Finding Lexie

by Susan Stoker

  But the soldier merely chuckled. “I am. Six-four. It’s a pain in the ass being tall when trying to sneak up on someone. I don’t exactly blend into my surroundings.”

  Lexie wished she could see better. There was something about the man that seemed…familiar. But that was crazy. They were in the middle of an African desert. There was no way she knew this guy. “I don’t know,” she said. “No one in camp saw you or your friends until you yelled at them.”

  “True. It’s good to see you again.”

  Lexie frowned. “I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

  “Sorry. Yeah, we did at one time. I’m Pierce Cagle. We went to the same high school our senior year.”

  Lexie blinked in surprise. Talk about a blast from the past.

  Even if it wasn’t dark, and she wasn’t in the middle of the desert, she didn’t think she’d have recognized him. This wasn’t the halls of their old high school, and he was the last person she’d ever expected to see again. Especially on the other side of the world.

  “Midas!” one of the other men called out. “Chopper’ll be here in five!”

  The man in front of her gave his teammate a chin lift, then looked back down at her.

  “You still go by that nickname?” she asked. There were so many things she should be asking right about now, but that was the question that popped out. She remembered the kids at school called him Midas because of all the gold medals he’d won when he was on the swim team.

  He chuckled, actually looking a little sheepish. “Yeah. My mom thought she’d be funny and send me a package when I was in boot camp, addressed to me by my nickname. It stuck.”

  “Too bad there’s no water around here for you to show off your swimming skills,” Lexie mused inanely, then immediately regretted it. She was such a dork. Always had been.

  But amazingly, Midas just grinned. “Got plenty of that back in Hawaii where I’m stationed.”

  “You’re in Hawaii? Really? I’ve always wanted to live there,” Lexie said.

  Midas reached for her elbow again and pulled her out of the way of the three men who were carrying Dagmar.

  “I can walk,” he complained weakly.

  “Yes, sir,” someone said in a Danish accent. “But why walk when we can carry you just as easily?”

  “Where are we going?” Dagmar asked.

  “The best option would be to go straight to the ship waiting off the coast of Somalia,” one of the other soldiers said. “But your brother paid for a doctor to be flown to Galkayo. He’s been there for a month, waiting for you to be released. Your brother was adamant that you go to the hospital there as soon as you were rescued, to be checked over. Especially after he heard you weren’t doing well.”

  “Perfect,” Dagmar said. “Yes, that’s better. I want to see my doctor. Not some stranger who doesn’t know my history. I’m sure Magnus knew the moment I started feeling poorly. Twin connection and all…” he explained.

  Lexie knew all about Magnus and Dagmar’s connection. He’d talked about it several times over the last few months. She would’ve preferred to go straight to the ship, but then again, if she was as sick as Dag, and had someone who cared enough to send a doctor just in case she was released, she’d probably want to see them as well.

  “Are you okay to walk?” Midas asked her.

  Lexie nodded. “Yeah.”

  He stared at her for a long moment.

  “What?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “You’re just really…calm.”

  “I’m not really,” she countered. “Inside, I’m a mess. My legs feel like jelly and I’m having a hard time believing this is real. I’ve had dreams like this, you know. Where we were rescued. But I always woke up and was still here, under that tree, trying not to get fried to a crisp in the sun.”

  “It’s real,” he told her.

  The whirring of a helicopter sounded in the distance, and Lexie turned to look in that direction, even though it was still dark out and she couldn’t see much. She glanced back at Midas. “Are they all dead?”

  He didn’t pretend not to know what she was talking about. “Yes. We had hoped to capture at least one of them to interrogate, but that didn’t happen.”

  Lexie swallowed hard. When she and Dag had first been taken, she’d tried to not hate their kidnappers. She remembered hearing one talk about his family…about his newborn daughter. And how another was the sole support for his elderly parents. Her kidnappers were human, and many times circumstances drove people’s actions. Poverty, hunger, and feeling hopeless were all too common in the places she’d lived over the years.

  But as time went by, and especially after they’d doubled the ransom amount, she’d had more difficulty feeling even a small bit of empathy for the men. Desperate or not, nothing gave them the right to hold her and Dag against their will and terrorize them for months.

  “It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Midas asked.

  Lexie shrugged and let Midas lead her away from the patch of sand she’d called home for the last few months and deeper into the desert. “They weren’t exactly nice, but they didn’t hurt me. Didn’t rape me.”

  “They just held you against your will, belittled you, and made you feel as if you were worthless.”

  Lexie stumbled, but Midas made sure she didn’t fall. “How did you know that?” she asked quietly.

  “I know the type,” Midas said dryly. “When they got the first five million, they could’ve let you both go. Instead, they got greedy. Probably told you that it was your fault you weren’t already free. That if you were a better employee, if you were more important, the other five mil would’ve already been paid. Even made it seem as if it was your fault that they were greedy assholes who wanted more money.”

  Lexie kept her eyes on the ground as they walked across the sand, toward where she guessed the helicopter would be landing to pick them up.

