Uncovered by Truth

by Rachael Duncan

  “My turn,” I announce after a minute of silence. “Missionary or doggy style?” Enough with this serious shit.

  AT TWENTY YEARS old, you never expect to see the things you do when in combat. But here I am, fresh out of basic and shipped overseas to help fight the war on terror. I knew what I was signing up for when I requested the infantry, and I don’t regret it. I take pride in serving my country, but it doesn’t make it any easier to sleep sometimes.

  It’s another day, another patrol. Our deployment keeps getting extended. What started out as twelve months has now turned into eighteen.

  Five hundred and forty-five days.

  It’s to the point where I don’t even give a shit about anything anymore. I think a lot of us are getting that way. We’re getting more careless, more daring, and less cautious.

  Sweat runs down the sides of my face as we get ready to arrest another scumbag. He’s been planting IEDs on the sides of the roads. We want to know who’s supplying them.

  I’m at the front of the line ready to bust down this door. The five of us are lined up front to back, knowing exactly what we need to do to clear the room, find our target, and hopefully bring him in alive. On the count of three, the door gets busted down. I stride into the room first, keeping low with my weapon drawn and ready to fire. I’m about to take a right to clear this side of the room, when I see it. By the time my mind registers what’s happening, it’s too late.

  A crushing pain hits me in the chest right before I see the flash from the muzzle. The force of the three rounds knocks me back a little, but I’m able to squeeze off a few shots before I collapse to the side. I make sure I’m not blocking the doorway so he doesn’t pick us all off one by one. Breathing instantly becomes difficult. Even with my vest on, it feels like I’ve been hit in the chest with a hammer by fucking Thor.

  After a few bullets echo through the room, I hear “All clear!” I glance over long enough to see a couch lined up perpendicular to the door, the dead asshole lying motionless behind it. He was tipped off and waiting for us to bust in here.

  With every ounce of energy within me, I try to sit up, but can’t. My Kevlar helmet feels like it weighs a hundred pounds and my head falls back unable to hold it up anymore. I fight to keep my eyes open, knowing that I need to stay awake. My guys are trying to talk to me, but they seem so far away as my eyes slowly drift shut.

  Just another day in hell.

  But then I hear it. The voice of an angel. “Alex, can you hear me?”

  Alex? Who’s Alex? My mind is telling my eyes to open, to look at the one who’s here to save me, but they don’t listen.

  “Wake up!”

  My eyes open and I see Elizabeth sitting over me, eyebrows creased with worry. My heart is beating a mile a minute and my breathing is accelerated. Sweat runs down my temples just like in my dream—well, flashback. I take a few deep breaths and clear my mind of the images, of the feelings I had to relive.

  “Are you okay?” she asks hesitantly. “You were groaning a lot and your face was twisted up like you were in pain. I’ve been trying to wake you for a couple minutes.”

  My hand rubs down my face before I sit up in bed. Backing up against the headboard, I try to hide my embarrassment. No one has seen me like this. Well, those assholes did when they first took me, but no one I care about. The instant fear that I’m over there again, the sweating, the heavy breathing, the shaking, the relief I’m not there, then the guilt that some of my brothers never came home are all bottled up inside. I’ve always dealt with it on my own and hid my problems from everyone.

  “Sorry about that.” I’m still edgy, feeling the effects from my nightmare.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  I can’t even meet her eyes for fear of what I’ll see. “No,” is all I say.

  “Are you sure?” she persists.

  I look up at her. “I said I don’t want to talk about it,” I grit out at her. She’s momentarily taken back by my tone, but then I see the hurt written all over her face. Knowing how Cal treated and kept things from her has me wanting to kick my own ass. “I’m sorry. It’s just not something I talk about a lot, but I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  “It’s okay,” she says quietly, but I know it’s not. She’s visibly upset and I’d do anything to keep from making her feel that way. Even if it means opening up to her and exposing my vulnerabilities.

  “No, it’s not.” I take in a deep breath and blow it out slowly, preparing myself to discuss things that only my brothers on the battlefield know about. Holding my arm out to her, I say, “Come here and let me hold you.” Really, she’s holding me, making me whole when I thought I’d never have someone like her in my life. She comes over and snuggles up to my side without hesitation.

  “No one knows that I have these dreams—these nightmares. I used to have them at least a few times a week after my very last deployment. It’s like everything I’d done and seen was finally catching up with my psyche or something. Over time, they happened less and less until they stopped for the most part. But lately, I’ve been having them more frequently again. I’m thinking it’s the stress of everything going on that’s bringing it to the surface.”

  She’s quiet for a moment, I guess soaking the information in, but her silence starts to make me nervous. Does she think I’m crazy or need help or something?

  “Do you want to tell me what you dream about?” She starts drawing small circles on my chest, and I find the small gesture comforting. It’s like she knows exactly what I need.

  “Trust me, there’s some things no one wants to know. Things I wish I hadn’t seen.” She doesn’t respond, but keeps running her finger gently over my chest. “I was shot once in the chest. I’ll never forget the flash from the muzzle and how much it hurt. I used to dream about that a lot. I’d see the flash and startle awake. Tonight it wasn’t just the flash, it was the whole goddamn thing. In the back of my mind I knew what was going to happen, but I was powerless to stop it. So all I could do was sit there and watch the actions play out knowing how it would end.” A huff of air rushes past my lips.

