by Loye, Trish
Beside him, Steve stood with his square face and looked almost squat, like a high school football player going to fat. His muscles bulked his body up to the point that she suspected it hampered his agility and speed. She wondered if he still took steroids. It had been one of the arguments that had broken them up. He’d used them after he’d failed to get into CSOR with her.
She had been so busy with the regiment that she hadn’t noticed what he’d been doing. She’d only spent thirty-some-odd nights at home in that first year and they’d grown apart—and not just because of the lack of time spent together, but also because of Steve’s jealousy.
He’d tried once more to make it into CSOR and failed. When she tried to console him, he told her the regiment was only filling a quota by letting her in. That remark had killed the last of her feelings for him and she’d ended the relationship.
By the glint in his eye as he stood in front of her, he’d seen her take down his corporal and he wasn’t pleased, though that didn’t stop him from letting his eyes wander to her chest. She gripped her shirt in her hands, refusing to give him the satisfaction of covering up.
Rhys was right. She did pick losers to date.
She put her hands on her hips. “Why’d you set your guy on me?” she asked. “If you want to fight me, then challenge me yourself, don’t send your minions.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rhys step back and cross his arms while a small smile played on his face. She would deal with him next. She wasn’t here to amuse anyone.
Steve made a face. “Stop being so dramatic, Cat. Corporal Anderson was just seeing what you’re made of. It’s what guys do.”
“You’re so full of it.” She turned away. He grabbed her arm, and without thinking she dug her fingers into the soft underside of his wrist and twisted. He let go quickly, but she didn’t. She held his arm in a slight twist, not enough to bring him to his knees—something she wouldn’t do when she knew his men watched discreetly from inside the buildings—but she put enough pressure into the grip that she had his attention.
“Don’t touch me again,” she said, releasing him.
His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, but Rhys stepped in front of him. “We have a mission to get ready for. If you’ll excuse us.” He turned his back on the major and quirked an eyebrow at her.
She nodded, and together they walked toward the HQ. He didn’t say anything when she chose to alter their route and they walked past HQ and away from most of the other buildings on base. She veered away from the small airfield and made for the perimeter fence.
“How do you do it?” Rhys asked after they’d walked for a few minutes.
She frowned at him. “Do what?”
He jerked his chin back the way they’d come. “Do you have to deal with dickheads like that wherever you go?”
The question made her sigh. She stopped short of the chain-link fence, her fingers white on the shirt that was still gripped in her hand. “Not everywhere,” she said. “But enough places that it sometimes makes me wonder if it’s worth it.” She stared into the stunted trees bordering one side of the base and spotted two sentries facing away from them.
“And is it?”
“Worth it?” She turned to Rhys. His brown eyes held questions and concern. She wanted neither. Her blood still pumped too fast from the confrontations. She wanted more fight, more fire. She wanted Rhys. “Hell, yes, it’s worth it. I like knowing that what I do makes a difference in the world. A real difference.” She bared her teeth in a fierce grin. “And besides, what other job is going to let me blow shit up?”
Rhys pursed his lips. “A construction worker?”
She laughed. “I will definitely consider that career when I retire.”
Her smiled died. No matter how nice he was, she had to remember that he wasn’t for her. She was his team leader. “We need to talk,” she said.
“I figured this wasn’t just a friendly walk.”
“You have to treat me like an equal, Rhys. You can’t try to protect me.”
His head tilted as he studied her. “I have been treating you like an equal.”
“You tried to stop the fight back there. You’re no better than those dickheads, as you called them. How many times do I have to prove to you that I can take care of myself?”
His eyes glittered dangerously and he took a step toward her. “I was treating you like my teammate. I wouldn’t have let those assholes treat Marc or Zach or anyone with that kind of disrespect. Of course I got in their faces. It’s what teammates do for each other.”
“That’s not how it works with me,” she said, not backing down. She lifted her chin. “If I’m seen taking any kind of help then that just fuels their rumors.”
“Why the hell do you care so much about what they think?”
Her blood pounded in her ears and she fought for control, but the anger of being forced to prove herself over and over again won. “Because I am sick of the whispers and the doubt about whether I can do my job. And you are not helping. So either get out of my way or request a new team.”
She turned to head back when Rhys grabbed her arm. “You want me to trust you,” he said, putting his face close to hers. “Then you’ve got to trust me, too. Trust that I’m not judging you and that I’ve got your back.” He pulled back slightly, but his searing gaze never left hers. “You trusted me with everything once.”
Heat flushed her body at the memories his low words stirred. “Don’t bring that up.”
“Why not?” he said, his hand no longer gripping her arm, but caressing it instead. “What we had was good.”
She clenched her teeth. “You don’t get it. We work together. If we hook up, then my reputation goes into the shitter and yours gets a boost.”
Rhys pulled her closer and into the shadow of a building, out of sight of the HQ. “Who said anything about hooking up?”
She pushed her bangs off her forehead, frustration making her movements jerky. “You just did.”
