by KaLyn Cooper
“I’m more concerned that now that he’s there, they might be planning to do something with my teammates sooner rather than later.” Ryker had voiced his concern to her as soon as they landed.
“Since they’re feeding them, they obviously want them alive and relatively healthy.” Clint looked at the looped video of the men chained inside the truck on one of the smaller screens. “Did they act drugged to anyone else besides me?”
“I thought the exact same thing while watching it live.” Ryker stepped next to Clint.
For the first time, Xena noticed the similarities. They both had the same build—broad shoulders, narrow waist, relaxed yet wary posture. When her father stepped to Clint’s other side, he carried himself the same way. Though thirty years older, their bodies were still similar. Xena was quite sure the three men had no idea they stood exactly the same way with strong arms crossed over their chest and feet firmly planted shoulder-width apart.
“Look at how Pitbull—Heath Kubiak, first man on the right—misses most of his mouth with his fingers full of food.” Ryker pointed to his friend.
“That’s how they’ve controlled them,” Clint said as though he had just come to that realization. “I was wondering how barely trained rebels could capture and maintain four Navy SEALs. If my Delta team had been captured, we would never stop fighting or attempting to get away.”
“What we were told was they were captured immediately after the building blew up. After seeing this, I’ll bet they drugged them immediately. They probably had that truck already outfitted for other prisoners and used it on the SEALs when they weren’t killed in the blast.” Xena could see it all in her mind, the way it went down.
“You kids have this under control?” Her father looked at his watch. “I’m supposed to give an archaeology lecture in ten minutes at dig site Bravo.”
“You’d better hurry. You’re already going to be late. It’s a thirty-minute drive from here,” Clint pointed out.
His father gave him a shit-eating grin. “It’s only ten minutes in the Little Bird and Blade has fuel he needs to burn off before it goes back into the hangar. Besides, I need some stick time.”
“Like ten minutes is going to make that much difference?” Xena chided.
“It’s my fucking helicopter, and I’ll do what I want. Best you remember that, princess.”
“You’d never let me forget it. I love you, too, Daddy.” Xena blew him a kiss. “Safe flying.” Her father waved his hand as his reply just before the door closed behind him.
For the next several hours she worked with Clint, Dell, and Ryker to create a map of the camp. Her stomach growled loudly in protest of her lack of food. She walked over to the landline to call the troop dining hall to see what they were serving.
The phone rang.
Xena stared at it.
There was no red light blinking signaling an incoming call.
The phone rang again but it wasn’t vibrating nor was there a red light.
It was her satellite phone.
She dug it out of the knee pocket of her camouflage utilities. She didn’t recognize the ID number. Very few people even knew she carried a satellite phone.
“Xena Riggs. Whom am I speaking to?”
“Xena, it’s Kayla Scarlatto.”
“Oh. My. God.” Xena squealed. “Please tell me you’re in the area?”
“Depends where you are.”
It was so good to hear from one of her best friends. They’d gone through JAFSOS together and had a few missions before they were separated and sent to different agencies.
“I’m standing on the airstrip at Eden. Where are you?” Before her friend could answer, she quickly added, “This is a secure line.”
“We’re not far away but I need a favor.” Kayla sounded a little hesitant.
“Name it. You know I’ll do whatever I can for you.”
“Can we refuel at your airport? We have to meet a ship in the Indian Ocean late tonight.” Then Kayla added, “We only fly at night...and we need a completely secure flight line. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No. We’ve done it before.” Xena mentally started making a list of everything that had to be done to secure the area. Quite often while she worked for the State Department, they would have to do the same thing.
A second voice asked, “Are your brothers home by any chance?” Xena recognized the voice but couldn’t put a name with it.
“Clint is here but Van is in Saudi Arabia. We expect him back shortly after dark.” Her curiosity couldn’t be withheld. “Who is this?”
“Sorry, it’s Ashlin Cartwright.”
“Ashlin. I’m so glad you’re with Kayla. I can’t wait to see you again. Who else is there?” Xena was even more excited. They’d lived next door to each other during most of JAFSOS. They’d also gotten drunk together more times than she could count.
“Mia McCormick, Piper Knight, and Kira Frost are also on our team,” Kayla announced.
“Hey Xena,” Kira called.
“Xena, how are you doing?” Piper chimed in.
“Damn, I wish we were staying for a few days. I love hanging out at Eden.” Mia had gone home with Xena a few times while they were on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean. She loved that crazy woman. Her friend had very little filter for her mouth and for fear.
“Me, too.” Thinking ahead, Xena asked, “How much runway do you need?
“We have a helicopter so just a standard landing pad,” Kayla answered.
“I wish your helicopter had Infrared and you were coming in from South Sudan.” Xena was surprised she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.
There was silence on the other end for a long minute.
“Why? What’s up?” Kayla sounded interested.
“We need some infrared photographs of the rebel encampment just outside Jimma.” Xena didn’t think that broke any confidentiality rules.
“No problem. What are the numbers?” Kayla was going to do it.
Xena gave her friends the coordinates.
“NVG or thermal?”
