Unguarded Love

by KaLyn Cooper

  Katlin glanced at Doc. “We might be able to track her phone.”

  Daniel knew that was a lie. The EMP had obliterated most of the cell phone towers in the country through a weird system that was meant to divert calls to the next closest tower should one be hit by lightning.

  As soon as they were outside, his sister tapped her ear. “Lei Lu, bring the toys and meet me at the Rovers. Black Swan team one, extraction point alpha, now.”

  He hadn’t noticed the tiny comm unit that was molded in her ear. It was obviously custom-made. He wondered briefly if he’d been out of the loop so long that technology had leaped that far, or if his sister’s team was allotted the latest and greatest technology.

  When he and Katlin reached the three Land Rovers, Lei Lu had her laptop open and was attaching a thick antenna.

  “Who do we need first, Lady Hawk?” Lei Lu clicked keys and the Black Swan logo appeared on the screen.

  “We believe Nita has been kidnapped. Find her.” Katlin stood to the side and let her teammate work. Daniel had no problem watching the screen. A graphic of the world popped up and rotated. Their location was indicated with a red dot. Satellites appeared as scattered as stars moving above the earth. Yellow dotted lines began connecting those dots. Some turned solid as a satellite picture of Central America began enlarging. In less than a minute, a green dot pulsed near Managua. A series of numbers ran along the bottom of the screen.

  “Lady Harrier is just west of Managua,” Lei Lu announced. “Her heart rate is normal at fifty-eight beats per minute, and her temperature is 99.1 which is within normal range for her.”

  “She doesn’t seem under duress, so that’s good.” Katlin touched Daniel’s bicep. “Lady Kite, expand and turn on infrared.”

  The long rectangular building burst with bright red. As Lei Lu expanded the view, it became obvious that Nita was in some kind of a barracks or dormitory, possibly a hotel. Some of the bodies surrounding her were much hotter than hers.

  “Looks like they’ve converted the university into a hospital,” Santiago said from behind them. “The men on duty reported that Emilio and two other men, the guys who arrived in camp the same time he did about two years ago, left in the middle of the night in one of the Jeeps after loading it with supplies. Both men confirmed that she did not leave at gunpoint. It seemed to them that she got into the Jeep willingly.”

  “Thank you, Ti. I appreciate that.” Katlin gave their longtime friend a warm smile before turning to Lei Lu. “We’ve got to call this in. Get the general on the line. He might as well go ahead and call Uncle Tom at the same time. He may have another asset in place somewhere in Managua that we can tap.”

  The screen split with Tom on the left and General Lyon on the right.

  “What’s up ladies? This is coming across as a priority red.” The general rocked forward and his chair squealed in pain.

  “Lady Harrier has been kidnapped. We have located her two miles west of Managua in what used to be the university.” Katlin’s report was succinct. “We believe Emilio Bautista and two other men took her from the encampment where she was providing medical aid. They also stole the antivirus and other medications. Request permission for rescue mission.”

  “Permission granted.” The general signaled to someone off screen. “What do you need?”

  “The Black Swan team two helicopter. Their assistance would also be appreciated.” Daniel loved when Katlin was in full Lady Hawk command mode. His sister was a kick-ass-take-names woman. So was Nita.

  “Done.” The general nodded to the unseen person next to him. “What else?”

  Katlin glanced directly at Daniel. “Permission to hire local mercenaries.”

  “Daniel could be a great asset,” Tom interjected.

  “I want Santiago at my side,” Daniel insisted.

  “I’m going, too.”

  Everyone turned to see Cristobal Maximo dressed as the guerrilla leader he’d been for the past several years. Cris looked pissed dressed head to toe in camouflage with weapons strapped to both thighs and an M4 rifle casually slung across his chest. “These were my men. They fooled me, betrayed me, and abused my trust. No one gets away with that…and lives.”

