Ice (Elite Forces #1)

by Hilary Storm

  “See what?” one of the guys yells back from inside the chopper.

  “There’s someone running behind them. Fuck!” I scream as I snatch my weapon, aim my scope, and crouch down low.

  It’s a damn young boy. My hands begin to shake and my eyes start to water. Everything happens so fast. I watch the young kid, who can't be over the age of twelve or thirteen, stop running. He aims two guns in our direction. Then quickly, his arms shift and he’s pointing them at Kaleb, who's the last one of the three.

  “Shoot him, Elliott! Now! Damn it!” JJ roars. My mind is racing as I watch his every move.

  “Please put the guns down, boy,” I whisper. He doesn’t. Of course he won’t. These children are brainwashed to believe we are the enemy. Some are stolen from their families, only to become trained killers. Not in the way we train. No, they train to hate and even kill their own flesh and blood if told to.

  With perfect hands, I shoot. The young boy flies backwards, but not before he fires off two shots. I can’t think. I can barely see. My vision blurs, and I drop my weapon. My entire being is trembling as the reality of what I've done slams into my chest.

  The last thing I allow my brain to remember as I stare into the hard eyes of Kaleb Maverick is the sound of the bomb. The echo of the aircraft as it lifts and shoots round after round from the attached machine guns and the fact that not only have I killed a child, but I’ve been shot.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JADE

  “Sir, you can't be back here.” My restless mind is desperately trying to decipher the female voice. I’m groggy, light-headed, and confused. I blink rapidly, fighting the blinding light as I try to open my eyes and focus.

  “Elliott.” I try to sit up at the mention of my name, only to have soft but firm hands hold me still. “Captain, please stay still.” I turn in the direction of the female voice.

  “Where am I?” I question, my mouth dry. Jesus, my head hurts. Pain shoots through my forearm when I try to lift it to my aching head. White gauze is wrapped around my arm, the tightness constricting me from moving it up or down to inspect what the hell is happening.

  “To answer your question, Captain, you're at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.” I look down to her name tag that reads Dr. Vivian Brooks.

  “How the hell did I get here?”

  “You were injured. Are you capable of telling me what you remember?” My head whips around to the other side of the bed where I lie stiff and sore when a deep voice clears his throat.

  “Kaleb.” My eyes speak for themselves. They look him up and down. It’s the first time I’ve seen him dressed this casually. His dark jeans and white t-shirt stretch tight across his manly chest. I may be somewhat disoriented, but my god, he is just so damn beautiful. His blue eyes are vibrant and his arms more defined than I remember. His tattoos have my mouth watering when seconds ago it was dry.

  “Hey,” he speaks quietly.

  “Hey,” I say back, then turn my eyes away from him. He shouldn't be here. I remember everything; all of it. Every fuck, every thrust, every kiss.

  I jerk my hand away from him when he reaches for it. He retreats his without a word. I focus my attention on the doctor. “I was shot,” is all I say. It’s all I can say, all I’m aloud to say.

  Her mouth smiles kindly. “You were grazed by the bullet. It did not hit you. You have five stitches, and you will be in pain for a few days, Captain.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s great,” I manage to say rather weakly. I have so many questions to ask. Like how in the hell I flew six and a half hours from Afghanistan to Germany without remembering a damn thing.

  “You’ll be free to fly back to the States tomorrow morning. Tonight, I want you to rest.” She looks from me to Kaleb as if her statement was meant for him.

  “I’m not leaving, Doc. No fucking way,” he states demandingly.

  “He’s fine.” I have things I want to talk to him about. He's one of the only people who can answer all of my questions.

  “Very well. I’ll be back to check on you. If you need anything at all, please push this button and a nurse will help you with anything you need.” She pats my leg lightly. I watch her back until she disappears.

  For the first time since I laid my eyes on Kaleb Maverick, I’m alone with him, free to do whatever I want with him, yet wanting absolutely nothing to do with him.

  "Why are you here?" I can't help but sound irritated.

