by Elle James
Nora looked down at her wrecked hands and more tears slipped down her cheeks. “I leave for Fort Carson tomorrow, and his unit is shipping back to Fort Hood anytime. What are the chances we’ll see each other again?”
“The good thing is that things aren’t quite as strict back in the States. As long as you’re not seeing each other on duty, and you’re not in the same chain of command, you can’t be court-marshalled for dating an enlisted man. As long as you have no influence over his promotions, evaluations or assignments, you should be all right.”
“I’m in the medical field. I would have nothing to do with all that. But we’ll be at different posts so very far from each other. And I don’t even know if he’ll want to see me after we redeploy to the States.” The tears fell in earnest now. “Oh, Beth. How could I fall for someone now? I’m heading back to my old unit. Who knows where they’ll send me next? It could be even farther than Colorado. I could be stationed in Alaska!”
“Speaking of which, you got mail today. It looks official. You might want to open it. Maybe it’s your orders for your next assignment.” Beth handed her an envelope that did look official.
Nora shook her head. “It’s probably nothing but a reminder to invest in their savings plan.” She tore open the envelope and pulled out an official document.
She read the page, her heart slamming hard against her chest, her breath catching in her throat.
Beth frowned. “What? Did they find out you’ve been seeing a hunky Delta?” When Nora didn’t respond, Beth stepped closer and looked over her shoulder at the document. Then she laughed out loud. “What were the chances? What were the flippin’ chances? Girl, you need to invest in some lottery tickets, right now.”
“I’m going to Fort Hood,” she whispered. She looked up, meeting Beth’s gaze, and grinned from ear to ear. “I’m going to Fort Hood!” Then her smile faded, and a frown pulled at her brow. “What if he doesn’t want to see me stateside?”
Beth crossed her arms over her chest. “Sweetie, you have a day to find out. I suggest you ask him.”
Nora rushed for the door, the paper still in her hands.
“I meant after a shower and food. Hell, he might still be with his unit in the debriefing,” Beth called out behind her.
Nora didn’t care. She had to know. She ran across the base toward the building where she’d been debriefed.
The Delta Force team was just coming out, Rucker leading the others. He had his back to her, talking to one of his buddies. “I have to see her before she leaves. Stall the CO. Tell him I had to go to the latrine or that I’m sick and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“He’s gonna be pissed,” Dash said.
“I don’t care. I have to see Nor—Lieutenant Michaels.”
Dash laughed. “Well, turn around and you will.”
“Huh,” Rucker said and then turned to find Nora standing behind him.
“Sergeant Sloan, if you have a minute, I’d like to discuss something with you,” she said in her most official tone.
He popped a salute and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He shot a glance over his shoulder. “Cover for me.”
“I’ve got your six,” Dash said.
Rucker joined Nora as she turned to walk away from the team of Delta Force Operatives.
“I’m glad you came back. I want you to know—”
“I have some news—” she said at the same time. She laughed and said, “You go first.”
“I don’t want you to go until you give me your phone number or some way I can reach you when we get back to the States. I want to see you again.” He started to take her hand, but then put his behind his back. “I want to touch you,” he whispered. “I want to hold you and kiss you. What we have isn’t over. It can’t be. If I have to, I’ll ask for a transfer to Fort Carson. Just say you want to see me again. Please.”
Nora raised her hand to touch his face, stopped halfway and put her hands behind her back just like he had to keep from touching him. “I want to see you. I don’t want this to end. But don’t put in for Fort Carson.”
“How can we see each other if we’re so far apart? I’ll miss my team, but I want to be with you.”
“You don’t have to go to Fort Carson.” She held up the document in her hand. “I’m being transferred to Fort Hood.”
“What?” He grabbed the copy of her orders and read them. When he looked up, a big grin spread across his face. “Hot damn!”
Nora glanced around.
Rucker’s Delta team were all standing there, watching what was taking place between Nora and Rucker.
“Well, we all want to know what the good news is, too,” Tank shouted.
“She’s going to Fort Hood.”
A cheer went up from his team, making Nora’s cheeks heat.
“Does everyone on your team know we’re…” she shrugged, “you know?”
“If they didn’t know, they do now. But there are no eyewitnesses to any transgressions,” he lowered his voice and added, “and I don’t kiss and tell.” He handed her orders back to her. “Ma’am, congratulations on your new assignment. I hope to run into you in the great state of Texas.”
Nora nodded, fighting the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Thank you for saving my life.” She left him standing there and practically skipped all the way back to her quarters. Going back to the States would be fabulously wonderful because she would be going back to Rucker.
And he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Now that she knew, she couldn’t wait to go home.
She hugged herself since she couldn’t hug Rucker yet. But she would soon.
Epilogue
Three months later
“Rucker, I know what our deck looks like,” Nora said. He was always wanting to surprise her with something.
They’d moved into a cute little house in Killeen, Texas, outside of Fort Hood a month ago, after dating for only six weeks. “You don’t have to make me hide my eyes to take me out there. Unless you’ve stained it. Ooh. In which case, I can’t wait to see it.”