  “Did you ever see anyone about this? Have you been diagnosed with PTSD?” There’s no judgment in her tone, just concern.

  “No, it’s always been manageable. I’ve just always dealt with it. Like I said, you’re the first person I’ve told. I don’t want you to think I’m crazy or that I’m going to fly off the deep end one day,” I say with humor in my voice, but I’m serious. I would forever regret this moment if she looked at me differently or thought she had to treat me like I was fragile.

  “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re brave, strong, and I admire you on so many different levels. There’s nothing you could say that would make me change the way I feel about you, Alex. I love you.”

  My heart swells with my feelings for her. She really is perfect for me. “I love you too.” I kiss the top of her head and go back to sleep with her lying on my chest. Her silent comfort chasing my demons away.

  THE NEXT MORNING I step outside to make a call to Turner on the phone he gave me.

  “Turner,” he answers on the second ring.

  “It’s Matthews. We made it in last night.”

  “Good.”

  “Any new updates?” You would think a bunch of amateurs are working at the bureau with as long as this is taking. I mean shit, how many dots could there possibly be to connect all of this?

  “We’re getting close. Now it’s just a matter of dotting I’s and crossing T’s.”

  “What’s the connection? How does Cal tie in to the cartel?”

  “We’re still searching for the motive, but we’re pretty sure the head of it is Henry Williams.”

  “Yeah, I remember you telling me that name before. How do you know he’s the leader?”

  “All the money got traced back to him. It was laundered pretty damn good, but we finally pinpointed it to his company. We found out the plane you flew on is owned by him as well. He own
s a large shipping company. One of the largest in the world actually. We’re just trying to figure out how each party benefits from the other to see if we can bring the whole organization down. The DEA is involved in this now too, so that slows progress slightly. But hang in there, it should be over really soon.”

  Shipping company? God, I know that name sounds familiar. How do I know it? I rack my brain in an attempt to trigger any kind of memory. Then it hits me.

  Catherine Williams.

  Elizabeth’s friend. That’s her husband.

  Fuck.

  Could this implicate Elizabeth in all of this? She saw Catherine regularly. I internally debate whether I should ask Turner if she’s involved or not. If he doesn’t have anything on her, I don’t want to make him suspicious and start looking either. I decide I’d rather know up front than be surprised when shit hits the fan.

  “You know Elizabeth was friends with Henry Williams’ wife, right?” I hold my breath, hoping he’s not about to drop a bomb on me.

  “Yeah, we know, but I don’t think you need to worry about her. From what we can tell, Catherine was kept in the dark about everything.”

  I breathe out a sigh of relief. “So what’s next? What do you need me to do?”

  “Just hang tight. There’s enough food in the pantry to last you a couple weeks. Of course, I hadn’t planned on you bringing someone with you, so it might not last as long. Try to stay there and keep a low profile. Hopefully everything will be over by then.”

  “Got it, sir.” After I hang up, I turn to go back in the cabin and see Elizabeth standing in the window watching me. Shit, I hope she didn’t hear my conversation.

  “Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t know you were up already,” I say once I walk in and close the door behind me. Striding over to her, I give her a kiss. She smiles warmly up at me when I pull away.

  “Who were you talking to?” she asks. She doesn’t sound accusatory, just curious. I don’t want to lie to her, so I decide to try to avoid it all together.

  “Nobody important.” I shrug hoping to convey the nonchalance that I don’t feel. She arches an eyebrow at me, but not in that sexy way she does when she’s being feisty. No, she’s pissed and I have a feeling she’s about to unleash on me.

  “Cal did this shit to me all the time and I’m not going to take it from you too.” Her hands go to her hips and I know this is about to get bad real quick.

  “It’s really not a big deal. It wasn’t anyone important,” I say calmly. I need her to relax. The last thing I want to do is upset her.

  “What? Because I’m a woman I don’t need to be involved in a man’s business? I want to know, dammit!” Her hands are balled into tight fists and the vein in her neck bulges out as she yells at me.

  “You think that’s why I’m not telling you?” I shout back. “Let’s get one thing straight. We are not equals. You and I,” I gesture between us, “aren’t even close to being on the same level.” Her mouth drops opens and she looks affronted. I lower my voice and continue. “You are so much better than me. You’re so far out of my league, and not just physically, but intellectually. This has to do with your safety, not some preconceived notion that I think you’re below me. As soon as it’s safe, I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”

  She looks down and shakes her head while her eyes are closed. “I’m sorry. I know you’re nothing like Cal, I just—”

  “Hey,” I say gently as I lift her chin up with my finger. “It’s fine, but I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re not good enough. I want to share everything with you. My heart, my soul, my life, all of it.” My name. “But if it’s going to put you in danger, I just won’t do it. Okay?” The back of my hand runs down her cheek as I stare into her eyes. I need her to believe and trust me.