  "Where the fuck else would I be?" He sits back in his chair, kicked back, allowing my eyes to fall to his chest rising as he waits for my response.

  "I don't know, but I don't need your ass watching over me. I'm fine."

  "I never said you did. I'm here for me." Does he really think I'm an idiot?

  "What exactly does me getting shot have to do with you?"

  "You saved my ass in that mission." He sits up, leaning closer to the bed. Closer to me. Bringing his intensity into my bubble yet again.

  "You're welcome." My sarcasm escapes before the nightmare flashes through my mind. I can see the boy’s face. He was on a mission to kill him, just like we were on a similar mission to kill anything in our way. He was so young, and it guts me to think of the shit these people feed their children just to attempt to get a surprise shot in on the enemy. Do they not have boundaries in their country to protect their futures and the people who will one day be the generation making decisions for them?

  Tears fill my eyes as I replay the memories of watching him fall to the ground. I killed a child. I aimed my rifle at him and took the shot, knowing I would not miss. Flames fill my mind, pull me back to my conversation with Kaleb.

  "Where's everyone else? Tell me they all made it out. Harris?" He stands when I ask about Harris. A ping of jealousy rushes across his face, but I don't care. I don't have time for his bullshit games. Harris is and will always be a soldier I care about.

  "He's fine. He just left to get something to eat down the hall."

  "He's here too?" The surprise in my voice is obvious. Since when did I become the bitch who needs bedside monitoring? I attempt to wipe the tears from my face and change the subject from what's truly burning me from the inside out.

  "Yes. He disregarded my orders to leave. We need to talk about that."

  "What's there to talk about?" Harris is a grown man who can make his own decisions. The mission is over. He has no say what any of us can do. Not anymore.

  Kaleb stands over me. His eyes search for mine, and I quickly look down at my hands against the white sheet over my legs. I move the fingers of my good arm over the material and try to ignore the heat he's sending into my core. He makes me feel nervous as he stands there, and I welcome the sound of the door as Harris walks back in.

  "Good fucking morning, Elliot. It's nice of you to join us."

  "Fuck off, Harris. Should've known you'd be eating while some of us here are having to do all the work." I'm not finished talking before he sits on the opposite edge of the bed from Kaleb and wraps his arms over my shoulders, being gentle as he does so.

  "Leave it up to you to try to get a fucking nap in on the job." I smile as he continues to tease me while Kaleb stays quiet. He remains standing and doesn't move an inch from his very close position right next to the bed.

  My eyes graze his, and I try to think of the best way to get him to leave. Harris may need to be my out on this.

  “Everyone else okay?” Looking at Harris, I begin to ignore Kaleb. Or at least it appears that way. My body knows he’s here, and no matter how hard I try to disregard him, I can't. He's under my skin and that makes a very bad recipe for disaster as I'm preparing to spend some time at home.

  “All good. A few were banged up a bit there at the end, but nothing a little rest can't handle. It seems they're all excited to get the orders to head home to the States.”

  “That sounds amazing.” It's been two years since I've seen most of my family in person. I know they miss me, and in a way I'm ready to be home, but I've left a piece of
me behind in that desert. A piece I'm hoping like hell I’ll be able to cope with losing.

  I continue to keep my issues hidden from the guys. I'm dying inside. I want to cry and scream from the top of my lungs for what I've done, but given the situation again, I'd do the same damn thing. I’d have to. He was aiming directly at my Commander. My job is to protect my team, no matter who I have to take out to do that.

  I force myself to set it all to the back of my mind. There's plenty of time for me to deal with that in the days to come.

  “You headed back home to Florida?” Harris’ hand on my leg pulls me from my thoughts. I'm due to have six months leave until I'm scheduled to return, but honestly, I don't know how long I have. I've signed up to return at any given point I'm needed. It's why I pushed myself so hard all these years to be the best I can be. I'm in the elite group of snipers they call on, and I'm willing to do what it takes to remain there.