Was that a giggle she heard? Were there other people on her back deck? Was it her birthday and she’d forgotten about it?
“Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart. I didn’t stain the deck. But I do have something even better you’re going to like,” he said. He untied the handkerchief he’d knotted at the back of her head and pulled it free. “Surprise.”
She blinked at the brightness of the Texas sun, and then focused on the faces around her.
Mac with his reddish-brown hair and green eyes that made the ladies melt.
Blade’s blue eyes watched her intently, his black hair slicked back from his forehead neatly for the first time since Nora could remember.
Dawg stood next to Blade, his warm brown eyes smiling at her. He didn’t say much, but those eyes seemed to take it all in. That must be why he was such a good sniper. He saw more than the others.
Tank stood next to Bull, as if vying for who was the tallest and most muscular. They were smiling at her, which made her wonder why. Was her shirt on inside out and she hadn’t noticed?
Lance nodded, his gray eyes twinkling. Only a year or two older than the others, he already had graying temples, making him the “old man” of the team.
Dash stepped forward, his lips twisting in a wry grin. “Haven’t you noticed yet?” he asked and stepped to the side so that she could see more clearly behind him. “We have special guests.”
Nora gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. “Pazir, Gulpari, oh sweet heaven, you made it here.” She rushed forward and hugged the pair and their three-month-old baby.
Tears slipped from Nora’s eyes and trailed down her cheeks. “I’m so happy the government granted you asylum. And so quickly.”
“We have one more surprise for you,” Pazir said. He nodded to Dash, who again stepped aside to reveal yet one more guest.
A little girl wearing a pretty new dress like any other dress a child would wear
in the U.S. stood there.
Nora dropped to her knees and held out her arms, tears rolling down her cheeks in earnest. “Taara.” She pulled the little girl into her arms and held her tight. “Oh, sweet, baby girl. I can’t believe you’re here.”
Pazir nodded. “We had heard you favored one of the children you helped save. Gulpari and I took her into our home while we waited for your government’s approval of our move to the US. We have adopted her and will raise her as our own. You are welcome to visit whenever you like.”
“Thank you,” she said, a lump lodged firmly in her throat. “You’ve made my day complete.” Nora look up into Rucker’s eyes. “Best surprise ever,” she said with what little air she could push past her vocal cords.
“I hope not, because I have one more.” Rucker pulled a small box out of his front pocket, dropped down on one knee and looked up at her. “Nora Michaels, you are the bravest, most caring and sexiest woman I know. I can’t promise that I’ll always be here for you, physically, and I’ll probably miss some key family events, and I won’t always be here to mow the lawn. But I can promise that I will do my best to make you happy, and hopefully, fill our house with children, mow the lawn when I’m here and love you forever. Would you do me the greatest honor of all and be my wife?”
She dropped down on her own knees, the tears flowing all over again. “Sweetheart, you had me at mow the lawn. I love you, Rucker Sloan, and yes, I will be your wife.”
A cheer went up all around them as Rucker kissed Nora and sealed the deal on a life full of love, laughter and happily ever after.
THE END
Thank you for reading BREAKING SILENCE. The Delta Force Strong Series continues with BREAKING RULES.
Ryan “Dash” Hayes has a penchant for breaking the rules. If it’s for the right reasons, and he doesn’t get caught, he won’t hesitate. To him, rules are guidelines to be used to keep the sheep in line, not him. But his commander is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s good at his job as a Delta Force Operative. Fast, effective and willing to sacrifice his life to save others.
After her singing partner is killed in a bus crash, Sunny Daye joins the USO. What better way to punish herself for surviving than to put herself at risk in a country full of conflict? When attempts are made to kidnap her, she’s given a choice…leave the country or accept a bodyguard for the remainder of her tour.
Enter Dash, the cocky, irreverent Delta Force soldier who seems to show up at the best/worst times to save the day.
Okay, if she has to have a bodyguard, she has a few rules he must follow:
One - Hands off
Two - No kissing
Three - No falling in love with the talent
With a grin and a wink, Dash agrees to her terms. But then Dash has never met a rule he wasn’t willing to break.
BREAKING RULES
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Hellfire, Texas
Hellfire Series Book #1
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
ELLE JAMES
Chapter 1
The hot July sun beat down on the asphalt road. Shimmering heat waves rose like mirages as Becket Grayson drove the twenty miles home to Coyote Creek Ranch outside of Hellfire, Texas. Wearing only a sweat-damp T-shirt and the fire retardant pants and boots of a firefighter, he couldn’t wait to get home, strip, and dive into the pool. Although he’d have to hose down before he clouded the water with the thick layer of soot covering his body from head to toe.
The Hellfire Volunteer Firefighter Association met the first Saturday of every month for training in firefighting, rescues, and first responder care. Today had been particularly grueling in the late summer swelter. Old Lady Mersen graciously donated her dilapidated barn for structural fire training and rescue.
