Danger and Desire: A Romantic Suspense Anthology

by Kimberly Kincaid

  Josh scrambled aboard, Faaid came next and Tank set the Army Ranger on the floor of the chopper.

  Mac’s teammates converged on the helicopter.

  “Are we all accounted for?” Mac asked.

  “All except Dawg,” Blade said. “Rucker’s a little way back, covering for him.”

  Mac tilted his head and spoke into his mic. “Dawg, you on your way?” He waited a long moment, his brow dipping lower with each passing second. Then the frown lifted, and he nodded to the others. “He’s on his way, and he’s coming in hot.”

  The helicopter’s blades thumped the air, as the pilot waited for the last man to load.

  “Come on, Dawg,” Kylie murmured for the Delta Force soldier she had yet to meet and thank for their daring rescue.

  “Come on, Dawg,” Mac echoed, his gaze on the village, his jaw tight. “Can’t blow our record of no man left behind.”

  Kylie’s breath caught and held in her throat. She watched the shadows at the edge of town, praying for Mac’s teammate.

  Blade and Bull knelt twenty yards from the helicopter, their weapons trained on the village, waiting for Dawg to emerge from the shadows.

  “Come on, Dawg,” Mac muttered.

  “I don’t like it,” Rucker said over the roar of the chopper rotors.

  “Hold steady,” Mac said. “He’ll get himself out.”

  Bull rose from his position and started for the cluster of mud and stick homes.

  At that moment, a silhouette appeared against the backdrop of the buildings and ran toward them, shifting right then left, hunkering low as he raced across the field.

  “It’s Dawg,” Mac called out.

  Dawg rushed for the helicopter.

  Gunfire sounded from the village.

  Blade and Bull returned fire from their positions.

  When Dawg arrived at the helicopter, he leaped into the fuselage.

  Bull and Blade backed toward the chopper, continuing to provide fire support until they, too, jumped inside. At that point, the gunner turned his machine gun on the village and let loose a stream of bullets.

  The helicopter lifted up and away from the village, the rotors pounding the air, carrying them away. Hanging half out of the side of the chopper, the gunner continued to pour bullets down on Taliban gunmen.

  Once they were out of range of the bullets, Kylie let go of the breath she’d been holding. “In case I didn’t tell you,” she shouted over the roar of the aircraft, “thanks for saving me.”

  He found her hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m glad I was there to do it.”

  The flight back took less than an hour. Bull worked on the Ranger to stabilize his wounds. Once they were on the ground at the base, medics appeared, transferred Sergeant Garcia onto a stretcher and loaded him into an ambulance.

  “I don’t suppose anyone can give Josh and me a ride back to my quarters in town?” Kylie asked.

  Both Mac and Rucker shook their heads.

  “We need you to come to our debrief, at least for the first few minutes,” Mac said. “You’ll have to let our CO know what you saw, heard and did. He’ll need a clear understanding of the deaths of Ahktar’s brother and the other men. Then we’ll have to decide what to do with you.”

  Kylie’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, what you’re going to do with me? You’re not responsible for me. I’m not a member of the military.”

  Mac’s jaw tightened. “When an American citizen uses a U.S. military weapon to kill an Afghan citizen, that makes you my responsibility. If not my responsibility, then that of the American government. For now, you need to come with us.” Mac caught her elbow and guided her away from the helicopter and toward the military buildings on the base. Rucker escorted Faaid and, along with Josh, followed with the rest of the team.

  Kylie dragged behind. “I really need to get onto the video, edit it , add the story and get it to my boss.”

  “You’re not going outside the wire until we say you’re going outside the wire,” Mac said. “And then, only when you have sufficient protection, so you don’t get shot the second you step foot outside it.” Mac’s face softened. “Look, I know you’re an independent woman, but right now, you’re going to have a huge target on your back. Please, go along with us and let us provide protection until we can hand you off to someone else.”

  Kylie’s eyes narrowed. She chewed on her bottom lip. “You really think it’s going to be that bad?”

  “You’re the investigative reporter. You’ve been in this war situation long enough…what do you think?” Mac asked.

  Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Sadly, I think you’re right. But that’s really going to mess with my job here.”

  Mac gave her a twisted grin. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have killed Mullah Ahktar’s brother.”

  “It was them or me,” Kylie said. “I chose him.”

  “I have no doubt you made the right decision,” Mac said. “All I know is the Taliban will be embarrassed that a lowly female—no offense—took out three of their best soldiers, one of them being the brother of one of their leaders.”

  Kylie shook her head, her lips twisted. “I really didn’t have time to ask him who he was when I shot him. He was trying to shoot me.”

  Mac and his team marched Kylie through the maze of temporary buildings and Conex box quarters and tents until they came to a metal structure. Rucker knocked on the door.

  Someone inside called out, “Come in.”

  They gathered in what was a conference room or briefing center with the Delta team’s commanding officer.

  Rucker gave a brief explanation of what had occurred, and the role Kylie had played in killing Ahktar’s brother.

  The CO nodded his head when Rucker was finished and turned to Kylie.

  “Sir,” Kylie said. “I’m under contract to get my story out. Time is key.”

