stand, but my head swims, so I flop back down, and Codie giggles at me.
“I don’t know,” she whispers as a tear slips down her cheek. “There was this party. I didn’t go”—a hiccup interrupts her—“because I had to study for an exam.” She takes a big gulp of her drink, emptying her glass. “Something happened there, apparently, and now he’s changed. He won’t even talk to me. He’s angry all the time, and I don’t know how to help him.”
It’s her first year of college, and I want to tell her that boyfriends come and go, but I get the feeling she believes something else is going on.
“Have you talked to anyone about it?” Codie leans forward and sways, so I put my hand on her shoulder to prevent her from falling over.
Lola stares at us like we’ve grown three heads. “You two should really stop spinning around, it’s making me dizzy.”
Codie and I share a look and burst out laughing. “You’re the one spinning!” Codie barely gets out.
“I think it’s time for bed, or tomorrow is going to hurt,” I groan as my head begins to pound.
“I’ll sleep here,” Lola murmurs as she lays out on the couch and closes her eyes.
“That girl can sleep anywhere.” Codie laughs as she stands and nearly stumbles, trying to maneuver around the coffee table. “See you in the morning, Ev.”
“Night,” I call after her.
Sitting in the dimly lit room, I watch the clouds slowly roll over the moon as the wind shifts and a flash of lightning cracks across the sky. I’m taken back to a time in my life I hadn’t remembered.
“Van, we have to tell her. She deserves to know what happened,” Mom whisper-yells at Dad.
“She’s only eight, she won’t understand. Besides, she’s content here. Why disrupt that, Jessica?” He sounds so angry.
The thunderstorm outside rages as my parents continue to argue. I can barely hear them because of the loud booms of heavy thunder. I catch a few words, though.
Murder.
Conspiracy.
Love.
None of it makes sense to me now, but maybe when I’m older it will? Maybe one day, they’ll explain it all to me.
Maybe that time is now.
13
Foster
The White House – Debriefing
“The Yemen government has been informed of their people’s actions. They’re cleaning the site up now, so your presence will never be discovered. The hostages have also been debriefed and told your existence is a secret. And should they tell anyone, and it gets spilled over to the media, they will face charges.” The President looks at each of us to be sure we don’t have anything to add.
“That’s a wrap then, sir.” Nix nods.
“Perfect. Now tell me about this girl Everett Gaines. It appears her past is quite the mystery.” He’s been interested in her from the time the CIA contacted him to aid in her extraction.
“Well, sir, it seems, Everett is not only not Van Gaines' child, but possibly not Jessica Gaines', either. From the obviously fake marriage certificate, there is no trail to the woman’s past, or Everett’s.” I hand him the papers we collected before flying to Yemen.
“Aside from the mole you believe to be working under Van’s orders, do you think there is any other connection to the Diablos Cartel?” He looks up at Ryder.
“No. From the intel I’ve gathered and the background checks, it’s clear that Max Drift is the only connection. He doesn’t know the names of the undercover operatives Van has in place in the organization, but he knows there are at least three, and from what I’ve found in an offshore account, he’s being paid handsomely for his deception.”
“I see. And what will you need to wrap this investigation and betrayal up quickly?”
“Honestly?” Ryder asks. The President nods. “To hack the CIA database. I need classified information that isn’t readily available in any of the files I’ve been given or currently have access to now.”
“Asher, what do you think?”
“Do it. There are no more trustworthy men than these. Frankly, they should already have access to all black ops missions, past, present, and future, to run even more effectively in the field. If there are operations that could be jeopardized because they are in a country with tentative ties to the U.S.A. already, we could get a lot of innocents killed without the information,” Asher assures him, shocking us all because he doesn’t like to give anyone clearance for anything that isn’t need-to-know.
“Get it done, McCall,” POTUS directs. “Gentlemen, you have the DOJ, Homeland, and this office behind your efforts to bring this assignment to an end. I would like an update in two weeks’ time. As always, thank you for your service and dedication to me and Task Force 779. Our country is forever in your debt.” Without another word, the man is on his feet and exiting the room.
“Alright guys, you’ve got access to everything. Ry, you should be getting a pop-up on that system of yours. You’ll be using a coded encryption. Nobody will ever know you were there.”
“Thanks, Ash.” Nix walks the man out.
“Let’s get out of here so we can explore the new clearance without prying eyes.” Ryder stands, laptop in hand. We all follow him out and straight to our vehicle. The six-hour drive will get us home just before dawn, and I’m eager to see Everett. Find out how she’s doing now.
Mostly, I need to know if she can handle the lack of communication when I’m gone on these missions. While I have faith in her, she doesn’t have a lot in herself.
“I’ll drive.” Weston tosses me the keys without complaint. I’m too wired to sleep, and I’m confident he’s gonna pass out in about five minutes. West hates long drives. The rest of the team is likely just as exhausted and will welcome the relief.
