Rescuing Harley: Delta Force Heroes, Book 3

by Susan Stoker

“Sorry, Harl, it’s my alarm,” Coach told her after he’d shut off the offensive tone coming from his phone.

  “Good Lord, it’s only five-thirty. We didn’t get to sleep until after three. What are you doing?”

  “Work. Gotta go in for PT.”

  “Insane. Seriously. Go. Get. I’ll get up in another six hours or so,” Harley mumbled sleepily.

  Coach laughed and kissed Harley on the forehead. He swung his legs out of the bed. “You’re definitely not a morning person,” he observed unnecessarily.

  “Humph.”

  “I’ll call ya later. Maybe we can do lunch?”

  “If I’m up by then,” Harley slurred, obviously on her way back to dreamland.

  “Okay. Love you, Harley.”

  “Love you too, Johnny.”

  Coach stood on the side of Harley’s bed in nothing but his underwear and never felt happier. He never expected that doing a favor for Tommy would lead to finding the woman who completed him.

  Once upon a time, Coach believed that he’d never be happy again. Losing his sister had torn his heart in two, but somehow, over the last couple of months, Harley had put it back together. She had done everything perfectly last night. Letting him talk about Jenny, not demanding to know where he’d been and what he’d been doing. She hadn’t freaked out about him telling off the high schoolers. She’d been quiet and let him work through his history in his own way. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off him.

  In the middle of telling Harley what had happened to Jenny, he realized that he finally forgave his sister for what she’d done. Her death had haunted him for a long time, but Harley had helped him crawl out of that dark hole he’d felt like he’d been in for most of his life.

  And not only that, but she was absolutely right. He would never wish Jenny dead, but as a direct result of her taking her own life, he’d joined the Army. He was where he was today because of her actions. There was no telling what he’d be doing if it wasn’t for what she’d done. In a roundabout way, he’d met Harley because of Jenny.

  It was an amazing way to look at life, and he shouldn’t be surprised that Harley realized it. If anyone had told him when he was in high school that eventually he’d meet the woman meant to be his because of Jenny dying, he would’ve beaten the shit out of them. But time, and crying in Harley’s arms, had made it seem so clear.

  Coach spared a thought for his friend Fish. He wondered what direction the man’s life would go as a result of what happened over in the Middle East and losing part of his arm. He hoped like hell it would be somewhere good, like meeting the woman who was meant to be his, and not something like ending up drunk and homeless in a gutter somewhere.

  Hearing his real name fall so easily from Harley’s lips when she was mostly out of it meant so much…and the last step he’d needed to feel connected to Harley and to let the bitterness over Jenny’s death go. He sent up a quick prayer to his little sister.

  Thank you for sending Harley to me, Jenny. I miss you so much, but I’m at peace now. I love you.

  He hadn’t liked keeping his past from Harley, and felt like a weight was lifted off his heart. Coach loved Harley like he’d never loved anyone before.

  It was…more.

  All encompassing.

  Healing.

  Perfect.

  Coach leaned down once more and kissed Harley lightly on the lips before backing away and gathering up his clothes. He needed to run back to his apartment and grab his workout clothes before heading to the base, and he had just enough time.

  Since they hadn’t exchanged keys yet, Coach couldn’t bolt her door, but he turned the lock on the knob and closed the door behind him, testing it to make sure it was secured. It was.

  Coach drove back to his place with a smile on his face, feeling lighter than he had in years.

  Later, even as he and his teammates were getting hammered at PT, he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. Life was good.

  Coach frowned as he held his phone up to his ear for the fourth time that day.

  “Still can’t get ahold of her?” Hollywood asked, concerned.

  Coach clicked the button to end the call, not bothering to leave another message. “No. It’s now going straight to voice mail.”

  “She’s probably just in the middle of working or something. You told us she gets that way. That once she starts working on a project, nothing short of a nuclear blast could tear her away.”

