They pulled up to her airline door and Cameron put the car in park and turned on his hazard lights. Natalie got out of the car and headed to the trunk, pulling out her bags when Cameron popped it open. He stepped out of the car and moved over to her as she adjusted her purse on her shoulder, unable to look at him.
“I guess I’ll see you if you ever come back to San Diego,” he finally said. She nodded without a word, still refusing to look him.
Her tears betrayed her when they slid down her cheeks, a sob threatening to escape if she didn’t turn and walk away. Cameron took her into his arms and held her tight. Everything she’d been trying so hard to keep bottled up until she was inside came rushing out in a stream of tears.
He slightly pulled back and looked into her eyes, his thumb brushing away a few tears. “You know you don’t have to get on that plane, Nat.”
She shook her head and wiped her eyes, forcing herself to gain her composure. “I have to. My life is in Philly. I can’t just leave it behind with no word or warning,” she said.
“You’re right,” he said and sighed, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips. It took everything in her not to wrap her arms around him and pull him to her, but walking away from him was already hard enough without her doing all of that. “Where’s your phone?”
She raised a brow as she pulled it from her pocket. “Right here. Why?”
He took the phone from her, opened her camera, and pulled her next to him. “Smile,” he said.
“Cameron, I look a mess. I’ve been crying.”
“You look fine. Just smile,” he said and smiled into the camera.
He snapped a picture, looked at it and pressed around on her phone for a few moments before handing it back to her. “Now I have something to remember you by,” he said. He placed an envelope with her name written on it in her hand and closed her hand around it. “Take care of yourself, Natalie.”
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she nodded. “You too.” She gripped her bags. “Goodbye, Cameron.”
Turning on her heels, she pulled her rolling suitcases behind her as she walked through the automated sliding doors with tears burning her eyes. For her to be so convinced that they weren’t right for each other, it didn’t make sense for her to be as emotional as she was. When she came to San Diego, she only expected to see her best friend get married and then go back home to the regular grind. She never thought she’d run into an old flame that would reawaken emotions she thought she’d ditched a decade ago. She didn’t come back here to fall back in love.
She looked over her shoulder, hoping to be able to steal one final glance of him, but the Mustang was gone. She wiped her eyes with a soft sigh and headed to the check-in desk, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that this was all wrong.
Chapter Eleven
Natalie glanced down at her watch for the fourth time in the last fifteen minutes. Her plane was supposed to have been here over thirty minutes ago, but there’d been no updates about when it would be here, which she found to be strange.
Her foot tapped impatiently as she looked around her. Other passengers restlessly sat, fiddling with their phones or tablets or reading a book as they waited for news about their late plane. Natalie took out her phone and gazed at the picture Cameron snapped moments before he left her. Her heart ached at the sight of his bright smile and soft eyes. She wondered what he was doing now, whether he’d gone back to his life as if she’d never been there. Even when she went back home, she knew nothing would be the same. There was no way she could go back to Ted after being with Cameron. She’d only been away from him for a little over two hours and already longed to feel his touch and to kiss him again.
The envelope Cameron had given her before leaving crossed her mind. She dug through her purse and pulled it out, running a finger over his scrawled handwriting on the front of it. Ripping the envelope open, she pulled out the letter and read.
Natalie,
I want to apologize for leaving you without a proper goodbye. As you can remember, I’m not really good at them. It’s hard to let go of the one person who has your heart, knowing there’s a possibility you won’t see them again. I wanted you here with me, to be a part of my life, but I knew asking that of you would only show you that I was no different than I was back then. I’ll be honest, I didn’t deserve you then. I guess I needed to go away and find myself as a man in order to be the man you needed. Only problem is that it took too long and my window of opportunity has faded.
At the end of the day, I want you to be happy. Whether it’s with me or someone else, your happiness is the only thing that matters. I wish the circumstances were different. I wish we had more time. I wish I was bringing you home with me instead of leaving you to go back home. But I understand. You’ve worked hard to create the life you have and it would be selfish of me to ask you to throw all that away over a single weekend. No matter what happens, you’ll always have a piece of my heart, Natalie. That’ll never change. I’m always a phone call away and I’m here when you need. I pray this isn’t the last time I see you, but in case it is, know that I love you and I wish you nothing but the best.
I’m sorry I was too late.
Love,
Cam
A tear splashed against the paper, smearing a bit of the ink it touched. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, stuffing the letter back into her purse. That must’ve been what he’d wanted to talk to her about on the beach, but shied away when she told him how content she was with her life. He definitely wasn’t the guy she left behind and that wasn’t a bad thing. Despite his own heart breaking, he’d let her go without a fight. But why did she feel a small sliver of disappointment at the fact that he didn’t fight for her? Even if he had, it wouldn’t have changed the facts. She still couldn’t up and leave on a whim. They’d still have to figure out how to make things work until she came back. She sighed. It was for the best. That chapter in her life was better off closed.
