Urging Josh to lie flat against the ground, Rucker and Blade stayed low but didn’t shoot back. With their only weapons the pistols they’d worn inside their jackets, they had to wait for the terrorists to move dangerously closer before they returned fire.
Mac shoved Kylie between the buildings, but they were far from out of the woods. The men with the guns would follow, hunting them down until they killed them.
Unless the Deltas killed Ahktar’s men first.
That meant getting them out of the market into a less crowded area where they wouldn’t incur as much collateral damage.
Mac prayed they had enough time to get to a defensive position and set a trap. He refused to let this be the way his and Kylie’s relationship ended. He wanted more.
Chapter 7
Kylie ran, determined to stay abreast of Dash and Mac as they did their best to keep her alive. She hated the thought of one of them dying because of her. They’d done so much to keep her safe. The least she could do was keep up.
Her lungs burned, and her breath came in short gasps as she ran and ran, following Dash, and then Mac and now Dash, again, through the maze of Kabul’s city streets.
She glanced back at every turn. Rucker and Blade were close behind them, ready to defend them as they ran.
As they moved from the business district to the residential area, the buildings became denser, but there were fewer people on the streets.
“We can’t keep running,” Mac said as they entered a narrow street with single-story homes on either side. “This will do to set up defense.”
“Give me a boost,” Dash said.
Mac cupped his hands.
Dash stepped in and swung up over the wall surrounding a home, disappearing onto the other side.
Rucker, Josh and Blade caught up.
“They’re a block behind us, heading this way,” Rucker said. “We don’t have much time.”
“Dash, is it clear?” Mac called out.
“Clear,” Dash responded. “We have a woman and two small children.”
“Come on, Kylie. Over the wall.” He lifted her in his arms.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’d rather stay with you.”
“I need to focus on taking these men down. If I’m worried about you, I could put myself and my team at risk.”
She nodded. “Okay. But I don’t like it. If you have another gun, I could help.”
He kissed her and swung her to the top of the wall. “For now, your shooting days are over. Keep your head down. These walls may or may not stop bullets.” He spoke into his headset. “Kylie’s coming over.”
Kylie slipped down the wall on the other side. “Hey, what about Josh?”
“They’re not after Josh. But we’ll keep him safe,” Rucker responded.
Dash stepped to the door of the home and waved Kylie inside.
A woman cowered in the corner of the front room, clutching her children to her breast.
“We’re not here to hurt you,” Kylie said.
“They don’t speak English,” Dash said. “Stay here and stay down.” He left her and ran back outside. A moment later, she heard footsteps on the roof.
Kylie glanced at the woman and children, feeling awful about invading their home. They appeared terrified. One of the small children sobbed quietly.
His mother held him close, whispering softly, urgently. The child hiccoughed and sniffled.
Outside in the street, shouts sounded, and gunfire erupted.
Kylie sat on a carpet and kept her head down, praying the Deltas were successful and stopped the Taliban terrorists. She wouldn’t be safe until they did. And they wouldn’t be safe if they continued to protect her.
As she hunkered close to the floor, she stared across the room at the woman and her children. She hated that they were afraid of her when she meant them no harm.
Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out a package of Lifesaver candies she liked to suck on when she was nervous. She hadn’t opened them yet, determined to have some left for the trip back to the States.
While the gunfire continued outside, she eased her way across the floor, stopping five feet from the woman and her children. Then she held out her hand with the roll of candies.
The children shrank against their mother.
Realizing they were too afraid to come get the candy, Kylie set the roll on the floor and gave it a gentle push, sending it rolling toward the kids.
She backed away, letting them know she wasn’t a threat.
For a long moment, the children clung to their mother, the gunfire still going off outside the walls of the home.
Kylie felt sorry for the family. They were probably used to those sounds, having heard them all too often.
After a minute or two, the oldest child leaned away from his mother and reached for the candy on the floor. Once he had it in his hand, his mother yanked him back to her side.
The two children hovered over the package of hard candy. The mom kept her eye on Kylie.
Kylie smiled at the woman. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” she said softly.
The gunfire slowed and finally seemed to stop.
Had the Deltas taken down all the men who’d been following them?
When they didn’t come right in to get her out, she worried that maybe the Taliban men had taken out the Deltas.
She shook her head. That wasn’t possible. The Deltas were highly trained. They couldn’t be defeated by five or six Taliban terrorists.
The woman sitting on the floor across from her stiffened, her eyes growing wide. She made a small sound that caught Kylie’s attention, and her gaze darted to something over Kylie’s shoulder.
Kylie spun too late to deflect the blow to her head that sent her flying across the room. She lay for a moment. Her head spun, and her vision blurred. She thought for a moment she’d pass out.
Someone grabbed her arm, yanked her to her feet and shoved a pistol against her temple. He shouted something in a language she couldn’t understand, even if she wasn’t about to black out.
Then he was shoving her toward the door, his free arm clamped around her middle, trapping her arms to her sides.