  She bites her lip and nods, tears filling her eyes but not spilling over. My mouth crashes into hers, wanting my actions to back up my words. The sweet taste of her lips mixes with the salty taste of her tears as they run down her face.

  “I can’t tell you who he is, but he owns this cabin. I just wanted to thank him and let him know we made it last night.” It’s not much information, and it’s only partially true, but I wanted to give her something.

  “God, I’m so sorry for—” I cut her off by sealing my lips over hers again.

  “You have every right to want answers. Don’t ever apologize for that,” I say between kisses. I know she has terrible self-worth and has a lot of doubts about herself. That’s to be expected when you never show your true colors to anyone and become whatever it is that the man you’re with wants you to be. She lost herself being married to Cal, but I saw the real her, and it’s my job to help her see it too. I’ll spend every day reassuring and proving my love for her.

  I pick her up and her legs automatically wrap around my waist so I can carry her effortlessly. When we reach the bedroom, I toss her on the bed, which makes her giggle. Her laughter dies when my eyes move up every inch of her body, burning the image into my brain.

  “My God, you’re perfect.” I brace myself on top of her and kiss her.

  She kisses me with everything she has, only stopping to say, “I thought you were dead.” The raw emotion in her voice is hard to miss. I loop my arm around her back and hold her tighter. “I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way again.”

  “I know, sweetheart, but I’m here. I’m right here.”

  Our kissing starts off as a slow burn, but quickly ignites and soon we’re frantic to feel each other’s skin. Removing her clothes quickly, I make sure not to miss a single inch of skin with my lips. She’s so responsive to my touch; arching her back when my tongue swipes across her clit, sighing when my mouth latches onto her nipple, pulling my hair when I get close to where she wants me most, and screaming when I can’t hold out anymore and give in to her. Watching her build up to her climax ever so slowly and then come spiraling down in a state of ecstasy is the best fucking sight I’ll ever see. I’ll never grow tired of watching her like this.

  Later that night when neither of us can move another muscle, I’m almost asleep with my arm wrapped around Elizabeth. In the silence, I hear her soft voice. “I’m scared.” This small confession breaks my heart especially since there’s nothing I can do to take that feeling away.

  “It’s all going to work out,” I try to reassure her.

  “You don’t know Cal. You don’t know the things he’s capable of.” Her whole body stiffens with her last statement. My hand runs up and down her arm in an attempt to soothe her worries. “He’s not going to just let me go.”

  Rolling over onto my side and moving her off of my chest, I look at her. I hold her cheek with my hand and stare into her eyes. “He can’t hurt you anymore, okay? You’ve got me now and I won’t let him come near you.”

  “I’m trying really hard to trust you—and I do—but I have no clue what’s going on or what you have planned and that bothers me. I’ve spent most of my adult life in the dark, and I don’t want to do it anymore. So as much as I’m trying to roll with the punches and accept your reasoning for being so secretive, it doesn’t exactly set my mind at ease.”

  I let out a slow sigh. “I understand. I really do. I don’t blame you for feeling this way. Do you think I like keeping things from you?” She doesn’t answer, she just stares at me. “It eats at me daily. I hate it.” I really don’t know what else to say to her that I haven’t already. I don’t like keeping her in the dark, but at this point she’s just going to have to have some faith that this will all work out. And I hope that when she finds out who I really am she doesn’t take off running.

  Neither of us says anything else. I roll back over on my back and hold my arm out for her in invitation, nervous that she’ll reject my affection. She hesitates, but eventually snuggles up to my side, but the small pause doesn’t go unnoticed and worries me. I hope Cal goes down soon because I don’t know how much longer I can stomach feeding her bullshit.

  AT FIRST, IT was nice to be tucked away in t
he woods in total seclusion. While I don’t mind being locked in a house with nothing to do but taste that sweet body of Elizabeth’s, I can tell we’re both starting to get cabin fever—no pun intended—even though it’s only been two days.

  I’m in the shower when I hear the door open. “Wanna join me?” The thought of her wet, soaped up body pressed against mine has my dick stirring to life.

  “Someone’s here,” she whispers.

  I shut off the water quickly and pull back the curtain. “What do you mean someone’s here? Did they knock on the door or something?”

  The fear in her eyes tells me this is way more serious than a random person coming to the door. She shakes her head. “No, I saw them through the window. They’re circling the house. I don’t know what they want.”

  “They? How many did you see?” Grabbing a towel, I dry off quickly and put on my jeans.

  “Two.”

  After I pull my shirt over my head, I say, “Stay here.” I kiss her as I walk by, trying not to alarm her. I don’t know who the fuck is out there and that’s a cause for concern. No one other than my boss should know where I am or the location of this place. If he was stopping by, I’m sure he would’ve called me.

  Careful not to be seen, I keep my back against the wall next to a window and slowly peak around. At first, I don’t see anything, but as I’m about to move, something catches my eye. Angling my head more, I see a guy leaning up against a tree looking around. In his hand is a pistol. I’ve got to find the second guy and hope that they don’t have eyes on all possible exits. I crouch down and go to the other side of the house. The second guy is making his way toward the front porch with a gun drawn.