by Lea Hart
“Ivy, I’m so sorry.” He wrapped her up in his arms and felt her bury her face in his neck. He expected a torrent of tears, but instead he felt her quiet breathing. The lack of immediate sobbing told him a storm was brewing. Quietly, she cleared her throat and pulled away. Not one tear had dropped.
“I’ll take you home and get you to the airport,” he said.
Lifting her hand, she smoothed her hair. “My daddy left us when I was eight. He had an affair with the school secretary and ended up having a son six months after he left Mama and me. He was never around much after that. I don’t know what I should feel.”
She said it like she was giving a weather report. There wasn’t a trace of emotion in her voice, and he understood. He’d felt not much of anything when he heard about his mom.
“I’ll call for an Uber. You stay and enjoy the party,” she said in a small voice.
Standing, he shook his head. “Honey, I’m not staying. Let’s get you back so you can pack. Then I’ll take you to the airport.”
“Okay,” she replied quietly.
Standing, he took her hand and led her out to the valet. The way she held herself told him that when the feelings hit, it was going to be one hell of a storm. A damn tempest, if he had to guess.
CHAPTER SIX
Saturday—Two Weeks Later
Juniper Prairie Wilderness, Florida
Ryan sat in the open door of the helo as they headed North toward the Juniper Prairie Wilderness area in the Ocala National Forest. Lucky from the SAI Chicago office put together the intel that led them to this site. A young woman had been abducted from her college several days ago and the team had every reason to believe that the kidnappers had brought her here.
They’d picked up a ping on a phone that belonged to one of the suspected abductors and it located him north of the Juniper Springs recreation area. Harris and Trevor were on the ground making their way toward the location where they thought the girl was being held. The terrain was densely packed with trees and vegetation, and Grady flew the helo low, so Ryan swept the area through his binoculars.
“Hostile running south east toward the pines,” Harris barked into his mic.
Ryan located the man. “Hostile down,” he said into his coms. Staring through his scope, he spotted another one making a run for the grove of trees. “Swing one click northwest and I’m going to nail that son of a bitch,” Ryan instructed Grady.
Slowly, with more precision than Ryan thought Grady had, he swung the Bell helicopter around, and Ryan set his feet on the rails and let a breath out. The bullet he shot went flying into the guy’s knee, and he was fairly confident that the asshole was never going to walk again without a lot of pain.
“I’ll lets the Feds know where to pick up the body,” Grady said into his mic. “They’re still thirty minutes out.”
“Target acquired, I repeat, target acquired,” Trevor barked into his mic. “Grady, find a place to land. She’s been beaten badly and God knows what else.”
“Clear,” Harris said into his mic. “Area clear. Let the Feds know. One body down. Three no longer active.”
Ryan remained vigilant as he continued to sweep the area. The last thing they needed was the kidnappers to have backup coming in hot.
“Landing on the north side of recreation area. Travel west three clicks and listen for the lullaby of my rotors,” Grady said, as he piloted the helo to a landing spot.
“Let Joel know we need a bus at the hangar in Miami. This girl’s in bad shape,” Trevor said.
“On your six, brother,” Harris confirmed.
No more than fifteen minutes passed, and Ryan spotted Trevor humping it across the dry terrain. Grady had found a spot to land that was well away from the recreation area. But probably not far enough away from the horses. Ryan could hear them kicking up a fuss at the sound of the rotors thumping loudly. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he moved out of the way so they could load the girl. Sitting back on his haunches, he accepted the weight of the young woman and carefully laid her on the seat.
Trevor climbed in and Harris followed. “Clear,” Ryan called into his mic. “Going to keep watch until we clear the area.” He moved into position at the open door of the helo, slid his rifle around and swept the surrounding area through his scope. Didn’t need any last-minute surprises. There was a parking lot about two clicks east that faced the pool and equestrian center; he figured that’s where the kidnappers had parked.
As Grady lifted them into the sky, four cars flew into the parking area that Ryan had just been studying and a half dozen federal agents descended on the area.
“It’s all yours, gentlemen,” Grady said into his mic. He saluted one of the men before he turned the helo around and headed for Miami.
“Is the bus on the ground?” Harris asked, as he pulled out his medical bag.
“Confirmed. Joel has an ambulance and the parents waiting on the ground in Miami,” Grady said.
“I’ll clean her up before we land,” Harris said quietly as he pulled out his supplies.
Ryan glanced over and winced. The poor woman was bruised and bloodied and didn’t appear to be conscious. Luckily, they’d gotten to her in time. They soon cleared the wilderness area, and Ryan slid back and closed the door.
The team was bringing her home and he felt a moment’s peace. If he got to do this on a semiregular basis, then retiring from the Teams was going to be okay. The group of men here in Florida were true operators, and he was starting to feel like he was part of them.
Before too long, they were circling the small Kendall-Tamiami airfield, and Grady landed them outside the SAI hangar. As the helo gently touched down, Joel jogged toward them with his head lowered. Trevor slid the doors open and waited for the paramedics to approach. Carefully, they lifted her onto the gurney and rolled her away from the helo and the parents joined them.