  The general seemed to contemplate the situation for a long moment. “On the suggestion of the deputy director of the CIA, the two mercenaries are officially on the U.S. payroll. You have permission to give Mr. Cristobal Maximo, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure in the new Nicaraguan government, a ride to Managua. I am required by the agreement with the new Nicaraguan government to inform General DeLeon Cortez of this rescue attempt. Anything that happens beyond casualties that may occur during the rescue, will be solely the responsibility of the new Nicaraguan government.” The general reached to click his mouse but hesitated. Then he smiled. “Give General Cortez my regards. CO USSOCOM out.”

  That half of the screen went blank.

  Uncle Tom’s face filled the screen. “I’m sorry, but you took our primary asset in Managua to San Miguelito a few days ago. Our only other asset in that area was shot and killed two days ago. He had what he considered reliable intel that someone was putting together an army, and they were going to try to free the former president. There’s still a very strong following of the overthrown regime in and around Managua. That’s all I know at this time.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Tom. That’s more than we had. We’ll check back in later. Black Swan out.” Katlin turned to face the three women and three men. “Any brilliant ideas on how we get Lady Harrier out of there?”

  Lei Lu had watched Lady Harrier’s movements all afternoon. She’d worked steadily moving from bed-to-bed, but no one seemed to interfere with her duties. To their surprise, no one even seemed to approach her. They had watched and timed the exterior guards, identifying patterns. An attempt to count the bodies had failed because the heat signatures were not always easily separated. There were three floors of patients, and only one Nita. Daniel could imagine how exhausted she was already, and would be even more so before she was rescued.

  As Daniel wrapped his boots around the thick rope and grabbed on with both gloved hands, he peered over the edge of the jet black helicopter. The downwash felt like a huge hand trying to shove him out of the chopper and straight into an abyss. He hadn’t fast roped out of the chopper in ten years.

  Katlin cracked several chemical luminaries, shook them, and tossed them out. They scattered across the roof providing a visible destination. “You ready, big brother?”

  “Yeah.” Why the fuck had he volunteered to take point? Nita. That’s why. He wanted to be the first to get to her. To save her, and bring her home.

  Kira, acting as crew chief, smacked him on the shoulder. He shoved off from the chopper deck and let the rope slide through his hands and feet until he hit the roof then peeled off, making room for the next person.

  He tapped down his night vision goggles and took a second to orient himself. The roof access was exactly where he expected it to be so he headed in that direction on quiet feet. He was shocked as hell when he discovered it unlocked.

  “Lady Harrier is on the second floor,” the feminine voice in his ear informed him and everyone else on this mission. He thought it was Mia, one of the team two Black Swans, but he’d only met them once.

  “Roger that.” He carefully cracked the door open and peeked down the steps. At his signal, Katlin stepped around him and headed down the first flight. They leapfrogged down to the second floor. He had insisted on going through the door first, so his sister was the one who opened it and peeked in.

  “Alpha team, hold.” The orders came through clearly.

  Over his comm unit he heard grunts. “Guard was early. Handled. Lady Falcon moving to designated position.” Daniel easily recognized Tori’s voice. As the team’s sniper she’d remained on the roof to cover their extraction.

  “Alpha team, clear to move. You’re going to have to search each room. The heat signatures from the different floors are blending.”

/>   At his sister’s nod, she opened the door wide. He slid in and went to the right as planned. Lady Kite was immediately behind him and went left. Katlin remained to guard the door and cover the stairwell.

  “Shit. The dead tango was just discovered. Guards are on third level searching for the intruders.” The woman working control remained cool but urgent.

  Daniel swept each room down the right side of the hall as fast as he could. He was so tempted just to yell out Nita’s name and deal with any tangoes who dared stick their head out. The best rescue missions are the ones done silently and the kidnapped victim isn’t missed until the team is long gone.

  “Lady Hawk, tangoes are in the stairwell and headed your way,” control center announced.

  “On it,” Lady Hawk said just above a whisper.