  The commander nodded. “And I’m under contract with the U.S. government to protect its people.”

  “I need to get to my hotel room and my computer,” Kylie said.

  The CO gave a chin lift to Dash and Rucker. “Send someone to this woman’s hotel room and collect her belongings. She’ll be staying on base until we can ship her out to Kabul.”

  A frown pinched Kylie’s brow. “Don’t I have a say in what happens to me?”

  The commander shook his head. “You lost that say when you chose to take a military weapon and shoot Afghan civilians.”

  “But they weren’t civilians,” Kylie protested. “They were members of the Taliban.”

  “But you are a civilian and a female,” the commander said. “The Taliban won’t like that you killed one of their own. Especially when they learn you’re female.”

  Mac’s lips twisted on the corners.

  Kylie’s eyes narrowed.

  After the CO walked away, Kylie glared at Mac. “Don’t you dare laugh.”

  He held up his hands in surrender. “I just know how you are. When someone tells you one thing and you want to do something else, you dig in your heels.” His smile faded. “Look, Kylie, it’s for your own good. You’re going to have a price on your head.”

  The commander stopped at the door and turned back. “Mac.”

  Mac faced his commanding officer. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m making you responsible for keeping an eye on our guest,” the commander said.

  “Thank you, sir…I mean, yes, sir!” Mac said.

  The CO’s brow furrowed. “Is that going to be a conflict of interest?”

  “Sir?” Mac said.

  “I take it that you two know each other.”

  Mac nodded. “Yes, sir. From way back.”

  “You know the rules about fraternizing in theater,” the older man said.

  “Yes, sir,” Mac said.

  “Don’t let it happen,” the commander said, with a stern look and left the building.

  Chapter 3

  Kylie nearly laughed at the way Mac stood so tall and straight while his commander
told him not to screw up.

  “It won’t matter,” Mac said. “Once burned, twice shy.”

  Kylie snorted. “I’ve never known you to be shy.”

  Mac’s lips twisted. “Maybe not with people, but with old flames? Definitely shy.” His lips thinned to a straight line as he stared into Kylie’s eyes. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

  “What about me?” Josh the cameraman asked.

  “If I’m staying on the base,” Kylie said, lifting her chin, “my cameraman stays here, too.”

  “We’ll arrange for quarters for both of you,” Rucker said.

  Kylie crossed her arms in front of her. “I really need to go back to my hotel room to bring back all the things I need—just so I have everything to make sure this story gets produced on time.”

  Mac glanced at Josh. “Do you know what she needs?”

  Josh nodded. “I can figure it out.”

  Again, Kylie glared at Mac.

  “Josh will go with the Delta team to retrieve the things you need from your hotel room and bring them back.”

  “Let’s do it, then,” Rucker said. “The sooner we get there, the less time we give Ahktar to figure out who your friend is and where she’s been staying.”

  “She’s not my friend,” Mac said.

  “Friend, girlfriend, whatever,” Rucker said.

  Mac’s lips pressed together. “She’s neither of those.”

  “Whatever,” Rucker said impatiently. “She’s your responsibility now.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Mac gave Kylie a frustrated grin. “While you guys are out, I’ll make sure our guests are assigned adequate quarters.”

  Josh started for the door with the rest of the team to gather their things from the hotel room.

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” Kylie groused.

  Mac laughed. “Apparently, you do. And lucky me, I’ve been volun-told I’m it. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

  As Josh and the team left the conference room, Kylie called out, “You might want to leave your equipment with me.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Josh handed her the camera.

  Kylie didn’t like that Josh was going without her. She felt a strong sense of love and responsibility for the cameraman who’d been with her on many dangerous shoots. “Be careful out there,” Kylie said

  “Who me?” Josh laughed. “I have an entire Delta Force team escorting me. I’ll be all right. I’m more concerned about you. If I were you, I wouldn’t walk too close to the fence. Don’t make yourself any more of a target than you already are.”

  After the team left with Josh, Mac led Kylie to the logistics team to secure accommodations for her and Josh. He made certain that Kylie’s quarters were in the empty unit beside his. “If you’re not close, I can’t protect you,” he reasoned.

  Once he’d secured their rooms, Mac showed Kylie where they were and let her ditch the camera inside. They stopped by the small hospital to check on Sergeant Garcia.

  He’d already been stabilized and awaited transport via helicopter to the next level of care.

  Kylie stood beside the sergeant’s bed and touched his arm. “Thank you for saving my life and protecting me.”

  The sergeant smiled. “I should thank you for saving me.”

  She shook her head.

  He took her hand and held it tightly. “It was my pleasure to protect such a pretty lady. It was worth the bullets.”

  “I don’t know that it was worth the bullets. I didn’t want anyone harmed on my account.”

  “All part of the oath,” Sergeant Garcia said.

  “What oath?” Kylie asked while squeezing the man’s hand.

  “The one to protect and serve.”

  “Well, thank you, sergeant. I hope you recover quickly.”

  “The doc said I should. I’ll be back to my unit soon. In the meantime, I get a free trip home. Haven’t seen my wife and kids for six months. I’d say that was worth every bullet I took.”