Ryan jumped out with Trevor and Harris following. They stood together and watched the mother climb into the ambulance while the father got in his car to follow.
Grady shut down the engines and the rotors slowly came to a halt. The sudden quiet was jarring, as
the men gathered their gear and then walked toward the hangar to join Joel.
Standing together, they watched the ambulance clear the gates of the airport. “Good day,” Joel said firmly. “The young woman is twenty-one years old, and because of what the team was able to accomplish, she will live to see her next birthday.”
“She has a hell of a road to recovery,” Harris murmured. “Those sons of bitches brutalized her.”
Joel turned back to the hangar. “I have a telephone call that I need to return. The FBI team leader has a couple of questions for me.”
“They were kept in the loop during the op. Lance fed them intel as we uncovered it, and Lucky forwarded them the security tapes from the campus that helped us identify the men,” Harris reported. “I didn’t tell them about the help that Katie gave us in narrowing down their probable movements after they snatched her.”
Trevor stood proudly as he slipped his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to call Katie and tell her that we brought her home.” As he held the phone to his ear, he grinned at the group. “I’m damn proud of my wife.”
“Do you notice that he says wife as often as he can?” Grady asked.
“Your jealousy is showing.” Ryan laughed. “Don’t be bitter because Sara is in no rush to plan a wedding.”
“I told her we could go down to the courthouse and then she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.” Rubbing the back of his head, he kicked his boot against the tarmac. “It didn’t go over well.”
The group laughed and moved into the hangar to get rid of their kits. Harris’s locker sat next to Ryan’s, and they silently divested themselves of their equipment. “Hey, you want to grab a beer and catch the game?” Ryan asked as he unloaded his weapon.
“Sounds good, man. There are only a few of us single guys left, so we’d better stick together. One by
one, men fall. The married guys are starting to take over, and the place is going to be overrun by munchkins before we know it.”
“So, are you a committed bachelor?” Ryan asked.
“For now. I see how happy the married guys are, and it’s made me rethink the possibility that someone is out there for me. I guess when it’s supposed to happen, it will.”
“It’s all timing,” Ryan replied. He thought about Ivy and wondered if he was going to have to break every damn clock in the world to make their timing work.
“What happened to you and Ivy? I thought you guys had something going on.” Harris asked.
Peeling his T-shirt over his head, he wiped his face. “Not sure. Haven’t heard much since she went back home. It’s been radio silence for a couple of days, and I don’t want to intrude.”
“Solid move. The last thing you want to do is crowd her.”
Ryan nodded his agreement and took his bag out. “I’m going to grab a shower and then I’ll be ready to go.”
“Roger that,” Harris responded.
Ryan strode over to the locker rooms that had just been installed and wondered for the hundredth time how Ivy was doing. Maybe he’d try giving her a call tonight. After his last unanswered call, he’d backed off. If he could just hear her voice for five minutes and know she was doing okay, then he could relax.
Laughing to himself, he realized that somehow that tiny Texas dynamo had come into his life and taken over his world.
***
Hanging out with Harris had been fun, and he was glad that he was starting to connect with the men at SAI. The only way to be successful in this occupation was to work with men you trusted implicitly. Today had proven that he was starting to become part of the group.
As he drove down the street and parked in front of his house, he saw Gladys and Agnes sitting on their porch with a pitcher of martinis. Those two had more fun than most people half their age. When he got out and waved, they raised their glasses and saluted him. Laughing, he walked up to his house and slipped inside. It had been a long day, but a good one. To be back at it gave him hope that he could cobble together a life worth living. He hoped like hell the girl they saved today would make a full recovery.
As he dumped his bag in the living room, he heard a knock on the door. It must be the ladies from across the street. He opened the door and saw Grady standing there with a serious expression. Nothing good was about to happen. He’d been on platoons with Grady, and if his face looked like that, then shit just got serious. “Should I grab my bag?”
Grady walked past him and remained silent. “I have some news that you’re going to want to hear.”
“Fuck…spit it out.” Ryan walked into the kitchen and leaned his hip against the counter. Crossing his arms, he prepared himself. For what, he didn’t know. But by the looks of it—it was going to be serious.
“Ivy has some problems at home.”
Standing up straight, Ryan felt a cold chill run down his spine. “What kind of problems?”
“Someone took a shot at her.”
Exploding, he moved forward and grabbed Grady’s shirt. “What the fuck? I need to get on a plane.” He looked around frantically and tried to get his brain to function. As he tried to figure out what to do first, he noticed Grady’s look that suggested he get his shit together ASAP.
“For a fucking sniper, you sure are high-strung. Where in the hell is that cool operator that I’ve known for years?”
“Someone just took a shot at Ivy. I don’t have any cool in me.” Ryan huffed.
“Ivy’s mama called Rory to let her know that she was going to be out for a couple of days. She’s fine. The bullet only grazed her arm. She’s at home, and resting comfortably. Bea told Rory that Ivy is fit to be tied, though. The fact that someone got a piece of her is making her madder than a rattlesnake. That’s a quote, by the way.”