  A slight worry ran through Daniel, but he was confident his sister could handle two tangoes. He was barely conscious of the scuffle and grunts transmitted to his comm as he hurriedly moved room-to-room.

  Breathing only slightly faster than normal, his sister reported in. “Two more tangoes down. Lady Hawk returning to position.”

  He let out a slow breath of relief that his sister was uninjured. As he prepared to exit the room he’d just cleared, a door banged open at the far end of the hall. He could see Lei Lu in the open doorway across from him, out of sight from anyone else. They both froze in place.

  “Dr. Banks, where are you?” the man bellowed.

  Daniel recognized Emilio Bautista’s voice.

  “You need to keep it down,” Nita chastised as she stepped out from the room two doors down.

  Damn it. All they needed was another minute and they would’ve had her and been gone. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  “These men need their sleep if you expect them to get better.” Nita’s tone was low but stern. “What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t sound distressed. Had she come there by choice?

  “You need to come with me,” Bautista insisted.

  “No, I need to add the second dosage to the men on this floor, then I’ll go with you,” she argued.

  The distinct slide of metal-on-metal echoed down the hall as a round was chambered into a gun.

  Daniel didn’t think. He drew his weapon and stepped into the hall. He was not going to let anyone take Nita from him. All he had to do was make sure she didn’t get caught in the crossfire.

  “Dr. Banks, you will come with me, now.” Bautista could insist all he wanted, but Nita wasn’t going anywhere with him.

  “Emilio, don’t you touch her. I have a thousand reasons to kill you,” Daniel warned. “One for every minute she was your captive.”

  “Daniel, my friend, I needed her more than they did back in that disgusting camp. Those people were nothing. My men need to get healthy so we can free the president and restore peace and order to Nicaragua.” Bautista was breathing hard and getting louder with every sentence. “You didn’t really believe that bullshit that Cristobal Maximo spewed every night in a drunken stupor. General Cortez is an idiot. He’ll run this country into bankruptcy within a year trying to build a new capitol and that foolish canal.”

  What the hell is that woman doing? Nita had been cleverly moving closer to Bautista while his attention was on Daniel and politics.

  “Daniel, you’re an intelligent man, you must see how impor—”

  Nita lashed out with a roundhouse kick knocking the gun out of Emilio’s hand. She stepped into his body grabbing his extended arm then kneeled, flipping the man over her shoulder onto his back. She used her elbow to smack the side of his head, rendering him unconscious.

  The doors at both ends of the hall flew open. Katlin rushed in from behind Daniel as Cris barged in the same way Emilio had entered.

  Nita stood, surveyed her handiwork lying cataleptic on the floor, then strode to Daniel and threw her arms around his neck.

  He holstered his gun so he could wrap his arms around the woman he loved. “Don’t ever do that to me again. I thought I’d lost you.”

  “Can’t lose something you don’t have. What makes you think you have me?” The glint in her eye gave her away.

  “Oh, you’re mine whether you admit it or not.” He had to tell her how he felt. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I love you, Nita. And that’s never going to change.” He squeezed her, never wanting to let her go. “Please, tell me I’m not alone in this.”

  “Well, I have to tell you that I’ve already lost my heart to somebody else.”

  Daniel stepped away and held her by her shoulders. “Who?” How could she have made love to him the way they had, yet been in love with someone else?

  Nita visibly fought to withhold her feelings. “I have someone special waiting for me. Well, actually, there are two special people waiting for me…back in Costa Rica.” She cupped his face and ran her thumbs over his cheekbones. “They both have your damnable blue Callahan eyes.” She went up on tiptoes and gave him the briefest of kisses. “I fell in love with Simon and Bella before you captured my heart.” She kissed him again. “No. You’re not in this alone. I love you Daniel Callahan.”

  “By the way, thank you for saving me. That was so sweet of you.” Nita kissed him, and he forgot about everything and everyone around him. She broke the kiss. “Stupid. But sweet.” She kissed him again, this time slow and sensuous.