  Midas wasn’t wrong. She’d been thrilled when the ransom was raised so quickly, had thought they’d be released. When they were informed that the price on their heads had increased, Dagmar had been furious. He’d lost his cool for the first time, lashing out, demanding that they let him go at least, since his family was the one who’d raised the five million.

  Their captors just laughed at him.

  And Lexie had felt terrible. Because he wasn’t wrong. It was her fault he was still stuck in the desert.

  “Don’t,” Midas said.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t let them get into your head. It didn’t matter where the money came from or how much it was. Once they got anything for their demands, it was only going to make them want more.”

  Lexie supposed that was true. But she still felt guilty.

  “When the chopper arrives, close your eyes so sand doesn’t get in them,” Midas ordered.

  “How will I be able to get to it if I can’t see?” Lexie asked.

  “I’ve got you.”

  The longing those three words invoked was immediate and intense…and surprising.

  She’d always been a loner. Perfectly happy moving from place to place, country to country, all on her own. She didn’t have close friends or family. Hadn’t had a serious boyfriend in years. She liked being single. Liked being able to travel the world.

  But after what she’d been through in the last three months, Lexie fully understood just how alone she was in the world. Her dad hadn’t been the best father, and he was gone now. They’d moved around too much when she was growing up to build any close friendships. She hadn’t gone to college, and the people she’d met through Food For All were great, but they were busy moving around and helping others, just like she was. And she was fine with that.

  Therefore, over the years, she’d forgotten what it felt like to lean on someone.

  Maybe she’d never known the feeling.

  But those three words coming from Midas made her long to experience it.

  “Lex?” he asked.

  “Sorry, yeah, I heard you,�
� she told him quickly, doing her best to throw off her melancholy. As soon as she got a shower—and drank a dozen huge glasses of cold water—she’d feel more like herself. “But if I trip over sand, I’m gonna be mad at you.”

  Midas chuckled. “I seem to remember you being very even keeled. Have you ever been mad at someone in your life?”

  Lexie was amazed all over again that this man remembered anything about her. He’d impressed her in high school. He was popular back then, but he hadn’t been an asshole about it. He’d never looked down on other kids and he’d stuck up for them when they were being bullied. He was friendly…and had even mostly hid his disappointment when he’d been paired with her for a project.

  She shrugged. “Being mad doesn’t really help the situation.”

  “True.”

  It was shocking how one second they were standing in the dark desert, chatting about nothing in particular, and the next it was like they were engulfed in a wind tunnel. A helicopter appeared as if out of nowhere, its rotors sending sand flying in all directions.

  Lexie immediately closed her eyes against the onslaught and couldn’t help but lean into Midas. She felt his arm go around her back as she huddled closer to try to keep from being pummeled by the sharp grains of sand. She had no idea how he was able to see, but when she felt him move forward, she didn’t hesitate to shuffle alongside him.

  “Hold your hand up,” Midas said loudly in her ear after a minute or so.

  Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Lexie did as he ordered. Immediately, she felt her hand being grabbed by someone else. Before she could adjust, she felt as if she were flying through the air—and then the sand was gone.

  She squinted her eyes open and saw that she was inside the chopper, and Midas was climbing in behind her.

  A man dressed exactly like Midas pointed to the other side of the helicopter, and Lexie immediately went to where he’d indicated. She slid to her butt and watched as Dagmar was loaded and half a dozen other soldiers climbed onboard.

  Someone handed her a headset and she slipped it over her ears, sighing in relief at the immediate silence.

  Midas came over to sit next to her, and he adjusted the mouthpiece closer to her lips. “Can you hear me?”

  Lexie nodded.

  He smiled at her. “Good.”

  She wanted to ask where they were going and what would happen next, but suddenly she was incredibly exhausted. The adrenaline that had coursed through her veins when the shooting had started was waning and she was finding it hard to keep her eyes open.

  When Midas put his arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer, she went willingly. Her head landed on his shoulder and she sighed. She heard the soldiers talking to each other through the headphones. They were concerned about Dagmar’s condition and were discussing the stop they were going to make in Galkayo.

  But Lexie only vaguely listened. Once the door to the chopper closed and she felt the huge machine lift off, it was as if her body and mind completely shut down.

  She was safe. Her kidnappers were dead. Nothing else mattered.

  Abshir Farah watched from his hiding spot about a half mile away, teeming with frustration, as the two helicopters rose into the night sky. He’d left the camp to hunt at just the right moment. He knew without a doubt that his friends and comrades were dead. He’d heard the shots and came running to assist, but by the time he’d gotten close to camp, it was obvious the soldiers had already killed everyone.

  They’d waited too long to get rid of their captives. They should’ve taken the five million dollars and released them. But instead, his comrades had insisted they could get more.

  Anger filled Abshir. He needed that money. His family was starving. Living in filth. He’d been counting on the cash to get them out of the slums and into a proper home. His wife was pregnant with their sixth child, and there was no way he’d be able to feed one more person without that money.