She wiped her eyes and pushed the thoughts aside as she stood and grabbed her carry on bag and headed over to the nearby gate agent. “Hi, do you know when this plane will be here?” she asked.
The lady popped her gum and flipped to the next page of her magazine, not even bothering to look up. “Sorry, doll face. We haven’t gotten word, but once we do, we’ll let you know,” she drawled.
Natalie sighed and muttered a quick thank you and trudged down the hall to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and studied her reflection. The woman looking back at her wasn’t someone she recognized. Of course it was her face, but they weren’t her eyes. The woman looking at her appeared sad and empty, as if she was missing something or someone important.
Get it together, Nat, she told herself, turning on the facet and splashing water on her face. No sooner than the water hit her face, a loud boom sounded around her, shaking her foundation and sending her to the floor. Screaming outside the bathroom followed soon after, sending a chill down Natalie’s spine. What the hell is going on out there?
She scrambled to her feet and snatched a few paper towels from the dispenser and dried her face, her hands shaking. The bathroom door flew open as a few women dashed in and locked the large silver lock on the back of it.
“What’s going on?” Natalie asked as they ran past her.
“Terrorists! Two guys blew themselves up in the west wing of the airport!” one of the women shrieked, frantically punching numbers on her cellphone. “Hello? We need the police at the San Diego airport! They have explosives and they’re going to kill everyone here!”
A loud banging on the door startled them. They all ran into different stalls and locked themselves in. Natalie pulled her phone from her pocket and opened FaceTime, selecting Cameron’s name in the contacts.
“Please pick up,” she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. If she was going to die in this airport, she wanted to tell him the truth.
Her heart ached when she was greeted by his smiling face as well as those of two of
the guys she recognized from the nightclub. His smile faded when he saw her tears.
“Nat? What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone laced with concern.
“Cam, I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I was scared and I—” Another explosion sounded, causing all the women to scream as pieces of the ceiling fell around them.
“Natalie, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
“No,” she said. “The airport is under attack. I’m trapped in the bathroom. The women who ran in here said that they’ve blown up the west wing of the airport and another explosion just—”
A long boom sounded and the bathroom was soon filled with shouting angry voices. Natalie looked at her screen and into Cameron’s bewildered eyes.
“Baby, I’m coming for you. Everything’s going to be okay,” he promised. A bathroom stall door was kicked open and the woman inside it screamed, stopping suddenly when gunshots rang out. She was trapped in here and they were massacring everyone in the bathroom.
She couldn’t let Cameron see her go out like this. She covered her mouth as they kicked another stall door open and shot into the stall, silencing another woman. There was only two more stalls between her and death and her time was quickly winding down.
“I love you, Cameron. I’m sorry I waited too late,” she whispered as she cried. Cameron called her name as she ended the video chat, clutching her phone in her hand.
“Oh fuck this,” the woman in the last stall said. A small voice in there with her pleaded for her to stay, but she didn’t listen. A child. Natalie could hear the woman’s heels against the floor and a stall door open. “Hey!”
Heavy boots sounded on the floor as they took a few steps and then it went silent. Natalie held her breath, able to see the woman in the crack of her stall door. She was petite but her posture was strong and defiant as she stood before the terrorist.
Natalie jumped and clamped her hands over her mouth as the gun went off again, pumping the woman with multiple bullets. She crumpled to the floor in front of Natalie’s stall, her dead eyes gazing up at her. Her blood trickled under the door and near Natalie’s feet, making this whole situation very real.
A large black boot kicked the woman away from the door and into the stall she’d just been in, grabbing the screaming girl still remaining. Natalie yelped when her door was kicked open, the barrel of a rifle pointed at her chest.
“Get up now!” the angry voice bellowed. Natalie jumped to her feet with her hands up, whimpering when the man grabbed her by her hair and dragged her alongside him. Her stomach turned as she passed the other stalls containing the dead women. If help didn’t come soon, she would be one of them. Her mind reverted back to Cam’s last words to her. Baby, I’m coming for you.
When she was finally out of the bathroom, she gasped at the scene before her. People were lined up on the floor on their knees, as if preparing for execution. Time was running out if Cam was going to save her. She could only pray that he wasn’t too late.
Chapter Twelve
Savage paced the floor of the conference room, helplessness washing over him. He was a SEAL; this was a domestic fight and completely out of their jurisdiction. He knew his commander wouldn’t give them permission to go in; this was a job for the National Guard and the police. But he couldn’t leave Natalie in there. Her terrified eyes and tears burned in his mind, adding more wind to his flame of anger.
Joker stuck his head outside the door. “Commander approaching,” he said and stepped aside, leaning against the wall. Savage blew out a breath. He needed to get himself under control.
Savage and Joker stood at attention as Commander Stephen Cassidy entered the room. “Good morning, sir,” both men said in unison.
“As you were, sailors,” Cassidy responded, adjusting the wire-rimmed glasses on his face. “What can I do for you?”