“Thermal would be awesome.” Xena started to jump up and down with excitement. Between the pictures Van was going to take and whatever Kayla and her crew could provide, they might not need a second recon.
“We’ll handle that for you. We should be there around midnight.”
“I can’t wait to see you guys again.” Xena was so excited she immediately called her dad.
As soon as she hung up with her father, Clint was at her side. “Who did you say is coming?”
“My friends from when I was back in the Navy.”
“Your JAFSOS friends? Ones who have been here before?” Clint’s whole body was locked tight.
“Yeah. You might remember Kayla Scarlatto. She’s got dark wavy hair, huge brown eyes. Definitely Italian heritage. Kira Frost; she’s cute with short spiky blonde hair, the nurse practitioner. And Mia McCormick, the sassy one who gave you such a hard time while she stayed with us, is going to be here. Piper Knight is the swimmer who skipped the Olympics to join the Navy. Her brother is a SEAL.” Xena looked around for Ryker and made a mental note to ask him if he knew her brother. “You might remember Ashlin Cartwright. She’s usually quiet until you get a few drinks into her then she’s a wild woman.”
“I’ll be there.” He turned and walked away from her then added without looking back, “to help.”
That was weird but sometimes Clint got intense over the strangest things. Xena brushed it off and went to call Batman.
At ten past midnight, Xena, both brothers, and her father, Ryker, Blade, and Batman stood on the edge of the darkened runway.
Batman yawned. “Why the hell are they flying in the middle of the night and why the fuck did they need so much security?”
“I have no idea, but if Kayla says she needs it, I’m good to see to it that they get everything they asked for if it’s within my power.” Xena stared up at the sky wondering why they were late.
“I haven�
�t seen the girls in years. I like your friends.” Her father smiled down at her then kissed the top of her head.
Van held the tablet in his hand and pointed it toward Xena. “I don’t see them on radar, and this is stretched out to fifty miles.”
Just as she was about to defend her friends again, her satellite phone rang.
“Hey, where are you?” Xena stared at the empty radar.
“We're coming in now. Light up the LZ,” Kayla ordered.
Xena passed the order on to Batman who hit a button on his handheld device.
“I don’t hear a helicopter,” Van announced.
“Me neither,” Batman harrumphed.
Kayla laughed. “Look up.”
A low whine started getting louder and louder as a flat black angular shape emerged from the sky. As the wheels touched down, the whirr was quieter than a NASCAR engine.
Within a minute, four of the girls jumped out and ran over to hug Xena. Ashlin had exited the far side—Xena saw her legs underneath the unique helicopter. She was obviously unlocking the fuel tank and instructing the refueling crew.
“Where’s my hugs?” Her father stood braced, arms out.
Her girlfriends attacked him all at once. “Digger, it’s so good to see you.”
“Thanks for helping us out, Digger,” Piper said once she let go of him.
“Digger, you handsome old man. You haven’t aged a day. I want whatever you’re drinking.” Mia joked.
“You know what I drink. Did you bring me any?” He replied.
“Not this trip, but I promise to bring you your favorite bourbon when I come back.” Mia told him that every time and always arrived empty-handed but more than willing to drink his supply.
“Black flight suits?” Van asked as everyone gathered in a circle. “I thought they were exclusive to the SR-71 Blackbird pilots.” He leaned in closer to Kayla. “Is that a Black Swan?” He blinked at the black embroidery on the black flight suit. “Oh, that’s the number two on there.”
“What Black Swan?” Kayla asked coyly after hugging him.
“You never saw a Black Swan on our uniforms,” Piper informed him stepping back after her hug.
“We were never here,” Kira said as she gave Van a one-armed hug.
“Fuck. They’re real.” The man’s jaw dropped.
“What the hell you talking about?” Digger asked as he looked at everyone standing there.
“Before I left the Air Force, there had been rumors flying around about an all-female SpecOps team.” Then he grinned. “And I know them.”
“We’re not the only team.” Mia gave him a cheeky smile. “Though there are no all-female SpecOps teams. Right?”
“Whatever you say,” Van agreed.
Digger clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Which one of you lovely ladies is going to give me a personalized tour of that awesome helicopter?”
“Me, too.” Van scooted over next to his father.
“Come on. I’ll tell you what I can.” Kayla signaled for them to follow her.
As they started toward the helicopter, Ryker spoke for the first time. “I gotta see this.” In her excitement, Xena had forgotten he was there.
“Wait a minute.” She grabbed his arm. “I want you to meet my friends.” She introduced him to Kira, Mia, and Piper. “That’s Kayla who’s showing Daddy the helicopter.” Xena looked around. “I thought Ashlin was with you.”
“She is. She’s over there talking to Clint.” Kira pointed to where the two seemed to be in a serious discussion near the tail of their helicopter.
“What do you think those two are talking about?” Xena asked. Although Ashlin had been to her house a couple times, staying for a few days, she didn’t remember her friend and Clint talking much.
“She’s asking him for a divorce.” Mia’s nonchalance sounded like one of her jokes.
“Yeah, right.” Xena popped back.
