Anna heard Captain Matthews call out, “Flight team two be ready.”
She wouldn’t be taking off for a while, since Anna was a member of flight team three, so she continued to sort through her gear at the far end of the base.
The first team’s F-22 Raptor made it down the runway safely and was easing along the short-ragged strip in preparation for take-off before disaster struck. Gunfire echoed suddenly through the air, and the insurgents seemed to be attacking the base from all directions.
Anna watched several members of base security rush across the field. But when one of the men was hit, she raced towards him, seizing the rifle that’d dropped from his hands while quickly taking aim.
One by one, each of the five offenders was contained before the insurgents could reach the runway. It happened so fast, and all Anna heard was the order to shoot to kill. In less than five minutes, Anna had killed three of the five men while the two who were wounded were taken into custody, but not without a fight. Although she was certain there’d been at least another half a dozen men approaching, they’d apparently slipped away.
The injured security team member was still laying on the ground, writhing in pain from the bullet in his shoulder, and Anna waved toward the hangar, yelling, “Someone get out here quick—we have a man down.”
A medic and mechanic approached, carrying a lightweight stretcher.
Surveying the scene from near the hangar, Airman Neil Harrison approached Anna with his mouth gaped open.
Shaking his head looking dazed, he laid his hands over her shoulders, staring into her eyes. “You’ve got some serious skills there, Ace. But are you alright?”
Anna nodded imperceptibly. She was aware of the number of casualties resulting from their bombings, but this was the first time she’d ever shot to kill, and she was feeling numb. “I’ve never…”
“I understand,” he muttered softly. “Maybe I should walk you back inside the hangar?”
“Nah, there are at least a half dozen others,” Anna answered, as her mind went back on full alert while motioning towards the edge of the base. “Someone needs to be here.”
Looking toward the remaining security team members, who were still in the process of restraining the two insurgents, Airman Harrison shouted out, “Hey, we need another man over here on duty. We might still be targeted, because Drummond sighted more of them.”
As the security detail went back on full alert, chaos suddenly ensued across the runway. The raptor which had been ready to depart exploded, apparently hit by gunfire, and moments later fire erupted from the second bomber, while its pilot was preparing to proceed.
As she and Airman Harrison began approaching the runway, Captain Matthews roared, “Hold back! That’s an order.”
They weren’t the only ones trying to assist. The three remaining men from team one had moved away from their planes and were each ready to jump into action.
But there had already been one casualty; Hawk Benton, the pilot of the raptor that had just blown up.
Anna watched in shock as the fire seemed to spread in a heartbeat, and the second bomber in line became engulfed in flames.
Captain Matthews rushed across the airfield and attempted to assist the pilot struggling to escape from its cockpit.
Airman Luke Bryant was already working frantically to open Zach Logan’s cockpit door as Anna and Neil stood helplessly and watched.
“Damn,” Neil muttered. “The fire must be screwing up the instrument panel.”
Somehow, Luke finally managed to wedge open the cockpit, while the captain held back the burning cockpit door.
But a loud crack resounded, and Anna and Neil watched in horror as the left wing piece caught fire. Suddenly, it broke apart from the bomber and dropped to pin down Luke.
As she saw Captain Matthews pull Zach away from the plane, Anna decided she couldn’t stand by and watch any longer.
Apparently, Neil and at least a dozen others had decided the same thing. The wing piece appeared to have crushed one of Luke’s legs and it took three of them to remove Luke from under the burning fuselage. They half lifted and dragged Luke over the field so he could be tended by the medics, laying him next to Zach, who also appeared to be unconscious.
Activity surrounded them as the remaining pilots rushed to move the closest bombers away from the fire into safety at the opposite end of the airfield.
Anna glanced at Neil, who was staring at Captain Matthews with apparent concern. “Sir, we need to get you over to the medics.”
It was then Anna noticed the Captain was bleeding heavily and realized his left hand had been critically damaged.
What hand? Anna thought grimly.
Captain Matthews was staring numbly at the mangled, bloody mass of bones as he collapsed onto the ground.
* * *
The remaining members of the squadron would be delayed from departing for at least a couple more days in order to clear the airfield of obstructions and debris.
Neil couldn’t quite believe the chaos and confusion that had ensued after the explosion. But choppers had arrived less than an hour later and had taken the injured airmen as well as Captain Matthews to the hospital in Germany where previous arrangements had been made in a prestigious burn treatment center for exactly this kind of emergency. The injured gunshot victims would be transported to another hospital nearby.
And there had been that startling moment of amazement watching Anna Drummond zeroing in with a rifle on each of the attacking insurgents. This was his fourth tour, and Neil had never seen anything like it. He couldn’t recall anyone having close to the skills that she had.
Unfortunately, since it was an undisclosed assignment in his undercover work, he would have to mention her competence to his superiors, so that she could be reassigned to a position where she could be used the most effectively.
He suspected they would want her as a sniper.
Neil studied her closely. Could she handle it?
Studying the seriousness of her face even now, as well as recalling her poise under difficult circumstances, he suspected she could. There was only one thing he was concerned about.
