“Well, damn, I was hoping for smaller numbers. Have you identified where our people are being held?” Shane felt a tightening in his stomach again.
Ramsey pointed toward the village. “I’d say they are being held in that shack next to the tree. I’ve watched the jihadists hanging around there like bees to honey. As you can see it gives us a clear path in and out without having to go into the central part of the village.”
A sense of relief filled Shane. Ramsey was correct. The small shack was located on the northern edge of the village, so if everything went as planned, they would be in and out before anyone realized it.
Nodding his head, Shane patted Ramsey on the shoulder. “Good job, men. Once it’s dark, we’ll go get our people.”
***
A gentle breeze swept down the rock wall on the northern side of the village. Shane and his men were in position, waiting for the right moment to act. They were thrilled to find a path leading to the far side of the village. While the terrain was rocky and difficult to negotiate without making too much noise, Shane knew it would help with their escape.
“Ramsey, do you see the lookout up in the rocks on our left?”
Nodding his understanding, Ramsey pulled away from the group. After a few minutes, he returned with a grin on his face. “He won’t be a problem. I sent him to his virgins.”
Shane glanced over at Ramsey, shaking his head in disbelief. Ramsey always managed to take care of any unforeseen problems. The only problem was he seemed to enjoy it far too much.
“That’s good to know,” Shane smirked.
“Hey, there’s some activity going on down there,” Thompson glared in the direction of the shack. His body positioned as though ready to pounce.
“What the hell are they doing?” Shane watched as two jihadists scanned the area before opening the door and disappearing inside.
“I’ve got a bad feeling,” Michaels groaned.
“Yeah, me too,” Blair winced.
Realizing the jihadists were probably up to no good, Shane decided it was time to act. Giving the signal, they headed toward the shack.
The night seemed unusually dark. The moonless sky and scattered clouds kept them shadowed in darkness. As they approached the shack, they heard muffled cries. This, of course, brought the unit to heightened alert.
With pounding hearts and fine-tuned senses, the unit quietly entered the shack. However, nothing could have prepared them for what they found.
The dank and poorly lit room could not conceal the sickening act taking place in the back corner.
Shane quickly scanned the room for other jihadists. None were seen. Only two severely beaten and unconscious American soldiers chained to the wall.
You must save her. The familiar voice filled his mind.
Not wanting to be distracted, Shane struggled to focus on the room and its occupants.
Do not ignore me. You must save her. She was taken from you a long time ago before her time. The voice now spoke with intensity.
Not understanding what the voice meant, Shane shook off her words and focused on the task at hand.
The coppery smell of blood and reeking sweat filled the stifling air in the small room. Returning his attention to the activities in the far corner, Shane suddenly felt his blood begin to boil in his veins.
A woman strapped to a table trembled with fear. Completely nude, Shane could see she was once beautiful beneath the bruises, cuts, and blood.
A filthy, blood-soaked rag filled her mouth, stifling the cries as the vile creatures violated her helpless body. One stood at the head of the table, cutting off large chunks of her once long, blonde hair. The other stood at the end of the table, striking her breasts with a leather strap as he prepared to enter her.
Hurry, my love, when they are done they will kill her, the voice boomed in Shane’s mind.
The site before him awakened the hunter inside Shane. He glanced over at Thompson, who gave him a knowing wink. The two men had no idea they were moments away from their deaths. A flash of light from the lone lightbulb off the razor-sharp blades was their only warning. However, the blades found their mark, before they realized what had happened.
Shane chuckled when he saw the shocked expression on the face of the one at the foot of the table. A shaky hand touched the handle of the razor-sharp blade that had just buried itself into his throat. His mouth opened wide, silently protesting his impending death. Bright, red blood stained his lips. His eyes had lost all sign of life before he crumbled to the floor.
“Damn, you both hit your marks before they even knew what was happening,” Campbell grinned at the sight of the two dead terrorists.
“Thompson, Ramsey, Michaels, and Campbell, get the two over there ready to get the hell out of here. I’ll get the woman.” Shane motioned toward the two soldiers chained to the wall who were now awake and struggling to free themselves.
Rushing over to the table, Shane looked around for her clothing. Seeing her uniform tossed in the corner, he scooped it up and hurried to her side. Shane’s heart broke at the way she had been treated. Her body quivered from the pain, but her eyes burned with anger.
Not wanting her to scream, Shane leaned close, whispering in her ear, “You need to be quiet. I’m here to take you home. Can you help me get you dressed?”
The expression of rage on her face suddenly transformed into one of relief and concern. She knew the others would be checking on her and the other two hostages soon. Nodding her understanding, she let him know she would do as requested.
After pulling the rag from her mouth, Shane helped her sit up on the edge of the table. The site of the marks on her body from the abuse made him burn with rage. Whimpering, she put on her shirt then reached for the pants.
“Can you help me stand?” her voice was weak and shaky.
“Sure.” Shane took her by the arm and helped her off the table. “Here let me hold those for you.”
