Securing Zoey

by Susan Stoker

  The trip up to the helicopter wasn’t something Zoey ever wanted to duplicate. Mark had insisted she go first. She hadn’t wanted to be away from him, even for a second. The few minutes it took to get her up and into the chopper before the basket returned for him felt like hours.

  That irked her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who ever needed or wanted to rely on a man for her well-being.

  But she decided to go easy on herself, considering what she’d been through over the last week. Besides, she and Mark had been together for literally every minute for seven days. They’d had to rely on each other for just about everything. At this point, it was natural that she’d feel uneasy when he wasn’t next to her.

  She knew she’d have to get over that feeling…and fast. She could see from the way one particular man in the helicopter kept his eyes focused on Mark, this was probably one of his SEAL teammates. She didn’t know which one, but it wasn’t hard to see he was very concerned.

  When Mark’s head finally popped up from below the opening of the chopper, Zoey breathed a sigh of relief. He had tied her shirt backward around his waist, covering his privates, and her fleece shirt he’d tied the opposite way, covering his ass. His legs were still bare, and she hoped like hell someone had an extra pair of pants for him somewhere.

  He was carrying his clothes in his lap, and he’d taken care of the fire before coming up to the helicopter.

  Expecting him to greet his friend and the other crew members in the helicopter, Zoey was surprised when, the second he was inside the cabin, he came toward her.

  Mark’s gaze was focused on her, and Zoey couldn’t remember when she’d felt more cherished. More cared for. He settled next to her and reached for the metallic emergency blanket his friend was holding. Instead of wrapping it around himself, he shook it out and tucked it around her chest and behind her shoulders.

  The noise of the helicopter was loud, and she knew he wouldn’t be able to hear her, so she shook her head and tried to make him take it. But Mark simply ignored her and reached for another one of the small, compact blankets his friend was holding out. After he’d wrapped her up in both, Mark finally saw to himself, wrapping himself in the thin but oh-so-warm material. Once he’d settled, the other man in the back of the chopper—who Zoey now saw was an Alaska State Trooper—covered them both with a large, heavy wool blanket.

  Mark then took a headset that his friend was offering and gently placed it on her head, settling it over her ears carefully, adjusting the microphone so it was right against her lips. Afterward, he put on a set of headphones himself.

  “Good, Zo?” he asked.

  She jerked at the sound of his voice in her head. It seemed even more intimate through the headphones. She nodded.

  “Bubba, holy shit, man, is it good to see you!” said the man she assumed was his teammate.

  “I think that’s my line,” Mark replied.

  Zoey listened to the two men banter back and forth, sighing in contentment when she felt Mark’s hand slide over hers under the blankets.

  “I can pretty much put two and two together, but want to tell me why you’re not wearing any pants?”

  Mark went into an explanation about how he’d fallen into the stream and Zoey had helped pull him out. How he’d had to strip off his clothes since they were soaking wet. She saw his friend nod in understanding, and she had a feeling he probably understood better than most would.

  “Rex, I’d like you to meet Zoey Knight. Zoey, this is one of my best friends and teammates, Rex. Otherwise known as Cole Kingston.”

  “I’d offer to shake your hand, but I’m sure you prefer to keep it under that nice warm blanket. It’s very nice to meet you, Zoey.”

  “Same,” she said softly. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Mark over the last week.”

  “All lies,” the SEAL said with a smile.

  Zoey couldn’t help but return it.

  “Stop flirting with my girl,” Mark growled.

  Zoey turned to stare at him. His girl? God, that sounded good. But Zoey knew the real world was about to intrude on whatever bond they’d formed in the last seven days. It was one thing to connect with someone when you had no choice and, in her case, were literally relying on them to keep you alive.

  “So that’s how it is?” Rex asked.

  “Yes,” Mark confirmed.