  Coach nodded distractedly. “Yeah, but this feels different. We…shit man, we had a moment last night. I know that sounds pussy-ish, but it’s true. I…opened up to her about my past, and it was intense. She didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, but it’s two, she should’ve been up by now. Besides, I said I’d call her about lunch.”

  “Go,” Hollywood ordered immediately. “I’ll talk to Ghost and tell him where you went. You’re not going to be able to concentrate until you see for yourself that she’s all right.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course. Go. And call me later.”

  “Thanks, Hollywood, I will.”

  Coach didn’t hesitate. He’d been battling the urge to go to Harley’s place for at least two hours to make sure she was all right. As he walked to his SUV, he checked his texts one more time. Nothing.

  The messages he’d sent her were there, but she hadn’t responded.

  Hey Harl. You up yet? We still on for lunch?

  Get up sleepyhead! Lunch at 12:30?

  You’re worrying me. Please text me.

  He’d started calling her after she didn’t respond to the third text. After the first call, it went straight to voice mail, as if the phone was off or dead. Coach didn’t think it would be dead; Harley was pretty good about keeping it charged. He couldn’t imagine why she’d turn it off, unless she really was trying to get some work done without distractions.

  As soon as Coach had the thought, he dismissed it. He knew Harley. Knew she wouldn’t turn off her phone, especially after last night. She always had it on and next to her, just in case her brother or sister—or he—needed to get ahold of her. Not only that, but she’d been devastated for him after hearing about Jenny. She wouldn’t do that, not when they’d sort of made plans for lunch.

  Coach fretted the entire way back to her townhouse, frowning when he didn’t see her piece of crap Focus in the parking lot. He’d asked Fletch to take a look at her car, but between their missions and general life getting in the way, he hadn’t had a chance to yet.

  Coach went up to Harley’s door anyway, knocking loudly. She didn’t answer. Wishing like hell he had a key to her place—that was the first thing on his agenda when he saw her again, exchanging keys, if only so he could make sure he could get inside her place in case of an emergency—he knocked again. Still no answer.

  The older woman, Gretel, opened her door in the townhouse next door. “She’s not there.”

  “Do you know when she left?” Coach didn’t bother with any idle chitchat.

  “Nope. Woke up this morning and her car was gone. Didn’t hear or see anything.” She tapped her ear. “Hearings not what it once was.”

  “Do you think Henry heard her leave?” Coach asked, looking toward the townhouse on the other side of Harley’s, then back at Gretel.

  Surprisingly, the older man’s head popped up behind the woman’s. “Sorry, young man, we were a bit occupied and didn’t hear a thing.”

  Gretel blushed and smacked Henry on the shoulder. “Henry!”

  Coach grinned, even though he was stressed. Good for them. It was about time they hooked up. From what Harley told him, they’d had the hots for each other for a long time. Harley would get a kick out of hearing they were finally together.

  “Appreciate it. If you see her, will you tell her to please call Coach? I’ve been trying to get ahold of her. She isn’t answering her phone.”

  Henry waved his hand. “Eh, you know these kids. Not worrying about calling people back. I’m sure she’ll get in touch with you soo
n.”

  Coach nodded, but disagreed. Harley had always phoned him back when she’d missed his calls in the past. Every single time. The bad feeling in his gut intensified.

  Coach sat in his SUV outside her townhouse and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He wasn’t sure what to do next. Yes, they were dating, but she was also an independent woman. They’d even had this conversation last night. She had her own life and they didn’t tell each other what they were doing every second of every day.

  But Coach was worried about her.

  He didn’t think this was normal.

  Just last night, this morning, he’d promised to protect her, and he had the weirdest feeling that she needed him right now.

  Coach picked up his phone and dialed Rayne’s number first.

  “Hey, Coach, what’s up?”

  “Have you talked to Harley this morning?”

  “Well, good morning to you too, grumpy,” Rayne teased.

  “Have you?”

  Obviously reading the concerned tone in his voice, she hurried to respond, “No. The last time I spoke to her was at the restaurant when you guys left yesterday.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Wait! Coach, is everything all right?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think so.”