He sighed and pulled her closer, his hands loose on her hips. “You don’t have to prove anything to me or anyone else. We’re two consenting adults.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he overrode her. “We’re teammates. Colleagues,” he said. “We’re not in the reg force. I don’t believe there are rules against us fraternizing.”
He pulled her tighter against him. This time, she let him. The electric shock of his chest touching hers silenced her argument.
What was it about this man that sent her blood pressure shooting skyward? His hands caressed up her bare arms to her neck, sending shivers of need through her. He cupped her head with his large palms and his whiskey-colored gaze captured hers.
“I trust you,” he whispered. “Now trust me back.” He lowered his mouth to hers. His lips, warm and soft, pressed against hers and she melted into him, her hands gripping his shirt, pulling him closer.
Just one moment, she promised herself. Just one moment to enjoy, that’s all she wanted. One moment to be a woman desired for who she was and not as a trophy by her peers.
She opened her mouth under his and moaned as his hands traveled down her back and dipped under the bottom of her t-shirt. His rough palms rubbed over her heated skin. One slid around to her front and up to her breasts. He cupped one and his thumb stroked over her nipple. She moaned as fire surged through her.
Rhys lifted her without breaking the kiss and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He took two steps and pushed her back against the concrete wall of the building. She used her legs to bring his body closer. His hard length pressed against her while their tongues teased and tormented each other. His hand found her breast again. She pulled back for a breath and he kissed his way down her neck. She barely stifled another moan when his hot mouth found the spot behind her ear. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, trying to anchor herself.
Footsteps sounded from nearby. She and Rhys froze.
“What are we doing out here, Mac?” a strange voice said.<
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The soldiers were headed straight for them. Rhys set her on the ground silently and motioned for her to follow him.
“The colonel just told me to grab somebody and head out this way,” a gruff voice answered the first. “I don’t know what the hell for. Maybe he thought he saw something.”
Anger flashed through Cat as she followed Rhys around the corner of the building. A glance back showed a sergeant and a corporal striding toward the perimeter fence, right past where they’d been standing.
And kissing.
The colonel must have seen them walk out this way and suspected something. How could she have been such a fool? Dammit. One kiss was too much. She might be in E.D.G.E. now, but nothing said she would be there forever. She had a reputation to maintain.
Rhys stopped and looked at her, his eyes quiet. “That doesn’t look good.”
She glanced back at the soldiers behind them. They hadn’t seen them. “What?”
“Your expression. You’ve decided what we have isn’t worth going after.”
Her lips pressed together. “It’s not.” The words I’m sorry hovered on her lips, but she bit them back. She would not be sorry for choosing her career over a night of passion. And she knew for a fact that that was all Rhys offered.
“You’re serious, chère?” he asked, his voice gruff. “After that kiss?”
“Forget the kiss.” She held up her hands as if to ward him off, though he hadn’t moved. “And don’t call me chère.”
He scowled and opened his mouth. She cut him off. “I am your team leader. We are just teammates. Now, I’ve got to go grill an intel officer.”
“I assume you want to do it alone. Like everything else you do,” Rhys said.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re smart,” he said. “Figure it out, teammate.”
He strode away. She clenched her jaw so she wouldn’t call him back.
Cat spread the map on the table in the small room she’d been given for her team briefing. She’d just come from the female barracks where she’d grabbed some rack time, but had hardly been able to sleep.
Because of Rhys and his kiss.
Maybe they shouldn’t be on the same team. She forced all thoughts of him away and locked them away in the back of her mind. She had a mission and a man’s life to think about now.
Zach and Marc entered first, then Rhys. They all grabbed chairs.
“What do you have for us?” Marc said.
“I didn’t get much from the intel guys here. But one of the D-boys offered up some information. They’ve been all over and know this area.”
“Do we know what they’re here for?” Zach said.
She shook her head. “No, but I don’t think it’ll affect our mission. The D-boy let me know the best route to Dr. Hutchins suspected location.” She pointed at the map. “This area near Lake Chad is where our source says he’s being held prisoner. Based on their typical pattern, we’ve got approximately forty-eight hours before they execute him. That means we fly out tonight.”
She pointed to a new location on the map, about five kilometers from the river. “We’ll insert here. Cross the Yobe River at this bridge. Then it’s a quick ten-mile run.” She grinned to show she knew it would be strenuous on them all. “Once at the location, we’ll do a sneak-and-peek before the extraction. We’ll get our guy out to the exfil at the same location.”
“What if he’s in bad shape?” Zach asked.
“We bring a portable stretcher, but the terrain won’t permit a medevac until after that bridge.”
“Grab and go,” Rhys said.
She went over more details for the mission before breaking. “Meet on the airstrip at 2400 hours.”
She went back to her bunk and checked her pack, her weapon, and her gear. She smeared camouflage paint on her face, neck, hands, and any skin that might show pale in the dark, before heading to the airstrip.
The sun sank toward the horizon and turned the sky reddish orange.
She sighed when Steve fell into step with her.
“I saw you and your boy walk off together. So did lots of others.”
“Go away, Steve.”