“She really is asking him for a divorce,” Piper insisted.
“Right. And when did that happen?” Xena was sure it was still a joke.
“One drunken night in Las Vegas.” Kira offered.
“Clint was there having a reunion with some of his Deltas and we ran into them at the Bellagio,” Mia explained. “Several hours later, we were all the maids of honor because Ashlin didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.”
“All his buddies were the best men, so it worked out.” By the look of Piper’s face, she wasn’t kidding.
“We got called for a mission the next morning and had to bug out.” Kira shrugged. “All the men were still passed out, but we had to leave.”
Mia fisted her hands on her hips. “That was several months ago, and your asshole brother hasn’t even bothered to call her.”
“Well,” Kira said on a sigh. “I’m not sure how he would’ve gotten hold of her because we’ve been on back-to-back missions since we left Las Vegas.”
“Yeah. True.” Mia looked at her teammates. “We are long overdue for some downtime. I bought a new dress in Morocco, and we haven’t been clubbing since we left Vegas.”
“We should ask for at least five days off in a row.” Piper smiled. “Now that Brigadier General Standish is in charge of Homeland Security Section 7, I’m sure she’ll understand if we ask for leave.”
Xena wasn’t really listening to her friends discuss time off. She was mad as hell at both Ashlin and her brother. Nobody had told her they got married. She spent almost every day with her brother and yet he never bothered to tell her that he’d married one of her best friends.
Ignoring the women standing there, she stomped over to where Clint and Ashlin stood arguing. “What the fuck, you two? You got married and neither of you had the balls to tell me?”
Both of them turned toward her in unison and together said, “Shut up.”
“This doesn’t concern you,” Ashlin jabbed.
“Bullshit it’s not my business. You are my brother, and Ashlin, you are one of my best friends. Why do you think this doesn’t affect me? Hell, I’m the one who introduced the two of you.”
In a low, very controlled voice, Clint raised his gaze to meet hers. “Walk away, Xena. Walk away. Now.”
Xena had only ever heard that voice coming from her father. She threw her hands up in the air. “Okay, we’ll discuss this later.”
She returned to the other three girls. Kayla, Van, Ryker, and her dad had rejoined them.
“What’s going on over there?” her father asked.
“Did you know that Clint and Ashlin were married?” Xena blurted.
“What?” Her dad’s shock was evident.
“Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t told.” At least everyone in her family hadn’t kept the news from her.
“No shit.” Van stared at the arguing couple.
“Don’t worry. They won’t be married for much longer.” Mia smiled up at Xena’s dad. “She’s over there asking him for a divorce.”
“Looks like we’re fully fueled.” Kayla’s gaze led Xena to where the fueling crew was pulling back the hoses.
Kayla pulled a flash drive out of her pocket and handed it to Xena. “I hope this helps. Piper watched it in real-time.”
“They’re definitely setting up a camp, a big one from what I’d guess,” Piper said. “You’ll be able to see men sleeping in tents, walking around. Four heat signatures were coming from inside a box.” She blinked hard and pointed to the drive. “I could see the chains. Please tell me that’s why you wanted this.”
Ryker stepped forward. “Thank you. Those are my teammates. Navy SEALs. They were ambushed over three months ago.” He pointed to Xena’s hand. “That can help us rescue them.”
Kayla stepped forward. “Do you need us to stay?”
“Oh, we’re having engine trouble?” Mia suggested.
“I’m here and I have my kit.” Kira offered. “I can help take care of the injured.”
“Thank you, ladies. That’s very kind of you.” Digger stepped f
orward and enfolded all of them in a hug. “We don’t want you to get in any kind of trouble. Or the ship that’s hanging around off Somalia waiting for you.” He released them with a smile. “We have a pretty damn good team here. We’ve got this one handled.”
Kayla nodded, put her fingers to her mouth, and whistled so loud Xena thought she might be temporarily deaf. “Saddle up girls. We have to fly.”
Hugs and promises to return soon were passed around.
As a group, they moved toward the arguing couple.
Ashlin’s hands flew in signals Xena barely recognized. She was pretty sure her friend was asking for two more minutes.
When Kayla signaled back to cut it off now, the rest of the team headed toward the open chopper doors.
“No!” Clint said loudly and insistently. He reached over and cupped Ashlin’s face before he crashed his lips on hers, kissing the hell out of her. When he finally released her, Ashlin took one step backward but held his gaze. She stepped forward, quickly kissed him, then turned and ran toward the helicopter door, smiling ear to ear.
Clint jogged to the open door.
Xena wondered if he was going to jump in.
Ashlin’s smile reminded her of the way her mother looked at her father.
Reading her friend’s lips, she discerned; I love you too.
The door closed and the top-secret helicopter lifted off the tarmac.
“I’ve gotta get me one of those,” her father declared.
“Hell yeah.” Van agreed.
As the black bird disappeared in the night sky, their father looked at each of his children. “Let’s not tell your mother that Clint and Ashlin are married. She’ll want to throw a party and I don’t think they’ll want one. Not yet, anyway. Besides, we don’t want to take away from your mom’s birthday party.”