  She felt him squeeze her hand in reassurance, but he didn’t turn to look at her. Zoey suspected she should feel annoyed at his claiming of her in such a chauvinistic way, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

  “So, want to give me the CliffsNotes version of what happened?” Rex asked Mark. “Where’s the plane? And the pilot?”

  “You haven’t found her?” Mark asked in surprise.

  Zoey was equally shocked. She thought for sure that’s how the chopper knew where to look for them.

  “No.”

  “Then how’d you find us? Where were we, anyway?” Mark asked.

  It was Rex’s turn to look surprised. “You don’t know?”

  “No clue. I was sleeping when the pilot told us there was a problem with the engines. She landed on a lake, and we got out so she could see if she could fix the problem. The second we stepped onto land, she backed the plane up and took off.”

  “Fuck!” Rex swore.

  “Yeah,” Mark agreed.

  “You’re in the middle of the Lake Clark Preserve and Wilderness,” Rex said.

  Mark didn’t react, but Zoey inhaled sharply, drawing his attention.

  “What? Where’s that?” he asked her.

  “It’s west of Anchorage. There’s literally no big towns or cities out here. Eve had to have gone in this direction from the second she took off. I’m so stupid! I didn’t even notice we were going the wrong way.”

  “Not your fault,” Rex said, beating Mark to the punch. “And as far as we know, Eve Dane doesn’t exist. We’ve searched every database we can find and there’s no one with that name that’s listed as having a pilot’s license in Alaska, or anywhere else for that matter.”

  “Fucking hell,” Mark swore. “So how’d you find us?”

  “After looking at just about every mile of land and sea between Anchorage and Juneau, we all agreed to branch out. Rocco and Phantom went north, me and Ace went west, and Gumby stayed in the eastern part, seeing if we’d somehow missed a downed plane. We actually shouldn’t have been out this far, but the troopers got a call for assistance from one of the VPSOs. We were flying lower than normal because of the weather and on our way back to Anchorage when we saw the smoke from your fire.”

  “Holy crap,” Zoey whispered.

  “What?” Mark asked immediately. “Are you okay? Still cold? Rex, throw me another blanket.”

  “No. I mean…yeah, I think I’m going to be cold for another month, but that’s not what I meant.” Zoey realized that she had the attention of all three men in the chopper. The pilot was even turning to look at her between watching where he was going. “It’s just that…today was the first time we made a fire out in the open. Every other night, we were under the trees, in a shelter. If we had turned around today and gone back the way we came, or followed that stream to try to get around it, and if you hadn’t tried to cross, or we were faster or slower in getting that log across it…if I hadn’t been able to start the fire, or the wood wasn’t as wet…they would’ve flown right over us.”

  The other men in the helicopter seemed to fade in the background. She was staring at Mark and couldn’t look away. His gaze was piercing in its intensity and the hold he had on her hand almost hurt, but she didn’t try to pull away. She felt closer to Mark in that moment than she had for the last week, and that was saying something. The realization of how close they’d come to being missed was sinking in.

  “I made what I thought was a stupid decision,” Mark said.

  Zoey knew everyone in the chopper could hear their conversation, but it still felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

  “But a
s it turns out, it was exactly the right thing to do at the right time. I’ve had some eerie encounters with fate in my line of work, but right now, I’d have to say that there was more than just luck going on.”

  “Colin,” Zoey whispered.

  Mark nodded. “Pop,” he agreed.

  It was hard for Zoey to breathe, thinking about how lucky they’d been. If they’d done just one thing differently, Rex and the troopers would’ve flown right over them and never known they were there. It was a sobering thought.

  For the rest of the flight, Zoey vaguely listened as Mark talked to Rex about everything that had happened in the last week. How there’d been no trace of Eve Dane or the plane, how the reading of Colin’s will had been postponed, and how all five of his SEAL teammates had been sleeping only the bare minimum and looking under every rock and stone to find their friend.

  She was practically asleep when they finally landed in Anchorage. Everything happened quickly after that. Mark refused to be separated from her, which was a huge relief, and they were both taken by ambulance to the hospital to be checked over.