Letting her lean on him, Shane held the pants so she could put her foot into them. A whimper escaped her lips, but she pushed onward and lifted her other leg. Once she had on her pants, Shane held out her boots for her to slip on her feet. Shane then quickly tied them.
“What’s your name?” Shane looked up into battered, blue eyes.
“Connie.”
Smiling, Shane met her gaze, “It’s nice to meet you, Connie. My name is Shane.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. Can we get the hell out of here, Shane?”
“Come on, the lady here wants to go.” Shane glanced over at the others gathered by the door.
“Wait, I need to do something before I leave.” Without saying another word, Connie turned and looked down at the dead jihadist by her feet. Before Shane realized, she had stomped her boot into his lifeless groin. “Take that, you son-of-a-bitch.”
It took all the restraint Shane could muster not to burst out laughing at the expression on Connie’s face. “Well, I guess he deserved that.”
You have saved her, my love. You can now release the guilt you have carried since she was taken from you all those years ago, the voice now was soft and full of love.
“What did you say?” Shane looked over at Connie who was walking toward him.
“I didn’t say anything.” She glanced around the room, wondering if someone else was there.
“Uh, nothing, I guess I’m just wound tight. Come on, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Taking Connie by the arm, they quickly joined the others by the door. Glancing outside to assure it was safe, Shane motioned it was time to go. With the stealth of tigers, they all rushed to the path leading out of the village. Thankful for the moonless night, they made their way along the rocky path and up to the LZ where hopefully their ride was waiting.
The morning sun cast a warm glow across the summit, illuminating the Black Hawk waiting to take them to safety.
“There’s our ride,” Shane released a sigh of rel
ief.
Realizing that Connie was struggling to walk, Shane picked her up in his arms. “You’ve walked enough, soldier.”
Wanting to protest but realizing that he was right, she decided to accept the help without complaint. “Thank you for saving me. I don’t know how much longer I could have held out. All I kept thinking was how I would never see my little girl again.”
Hearing her words caused a lump to form in Shane’s throat. “Well, your little girl will have her mommy home soon.”
***
The sound of the rotor blades was music to Shane’s ears. In all the years, he had been doing these sorts of missions this one touched his heart. He glanced down at Connie who was resting against his shoulder.
When they had reached the helicopter, Shane had tried to hand Connie to the medic, but she tightened her grip on him and refused to let go. Not wanting to upset her further, Shane set her inside and climbed in next to her. No sooner had he taken his place than she laid her head on his shoulder and fell off to sleep. Feeling tired himself, Shane rested his head on the wall and closed his eyes as they lifted off the ground.
You did well, my love. You have saved her so she can continue with this life. I know you have carried the grief of her death throughout your lives since that time. I too had grieved, knowing our child would never know the joy of the life we had given her. Our souls touch each other throughout time. We come in, and out of each existence with lessons, we must learn before we can move onward. Rest, my love, you have earned it.
Shane sat motionless for several minutes, trying to understand her words. Suddenly, it came to him...the dream.
He had pushed the dream aside of the man and wife from the small village many years ago. He had thought it odd to have such a dream, but he had just attributed it to stress from the mission. When the voice had urged him to save the girl, he had never imagined she was connected to him.
Feeling Connie shift, Shane felt a strange sensation overcome him. It was as though he had known her before. As though, she was once important to him.
“Could it be?”
Yes, my love, she is the child taken from you at birth. Her soul was only to have a short time in that life. She chose that brief existence. You see, souls are bound together in one way or another. They touch each other’s lives in many ways. You have saved her so she may return to her children.
Shane sat with his eyes closed and thought of her words as the memory of the dream flowed back into his mind. Looking down at Connie, who was sleeping soundly, Shane felt a warm feeling consume his being.
“You would have been my child,” the words escaped his mouth as a whisper.
For the first time in years, Shane felt joy. To know his soul was linked to Connie’s made him feel as though he had a family of his own. Closing his eyes again, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
***
Shane was glad to feel them touch down at the base. In the commotion, he did not get a chance to talk with Connie. Before realizing it, the medics had scooped her up and rushed her off to the field hospital.
“Damn, that was one for the books. It’s going to make an interesting report,” Thompson groaned.
“Yeah, it was. I’m just thankful we got them all out alive.” Shane glanced in the direction of the field hospital.
“You alright?” Thompson wondered what had Shane so distracted.
Not wanting to share what he had learned, Shane merely nodded and headed toward their quarters to clean up.
Chapter 10
The next few days went by uneventful for Shane. Thankfully, he was able to visit Connie a couple of times before she was shipped out to Germany for further treatment. They had promised to stay in touch, but Shane knew how that always seemed to work out.
“I want to thank you for saving me. I don’t know how much longer I could have held out.” Her tear-filled eyes glistened from the light above her bed.
“Stop talking like that. I saw how you stomp the shit out of that jihadist,” Shane chuckled at the expression that appeared on her face.
“Yeah, it did feel good. I just wish he would have been alive to feel it.” Realizing what she had just said made a smile appear on her lips. “I would have loved to have been the one to kill him after…”
“Hey, put all that behind you. You’ll be back stateside with your daughter before you realize it.”
