Scorched

by Lee, M. A.

  “What?” she asks, noticing me staring at her. There is a twinkle in her eye and it makes my heart swell.

  “I’m just admiring you,” I admit.

  Sighing, Meghan smiles and I see her cheeks turn a rosy red as she blushes. I take her hand in mine and love how it fits nicely-- like it was made just for me.

  “I’m so glad you recommended this as our date. This is such a perfect way for me to relax after a long day of work,” she says.

  “I love that about you,” I say, and then instantly still.

  I wasn’t sure if we were at that stage where I could profess my love to her without scaring her off, but I had just let it slip. Hopefully, it didn’t bother her too much.

  Meghan paused, but then began talking and allowed the moment to go unnoticed. Soon, I would tell her how I felt, but I wasn’t ready, yet.

  “I’ve always been pretty easy to please. I like low-key,” Meghan states.

  The screen ahead begins to light up and the movie begins to play. It is an older, classic film, but still enjoyable. I open my arms and Meghan sits between my legs, as I wrap my arms around her. She falls into me and I hold her the duration of the movie.

  After the movie, we walk hand-in-hand back to her apartment. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to get ready for work. Tonight is going to be a wild ride and I have to have my head in the game.

  As we reach Meghan’s door, she turns to face me. “Do you want to come in for a little while?” she asks, flirting with me.

  My dick springs to life and is begging me to say yes. However, my head is telling me no. I want so badly to go inside that apartment and get lost inside of Meghan, but I just can’t.

  “I wish I could. I have to get to work. Something illegal is going on at the Port and I need to be alert,” I say without thinking.

  I want to smack myself for telling that to Meghan. Her eyes grow large and I see the worry and fright reflected back at me.

  Grabbing her hands, I pull her to me. “Look, I shouldn’t have told you that. But, I don’t want to lie to you. I will be careful, but I do need to be focused. If I come in tonight, I will fuck you and go to work satisfied, but exhausted. I need to be alert,” I say again.

  Meghan hesitates and for a moment, I worry she is going to freak out. But, she surprises me.

  “I get it. I mean, you know I worry about you and I have my own anxieties that reach far deeper than you and me, but I’m glad you were honest with me. Tell you what,” she says, hugging me and pushing her taut tits against me. “When you don’t have to work, we will spend an entire night in bed.”

  For a brief moment, I contemplate calling into work. I have this beautiful woman in front of me and it is taking all of my will power to walk away.

  I brush my lips against her neck as my hands begin to massage her breasts. She lets her head fall back, allowing me more access to the sweet and sensitive skin on her neck. Her nipples grow hard under my touch and I want so badly to put them in my mouth. A moan escaped her mouth and that is my cue to leave.

  Both of us are breathing heavily as we part. I rush to the door, forcing myself to exit. A panting and very horny Meghan watches me leave.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I almost begged Ryder not to go.

  It would have been selfish of me to ask, and that’s why I didn’t, but still…

  Falling onto the couch, I turned on the television and found a reality housewives how to occupy my mind. Sometime later, Kirsten and Ashely came home. We caught up on our days and then changed into our pajamas before tuning in to one of our favorite hospital drama shows.

  As we watched the intense sitcom, my mind kept returning back to Ryder at work. I tried to tell myself that he was just busy walking around the Port, watching to ensure no thieves stole from the crates that were arriving. Still though, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but worry.

  Around one in the morning, Kirsten and Ashley retired to bed, but I couldn’t sleep just yet. My mind was focused on Ryder and my body was still in need of his touch. In my bed, all I did was toss and turn. Not wanting to disrupt Ryder, I sent him a quick text to let him know that I was thinking about him.

  Me: I know you are busy, but I wanted to tell you to have a safe shift.

  I didn’t expect him to respond, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him text back.

  Ryder: Thank you. I can’t wait to see you again.

  My heart fluttered reading over his words. I wished more than anything that he could be here right now, but until he could, I would keep myself busy with work.

  Pulling out my laptop, I decided to work on my article. Reading over my work so far, I was happy with what I had accomplished.

  When war is raging, the first sign of hope comes from the men and women who bravely risk their lives to save others. Recently, San Diego was awarded with a new company--Cole Security Forces. Owned by Jackson Cole, this branch comes from the success of his East Coast firms. However, when searching for the perfect candidates to help keep our city and businesses safe, he looked no further than his own brothers and sisters in arms: The SEALS.

  Now, Ryder Rawlings, Matt O’Connor, Cooper Jenkins, and Lance Isaacs are bringing their military expertise to the table. Throughout this feature, we will get a raw and honest insight into the lives of these men. We will uncover what motivates them to continue to fight for safety and what influenced their lives.

  Pausing, I smiled to myself. Melanie and I had gathered incredible information from our interviews with the guys. While at first, it was clear they were uncomfortable being in the spotlight, once we got them talking about their time as SEALS, they quickly began opening up. The light from the screen began to burn my eyes and I knew it was time to stop working.

  I must have dozed off because when I woke sometime later, it was late into the night and my phone was buzzing.