  “For a little while anyway. I may try to find some place secluded and take some vacation time.” The thought of seeing my family trying to strap down my thoughts has me very much wanting to ask for a phone, to hear their voice.

  Kaleb moves to sit down. I ignore the pull that I feel when he transfers his sexy body into the chair. He was a great fuck. He was an outstanding leader, who assembled the perfect team to successfully pull off this mission, but that's where he ends with me. His barbaric ways of trying to control me have to come to a stop.

  The door opens again, and I see JJ’s concerned face relax as he sees me. “I'm finally cleared.” The guys act like we’ve been here for days. The very thought of that has me curious as to just exactly how long I was out for.

  “How long have we been here?”

  “It's been twenty-four hours.” Harris surprises me with his response. How in the hell was I out that long?

  JJ moves in closer and bumps my fist in a greeting. They've shifted forward and stare at me as they both talk. Harris begins to smile at me, and I wait for his teasing to begin once again.

  “Don't mind Elliot, she's been fuckin sleeping for days.”

  “Yeah, well, she scared the shit out of me out there.” JJ stands at the foot of my bed and glances toward Kaleb.

  “I'm fine. Just a graze.” These guys will annoy the crap out of me if they keep this shit up.

  “It's that precise shooting of yours that saved a few of them from having a bullet up their asses.” He's right. I look down at the sheets as they continue to talk about it in a general way, never giving a single detail of where we’ve been or what we’ve done. There aren't any ears in this room that weren't there, but the orders were to be silent once we’re done, so that's what I'll do.

  I'll return to my hometown and just like always, I won't tell a single soul that I've killed many men and even a few women in my time away; but this time I'll also be keeping the death of a child deep inside. I've been through sensitivity training to prepare me for the psychological burdens of shit like this, but the hell burning in me right now as I try to pretend to be completely fine is taking over.

  I lay my head back on the pillow and use my good arm to hold my aching forehead. “Can I get some rest, guys? My head is killing me.” I shouldn't need the rest. It's more of the fact that I just want to be alone. I need to think.

  Both Harris and JJ nod at me before they assure me they'll be here until I get the clear to leave. I'm the last one, so I'll need to get my shit together if I'm ever going to want some peace and quiet. They'll go stir crazy and make me insane if I’m here for too long.

  Kaleb doesn't move. He has no intention of leaving, and I begin to wonder how exactly I’m going to handle that. He's fucking stubborn. I've only known him for a few days, but the one thing I know about him is, he doesn't give in. When he wants something, he gets it, and fuck any of the consequences.

  “Can you let me rest?” I try to get him to leave and get the weight of his stare off my chest, but of course he doesn't budge.

  “Yes, please rest.” He’s still not moving.

  “I think you should leave.” I work myself up to let those words escape. I want to cry and have a motherfucking moment where I can actually deal with what I've done, and he's being difficult.

  “I'm not leaving you, Jade.” He moves his chair closer and grabs my hand. I both hate it and love it. I want to be alone, but I want to be with someone who understands the shit I've done. I can't think with him this close, and the chaos is taking over my head.

  “Please, just let me be alone.” I can't hold back the tears any longer. “Please, Kaleb. Please go.” I roll to the shoulder opposite of him and let the tears run into the pillow. I feel him moving away before I hear the latch on the door. His footsteps return just before he slides behind me on the bed.

  He wraps his giant arm over mine and pulls me into his body. His face settles against my cheek, and I listen as he speaks to me.

  “Jade. I'm not leaving you, because I know you're hurting. You saved my fucking life out there, and I know it's eating you alive. You can't talk about it, so you won't, but I refuse to let it kill the beautiful Jade inside I'm fucking dying to get to know in person. I'm staying with you. I'm going home with you, and I'm fucking making you stay the goddamned night with me because you owe me a night even though I owe you for saving my life. You will not let this eat you alive. You will accept the brutality of this nightmare as doing what you had to do to save your team, and you will move forward from this mission to do great shit. I know you will, because I'm never wrong.” His arm tightens and the weight of his face against my cheek becomes heavier as he relaxes against me. The tears don't stop falling, and I let him hold me, because frankly, it feels good being in his arms when I'm hurting. I feel like in this moment, I’m safe from all the nightmares and danger this fucked-up job causes.