“I know what you’re doing,” he said. “There’s been rumors of an American hostage among the locals. You’re going after him, aren’t you?”
She didn’t bother to acknowledge him.
“I can help,” he said.
She snorted, but didn’t say anything.
He went to grab her arm, but she shifted away without breaking her stride. “If you touch me, I will break something. That is your only warning.”
“Why do you have to be like that?” he said. “I’ve got a company of men who could…”
She stopped and turned, cutting off his words. “This is a covert mission. You know what that means. You’re not even supposed to be asking about it.”
“Come on. You know I could do this. If you told your team you needed my help—”
“But I don’t.”
“What if you get captured, Cat? I’m just worried about you.”
She stepped close to him and put her face in his. “Bullshit. You’re a glory hound. You always want something for nothing.” She sucked in a breath. “This posting is a punishment, isn’t it? Who’d you piss off now, Steve? Wait—you know what? I don’t care. I am not helping you.”
“You think you’re as good as a man,” he snarled. “But you’re not. You’re just a bitch.”
She shook her head, refusing to listen to any more of his insults. She strode away, taking deep breaths to shake off her rising anger. The mission called for a clear head.
A few minutes later, she found her team waiting at the end of the tarmac, where two pilots checked over a Little Bird. She nodded at the pilots and checked in with her guys. All had their game faces on, even Rhys; nothing about him betrayed the fact that they’d shared a wild kiss earlier. No leers or inappropriate comments. Tension left her shoulders.
Time to work.
CHAPTER 11
The MH-6 Little Bird only had room for the two pilots inside the helicopter. It carried its four passengers on external bench seats, two people per side. Rhys sat beside Cat, his FN SCAR rifle strapped across his front.
Full dark had fallen as the bird thumped its way to their infil location. Rhys mentally went over the plan as they rode the thirty minutes to the LZ.
Cat was silent beside him. A part of him was still pissed that she’d made the decision to end any relationship between them before she’d even given it a chance. She was a hell of a woman and one that suited him perfectly—they were explosive in bed, and had fun both in and out of it. He had no issues mixing work and pleasure, at least not with her.
He decided he had a new mission once they hit stateside again: to convince Cat to give them a shot. Tension left his neck and shoulders once he’d made the decision, and Rhys’s mind went back to the mission at hand.
The ground was dark, his NVGs giving him glimpses of the landscape they flew over. He took a quick glance at the stars overhead. The glittering landscape revealed above was truly beautiful, and he never tired of looking at it.
“Infil five minutes.” The pilot’s voice came over his headset.
“Roger,” Cat said.
Rhys went back to scanning the landscape below. In the distance, he saw more trees, and the river they had to cross.
The bird slowed and hovered over an open field near the tree line. “Let’s do it,” Cat said.
He threw out his thick rope, the line pinched between his feet to control his speed, and jumped off the bird with the rope in his gloved hands. He crouched as soon as his boots touched the ground, his rifle up, and scanned his field of fire. The others would be covering their own locations, so the full perimeter around the LZ would be protected.
Once the helicopter flew off and they no longer felt its beating wind, the oppressive heat and humidity hit Rhys. Sweat instantly dotted his face and made his skin slick under the w
eight of his armor and gear.
“Everyone down?” Cat’s voice.
“Roger,” they all replied.
“Let’s move.”
They went quiet after that. Moving fast, yet silent. Hand signals only. Running when the trees allowed.
It wasn’t long before the bridge came in sight, maybe thirty minutes. Zach covered their rear while Cat, Marc, and Rhys surveyed the bridge. Made of wooden crossbeams and cement pillars, it was built wide enough for three men to walk abreast.
Two sentries smoked at the other end of the bridge, their cigarettes flaring in the NVGs with every inhalation. Rhys only prayed that every sentry they encountered would be as stupid.
“How do you want to play this?” Marc asked.
The sound of the dark rushing waters under the bridge covered their conversation. Cat stared at those waters a brief moment before looking at him and Marc. “We go under the bridge.”
Rhys raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. If Cat didn’t think her fear of water would be an issue, he had to trust his teammate on her choice. Only teammates, he reminded himself.
They slithered one by one down the bank. Cat signaled for him to follow her while Marc and Zach covered them. They slung their rifles and Cat grabbed a wooden crossbeam, tested her weight on it, and then swung out over the river. Her toes were only inches above the water. She swung hand over hand from crossbeam to crossbeam.
Rhys let her get about ten feet in front of him before he swung out after her. His shoulder and back muscles flexed to hold himself plus the extra fifty pounds of gear and ammo in his ruck and webbing, not including the twenty pounds of high-tech body armor, or his eight-pound FN SCAR MK 17. It made him proud at how effortless Cat made this crossing appear.
Halfway across, one of the sentries shouted. Rhys and Cat both froze. Sweat slithered down his back as a slender beam of light appeared and bobbed over the bridge.
Rhys shifted his grip and hung one-handed, making sure his rifle was easily accessible, before placing his hand back on the wooden plank he hung from. Otherwise he didn’t move, taking his cue from Cat, who was closer to the situation.