  “You’ll let me know when you hear from her? Now I’m worried.”

  “Sure. Gotta go.”

  “Okay, later, Coach.”

  He hung up without saying ‘bye, and dialed Emily’s number.

  “Hello, this is Emily.”

  “Hey, Em. This is Coach. Have you talked to Harley today?”

  “Today? No. I called her the other day to chat, and we made plans to get together one night with Rayne and Mary. We also talked about going shopping for dresses for the Army Ball coming up, but haven’t finalized anything yet. Why?”

  “I can’t get ahold of her.”

  “Oh, well, I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Yeah. Can you let me know if you hear from her?”

  “Sure. Want me to call Fletch?”

  “No, I’ll be seeing him soon.”

  “Okay, talk to you later, Coach.”

  “Later.”

  Coach ended the call and immediately dialed Montesa. He was probably overstepping his boundaries, calling her sister when he’d only met her once, but the training he’d had was kicking into overdrive. The hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up and he had the same feeling in his gut that he had the one time they’d been in Afghanistan and they’d walked into an ambush. Luckily, Ghost had reacted immediately after hearing Coach’s concerns and they’d all made it out of that clusterfuck with their lives.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Montesa?”

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “It’s Coach, Harley’s boyfriend.”

  “Oh, hi, Coach. Is everything all right?”

  “I don’t know. Have you heard from Harley today?”

  “Nope. She called yesterday, upset because she couldn’t get ahold of you. What’s going on? Did she find you?”

  “Yeah, I had some shit go down with me yesterday, but I came back to her townhouse last night and we talked it out. We’re good. But I can’t reach her now. She was supposed to meet me for lunch.”

  “She’s probably just engrossed in code or something.”

  Coach clenched his teeth. If one more person told him that, he was gonna lose it. “I’m at her place and her car’s not here and she’s not answering her door.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ve called and texted her, but she’s not answering.”

  “I’ll see if I can get ahold of her.”

  “I’d appreciate that. You’ll let me know if you do?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks. I love her, Montesa.” Coach wasn’t sure why he was blurting out his feelings for Harley to her sister, but it seemed like the right thing to do. “I’ve known for a while, but as her older sister, I wanted you to know, and be assured that I’ll do what I can to protect her.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line, before Montesa said, “Good. She means the world to me. She needs someone like you to stand up for her and to force her out of her house every now and then.”

  “You’ll call me back if you hear from her?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks. Later.”

  Again, Coach clicked off the call without waiting for her to say goodbye. He immediately dialed Davidson’s number. He was definitely pushing his luck now, but he wasn’t going to stop until he’d found Harley.

  “Yo.”

  “This is Coach, Harley’s boyfriend. Have you heard from her? I can’t find her and I’m getting worried.”

  “No. We don’t talk every day. The last I heard from her was last week.”

  “Damn. Okay, if you do see or talk to her, will you let me know?”

  “What’s up? You have a fight?”

  “No. I just…she’s missing.” Coach said the words that he’d been thinking for the first time, and they tasted like acid in his mouth. “I don’t know where she is.”

  “Fuck. Okay, I’ll try her cell and see if I can’t get ahold of her.”

  “It’s going straight to voice mail for me,” Coach told Davidson.

  “I’ll swing by her place then.”

  “I’m at her place. She isn’t here. Look, I don’t want to embarrass her if she’s just out doing errands, but I have a bad feeling about this. I’m going to drive around and see if I can find her car.”

  “Sounds good. I will too. You call Montesa?”

  “Yeah, right before you. I didn’t say that she was missing, but I’m sure I worried her.”

  “Good call on not giving her all the details. She will worry, but she’ll hold tight until we have more info. I’ll touch base later and we can compare notes.”

  “Thanks, Davidson.”

  “She’s my sister. Of course I’m going to help.”

  Coach knew exactly how the other man felt. “Later.”