  Kylie leaned down and kissed the soldier’s cheek. “Tell your wife I appreciate your sacrifice. Thank you for your service.”

  “Glad I could help,” he said with a sincere smile.

  Then Mac showed her to the mess hall that operated 24/7 for people on all shifts. Mac chose a sandwich and a mug of steaming coffee. Kylie opted for a cup of hot tea and a piece of toast.

  “You need to get more than that into your stomach,” Mac said.

  Kylie shook her head. “I’m not that hungry. I’m more concerned about Josh and your team getting back here safely. Think the Taliban will go after them?”

  “It’s possible. They were in that village, too.”

  Kylie’s brow furrowed. “I should’ve gone myself.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. You’re the one person they will want the most. If you’d gone, you’d have put the rest of them at risk.”

  “Good point,” she said, nodding.

  Mac ate half his sandwich before setting it back on the plate and taking up his coffee mug. “Glad to see you got to where you wanted to go. Look at you, a war correspondent,” he said and grinned.

  Kylie sighed. “Hasn’t been easy. People don’t take women war correspondents seriously enough. I had to freelance it for a while.”

  “Are you still freelancing?” he asked.

  “No,” Kylie said. “I work for an international news syndicate. They fund my travel and lodging in exchange for gripping stories.”

  “I see you on all the news channels now,” he said.

  Kylie shrugged. “I don’t know that I’ve made it, but I have moved up a little bit in this world. People don’t look at me like I’m a crazy woman anymore.” She smiled across the table at him. “And look at you. I remember you always wanted to be a part of the Delta Force.”

  He nodded. “I wouldn’t have made it there without you.”

  Kyle frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “If you hadn’t dumped me when you did, I might not have gone for it.”

  She reached across and touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “You had dreams. I had dreams. It just wasn’t the right time for us.”

  She shrugged. “I couldn’t have married you when I hadn’t even begun living the life of my dreams. Speaking of married, what about you? Did you get married?”

  He shook his head. “Being a member of Delta Force isn’t conducive to long-term relationships. “So, the answer is no, I’m not married.”

  Kylie removed her hand from his.

  “What about you? Did you tie the knot with some highly deserving man?”

  “Being a war correspondent isn’t conducive to long-term relationships. Most guys want a woman who will stay home and raise babies. I wasn’t ready for that.”

  “Are you now?” Mac asked.

  She shrugged, staring across the table at Mac, amazed that this man could still get her blood moving.

  After she’d left him to get her career going, she’d had so many regrets. If there’d ever been a man who was right for her, that man was Mac. But they’d both been so young and ready to launch into their respective careers. He’d been on a path to get selected for Delta Force.

  Kylie had been on the verge of pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist and a war correspondent. If they had continued their relationship and gotten married, she doubted seriously that either of them would’ve attained their dreams. He might not have become a Delta Force operative, and she might not have been in Afghanistan to interview an important informant from the Taliban.

  Looking back over the years, and all the time they might have wasted, she wondered if she’d made the right decision in leaving him. Now that they were several years older and more experienced in both their fields, she was creeping up on thirty years old. As she’d neared her thirtieth birthday, she’d begun to feel her biological clock ticking.

  Yes, she’d wanted a career, and she’d wanted it to happen before she had children. She’d known her line of work would be dangerous,
and she wouldn’t have left her child behind much less put that child at risk for losing a parent. So, she’d put her life on hold while she’d pursued her career.

  Now, with her thirtieth birthday looming, she was concerned about being able to have children of her own. Some of her friends had waited until thirty to have kids. They’d found it difficult to conceive, as if they’d waited too long to try. Kylie had begun to think that she’d put her life on hold for all the wrong reasons.

  And the only man who’d ever interested her was sitting across the table from her. Apparently, he still hadn’t forgiven her for leaving him.

  “What’s next for you, Kylie?” he asked.

  She’d been considering that for the past year. Did she want to remain a war correspondent, always chasing after the adrenaline and the next big story? Could she take a back seat and pick up human-interest stories that didn’t put her in the line of fire, and actually start that family she’d put off for so long? Those thoughts went through her head as she tried to come up with an answer to his question.

  Finally, she said, “For one, I want to interview Faaid.”

  He shook his head. “No, I mean what’s the next thing you’ll be doing in your life?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “How long do you plan on following war stories and putting yourself at risk?” he asked.

  “It pays the bills,” she said. “What about you, Mac? How many years do you have in the military? Maybe fourteen? That gives you—what—six more years you can do this? What’s next for you? Are you staying to retirement or longer? Are you looking ahead to see what you can do after retirement?”

  His lips twisted. “Hadn’t really thought much about it. Guess I was going to ride this horse into the sunset. Although, the older I get, the harder it is on my body. It’s really a young man’s world, being Delta Force.”

  She laughed, looking at his magnificent body. “You’re far from old.”

  “Tell that to my knees.” Mac grinned.

  “Didn’t you have a dream of having a ranch in Texas?” Kylie asked.

  He nodded.

  “Have you done anything about it?” she asked.

  He stared into the distance. “I’ve been saving money, and I’ve got a real estate agent looking for a small patch of land I can call my own.”