  “I didn’t really save you, you saved yourself.” He held her tight in his arms and buried his face in the curve of her neck. “My kick-ass angel.”

  She glanced over her shoulder as the hallway filled with people. “I don’t think we’re a secret any longer.”

  “What are we going to do with him?” Lei Lu asked Katlin gesturing to the body on the floor.

  Katlin didn’t answer. She simply stared at Nita and Daniel, who completely ignored her and everyone else. “How did I miss that?”

  Epilogue

  “You shouldn’t have brought all this food,” Nita chastised Katlin as she lifted the plastic wrap off the top of a bowl of potato salad.

  “You know me.” Katlin tossed several ingredients into a fresh green salad. “I love to cook. My mother taught me never to come to a party empty-handed. Besides, other than MREs, can you cook real food?”

  Nita smiled. “I’m learning.” She looked around the large family kitchen of the home she’d shared with Daniel and the children for the past two weeks. Located in one of the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., the home itself was situated in what real estate agents call a reemerging neighborhood. The homes were older, but young couples were moving in and remodeling, bringing the houses up to modern designs and standards. After a life in apartments, Nita was going crazy filling all the space in the large home.

  Katlin stopped and leaned against the granite countertop. “I’ve always liked this house. I think it’s perfect for you and Daniel and the kids.” Although this was not one of the houses she had inherited, Katlin did own it until a week ago when she deeded it to her brother. She had bought several homes in the D.C. area over the years and through the company she owned with her fiancé Alex Wolf. They rented them to the government as safe houses.

  Nita had dreaded this conversation, but knew she had to have it now. “Are you sure you’re okay with me and Daniel? Is it weird for you that we’re together?”

  Katlin threw her arms around Nita, and she instantly knew everything would be fine.

  “I love you like a sister. After everything we’ve been through together, we’re closer than siblings, especially if I use my relationship with Daniel as a yardstick.” She released Nita and continued preparing the food. “To be honest with you, I didn’t really know my brother while growing up. He was this much older boy who showed up every couple of months for a week or so, then he was gone again. For years, I didn’t think he liked me. It wasn’t until after Daddy died that I really got to know him. We were both adults by then and the only immediate family left for each other. Sure, we have Uncle Tom and Uncle Francis, but our parents are gone.” Katlin gave Nita a
one-armed hug. “You know exactly how that feels.”

  Nita’s father had never been in her life. Her mother had been his long-term mistress, his dirty little secret who lived twenty miles away. He’d never forgotten Nita’s birthday and generously provided for her at Christmas, but he’d also never been there for a single holiday. It had always been her and her mother. Ovarian cancer had taken her quickly Nita’s junior year in undergraduate school. Fortunately, her ROTC scholarship and the insurance money had enabled her to finish her last two years before entering the Army.

  She had wanted to go into cancer research when she started medical school, but an abandoned baby changed the direction of her life. Nita glanced toward the high chair and toddler seat at the dining room table, and realized another baby had changed her life again.

  She took another bowl out of the refrigerator and began to remove the covering while Katlin laid lettuce, tomato, and onion on a large platter for the hamburgers. “So, you’d be okay with Daniel and me making this live-in arrangement more permanent?”

  Katlin whirled around and grabbed her shoulders. “Do you think Daniel’s going to ask you to marry him today?” Excitement was written all over the woman’s face. “Is this really your engagement party, not a new home open house?”

  “Oh, we wanted to have everyone over to see our new house, hang out on the deck, and swim in the pool,” she reassured her friend.

  The doorbell rang and Nita answered it. “Harper. Rafe. I’m so glad you were able to come.”

  Harper had gone through the Joint All-Female Special Operations School with all the Ladies of Black Swan. She and her fiancé, Rafe, lived two doors down from Katlin’s condominium where all the Black Swans had suites.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Marcus Hernandez with us.” Harper silently begged with her eyes. “He’s in town for additional ATF training for a few weeks and hanging out with us this weekend.”