by Elle James
Dawg wanted Beth to be happy. If it meant her going back to her doctor ex-fiancé, he’d be gracious and glad for her. But he’d be sad for himself. If he wasn’t already there, he was well on his way to falling in love with the pretty lieutenant. If he followed his heart, he’d pull out all the stops and woo her properly. But to truly love her, he had to do what was right for her. Dawg wasn’t sure he was her Mr. Right.
Beth spent the next day taking care of their Special Forces patients and getting them ready to be airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany. Dash was already feeling better. The blood transfusion had helped to restore some of his energy. Time would take care of the rest.
The afternoon in the village hospital took even longer that day with folks coming to them from the village destroyed by Boko Haram the night before. The Special Forces guys went out to help salvage what they could and start the cleanup effort. Not all the villagers returned to rebuild. Some ended up in the temporary refugee camp that was becoming more permanent by the day.
By the end of the day, Beth was hungry and ready to put up her feet up and relax.
After one last check on the men in the Army field hospital, Beth emerged from the tent and stretched the kinks out of her back. She would never get used to sleeping on an Army cot. Not when her bed back in Texas was so soft and her feather pillow just perfect for shaping into anything form she desired.
With visions of food and sleep foremost in her mind, she turned toward her quarters only to be waylaid when a tall, dark-haired man stepped into her path.
Beth screeched to a halt and threw up her hands. “Geez, Dawg, you scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I wanted to catch you before you disappeared. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
She frowned. “I thought we agreed not to see each other while deployed.”
“We agreed not to kiss and demonstrate any public displays of affection. But we still have to eat, so why not do it together? Besides, we need to talk.”
Beth’s frown deepened. She didn’t like the sound of his words. We have to talk didn’t bode well. It sounded like when she’d had the breakup talk with Jonathan. Her heart stuttered a few beats, and then kicked into high speed. They’d barely started going out when they’d deployed. Were the deployment and rank issues already getting to him? She hoped not.
The more she was with Dawg, the more she wanted to be with him.
“Okay,” she said. “When?”
“I’m ready now.” He held up two packages of MREs and two bottles of water. “I’m buying.”
She laughed. “I guess now is good.” Beth didn’t like lingering doubt. She was a proponent for ripping the bandage off, rather than prolonging the anticipation of pain.
When he turned away from the dining area, she had to hurry to catch up with him. “Where are we going?”
“To watch the sunset,” he said and led her to the western end of the Army camp where an Army green wool blanket lay on the ground, held down by several large rocks.
“You planned ahead,” Beth noted. “All we need now is wine.”
“And decent food,” Dawg added. “Have a seat. Your dinner will be served momentarily.” He pulled a knife out of the scabbard at his hip and tore into one of the packets. “You have a choice between barbecue and beef stew.”
“I’ll take the barbecue.” She probably wouldn’t eat much of it. Not if it meant delaying the talk. Her stomach would roil until he told her they were breaking it off. But then she could deal with it. Not knowing was the worst kind of pain.
“Good choice,” Dawg said, as if nothing in the world was wrong. Damn him for being so calm and collected when Beth’s world could potentially fall apart at any moment. She didn’t want things to end between them. Not now, or ever. They were perfect for each other. Or at least, she hoped they were.
They ate, talking about what had happened the night before and what could happen again since they’d stirred up the hornet’s nest by interfering with the activities of the Boko Haram.
Though she tried to act normal, Beth’s nerves stretched with each passing minute.
After they put away the trash into one of the empty packets, they stretched out to watch the sun dip below the horizon, a glorious ball of fire melting into the earth.
“So, what is it you really wanted to talk about?” she finally asked.
He stared at the horizon turning gray without the brightness of the sun. “I think you need to give Colonel Parker a second chance.”
Beth’s eyebrows shot upward. “What?”
Dawg sighed. “There had to be something there when you agreed to marry him. He regrets having volunteered for an assignment so close to the wedding. He knows what he did wrong, and he loves you.”
Beth shook her head slowly and shifted her gaze from Dawg to the horizon. “So, now you’re a marriage counselor?” She laughed. “Is this your way of dumping me? Because you don’t have to go through throwing my ex back at me. I can walk away, if that’s what you want.”
Dawg shoved a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. It also made him look even more adorable, which only made Beth angrier.
“I don’t want to dump you,” he said. “I like your company. We have so much in common, and I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman more.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and pinned him with her gaze. “I hear a but coming.”
He shrugged. “But it wouldn’t be right for me to come between you and your former fiancé. He still has feelings for you.”
“And what I want doesn’t count?” She challenged him with a glare.
“Absolutely. Colonel Parker made some good points, though.”
“Like?”
“Like, a relationship between the two of us would be difficult in the eyes of the Army, with you being an officer and me being enlisted.”
Her brow descended. “Did he threaten you?”
Dawg held up both hands. “No. Not at all. He just made some valid points.”
“What were the others?” she demanded, getting madder by the minute. How dare her ex-fiancé warn off another man?