“Let’s go home, boys,” Nix says as he slides in last.
I like driving at night because the lights of the city calm my ragged soul. Growing up in Tampa Bay, I never really appreciated it. Spending so many years in the Rangers made me miss it. Now, I take advantage as often as I can.
Charleston, West Virginia
“Take the day off, guys. Get some rest, take care of those girls of yours. We’ll meet up tomorrow to discuss how to move forward with Everett’s past.” Nix climbs out to head up to his house after we’ve dropped off Theo and Weston at West’s place twenty minutes ago.
“He sure did a three-sixty after the shit show that he pulled with Codie, huh?” Ryder muses.
“Yeah. It’s kind of freaky,” I respond. I’ve been friends with Nix a long damn time, and I know he’s never met a woman that made him turn his head more than once, so I get the feeling he’s envious of what Ryder and Codie have. The loyalty and love that’s palpable anytime you’re in a room with them is undeniable.
“You think our two did alright?” I look to Ryder. I know Codie is used to this by now, but I still worry about my Evie.
Ryder snorts. “If I had to guess, there were margaritas involved and lots of gossip. Stop worrying, your girl is fine, man.”
I fucking hope to hell he’s right.
The sun is beginning to rise as I pull into Ryder’s driveway, and w
e quietly exit the car before walking the perimeter and entering the house. The sight on the couch surprises me, but Ryder doesn’t even seem phased by it.
“She do this often?”
“Every time we leave.” He grins as he walks upstairs and straight to his room.
I laugh while wondering what’s up with Lola. I’ve known her since she was barely twelve, and she’s always been a bit of a loner, yet still outgoing. Coming here while Ryder is away with none of us knowing except him is odd.
Shaking her from my head, I take the stairs two at a time up to the spare room where Everett is sleeping. Turning the knob, I push the door open and find Evie asleep on her back. Curtain open so the sun is beginning to illuminate her, and I see she has tossed the blanket onto the floor.
Kicking off my shoes and stripping from my shirt and pants, I crawl in beside her wearing only my boxers. She immediately turns into my body, and I slide one arm under her head and the other across her body, wrapping her tight. If I could hold her like this forever, I would.
“Foster?” She takes a deep breath.
“Yeah, Evie, I’m here,” I murmur into her head, leaving a kiss and inhaling her scent.
“I missed you.”
“Missed you too, baby, go back to sleep.” And just like that, she’s out cold again. My chest warms that she finds me safe enough to let down her guard with. Against all odds, I’ve gained her trust, her friendship, and hopefully, her love.
For a woman like Everett, having gone through what she has, it couldn’t have been easy to give me the time of day, let alone a tiny part of herself. I’m selfish enough to be incredibly glad she has. There isn’t a thing I won’t do for her should she need it. But Everett is so strong, and I know that no matter how treacherous the storm, with or without me, she’s going to move on from her tragic past and find herself again. I just hope she allows me to bear witness to it.
14
Everett
No more girls’ nights.
Why are there jackhammers in my brain?
I’ve never had such a bad hangover before, and I swear I’ll never drink again. I know, so cliché. This is awful. I wonder how the other girls are fairing. Moving my hand from its grip on my forehead, I push up and realize there’s a warm body underneath me.
“Oh God,” I groan. Did we all sleep in the same bed?
Cracking my eyes open a hair, I’m blinded by the sun and drop back down. “Shit, girl,” I hear uttered under me, and it takes a solid minute for me to realize it’s not just any voice.
It’s Foster.
“Sorry,” I whisper because if I speak any louder, I may weep. Seriously, why did I drink so damn much?
You’re a cheap drunk. Oh yeah.
“I bet she’s all perky, too,” I mutter, thinking of Lola.
“Who’s perky?” Foster mumbles.
“Huh? No one. I’m gonna shower.” I rush to get up, and my head spins.
Foster catches me as I nearly fall off the bed and faceplant on the hardwood floor. That would have hurt.
“Slow down, woman, before you injure yourself.”
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” I slur as I feel the bile rising in my throat and rush to the bathroom in the hall. This is getting really old. Nearly every day since I came here, I’ve been sick. I thought it was worry over Foster being gone, but now, I’m not so sure.
“Evie, you alright?” Foster knocks on the door.
“Fine. But could you maybe make me some tea?” The words rush out of my mouth before I’m throwing up again. I can hear him mumble something, but I have no idea what as he walks away.
My stomach roils when I sit back against the wall and try to figure out what is wrong with me. If I hadn’t been getting sick every day since Foster left, I’d chalk it up to a hangover, but I’ve always had a strong stomach. Even as a child when I had the flu, I never threw up. This is not normal for me.
As I’m reaching for the counter and about to turn the tap on to wet a cloth, the door opens and in walks Codie and Lola.
“Umm, hey.” My face heats as they look at me then each other. I must look a mess.