Striding away, Ryan moved into the bedroom and started throwing things into a duffel. “I hope like hell I can get out tonight.”
Grady followed him and leaned against the doorframe. “Your flight information was emailed to your phone. Rory made you a reservation as soon as she got off the phone with Bea.”
“Why would Rory send me? How did she know about Ivy and me?”
“The question isn’t what Rory knows, but what she doesn’t know. The second is a much shorter list. Your flight takes off in three hours. So get your stuff together and I’ll take you to the airport.”
“I wonder if this has anything to do with her daddy’s passing.”
“According to Rory, he was a wildcatter, so he could’ve left behind a ton of money or rights to a well. Texas is one the few places that men can still chase their fortune looking for oil. Maybe Ivy’s dad had some luck and struck gold.”
“God damn, what a shit show.”
“We don’t have a lot of resources in Texas, so call if you find something that you don’t like.”
“I have a couple of buddies who live in Texas. Mac is a Team guy and has an outfit that trains dogs for different law enforcement agencies as well for the private sector. I have another buddy, Rick, and he runs his family’s ranch. If I need anything, I’ll give them a call.”
“That works,” Grady responded.
“Does Ivy know I’m coming?”
“I don’t think so.”
Ryan studied his friend and wondered why he’d left it at that. “I knew there had to be a reason that she wasn’t responding to any of my texts. Apparently, shit got real when she went home. Why wouldn’t she call me?”
“Ivy doesn’t seem like the type of woman to ask for help. So it’s not real surprising. Don’t go in with guns blazing. She’ll kick your ass out before you clear the front door. I learned that with Sara. Asking is important. Also listening, apparently.”
“Got it. Ask and then do whatever the hell I was planning in the first place to secure her safety.”
“No, ask what she needs and listen. Take that into account and then…do whatever the hell you were planning in the first place.”
“Roger that.”
He grabbed his Sig hand gun, slipped it into the case, and shoved it into his bag. If he needed more fire power when he arrived, he could call Mac or Rick and they could supply it. Why in the hell someone would take a shot at Ivy was a mystery. One that he was going to figure out.
“Let’s get you to the airport,” Grady said, as Ryan lifted his bag over his shoulder.
“Thanks, man. Are you guys going to be okay with me being out of the office for a couple of weeks?”
They climbed into the truck and Grady shook his head. “This is what we do. Protect those who need us. Ivy is one of ours, and if it wasn’t you, then we would send someone else.”
“I’m the best one to protect Ivy.”
“Trust me, no one thinks differently,” Grady replied as he drove up the street.
Ryan stared out the window and thought about his last conversation with Ivy. Did she have time to grieve before someone started threatening her? Did she even know how to grieve for someone who was never a big part of her life? He never figured how to do it when his mom died, and sometimes he wondered if that door was ever going to find a way closed. He understood what Ivy was going through, and maybe together they could figure how to out to lay to rest the ghosts of the people who had left them. But first he was going to take care of the son of a bitch who thought he could raise a gun in the direction of his woman. The fact that he was thinking of her as his after one date didn’t bother him a bit.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sunday
Ivy lay in her childhood bed and watched Orange Is the New Black. There was nothing better than being in the care of her mama. Bea Bellows was a force to be reckoned with, and she was happy as always that the force was looking out for her. Whoever had the guts to take a shot had better start praying for mercy, because when she discovered who it was, she was going to let holy hell rain down on the shooter’s head.
Lifting
her glass of sweet tea, Ivy smiled. Maybe the five episodes that she’d just watched were affecting her. She was starting to think like a woman who had very little to lose. Shrugging, she emptied her glass and decided to worry about it…never. Maybe vigilante was something she needed to add to her resume.
There was a light knock on the frame of her door, and she rolled over to see who it was. Shock ran over her system, and she wondered if she was hallucinating. “Ryan Cordell…what the hell are you doing at my mama’s house?” Sitting up, she straightened her T-shirt as he crossed the room. Lord, he was beautiful, with his tall, powerfully muscled body and square jaw. Six feet of sexy was walking her way, and she wished she’d bothered to do her hair earlier. “Did you take a wrong turn on the way to the office?”
“I came to protect your very fine ass. I heard someone took a shot at my girl, and I decided to come down and shoot the son of a bitch.” He sat down on her bed and took her hand. “We never finished our date, so I figured we could have one here. Right after I take care of the person who hurt you.”
“You serious?”
“Honey, I’m real serious.”
“I’m not your girl.”
“Yes, you are. Remember that kiss we had in the kitchen at the McDades’?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“That’s when it happened. Honey, you’ve got to pay attention when we kiss.”
“Apparently.” A tear formed in the corner of her eye, and she quickly lifted the sheet and wiped it away. She hadn’t shed one since she got here. Not through Daddy’s funeral, or the reception, or even being shot. But Ryan showing up had the waterworks starting. “You came here…to be with me?”
“Ivy, after that kiss in the kitchen, I decided that I wanted to be by your side. Or under you. Or on top.” He shrugged and gave her a small smile. “You get the picture.”