“He knows how often Deltas get deployed,” Dawg said. “I’d be gone more than your doctor ever will be.”
“I never said I had a problem with him being gone. I had a problem that he chose to be gone over marrying me.” She shook her head. “Look, are you dumping me or not? I’d like to know if I’ll have a date when we get back Stateside.”
Dawg grinned. “If you decide not to go back to your ex, we’ll definitely have a date. If I haven’t screwed us up with this conversation.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I make my own decisions. No amount of pushing me in a certain direction will make me change my mind. Either you want to be with me, or you don’t. If you really want me to be with my ex, then I’ll assume you don’t want to be with me.”
Dawg’s grin broadened. “For the record, and for my own selfish reasons, I don’t want you to be with your ex. I want you to be happy. That’s all.”
“Then let me decide what will make me happy.” She sucked in a deep breath and huffed it out. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m mad, and I don’t want to take it out on you.” She stood, brushed the dust off her uniform and tipped her head toward the horizon. “Thanks for the food and the sunset. Next time, stop at that. I’m not going back to Jonathan.”
“He’s a good guy,” Dawg said. “I wish he wasn’t.”
“I know that,” Beth said. that fact had made it harder to end their engagement, because he is a good guy. “That’s not why I broke up with him. We want different things. That’s all.” She stared across the space between them, feeling like it was more than just inches.
Dawg reached for her but stopped when his hands were halfway there and let them drop back to his sides. “I want to hold you, to kiss you and reassure you that I’m not dumping you. I want to get to know you better, and mostly, I want you to be happy.”
“If Colonel Parker
is warning you off me, we’d better keep our interactions on the up and up. Good night, Sergeant Masters.”
“Good night, Lieutenant Drennan.”
She wanted to say more but couldn’t. Not when her career could be at stake. If Jonathan suspected she and Dawg were having an affair, he could end their careers. She hoped that the man had enough feelings left for her that he wouldn’t. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t make Dawg’s career a mess. Again, Beth didn’t think Jonathan would do that…but she couldn’t risk it. With a silent sigh, she turned and walked away. It was the only thing she could do.
Chapter 10
Dawg gathered the trash, the wool blanket and his tattered ego.
Beth had been right. She was the one who held all the cards. It was her decision which man she would choose. Dawg was just sorry he’d started the conversation in the first place. They’d been doing well without him trying to push her back toward the good doctor.
He stopped at the dining area, dumped his trash and continued on to his sleeping quarters.
As he approached the tents assigned to his team, he noticed Rucker standing outside in the starlight holding a satellite phone to his ear. He ended the call as Dawg reached him and shook his head. “Looks like another busy night. Get the team together; Boko Haram is at it again. Our intelligence sources report another village being attacked nearby. The powers that be want us to get out there, find Kahbir and take care of him like we should have when we took out his commander.”
“I’ll roust the others,” Dawg said
“Not necessary.” Mac poked his head out of a tent. “We’re up and moving. We’ll be ready in five minutes.”
Blade stuck his head out of the tent Dawg shared with him. “Heard you. We’re on it.”
“Helo is on the way. It’ll be here in ten minutes,” Rucker informed them. “Looks like another night like before.”
“Are we taking Team Charlie?”
Rucker nodded. “While we have them, we are.”
Dawg nodded. “I’ll let them know.”
Rucker ducked into his tent to gather his gear.
Dawg raced to where the other team was quartered and let their lead know what was happening. He assured Dawg they’d be there when the helicopter landed.
“Those bastards don’t give up, do they?” Dawg commented.
Team Charlie’s leader pressed his lips together. “No. They don’t. Comes from being religious zealots. They think their way is the only way.”
Dawg raced back to his tent, grabbed his body armor and loaded up with his weapons and ammunition, communications device and his helmet equipped with night vision goggles. He did a quick mental check off of everything he’d need, then ran with the others of his team to where two Black Hawk helicopters were landing.
Team Charlie arrived at the same time, and they loaded into the first aircraft. Within less than three minutes, both teams were on their way.
As they left the ground, Dawg looked back at the village with the camp hidden beneath the desert camouflage netting. Somewhere down there, Beth was steaming mad about his stumbling attempts to make sure she was making the right decision for herself. He hated leaving her when she was angry and hated more that he hadn’t been able to hold her in his arms before she’d walked away. He’d learned early on in his career as a Delta Force operator, that you don’t leave things undone. You never knew if you’d make it back to finish it or make it right. He’d witnessed the fallout of life’s moments left undone. Those left behind were filled with regret that ate at them for years to come.
He sighed and pulled his focus back into the present and the operation ahead. They had to take Kahbir out if he was there, orchestrating this raid. The man was equally as evil and destructive as his predecessor and needed to be eliminated.
As they neared the coordinates of the village, the helicopter slowed and lowered to land in a clearing just short of a ridge. The pilot explained that on the other side of the ridge was the small village which was currently being ransacked. They’d have to go in on foot to retain some element of surprise.
The two teams leaped out of the choppers and set off across the hill, dropping down to the village on the other side.