All thirty volunteers had been on hand to participate. Though hot, the training couldn’t have gone better. Each volunteer got a real taste of how fast an old barn would go up in flames, and just how much time they had to rescue any humans or animals inside. Some had the opportunity to exercise the use of SCBA, self-contained breathing apparatus, the masks and oxygen tanks that allowed them to enter smoke-filled buildings, limiting exposure and damage to their lungs. Other volunteers manned the fire engine and tanker truck, shuttling water from a nearby pond to the portable tank deployed on the ground. They unloaded a total of five tanks onto the barn fire before it was completely extinguished. With only one tanker truck, the shuttle operation slowed their ability to put out the fire, as the blaze rebuilt each time they ran out of water in the holding pool. They needed at least two tanker trucks in operation to keep the water flowing. As small as the Hellfire community was, the first engine and tanker truck would never have happened without generous donations from everyone in the district and a government grant. But, they had an engine that could carry a thousand, and a tanker capable of thirty-five hundred gallons. Forty-five hundred gallons was better than nothing.
Hot, tired, and satisfied with what he’d learned about combating fire without the advantages of a city fire hydrant and unlimited water supply, Becket had learned one thing that day. Firefighting involved a lot more than he’d ever imagined. As the Fire Chief said, all fires were different, just like people were different. Experience taught you the similarities, but you had to expect the unexpected.
Two miles from his turnoff, Becket could almost taste the ice-cold beer waiting in the fridge and feel the cool water of the ranch swimming pool on his skin.
A puff of dark smoke drifted up from a stalled vehicle on the shoulder of the road ahead. The puff grew into a billowing cloud, rising into the air.
Becket slowed as he neared the disabled vehicle.
A black-haired woman stood in the V of the open driver’s door, attempting to push the vehicle off the road. She didn’t need to worry about getting it off the road so much as getting herself away from the smoke and fire before the gas tank ignited and blew the car to pieces.
A hundred yards away from the potential disaster, Becket slammed on his brakes, shifted into park, and jumped out of his truck. “Get away from the car!” he yelled, running toward the idiot woman. “Get away before it explodes!”
The woman shot a brief glance back at him before continuing on her mission to get the car completely off the road and into the bone-dry grass.
Becket ran up behind her, grabbed her around the middle, and hauled her away from the now-burning vehicle.
“Let go of me!” she screamed, tearing at his hands. “I have to get it off the road.”
“Damn it, lady, it’s not safe.” Not knowing when the tank would ignite, he didn’t have time to argue. Becket spun her around, threw her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and jogged away from the burning vehicle.
“I have to get it off the road,” she said, her voice breaking with each jolt to her gut.
“Leave it where it is. I’ll call in the fire department, they’ll have the fire out before you know it. In the meantime, that vehicle is dangerous.” He didn’t stop or put her down until he was back behind his truck.
He set her on her feet, but she darted away from him, running back toward the vehicle, her long, jet-black hair flying out behind her.
Becket lunged, grabbed her arm, and jerked her back. “Are you crazy?”
“I can’t leave it in the road,” she sobbed. “Don’t you see? He’ll find it. He’ll find me!” She tried prying his fingers free of her arm.
He wasn’t letting go.
“The fire will ignite the gas tank. Unless you want to be fried like last year’s turkey, you need to stand clear.” He held her back to his chest, forcing her to view the fire and the inherent danger.
She sagged against him, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. “I have to hide it.”
“Can I trust you to stay put?”
She
nodded, her hair falling into her face.
“I’m making a call to the Hellfire Volunteer Firefighters Association.”
Before he finished talking, she was shaking her head. “No. You can’t. No one can know I’m here.”
“Why?” He settled his hands on her shoulders and was about to turn her to face him when an explosion rocked the ground.
Becket grabbed the woman around the waist.
She yelped and whimpered as Becket ducked behind the tailgate of his pickup, and waited for the debris to settle. Then he slowly rose.
Smoke and fire shot into the air. Where the car had been now was a raging inferno. Black smoke curled into the sky.
“Sweetheart, I won’t have to call 911. In the next fifteen minutes, this place will be surrounded by firefighters.”
Her head twisted left and right as she attempted to pry his hands away from her waist. “You’re hurting me.”
He released her immediately. “The sheriff will want a statement from you.”
“No. I can’t.” Again, she darted away from him. “I have to get as far away from here as possible.”
Becket snagged her arm again and whipped her around. “You can’t just leave the scene of a fire. There will be an investigation.” He stared down at her, finally getting a look at her. “Do I know you?”
“I don’t…” The young woman glanced up, eyes narrowing. She reached up a hand and rubbed some of the soot off his face. Recognition dawned and her eyes grew round. “Becket? Becket Grayson?”
He nodded. “And I know I should know you, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
Her widened eyes filled with tears, and she flung her arms around his neck. “Oh, dear God. Becket!”
He held her, struggling to remember who she was.