“Foster said you were getting sick again. This is like the fifth time since you’ve been here, Everett.” Codie grabs the washcloth from my hand and dampens it before ringing the excess water out.
“Yeah, believe me, I’ve noticed.”
“Here.” Lola hands me a small pink and blue box. “Pee on this.”
My vision blurs as I stare at the pregnancy test. “I can’t be. I was cleared from the doctors after everything. We did probably five tests after because I was terrified each was wrong.” My hands shake as I continue to stare at it.
“What about Foster?” Codie asks.
“What about him?” I’m sure I’m missing something given her question, but my brain isn’t working on all cylinders right now.
Dropping her hand to her hip while Lola dabs at my forehead, Codie says, “You slept with him almost a month ago. What about when he went to Arizona, or you came back here?”
Shit.
But… “We used protection in D.C.”
“Not always fail-safe,” Lola chimes in.
“And Arizona was only like less than a week ago when he came to me.”
“Did you use protection then?”
“Oh my god.”
Lola pushes the box closer to my face. “Pee. Now.” She sounds like a drill sergeant.
“No. I can’t be pregnant. I’m not ready.” I can hear the whine in my voice.
“Ready or not, sister, it’s happening.” Why does Lola sound so sure?
Foster
“They sure rushed up there in a hurry,” Ryder muses as Codie and Lola run from the kitchen, their hangovers obviously forgotten.
“Yeah. Maybe it’s a girl thing?” I wonder as I stare at the kettle, wishing it would whistle already.
“Codie said she's been sick once or, sometimes, twice a day while we were gone,” my friend confides, and my worry amplifies.
“Shit. Seriously?” I don’t need him to answer again; he doesn’t do dramatic. But it makes me wonder if maybe Everett isn’t cut out for this life. She’s so strong at times that I often forget how vulnerable she is, too.
If I’m causing her this much stress, perhaps I should send her back to Arizona, or somewhere I know she’ll be safe. A place where I’m not causing her harm because I’m gone.
Fuck.
I thought I was over these insecurities and worries.
Fuck. Fuck. Fu- “You gonna get that?” Ryder looks up from his computer.
“Huh?” It’s then I hear the whistle of the kettle. “Yeah.” What the fuck am I going to do about Everett?
Mixing the water with the tea bag, I drop a dollop of heavy cream the way she likes and walk to the stairs with it in my hand. I can hear the girls arguing in the bathroom about something, but the door is too thick, and the water is running, making it hard to hear what.
“Evie?” I knock. “I have your tea. Are you feeling alright?”
“She’s fine.” Lola opens the door. “I’ll take that. Could you make some scrambled eggs, no yolks, and dry toast for her? Thanks.” The door slams in my face before I can say yes.
“Women,” I grumble as I walk downstairs.
“Hey, man, look at this.” Ryder turns his laptop around to show me the screen. “This was painted while we were gone.”
“Fuck.” Sending her home is out of the question. Across the front door in blood-red paint are the words die whore in Spanish.
Pulling out my phone, I send a text to Asher.
Chaos: You still got some friends who do protection detail?
I don’t know how long it will take him to respond, so I get to work making the breakfast Lola asked me to.
Apollo: Ares is back in the country.
The man is a cold son of a bitch, but I know he’ll get the job done.
Chaos: Tell him I have a job for him. She needs a safe house. Only you and he can
know the location.
Apollo: Everett?
Chaos: Yes.
Apollo: He’ll be there within the hour. Give him the case file, he might see something you don’t.
Chaos: Thanks man.
Apollo: I hope you know what you’re doing.
Me fucking too. But I don’t express that doubt to him. I’m literally making Everett sick. I can’t be the cause for her being so distressed that it causes her harm.
“Hey, I’m gonna head out. Make sure Everett eats this. Ares will be here in an hour to pick her up,” I tell Ryder after placing her plate in the oven.
“Whoa, man. Hold up.” Ryder follows me to the front door. “What is going on?”
“I’m making her sick, Tac. I can’t be the reason for her feeling like that. No fucking way.” I can’t begin to explain how difficult this is for me.
“Bro, don’t do this. You’ll regret it.”
I stare up to the bathroom door and tell him, “I already do, man. But it’s what’s best. We figure out what’s going down and then she’s free. Ares will keep her safe until then.”
“Fuck, Foster. She’s going to be more upset about you leaving her now than on a mission.” Don’t I fucking know it?
“Just make sure you give Ares everything. Make sure he understands that she’s safe at all costs, or I’ll take a hell of a lot more than his life.” I open the door and close it behind me. Walking to my car, I struggle to keep on my path. I don’t like leaving Everett, period, but now? It just might be what she needs most in the world. No matter how much it’s going to hurt us.
I have no destination in mind as I begin to drive and find myself heading towards our training facility. I know before entering that Nix is already here. I’m only left to wonder if I’m going to get his support or the third degree.