  KALEB

  I can't stand knowing I've let this happen to her. I should've seen the kid. I should've pulled the fucking trigger and spared her from this, but I didn't. I know she’ll come back from being this trigger-shy when it comes to the same scenario. I’ve seen it before. Soldiers often lock up after something like this. She needs to know she did not do this. The fucked-up nation training babies to kill did this.

  I hold her against me with the only purpose of consoling her. I want her to know I'm not just after her for a great fuck, because shit if it isn't the best with her. She's beautiful, and right now she's broken. It's my job to make sure she's able to put the pieces back together.

  I need to take her back to my compound in Missouri. She can work with me there to put this behind her and ensure she won't let it hinder her reaction time in the future.

  Her skin is soft, but I'm not feeling that. Her ass is against my cock, but I'm not feeling that, either. She's curled into my arms for a while before I feel her relax. Her breaths slow, and I know she's asleep in my arms. This is exactly what I've been dying to feel. I love every moment she's able to be with me like this. I only wish it wasn’t under her duress. The anguish she’s holding in is fucking killing me.

  The door rattles and the nurse begins to knock obsessively. I'm left with only one option. I have to get up and open the door. Jade doesn't turn to me, nor does she wake when I get up to open it, and she keeps her back to me once I sit back down.

  “Looks like the bird will be here in the morning to move your team, Commander. It's been a pleasure treating your crew.” She moves over Jade, who has woken up, her eyes sleep-deprived even though she’s been out for a day. She begins checking her once again, then stands at attention, waiting for my final dismissal. We’re going home. It hasn't been long for me, but it's still a great feeling coming off of a mission like that.

  It's time to return to the land of the free and this time, I'm going home with someone I look forward to spending time with. One mission down, now it's time to successfully complete the mission where I make her mine. She has no idea how hard I've fallen for her. Hell, I thought I had it bad before I hit that desert¸ but now that I've had her in my a
rms and around my dick, there's no chance I won’t go all in to try to make her mine. I want her to crave me and to beg for me to touch her like I do when I'm near her. I want to consume her like she does me.

  She needs to live a little. There’s so much more to life than she realizes. I desperately want to hear her laugh, to see her eyes light up from the simplest touch. To have her kiss me hungrily, to ravage every part of her body, not fuck her, but love her. I’m going to break her shell she has herself cocooned in and crack that fucker wide open. There’s beauty inside there, and it’s all mine to explore.

  ~~~~~

  “I can walk, you guys. Good lord!” Jade yells, and I mean yells, at Harris and JJ when they try to help her out of the back of the car when we arrive at the airport. Jesus Christ, this is bound to be a long ass flight, especially if these assholes don’t keep their hands off of her.

  “Quit being a bitch,” Harris snaps. I know the two of them are close, but fuck him. Calling her a bitch in front of me is taking it a bit far. Joking or not, that shit doesn’t sit well with me.

  “That’s enough. Jade, get your ass out of the car and into the airport. Now.” I point my finger toward the shiny revolving doors.

  “Yes, Sir.” Christ almighty, the way she says that. Her defying gaze has my cock twitching. Like I said, this is going to be a long ass flight.

  She climbs out of the car, her ass plastered in the sexiest fucking pair of jeans with rhinestones on the back. My cock isn’t twitching anymore. He’s gone straight to trying to sniff his way out of my jeans. And that shirt, it’s a plain V-neck, but holy hell, does she make it look good stretched across those perfectly crafted tits. I am so fucked.

  She walks around all three of us, snatches her bag out of the trunk, and with her ass swaying takes off walking away from us. Fuck me.

  “You hungry?” I sneak up behind her after we’ve cleared security.