  After they were declared amazingly healthy, Rex stopped and picked up huge hamburgers, French fries, salads, and two pieces of pecan pie. He drove them to the hotel where he and the other SEALs had been staying. Without asking, Mark had happily agreed they would take over the room Rex and Ace had been sharing.

  Sighing in relief that she wouldn’t have to say goodbye yet, they entered the hotel room. Mark was wearing a pair of scrubs the staff at the hospital had given him. Zoey was still in her dirty clothes, and was once again wearing her long-sleeve fleece shirt she’d given to Mark after he’d been dunked.

  “Shower’s all yours,” Mark said firmly when they’d gotten inside. “Rex went to get you some clothes and should be back by the time you’re done.”

  Zoey shook her head. “No, you were the one who went swimming. You should go first.”

  Mark put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. She looked up into his eyes. “Go shower, sweetheart. You can stay in there as long as you want, the hot water shouldn’t run out. Rex said there’s extra shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom, feel free to use it all. Rocco also got toothbrushes and toothpaste from the little shop in the lobby. I don’t care if you’re in there for an hour, as long as you’re clean, happy, and warm when you come out. I’ll go next door and shower.” He gestured to the connecting door with his head. “That’s where Rocco, Phantom, and Gumby are staying. If you need anything, just call out. I’ll hear you. Okay?”

  All Zoey could do was nod. She was numb. Not temperature-wise, but her emotions and thoughts. So much had happened in the last few days. She’d gone from despair, to worry, to extreme fright, back to worry, then excitement.

  As if he knew how on edge she was, Mark pulled her into his arms. How long they stood like that, huddled together, Zoey had no clue. But she wasn’t nearly ready for him to pull back when he did. “Shower, Zo. You’ll feel more like yourself afterward. Promise.”

  She nodded and headed for the bathroom.

  It was at least an hour later when Zoey finally emerged from the steam-filled room. She’d stood under the hot water not moving for at least the first ten minutes. Then she’d cried. When she didn’t think she had any tears left in her body, she washed her hair three times before slathering it with conditioner. She scrubbed her body until it was pink and tingling, then scrubbed it once more for good measure. It had never felt so good to be clean.

  After she’d finally gotten out of the shower, she had the thought that it was probably a good thing the mirror was steamed over so she couldn’t see her hair. She’d tried to finger comb it, with little luck. She’d have to see if Mark could find her a comb or brush. Zoey still didn’t have any clothes to put on, so she wrapped one of the huge, fluffy towels around her body and slowly opened the door.

  Shivering because of the temperature difference between the bathroom and the bedroom, she walked out. The second Mark saw her, he stood and came toward her. He picked up a stack of clothes sitting on the bed on his way and pressed them into her hands.

  “Here’s what Rex found. You have a choice. Rex can take your clothes down and get them cleaned so you can wear them tomorrow, or he can go back out and buy more stuff. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about wearing the same thing you’ve had on for the last week.”

  Zoey knew she shouldn’t be surprised at how considerate Mark was, but she still blushed. “I’m fine to wear the same things. I’d prefer that, actually.”

  Nodding, Mark said, “Okay, hand them to me, and I’ll give them to Rex while you’re changing. Then I have a surprise for you.”

  Her brows shot up. “A surprise?”

  Mark smiled, and Zoey felt the butterflies in her stomach take flight. “Yeah, sweetheart. A surprise.”

  Thinking it had been a very long time since anyone had bothered to try to surprise her, she headed back into the bathroom with her new clothes. She refused to blush when she handed over her dirty clothes, including her underwear. Mark wasn’t a seventeen-year-old boy, he was a man who hadn’t blinked at stripping naked in front of her when his life was in danger. He and his friends had seen way more intense things than her plain white cotton underwear.

  She reemerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and saw Mark standing by the open door to the hallway. “Go lie on the bed,” he ordered with a smile.

  “What in the world?” Zoey asked.