There, they found the Boko Haram raising hell, killing and burning much like they had the night before, only not on as big a scale as they had. In fact, there was less than a quarter of the terrorists creating the carnage.
It didn’t take long for the Deltas to bring them under control, capturing several of the terrorists alive for the intel people to interrogate.
One of the young terrorists laughed and spit in Dawg’s face. “You Americans are like sheep to be led.”
Dawg fought the urge to plant his fist in the man’s mouth. Instead, he calmly wiped the spittle from his cheek and cocked a brow. “Why do you say that?”
The terrorist’s lips curled in an evil smile. “Why are there so few of us and so many of you here?” he said, answering a question with a question.
Dawg’s eyes narrowed. Why indeed were there more Americans handling a small outbreak. Intelligence reports had been wrong. But if the Boko Haram combatants weren’t all where Intel had sent them, where else would they go?”
As soon as the question came to Dawg’s mind, the answer followed with chilling speed. He ran to Rucker who stood on the edge of village supervising the collection of prisoners and any data that might be useful in locating and eliminating more of the radical group.
“Call in the choppers,” Dawg demanded.
“I will, when we’re ready,” Rucker said. “Why do you want them now?”
He tipped his head toward the small village. “The bulk of Boko Haram isn’t here. One of the guys we captured laughed in my face and said the reason this smaller group was here was to draw the Deltas so the majority of their force could stage a secret attack somewhere else.”
Rucker’s gaze met Dawg’s. “The camp.”
Dawg nodded while his gut twisted into a hard knot. “Can you get word to the folks left behind?”
Rucker powered on the satellite phone and called the camp. Several rings later, one of the medics answered.
Rucker didn’t wait for pleasantries. “Boko Haram is on its way to the village and the camp. Evacuate immediately all personnel.”
“How soon until the Black Hawks land?” Dawg asked.
Rucker got back on the radio with the helicopter pilots, posing the same question. He thanked whoever had answered and turned to Dawg. “Five minutes.” Then he yelled to the others standing nearby. “Wheels up in five!”
The teams wrapped up what they could and positioned themselves near the landing zone.
As soon as the choppers touched down, the men climbed into the helicopters. The birds lifted off the ground and sped away from the village to land near the one beside the hospital and medical staff, including Beth.
Dawg prayed they weren’t too late.
Beth had gone back to her tent with full intentions of going to bed and catching up on her sleep. When she got there, she found PFC Miller coming out of her tent, a frown denting his forehead.
“PFC Miller, are you looking for me?” she asked.
He looked up to find her striding toward him and grinned. “Yes, ma’am. Colonel Parker needs you in the tent with the detained combatants ASAP.”
“Is one of them bleeding again?” she asked as she fell in step with the young private.
“I’m not sure. Intelligence folks showed up a few minutes ago. They want medical staff present in case one of the prisoners has a medical condition that could interfere with their interrogation.”
“Gotcha.” She ducked into the tent where the prisoners had been held until the military intelligence team could retrieve them and question them on the movements of the Boko Haram.
Jonathan was already there. One of the prisoners had been seated in a chair, his hands secured behind him with a zip-tie.
The military intelligence representative questioned him in English. �
��Where is your base of operations?”
The man shook his head, staring down at his lap with his entire body shaking.
Beth wondered if the intel guys had roughed him up, but she didn’t see any signs of bruises or blood. The man was obviously frightened of something.
“Tell us where it is, and we’ll let you go.”
He shook his head. “They will kill us if we tell.” He looked around, his eyes wide and afraid. “They will kill us anyway. They will think we told. They will kill us when they come.”
“When they come?” The interrogator leaned forward. “What do you mean when they come?”
The man trembled, and tears formed in his eyes. “They will kill us, and they will kill everyone here.” He looked into the interrogator’s eyes. “Please. Let us go. We will leave and run as fast as we can. Please…let us go.”
“Is the Boko Haram coming here to the camp?” the interrogator asked.
The man in the chair nodded.
“When?”
“Soon.”
“How soon?” the military intelligence guy persisted.
“Very soon.”
Corporal Ramsey appeared in the doorway of the tent, holding a satellite phone in his hand, his eyes wide, his face white. “The Delta Force teams are on their way back. They said we’re about to come under attack by the Boko Haram. We’re to evacuate the camp, ASAP.”
The prisoner sobbed. “Please. Let us go.”
Jonathan leaped to his feet. “We have to get the patients out. Ramsey, I’ll need you and PFC Miller to help me get our two Deltas out of the hospital and into the ambulances and away from here. Someone needs to warn the villagers.”
“I’ll go,” Beth said.
Jonathan frowned. “No, find someone else. I need you with me to work with our patients.”
“I’ll be back quickly. It’s not that far.” Beth was already out the door and running toward the village when trucks rolled into view between her and the mud and stick huts.
“They’re here!” she yelled and altered her direction for the hospital tent. They had to get the Deltas out and away before the terrorists found them and used them as examples of what they would do to people who opposed them.