A softened expression replaced the one of anger. “I cannot wait to see her. It’s been so long.”
Shane wondered what it would be like to have a family waiting for him. He knew his lifestyle would be difficult on a wife and children, which is why he never allowed himself to get too close to anyone. However, now he felt as though he had a family. Connie and her daughter would never know the special tie they had to him, but he would, and that was enough.
***
Six months had passed since Connie left, and true to her word she had written to him on a regular basis. He enjoyed the pictures of her daughter and the packages of cookies and goodies they would send. Heck, he had gotten rather popular on base because of the goodie boxes he would get from Connie and his mother.
“Damn, I’m going to have to go on a diet if they keep sending these,” Ramsey grinned as he crammed another chocolate chip cookie into his mouth.
“No kidding, I’ve had to loosen my belt a couple of times,” Campbell chuckled.
Shane loved to see the pleased expressions on his friend’s faces. There was nothing better than something special from home.
Lifting a ziplock bag filled with peanut butter cookies, Shane found what he was waiting for. He had to smile at all the little stickers on the pink envelope. There were rainbows, kittens, puppies, and bright, colored flowers. Shane could not help but chuckle when he saw the expressions on Ramsey and Campbell’s faces.
“Look at the pretty envelope,” Ramsey teased.
“Open it up. I love hearing what’s going on with them,” Campbell shoved another cookie in his mouth and waited.
Shane had to admit he was excited too. He enjoyed hearing about everything they were doing. From music classes to ballet and baseball. He knew she was not his granddaughter, but he felt like a member of the family.
“Well, I’ll be damned, Connie’s getting married.” Shane pulled a simple invitation out of the envelope and held it out for the others to see. “She said she’s remarrying her ex-husband. They realized they still loved each other and wanted to be a family again.”
He then pulled out a small piece of stationary paper and read the neatly penned words.
My dearest Shane,
I know this doesn’t give you much time, but we would love to have you join us on our special day. You see, it would never be happening had it not been for you. You came into my life and not only saved it but filled a void I never knew was there. My father died when I was young so it would mean the world to me if you could give me away. Like I said, I know it may be difficult to get here, but if you can manage it, I’d be grateful. Besides, my daughter wants to finally meet you, and Jeff wants to shake the hand of the man who saved me.
Our love, Connie
Holding the letter in his hands, Shane felt a lump grow in his throat, and his eyes moisten with tears.
Glancing at the invitation again, he realized it was only two weeks until the day of the wedding. “Damn.”
“What’s wrong, bad news?” Ramsey wondered what had Shane so upset.
“She wants me to give her away at her wedding.” Heartache filled him as he realized there was no way he could go.
“Wow, that’s great. When is the wedding?”
Not wanting to say the words, Shane just handed the invitation to Campbell.
After reading the date printed on the invitation, Campbell understood what had Shane upset. “Maybe you can work it out so you can go?”
Bailing out of a mission was something Shane had never done, and he wasn’t going to
start now. They were scheduled to leave out in three days, and he would be there to perform his duty.
Seeing the expression on Shane’s face let Campbell know there was no way he was going to back out of the mission. “I understand, but you know she’s gonna be disappointed.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Shane took the invitation from Campbell and tucked it back into the envelope. “I’ll let her know how sorry I am that I can’t make it. She was a soldier, so she’ll understand.”
Smiling faces and the chatter filled the monitor screen. Shane had hated to make this call, but he knew Connie would want to know as soon as possible that he was not going to make it to her wedding.
“Oh, Shane, thank you for calling. I hope this is to tell me that you’re coming to my wedding,” Connie’s face beamed with joy.
A pang of guilt struck Shane like a bullet. “I’m sorry, I wish I could, but we have an important mission at that same time.”
The look of joy now transformed into one of disappointment and then understanding. “While I’d love to have you here with us, I also understand how important it is for you to do your job. Heck, it’s because of you that I get to marry Jeff again. You brought my family together.”
Shane felt his eyes moisten. Watching her daughter playing in the background of the screen let him know just how important his work was to ensure his fellow soldiers were safe and able to return home.
“I want you to know how special you are to me. I felt it the moment we met. We have a special bond; an unbreakable bond. While I won’t be able to walk you down the aisle, I want you to know that I’ll be there in spirit,” the words flowed from his heart.
Seeing the pained expression on his face brought tears to Connie’s eyes. Reaching out and touching the monitor screen, the words she said filled Shane’s heart. “I felt the same way the moment we meant, and I still do. You and I have a bond that cannot be denied. You will always hold a special place in my heart. I firmly believe that we were meant to meet, even though, it was under the worst of circumstances. I want you to know how special you are to my family and me. You are part of us and always will be.”
With tears streaming down his cheeks, Shane somehow managed to choke out the words, “Thank you.”
Everyone was silent while Shane and Connie gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Finally, after a few moments, Shane broke the silence. “Well, I need to go. I have an early morning.”
Heart Ties: Love Never Dies Novella Page 5