  But maybe there was still a chance to get their captives back…

  The helicopters were headed toward Galkayo. If he was lucky—and he was obviously lucky, since he was still alive right now and not lying dead in the sand with his friends—they’d go back to where it all started.

  He’d heard the rumors that the Danish man’s family had flown in his personal doctor. There was only one hospital in town, and if they took him there, perhaps Abshir and some of the others could get him back. And this time, they’d take the five million dollars.

  It was worth a shot.

  Abshir knew time wasn’t on his side. He needed to get to camp and see if one of the trucks was still working. He had no idea if the soldiers had disabled the vehicles or not. If possible, he would go back to town and tell the others what had happened. They’d want to avenge their friends, and his dead comrades’ families wouldn’t be happy that foreigners had come into their country and killed their loved ones.

  Yes, with luck, they’d have both the man and woman back in their grasp, and this time they’d be smarter about their demands. Smarter about where they hid. Maybe they could beat on the woman a bit and see if they couldn’t get the American government to pony up some money for her as well as get the five mil for the man.

  They had a second chance to salvage this operation, but Abshir had to work quickly. Spread the word about what had happened.

  Deep down, he knew what he was doing was wrong. But his world was every man for himself. And Abshir needed money to feed his family. If that five million disappeared, they were all screwed.

  Chapter Two

  Midas wasn’t happy. He and his team had originally expected to fly to a US Navy ship stationed in the gulf, but they’d learned at the start of the mission that the Danish special forces team had been instructed to go to Galkayo and bring Dagmar to the hospital.

  Apparently, Magnus Brander had enough money for the government to give in to his demands to take his brother back to the town he’d been kidnapped from, so he could see his personal physician. Then, and only then, would he consent for Dagmar to be flown elsewhere…with his doctor in tow, of course.

  On the helicopter, he and his team briefly discussed taking Lexie to the US ship and leaving Dagmar in the care of his own countrymen, but Lexie had become visibly upset for the first time upon hearing that plan. In light of all that she’d had been through, and because they were worried about her mental health just as much as they were her physical well-being, Mustang decided they’d continue with the previously altered plan to accompany the Danish soldiers, and Dagmar, to the hospital.

  Dagmar’s physician would be allowed to do a short exam, Lexie could be seen by a doctor at the same time, then they’d get the hell out of there. It would still be difficult for Lexie to say goodbye to the man she’d been held captive with for months, but hopefully after she’d had a little more time to process that they were safe at last, she’d be a bit calmer about leaving.

  The situation wasn’t ideal, but the SEALs were used to having to pivot at the last minute. Besides, Dagmar did need immediate medical assistance.

  The decision made, Lexie had quickly passed out against his shoulder, and no matter how loud the others spoke through the headset, she didn’t seem to flinch.

  He marveled that she looked the same as she had in high school. Well, not exactly. She’d matured, of course, but she had the same curly brown hair that seemed to have a mind of its own. Even now, dirty from months in the desert, the strands seemed to be alive, curling around some of the equipment hanging on his vest. She’d used a piece of twine she’d probably found out in the desert to hold back the shoulder-length locks, but it wasn’t enough to completely tame it.

  Midas remembered being fascinated with her hair back in high school, when they were working on their English project. She was constantly shoving it back behind her ears, but inevitably it would fall forward again, annoying her. Back then, she’d smelled like peaches, and he had no idea if it was her shampoo or lotion or what, but he’d associated the sweet fruit with her for months a
fter he’d last seen her. She didn’t smell like peaches now, of course, but that didn’t mean his brain didn’t recall the memory.

  Her hazel eyes were just as he remembered, as well. They’d had an uncanny way of somehow seeing through his bullshit. There was one day when he’d been upset over something—he didn’t remember what—and when she’d asked how he was doing, he’d lied and said he was fine. She’d studied him silently, then gently pushed for him to confide in her.

  Aside from his parents, she may have been the only person in his youth who’d ever bothered to see beyond the cheerful jock he’d always tried to project.

  She was about half a foot shorter than he was, and even though Midas hated to admit it, he hadn’t missed the way she’d filled out since high school. Even after being in the desert for months, she was still curvy in all the right places. He hadn’t been able to take his gaze off her ass as she’d climbed into the chopper. He felt like a total dick for ogling her in the middle of an op, though it didn’t diminish his appreciation.

  But more than her hair or her looks, Midas was impressed with her attitude. Over the years, he’d observed just about every kind of reaction from the people they’d rescued. Some were scared to death, others were hysterical and couldn’t be calmed down, and then there were the hostages who were pissed that they hadn’t been rescued faster. But Lexie fell into a category all her own. She’d stayed calm. Was obviously scared but hadn’t let it paralyze her. She was worried about Dagmar, and smart enough to let the SEALs do their job.

  It was safe to say Midas was intrigued. Lexie Greene had grown up to be what seemed like an amazing woman.

  She shifted against him, and Midas tightened his grip on her as the chopper began to slow. They’d have to land a bit outside the town. Aleck and Pid, along with two of the Danish soldiers, would secure transportation while the rest of the group stayed with the helicopter and the freed hostages.