She was so damned attractive. Anna didn’t look like the typical well-trained airman that he knew she had to be, otherwise she would’ve never been chosen for this mission.
Of course, her looks could be used advantageously if she was assigned undercover work. Neil would rather see her as a sniper. Working undercover in Iraq or Afghanistan could be a death sentence with the way the natives treated women.
“Are you doing alright, Ace?” Neil asked, as he and Anna watched the final gunshot victim being airlifted from the ground in a chopper.
“As right as I can be in the circumstances,” she answered. “Ace, huh? You’re the first person to tag me. What do they call you, Harrison?”
He grinned. “Neil—most of the time anyway.”
Anna snorted as they began walking back towards the hangar. “No call name?”
“Yeah, well, Handler is it for me,” he muttered.
Giving him a side glance, she raised a brow. “What for?”
“I’m the only one here in the squadron who’s actually married. I’m the designated rounder upper if any of our team runs into trouble.”
Anna grinned wryly. “That’d be hard to keep up with.”
“No kidding,” he grumbled. “Let’s grab something to eat before reinforcements fly in. The sooner we begin the cleanup, the sooner we’ll get out of here.”
Anna frowned, staring at the remnants of the plane, where the fuselage was still burning. “I can’t believe Hawk is gone,” she said quietly. “He was such a great guy.”
“Yeah, he was,” Neil answered grimly. “He recently became engaged, and his fiancé is going to be devastated.”
“Oh, no,” Anna moaned. “I know Melinda, but I didn’t realize they were engaged.”
Anna and Neil grabbed some of the leftovers laid out from their earlier lunch and settled beside each
other at one of the tables to eat. More food and supplies would be arriving later in the day.
Neil gave Anna a side glance. “You’re engaged too, I hear?”
Anna grimaced. “Yes.”
“Brent Phillips?”
Anna’s eyes went wide. “How’d you know that?”
“I make it my business to know a little about everyone I serve with.”
Anna nodded, taking another bite of the sandwich she was eating.
Neil looked at her thoughtfully. “He doesn’t seem your type.”
“How’s that?” she asked, looking startled.
“He’s too full of himself.”
“Yeah, he is.”
Neil blinked. He’d expected her to defend him.
Obviously noticing his surprise, she continued, “Instead of congratulating me for making it into this squadron, all he did was complain and insult me since he didn’t get assigned here himself.”
“Not the makings of a dedicated team member.”
“I kind of figured that out myself.” Anna sighed. “How does your wife handle it when you’re on tour so much?”
Geez, had he been that easy to read when he’d talked about Wendy? He grimaced. “She’s definitely not happy about it, even though I warned her that’s the way it was going to be before we got married. We’d been dating since high school.”
“I guess we both have some kissing up to do if we want our significant others to be happy,” Anna answered, wrinkling her nose. “But, you know? It really shouldn’t have to be that way. If someone loves you, shouldn’t they understand?”
Neil stilled, finally standing up from the table when Anna did.
She was right. Someone who really loved him would appreciate him for who he was and would understand his desire to serve his country the best that he could.
* * *
An eerie silence spread across the base as the remaining members of the squadron, base security and techs got down to serious business and began the cleanup.
Although the fire had long since been extinguished, heat continued to permeate the space surrounding the two decimated planes.
During the next few days, Anna was beginning to get a good sense of what Neil was all about.
He was a leader, that was for sure, and watching as he made his way around the base, Anna had a sneaking suspicion he might be in a higher position of power than he pretended to be. He seemed to be giving all the orders to the squadron now, since Captain Matthews had been transported to the hospital.
He never announced himself as the temporary commander, but somehow everyone seemed to know that he was.
She’d been spending a good deal of time with him since the attack, and Anna was slightly confused about the feelings she was beginning to have for him.
Probably because he was so good looking, she figured, and she and Brent hadn’t said goodbye on very amicable terms when she’d left for this mission. She’d been unable to tell him about where she was going, or how long she’d be gone. It was refreshing to talk to a man who treated her as his equal.
New to the squadron, Anna was the only female member of the team. Not only had she been the least experienced, she’d been personally isolated after arriving here in Iraq since the other team members had worked together previously.
Because of her actions during the insurgent attack the other day, everyone was treating her differently, and it was making her very uncomfortable, this tremendous respect her fellow squad members were suddenly showing her.
Anna shook her head dazedly when another team member approached, patting her on the back and congratulating her on her quick response before he continued on his way.
Anna noticed Neil was watching her with interest while the other airman who’d been speaking with her went to gather his gear. The runway was clear and the squadron would finally be departing during the next few hours.
Neil walked over and asked, “Is something wrong?”
Anna frowned. “I just don’t get it. I did what anyone else would have done if they’d have faced the same circumstances.”
Neil sighed heavily. “Not quite the same, Ace. This is my fourth tour and I’ve never seen anyone just pick up an unfamiliar weapon and hit their target each and every time. It was pretty damn amazing. And I’m thinking I’d better warn you. You know they’re going to want to use you somewhere else?”