  Glancing down, I saw Ryder’s name flashing across my screen. I had to rub the sleep from my eyes to make sure I was seeing things clearly. It was almost four in the morning and Ryder was still at work. Why on earth would he be calling me now? He knows I have work. Answering, all I heard was chaos on the other end of the line.

  Bolting up in bed, I began pushing the phone closer to my ear, as if that would help me hear better.

  “Ryder!” I yelled out, my voice very frantic.

  What sounded like gunshots followed by screams echoed through the phone. Bangs and scrapes were heard and all I could tell that whatever was happening on the other side of this phone, wasn’t good.

  Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, I pinched myself.

  “Please be a dream,” I begged. For the first time in very long, I prayed that I was having one of my nightmares.

  When I felt the stinging bite of the pinch, I knew that I wasn’t dreaming, but this awful moment was a real moment.

  “Kirsten, Ashely,” I wailed, jumping out of my bed.

  My feet pounded on the hardwood flooring as I rushed out of my bedroom. Kirsten’s door swung open and she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “What is going on?” she asked.

  Ashely ran out of her room holding her phone out like a gun. “Is there an intruder?” she yelled.

  Shaking my head, I felt the tears pouring down my cheeks. “It’s Ryder. He just called but all I could hear was a commotion,” I cried out.

  “Maybe he just dropped his phone,” Kirsten suggested, as she leaned up against the wall.

  “Something in my heart tells me that isn’t the case. I think something bad happened,” I continued.

  “I have an idea. Let’s go into the living room and I will Google to see if anything has happened at the Ports tonight,” Ashely recommended, holding up her phone.

  We all nodded and followed her into the living room. Seated on the couch, I watched as she began typing into her phone. I watched her face as she went from serious to startled and alarmed. As her eyes grew in size, I realized she had found something.

  “Turn on the tel
evision,” Ashely ordered.

  Kirsten fumbled with the remote until she finally turned the television on. A news reporter shined as a broadcast played. It was well into the early morning hours and my heart dropped at the scene before me.

  “Viewers, if you are just joining us, we are at the scene at the Ports here in San Diego. Sometime early this morning, a blast was heard. Local authorities report that a bomb had gone off and a fire is still raging. All but two employees have been accounted for. While rescuers search for the victims, we will continue to keep you updated as information comes in. However, officials tell us the search and cleanup could last well into the day. Expect major traffic delays,” the female reporters announced.

  Behind her, the sky is filled with an orange and red blaze as the fire races through the Port. Ships are seen moving away from the docks and firefighters are running to put out the fires. I can’t seem to tear my eyes off of the horrific scene.

  “Meghan, call Ryder again,” Ashley says, breaking my trance.

  I fumble with my phone for a minute, before dialing Ryder’s number again. It rings and rings, but no answer. I try texting, but again, nothing.

  Standing, I begin looking around the apartment. “What are you doing?” Kirsten asks me, concern dripping from her eyes.

  “I need to go to the Ports. I have to see if Ryder is ok,” I say.

  They both glance at one another before turning back to me. “I will drive,” Kirsten says.

  We quickly dress and in no time, we are in Kirsten’s car and heading toward the ports. The stench of smoke fills the air and the closer we get to the water, the more the fire becomes visible.

  All I can do on the car ride over is to pray that Ryder is alright. Because if he isn’t, I just know I will never overcome this.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tucking my wire into my shirt, Matt and I nod toward each other as we begin our shift. I’m still horny as hell and wishing terribly that I was still with Meghan, but duty calls and I have a job to do tonight.

  From everything we learned so far, I knew that a shipment was coming in tonight with illegal contraband. I have had the guys working with us from Cole Security Forces keeping a close eye on Nathan. My assignment tonight is to not let Nathan out of my sight. When the shipment comes in, I am to give our signal to the awaiting officers just outside of the Port. There was no way they could be within the confines of the Port, that would surely stick out and alert Nathan and whoever he was working with that something was amiss.

  “You ready?” Matt asks, as we walk toward the docks.

  Glancing at my watch, I check the time. It’s a quarter past three in the morning. Two ships are heading this way and I memorize all of their details.

  “Yeah, I’m just excited to get this over with,” I respond.

  The vibe down here tonight was off and I didn’t like the strange feeling it was eliciting in me. In my years of combat, whenever we had a bad feeling about something, there was usually a valid reason for it.

  Nathan waved at us as he began walking faster than needed down to the docks. I kept my face neutral as I waved back. Matt did the same, too.

  “Guys, I have eyes on Nathan. He is heading toward the south dock,” I whispered into the mic.

  Matt looked back, like he was inspecting some cargo, while I walked a few feet ahead of him. Another thing I had learned in my combat training, was to always keep distance between you and your partner when on a sting operation. We needed that space in case one of us needed to act or draw a weapon, but we never veered too far away, so that we could always hear one another.

  “Stay back, but don’t lose sight of Nathan,” Jackson Cole whispered back. With this new assignment presenting some real danger and risks, Jackson flew back to California to help us out. He was typically stationed on the East Coast, but I was thankful to have his expertise guiding us tonight.