“Let me go!” she said, her voice slurring, her vision fading from clear to black and back to clear. She stumbled, almost taking him down with her.
He yelled again.
The children on the other side of the room sobbed. Their mother clutched them to her, turning away to place her body between them and the gunman.
A fleeting thought raced through her muzzy head. If she could only remember the Krav Maga techniques she’d learned, she could take this bastard down.
But she could barely stand, much less fight.
When he reached the door, he lowered the gun long enough to pull the door open. Once it was wide enough, he pushed her in front of him, yelling. “I kill! I kill!”
The longer she stood, the clearer her head got. She had to pick the right time to kick the man’s ass, or he’d pull the trigger and blow her brains out before she could twitch a finger.
Where was Mac? They weren’t shooting anymore. Were they all dead? Was this guy one of the Taliban terrorists?
Dash dropped from the roof to the ground in front of the man, raising his hands. “Don’t hurt her,” he said, “and we won’t hurt you.”
The man holding her banged the barrel of his pistol against her temple, sending a sharp stab of pain through her head.
Anger pushed aside the fuzzy gray shroud of dizziness.
Taking a deep breath, she went limp, dropping down through the man’s arms. His grip slipped, and the gun in his hand rose above her head.
Then she came up fast and hard, tipping her head back, catching his chin with her skull.
He jerked backward and lost his hold on her.
Kylie dove forward.
The man behind her was slammed sideways, hitting the ground with a thud with Mac on top of him.
The Delta Force soldier pinned the man’
s wrist to the ground, banging it until he released the gun.
Dash kicked it out of reach, and then picked it up.
Once he’d lost his weapon, the man cried out. “No kill, please. No kill.”
“Why should I spare you when you tried to kill my woman?” Mac growled.
“No kill.”
“Mac,” Kylie called out. “Don’t kill him. I think that’s his wife and children inside.”
“He threatened to kill you,” Mac said, his face ferocious.
“I’m okay.” Kylie laid her hand on Mac’s back. “He didn’t kill me. Let him up.”
Mac remained on top of the man for another long moment then climbed to his feet. He yanked the man up and twisted his arm behind his back.
The woman and small children burst from the home and ran toward the man.
The little boys wrapped their arms around his legs and cried. The woman stood in front of the man, talking fast to Mac, her hands clasped together as if begging him to let her husband live.
“He was just protecting his family,” Kylie said.
“He almost killed you,” Mac said, his voice low and rough.
“But he didn’t,” Kylie repeated. “You can let him go. I don’t think he’ll hurt us.”
“Go ahead, Mac. I’ve got you covered.” Dash held his weapon trained on the father.
Mac released the man. He turned and pushed his wife and children behind him. Then he bowed, pressing his hands together. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Mac pulled Kylie into his arms. “I died a thousand deaths watching him press that gun to your head.”
“Wouldn’t have done him much good,” Dash said. He held the gun in his hand, the bolt open and empty. “It wasn’t loaded.”
Kylie laughed. “Now, I feel bad for hitting him with my head.”
“I don’t feel bad.” Mac brushed his thumb lightly across her temple. “He hit you.”
“I’ll live,” she said. “Those kids have been through enough. I’m sure this isn’t the first time they’ve been scared.”
Rucker entered through the gate of the walled home. “We’ve checked; the threat has been neutralized.”
“We can’t go back to the hotel,” Mac said.
“I’ve contacted the air transport folks at Bagram Airfield. They have a plane they can get Miss Adams on tonight. We just have to get her there in the next hour to fill out the paperwork.”
Dash glanced at this watch. “That doesn’t give us much time. I doubt we’ll find a taxi this far away from the city center.”
Kylie stared up into Mac’s eyes. “I’m flying out tonight.”
His gaze never left hers. “You are.” He gripped her arms and pulled her close, resting his chin on her hair.
Dash tapped his watch. “What part of we don’t have much time do you not understand?”
Blade elbowed him. “Shh, man. Can’t you see they’re having a moment?”
Rucker chuckled. “We can wait for a moment, but much longer than that, and she might miss that flight.”
“Would that be a bad thing?” Mac murmured.
She nodded. “It keeps you all at risk. I have to go.” Kylie’s heart was breaking, but she stepped back. “We need to get moving.”
“Are you up to walking really fast?” Rucker asked. “That blow to the head had to have hurt.”
She nodded, wincing. “It did. But I’ll be okay.” Avoiding Mac’s gaze, she glanced around. “Any idea how to get back to a place where we can catch a taxi?”
The man who’d hit her looked up. “Taxi?”
Kylie nodded. “Yes. Taxi.”
He waved his hand toward the gate. “Come. Taxi.”
He led, and the Deltas followed, their weapons at the ready.
Mac stayed at Kylie’s side, hovering over her, using his body as a shield.
With each step, Kylie fought back tears. In a few short hours, she’d be on her way back to the States. She didn’t know when she’d see Mac again, or if he wanted to see her. They’d been together, made love and had fallen right back into the easy way they’d been with each other so long ago. But was that enough? Or had this just been a fling on his part? A way to get her out of his system?