Anna bit her lip and nodded her head in acknowledgement. She had a feeling lots of things were about to change once she returned home. “Congratulations on your promotion.”
Neil looked taken aback. “Okay. That’s not the first time you’ve done that. I didn’t tell anyone, and I kind of pride myself at my ability not to be read. How did you know?”
Anna shrugged, giving him a rueful grin. “I’ve been around you quite a bit during the last two days. I’ve probably just gotten to know you a little better.”
“If that were the case, you wouldn’t have guessed about the trouble in my marriage.” He glanced left and then right, as if to make sure no one was listening. “Anna. It’s so easy to talk to you. If things were different. Well, I…”
At that moment staring into his blue gray eyes, she felt a deep sense of connection she’d never felt with anyone before. Friendship yes, but she knew she wouldn’t be seeing Neil again. Because he was feeling as confused about his feelings for her as she was for him. They were each in a committed relationship, and they would do their best to make things work.
“I understand,” she answered softly. “A different time, a different place. Besides the fact you’re my superior, it’s just not meant to be.”
Neil reached over and took her hand, shaking it firmly. “Goodbye, Airman Drummond.”
“Goodbye, Sir.”
When Anna glanced across the runway after climbing into the cockpit of her raptor, Neil stood watching as she prepared to depart.
After startup, she gave him one final lingering look before focusing her attention on the instrument panel. A few minutes later, she set the plane in motion along the strip, swiftly ascending into air.
Chapter One
Crystal Rock, Wisconsin
Four years later.
Walking into the Crystal Rock Wounded Warrior Home, Anna strolled up to the front desk. “I’m here to meet Sarah Benton. I’m Anna Drummond.”
The nurse stood up, holding out her hand. “Hi, Lieutenant. Sarah told me to expect you. I’m Nina Chandler and I’ll be working in the new program too.”
Reaching out, Anna shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Nurse Chandler.”
“Please call me Nina. We’re pretty informal around here.”
As she followed Nina down the corridor, Anna was trying to remember the last time she’d been this excited. Finally, the perfect opportunity had come along for her to do something that would make a difference again. After losing her left arm in Iraq when enemy insurgents had opened fire on the chopper she’d been riding in, Anna had chosen to remain in active duty once she’d acquired her prosthetic.
Because as a former sniper, Anna had felt lost, adrift in her life, even though she’d wanted to remain in service.
Nina led her into a large empty conference room and pointed at the coffee pot. “You’re the first to arrive. This meeting today is just for the instructors, so help yourself to coffee if you’d like, since it’s freshly made. Everyone will probably be here to join you in the next half hour.”
“I’ll admit I was anxious to get here today. I’ve been looking forward to starting this job from the moment I heard about it.”
Nina smiled from ear to ear. “I’m so glad to hear that. Josh is going to be pleased.”
“Lieutenant Josh Loughlin?”
“Yes. He’s the one who came up with the original idea for this facility.”
“I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about him,” Anna answered and smiled.
“I’m kind of biased, since the two of us became engaged this past Christmas,” Nina answered
.
“Congratulations,” Anna said warmly, continuing to smile.
“Thank you.” Nina grimaced, and headed toward the door. “I’d better get back to work. One of the other instructors will probably arrive shortly. I’m sure I’ll be talking with you later.”
“It was nice meeting you, Nina,” Anna answered, as Nina rushed from the conference room through the doorway.
Helping herself to coffee, Anna took a seat at the table and sighed deeply, thinking about the past.
Growing up in a large military family, Anna had been teased unmercilessly by four older brothers.
But after her mom had passed away from cancer when Anna was only thirteen years old, life had changed. Dad had focused more on his career, while her brothers had seemed driven to succeed. Anna had ended up doing a lot of the housework and cooking meals because sometimes it was difficult finding help. Dad was often reassigned, so they’d moved across country several times.
By the time she was fifteen, Anna’s two oldest brothers, Jeremy and Ben, were following in her father’s footsteps, having been accepted into the Air Force Academy in Colorado. During the next few years, Wes had enlisted in the Army while Evan had chosen the Navy, intending to become a Seal. Despite the fact that they’d chosen different branches of the service, Anna’s father had been proud of each of them.
When Dad was finally made a commander, Anna was nearly eighteen and had just graduated high school. She’d spoken to him about entering the Air Force Academy herself when Evan had enlisted and moved away. After growing up in a primarily male household, she was in excellent physical shape, not to mention as competitive as her brothers. And most importantly, she was a good student and had scored well on both her SAT and ACTs.
But Dad had seemed to have a different set of standards for her as opposed to her brothers, and it had hurt when he’d put off the conversation and told her he would discuss it with her later.
Anna had really felt the loss of her mom at that point. She’d been applying to colleges too but didn’t have a clue whether her father was even planning on her attending. She would have qualified for a partial scholarship for most of the places she applied to, but since she was still seventeen she needed family financial information as well as paperwork filled out by her father, otherwise she would have to wait and come up with a different plan.
Two Hearts In Accord (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Book 7) Page 2