  “‘Bye.”

  Coach sat for a moment in his vehicle, at a loss on who else he could call. Finally, he clicked on one more number.

  “You find her?”

  “No. Ghost, I need your help. And the team. And maybe that mysterious computer guy you know. She’s nowhere. Car’s gone, she’s not home. Neighbors didn’t see her leave, and she hasn’t called her brother, sister, Emily, or Rayne. Something’s wrong.”

  “Like Afghanistan wrong?” Leave it to Ghost to ask exactly the right question.

  “Yeah.”

  “On it,” Ghost told his friend and teammate immediately without asking for any more information. “I’ll meet you at your place. We’ll organize there and see if we can’t do some sort of grid search. I’ll call Rock and see if he can help us too.”

  “Rock? The sniper who works down in San Antonio now?”

  “Yeah. He helped us with the situation with that asshole Jacks and Emily and Annie. Since he’s a cop, he can help put out a be-on-the-lookout for her car.”

  Coach swallowed the bile that crept up his throat. “You think a BOLO is necessary?”

  “I do. And I think you know it. Coach, if she got carjacked, or kidnapped, or even was in an accident, the car is key.”

  “I need to call the hospitals and the local cops,” Coach said, realizing he hadn’t done that yet. The thought of Harley in the clutches of a madman was more than he could process right now.

  “Okay, do that, I’ll call Rock, see what he thinks. Be at your place as soon as I can, Coach. We got this. We’ll find her.”

  “Thanks, Ghost.”

  “No thanks needed, man. She’s one of ours. We’re closing ranks.”

  Coach clicked off the phone and put his head on the steering wheel in despair for a moment, before pulling himself together and finding the number to the local hospital.

  Harley was out there somewhere, and he’d find her. Maybe she
was just running errands and all his worry was ridiculous.

  But he didn’t think so.

  No, he knew that wasn’t the case.

  “Hold on, Harley. I’m coming for you,” Coach whispered as he waited for someone at the hospital to pick up the phone.

  21

  Sixteen Hours Missing

  * * *

  “We’ve been all over this city, her car’s not here,” Beatle said in frustration, running his hand through his hair and pacing in front of the sofa at Coach’s apartment.

  “I put out some feelers in the seedy bars around the base,” Truck told his teammates. “Said we were looking for a missing woman and if anyone had any information they’d get paid under the table, no questions asked.” Everyone nodded. If anyone was going to have success at what he’d done, it was Truck. He blended in perfectly with his huge badass frame and his scar. No one dared fuck with him. Even the baddest of the bad respected him.

  “Davidson called a while ago and said he hadn’t had any luck either. He went out again this evening to see if he could find her car,” Hollywood told the group.

  “What about Tex?” Coach asked Ghost. “What’s he come up with?”

  “Nothing. I wasn’t able to get ahold of him. Apparently his wife is having a baby and he’s unavailable.”

  “Dammit!” Blade bit out, his frustration clear in his voice. “What about Tiger’s friend? The computer geek down there in San Antonio?”

  “Haven’t asked her yet,” Ghost said calmly, used to his team’s outbursts and frustrations. He was obviously just as frustrated, but, as team leader, was better able to control it. Calling Penelope Turner was on his list of things to do, but since he’d been organizing the physical search for Harley, he hadn’t had a chance yet.

  Coach felt like he’d downed several energy drinks. He hadn’t eaten anything since he’d realized Harley was missing, but the adrenaline in his body hadn’t lessened over the last couple of hours. “What’d Rock say?”

  “He put a BOLO out on her car. No matches yet,” Fletch told the group of tight-knit men.

  “What’s our next step?” Hollywood asked.

  “I’ll call Tiger and ask her to get Beth on this,” Ghost said decisively, moving it to the top of his to-do list. “We need to track Harley’s phone and see where it last pinged. That will help narrow down the search area. Beth will also be able to track her digital footprint as well. Credit cards, ATM transactions, things like that.”