The Afghan led them to another walled home and through the gate. Inside the yard was a small van with a sign on top.
“Taxi.” He nodded and then went to the door, banging loudly.
An older Afghan answered. The two spoke, and the older man went back inside and came out with a set of keys.
“Where do you want to go?” the older man asked as he walked toward the vehicle.
“Bagram Airfield,” Rucker responded.
The six of them crowded into the van, and the old man slipped into the driver’s seat.
Within thirty minutes, they were at Bagram Airfield being dropped at the gate.
They had to wait for clearance to get Kylie and Josh onto the base. Once that was taken care of, they hurried to the air transportation office to fill out the necessary paperwork to get her on the plane taking off in the next hour.
The Deltas stayed with her. Rucker worked on getting transportation back to their forward operations base, while Mac helped Josh and Kylie wade through the documents they had to fill out and sign.
When Kylie had it all completed, she waited for the loadmaster to wave her and Josh through. Carrying the backpack she’d come with, she waited with Mac, struggling to find the words that would make them right with each other. She couldn’t think of anything but the truth.
“I want to see you again,” she blurted out.
“Can I see you again?” Mac asked at the same time.
Kylie laughed and stepped into his arms. “Is it crazy to think we could have a second chance at this?”
“Define this,” he said.
“Us.”
He nodded and brushed a strand of her hair back from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. “That would be a yes from me. What are you feeling?”
“One hundred percent relieved,” she said with a breathy laugh.
His brow wrinkled. “Not exactly the words I was looking for.”
“Relieved that you think we have a chance. Because I want it so badly.”
“Not half as bad as I do,” he said and nuzzled her neck. “I’ve dreamed of holding you just like this for so long, I think I might still be dreaming.”
“Same here,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You’re at Fort Hood, right?”
He nodded.
“Any idea when you’ll be back?” she asked.
“Whenever they’re done with us here,” he said. “How long that will be, I have no idea.”
“Is it possible for two people with careers like ours to make a relationship work?” she whispered. Please, say yes.
“If both parties are equally committed, I think so.” He tipped her chin up. “I’m that committed.”
“Miss Adams, Mr. Bolton, it’s time to board the plane,” a voice called out.
Kylie had so much more she wanted to say, but they were out of time. “I’m that committed, too,” she said, holding his gaze.
“Miss Adams, Mr. Bolton?” the voice called out again.
Josh started toward the exit, stopped and turned back. “Kylie, they’re waiting on us.”
“I have to go.” Kylie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Mac crushed her to him and held her tight.
She wished she could stay, but the time had come to leave. Kylie slipped her backpack over one of her shoulders and hurried away, her eyes blinded by the tears falling freely.
She was almost to the door when a hand on her arm stopped her.
“You’ll need this,” Mac’s voice said in her ear.
She glanced up through her tears.
He pressed a napkin into her hand, closed her fingers around it and sent her on her way.
It wasn’t until she was seated on the airplane that she opened her hand and stared down at the napkin. In
side, written in Mac’s bold handwriting were the words I Love You. Beneath it was his phone number.
She laughed and cried all at once. Mac never said anything he didn’t mean.
He loved her.
And she loved him. She smiled as she held the napkin to her chest. It wasn’t as good as holding Mac, but it would have to do until she could get back to the States and make a few changes.
The first being her place of residence. She was moving from Dallas to Killeen, the town outside of Fort Hood. Hopefully, she could make that happen before Mac returned from Afghanistan. If not, it would be soon after.
She couldn’t wait to start her new life with the only man she’d ever loved. What that life would be like was a huge question but one she was willing to find the answer to.
Chapter 8
“You gonna look up your girl, now that you’re back?” Dash asked Mac.
Mac grabbed his duffel bag and turned on his phone for the first time in days, glad to be off the plane and back in Texas.
“She didn’t give me her phone number,” he said.
“What? All that face sucking, and she doesn’t want to see you again?”
Mac had worried for the past week, wondering if he’d been stupid. Why hadn’t he asked her for her phone number?
He’d given her his. If it was meant to be, he’d hear from her. “It was her move,” he said.
“Uh, I think it’s your move, now,” Dash said.
Turning with his duffel bag in his hand, Mac was confronted with a huge poster decorated with bright green glitter and the words, I LOVE YOU, MAC, written in large, bold letters.
He couldn’t see who was holding it, only the sexy, bare legs beneath the poster board.
His heart slammed hard against his ribs and beat so fast he could barely breathe.
He strode to the poster board, dropped his duffel on the ground and lowered the board to see the face that had been on his mind since he’d watched her walk out to the plane at Bagram Airfield.
“Kylie,” he said on a sigh and gathered her to him. “How did you know I’d be here?”
“I have my contacts.” She laced her hands behind his neck and pulled him down to her. “Did you like my sign?”
He nodded and kissed the tip of her nose. “The sweetest words I’ve ever seen in green glitter.”
Danger and Desire: A Romantic Suspense Anthology Page 68