Savage swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he forced out the words. “There’s a terrorist attack in progress at San Diego International Airport right now.”
“We’ve been briefed on it. How do you know this?”
“My girl is one of the hostages. She video chatted me from the bathroom where she’d locked herself in before the attackers gained access to them. Three people alone were killed while she was on the call with me. She ended the call soon after, so I don’t know of her status and I’m unable to reach her.”
“Look, I know you’re concerned, but you know SEALs don’t operate on U.S. soil. Once we have all the information on who’s behind this, it would be better to go after the cell—”
“Sir, no disrespect, but I need to go in. I have to make sure she makes it out,” Savage pleaded, his voice cracking. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to Natalie. The fact that she’d called him moments away from what could be her death just to tell him she loved him struck a cord. He’d go get her with or without permission and deal with the consequences later. As long as she was safe, he’d deal with the rest.
The Commander sighed and ran a hand over his bald head as he thought for a few moments. “No one and I mean no one, better call me and ask what a SEAL team is doing there. No one should see you. You go in, extract the girl, and get the hell out of there. Do I make myself clear, sailor?”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Savage answered.
“And Garrett,” he called.
“Yes, sir?”
“This mission is all in your hands. If anything happens, I’m holding you accountable. Don’t make me regret this,” Cassidy said, his voice firm.
“Hooyah,” Savage said and dashed out of the conference room with Joker and Ghost on his heels before the Commander could say another word.
***
“We need a plan,” Savage said as he paced back and forth in his living room. “This attack is already in progress and no one is to know we’re there. I need a blueprint of the airport. From what Natalie told me, the west wing of it is gone.”
“I’m on it. Where’s your computer?”
“In the bedroom on the bed,” he answered.
“I think we’re going to need some help. It’s not the exact same situation, but Matthew “Wolf” Steele went through something similar. The terrorists hijacked his plane though, not shut down the whole airport.”
“I think I know who you’re talking about. Get him on the phone,” Savage ordered, continuing to pace the floor. I’m coming, baby.
Savage was on edge as he waited for more information, constantly checking his phone in case Natalie tried to text or video chat him again. He prayed she was okay, but given her status before she hung up, the possibility of that looked grim.
Joker tapped his shoulder with the phone. “He’s on the line,” he said and passed the phone.
“Savage here,” he stated.
“This is Wolf, on a secure line, thanks to Tex. I heard you’re in need of help.”
“Yeah, I am. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but a terrorist attack is in progress at San Diego International.”
“Have I heard? It’s on every god damn news channel right now,” he said.
Savage grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels until he found the first local news station, his heart in his throat as he watched uniformed men with guns posted outside the locked automated doors. The camera panned out to show smoke billowing from the left side of the building. The west wing.
A reporter droned on about the hostage situation. “Jabbar Imam, leader of this attack has stated that fourteen people have been executed. Hostage demands have not been made as the National Guard, local police and SWAT team are prepared to go in…”
“Savage, you there?” Wolf said on the line.
Savage blinked and blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m here. Joker told me you were in a similar situation—”
“My plane was hijacked. Not too sure about an entire airport. Have you been cleared for this?”
“Yeah, but we’re going off the grid.”
“Ah,
a black mission,” he stated. “What’s the plan?”
“Just going in to extract my girl. She’s one of the hostages.”
“How do you know?”
“She video chatted me from a bathroom stall. She was on the call with me when three other women in the bathroom were killed before she ended the chat. Her status is unknown right now.”
“Shit,” Wolf muttered. “Okay then. Do you need assistance?”
“I think this is something my team can handle, as we’re only allowed to go in, extract her and get out of there, so the fewer people, the better. But I need a clear plan on getting into the airport. It’s a media shit storm right now.”
“Give me a few minutes. I’m going to make a few calls. I have a computer expert on hand; gonna see if he can get into their security cameras to scope out possible entry points as well as check in on the situation. Stay near the phone; I’ll be in contact.”
“Hooyah,” Savage said and hung up. Ghost came back out of the bedroom with printed sheets of paper.
“This was the best I could find,” he said, pointing at the circles he’s made on the sheet. “These are all the exits. Most of them are locked from the outside without a special key card. The ones that are easily accessed are probably guarded or booby trapped. Our best bet would probably be the roof,” he explained.
Savage nodded and looked over the blueprint. From what was in front of him, the roof seemed like the best idea. He placed the sheets on the coffee table and straightened his posture. “Suit up, boys. Operation: Extracting Baby Doll is a go.”
Chapter Thirteen
The air hung thick with the smell of blood, making Natalie’s stomach churn each time she took a breath. She kneeled on the floor with her hands zip tied behind her back along with the other surviving passengers and the young girl from the bathroom. The girl looked to be no more than ten and was sobbing softly next to her in mourning of her mother.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Surviving Savage (Kindle Worlds Novella) (SEALed Brotherhood Book 1) Page 5