  “Please? I promise you’re going to love this,” Mark said.

  Shrugging and figuring she might as well humor him, Zoey did as he asked. She walked into the room and lay on one of the two queen-size beds.

  “Close your eyes,” Mark ordered from the doorway.

  Sighing in exasperation, Zoey closed her eyes.

  She heard footsteps and whispers, but she was so tired, she tuned them out.

  Seconds later, the most delicious heat engulfed her body.

  Her eyes flew open in surprise, and she stared up at Mark. He was standing over her, smiling as he piled heaps of warm towels on top of her.

  He’d remembered the story she’d told him about how much she loved to do this at home. The towels were obviously from the laundry room at the hotel. How in the world he’d gotten the hotel staff to agree to this, Zoey had no idea, but she couldn’t deny the warm and fuzzy feeling that formed inside her heart.

  “Mark,” she said. The tears she’d thought had been all used up welled in her eyes once more.

  “Close your eyes and enjoy,” he told her. “I promised I’d fold all these towels if they just let me borrow them for twenty minutes.”

  God. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. Zoey couldn’t talk. Couldn’t protest that she could get up and help him fold. Couldn’t do anything but lie there and enjoy the warm heat seeping into her very bones.

  Rex poked his head into the room and said, “Is it safe for us to come in?”

  “Yeah,” Mark said.

  And before Zoey knew what was going on, the room was full of five more of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. They all had beards and were crazy muscular. They also had an air of competence and bad-assery about them that would’ve freaked her out and made her find a way to exit the room as soon as possible, if she hadn’t been buried under a mound of warm towels.

  “Hi!” one of the men said cheerily. “I’m Rocco. We’re in your debt for keeping this asshole alive out there.”

  Zoey opened her mouth to protest, to say that Mark was the one who’d kept her alive, when one of the other men spoke.

  “I’m Ace. Bubba told us how you pulled his ass out of that stream and literally gave him the clothes off your back. Thank you.”

  “And I’m Gumby. Using wet wood for that fire was smart, it sent smoke into the air high enough to be seen.”

  Zoey’s eyes went to the last man in the room. He was frowning, and she shivered at the cold look in his eyes. She swallowed hard, almost scared to hea
r what he had to say.

  “By process of elimination, I’m Phantom. Bubba said you weren’t a pain in his ass while you were out there. Coming from him, that’s high praise indeed. Thank you.”

  Blinking in surprise, it took a couple of tries before she could speak, but she finally said, “It’s nice to meet you all. Mark told me you’d find us. I have to admit that I wasn’t completely sold. But I’m glad to know I was wrong. I’ve heard so much about you all. I’m so happy to meet you.”

  The guys all gave her chin lifts, then got to work folding the towels lying over her. They were careful not to let their fingers brush against her in an inappropriate way, and Zoey loved hearing the banter between them. She could tell they were close, and she loved that for Mark. She understood a bit more why he hadn’t come home after joining the navy. He’d had his family right there with him.

  The phone on the small table between the beds rang, scaring the shit out of Zoey. Ace leaned over and answered.

  “Hello? … Yeah, this is her room. Can I ask who’s calling? … Just a moment, please.” Then he held the phone against his chest and told Zoey, “She says she’s your mom.”

  Zoey eagerly moved a hand out from under the towels and Ace put the receiver in it.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, it’s me! Are you all right? When the police called and told me you were missing, I was so worried!”

  “I’m okay. It was a little touch and go there for a while, but the state troopers and Mark’s teammate found us. Are you going to come by the hotel?”

  “Oh, honey, I wish I could…but I’m in the middle of packing.”

  Zoey’s stomach dropped. “Packing?”

  “Yes!” her mom said excitedly. “You met Liam when you were here before. He actually lives up in Fairbanks and was only here on a temporary job. He asked me to move in with him, and we’re leaving tomorrow! I’ve only got about half my apartment packed so far, and I know I’ll be up all night getting the rest into boxes.”