  Both ships docked at the same time and I watched as the crew split up to begin unloading the cargo. My job, or rather, my pretend role here at the Ports, was just to play a security guard. I had no business near the men as they unloaded the cargo, but if I just walked down and inspected the area quickly, no one would think anything about it. However, if I lingered, then I might tip someone off.

  Slowing my pace, I made sure to keep my eyes locked on Nathan. I watched with keen interest as he began heading to the second ship near the last docking station. He shook hands with a man who jumped from the ship and began tying the lines onto the dock. I watched as they chatted for a minute before Nathan nodded, looked around quickly, and then began moving toward the back of the ship.

  Curiously, I swiped my hand across my forehead. This was mine and Matt’s signal that something was up and to tread carefully. I didn’t bother to look back and make sure he was following my lead, I knew he was.

  I took a turn and shined my flashlight against the security fence. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nathan take a turn before jumping onto the back of the ship. I may not be a true Port worker, but I did know the crew here had no business stepping foot onto one of those ships.

  The rest of the men were busy unloading the cargo and laughing and joking. They were happily blind to whatever scheme Nathan had going on.

  As I approached the back of the ship, I heard arguing. I recognized Nathan’s voice, but the other man, I didn’t.

  Matt came up to my left and we crouched down, shielding ourselves from being seen. Thankfully we were in the darkness and it helped to camouflage us.

  A loud sound rang out, like something had hit skin. A yell cried out followed by a scuffle.

  “We have Nathan arguing with someone on the ship. Everyone hold steady for now,” I advised.

  Matt was keeping a good lookout for our team while I was following Nathan. Somewhere out there, local cops and the rest of Cole Security Forces were just waiting to invade the area on our cue.

  “You have been hiding the goods,” a voice roared, followed by a smash.

  “I told you, nothing came in the last shipment. Your informant told me there would be ten tons of cocaine on that last shipment, but there wasn’t anything,” Nathan cried out. His voice sounded strangled and I had no doubt he was compromised.

  I moved closer to get a better look. Nathan and the man who I had seen a few days ago were standing on the back of the ship.

  “Well, my informant and boss say otherwise. So tonight, they are giving you a little surprise,” the man said, his smirk giving me an uneasy feeling.

  Nathan’s eyes rose with fright. “What are you talking about?”

  “See, I knew you were stealing our goods and selling them on the streets. We had a few people following you. Tonight, one of the boxes you had unloaded and placed aside, well, it has a bomb in it,” the man laughed.

  “I didn’t…” Nathan began, but the man stopped him.

  “No use lying. In less than three minutes, this place will blow up,” the man raged.

  Nathan took off running as the other man chuckled before returning back to his ship. I knew then that the bomb wasn’t near the ships. Nathan must have hidden the cargo box somewhere inside the large warehouse.

  “There’s a bomb near the warehouse. We need to evacuate the premise,” I said into my mic.

  Matt began making commands and all at once, a siren rang out and the men around us began running toward the exits.

  I went to run, too, but then realized, I had to find Nathan. He wasn’t going to slip past me tonight.

  I turned to run and then, everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  As we near the port, all I can see are ambulances, police cars, and firetrucks. My anxiety is through the roof right now and I’m already shaking as I sit in the backseat of the car. No one dares to say a word as the chaos builds around us. Every news station has sent a reporter and right now, they line the streets just outside of the police barricade set up to keep the public outside of the port.

  I have been spam calling Ryder’s p
hone since we left the apartment, but he still hasn’t picked up.

  “I don’t think I can go any further,” Kirsten says, as she is stopped by a police officer.

  “I will get out here,” I say, already opening the back passenger door. As I jump out, an officer goes to stop me, but I sidestep and begin running past him. I can hear car horns and people yelling, but nothing is going to stop me from getting to that Port. I have to know that Ryder is alright.

  My feet move fast on the pavement, I am sure I am beating any record for sprinting. The heat and smoke from the fire fills the air and my lungs burn, but I ignore the pain.

  As I get closer to the tall, security fence, I spot Jackson Cole with his team from Cole Security Forces. Rushing to them, I can barely breathe as I begin yelling out words.

  “Where is Ryder? Is he safe?” I cry out.

  Jackson looks over at me like he has just seen a ghost. “How did you get back here?” he asks me, glancing behind him.

  I am sure there is an army of police officers following me, but I don’t care.

  Panting, I say, “I ran.”

  Shaking his head, Jackson grabs me by the elbow and pulls me over to where a white medic tent is set up. Everyone is talking and running around and my eyes dance around the area.

  “Stay right here,” Jackson orders.

  “Where is Ryder?” I ask again.

  He looks at me and I can see it in his eyes that he knows I’m not going to stop asking until I get an answer. He runs a hand through his dark hair and sighs. “We don’t know yet. After the explosion, I lost all contact with my men in there. Matt was just located by the south dock. He is being checked out right now by paramedics. He’s got burns on his arms and a pretty nasty head wound, but he is alert and talking,” he says.