She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
Chapter 6
Kijika whispered to Jackson, “I hear many footsteps, have everyone prepared. We’ll need them.”
“Ok, how’s Ranger?”
“Just a moment.” Kijika had noticed Ranger stirring.
Kijika touched Ranger’s shoulder and his eyes flew open. “Are you okay?”
“Hell yes.”
Kijika told Jackson, “He say he’s all right for now. He seemed annoyed by my question.”
“We’ll have him checked soon. You two try to get in the cabin without the lady killing you. The others are getting closer.”
“Will do.” Kijika ended his call and turned to Ranger. “Can you walk?”
“Of course.” Ranger used the tree to stand, but almost fell over when he tried to take a few steps.
“Sure you can, with help.” Kijika placed Ranger’s arm around his shoulder. “I’ll try to sneak up to the back of the cabin and get in. We’ll need to yell who we are or Haley might shoot us.” He grinned at Ranger. “After all the women you dated, why did you fall for a dangerous woman?”
“Don’t know. Guess I like them diffi—”
“Stop talking. I get the idea.” They moved through the trees around the side of the house and crept toward the back door. He leaned Ranger against the back wall.
“Damn,” Kijika muttered. “Of course it’s locked.”
He positioned a small explosive to open the door, but not so loud as to alert Haley inside. After setting it to go off, Kijika ran to catch Ranger, who was sliding down the wall. There was a muffled noise. He pulled Ranger toward the half-open door, stood him close, and pulled the wood apart enough for them to slide inside. He tried to straighten the wood some and moved his hand around the wall, feeling for a switch.
When the dim light came on, Ranger sat up. “We’re in a storage room.”
“Right, a full storage room.”
“What’s this furry ball jumping in my lap?” Ranger tried to sit up. When he did, the dog barked.
“Muzzle him. Haley might hear his bark.”
“That’s okay. We can let Haley know it’s us before we get shot. She won’t want to hurt her puppy.”
Haley heard the noise of a larger group, heading toward the cabin. She reloaded her guns and some explosive flares. This attack would be the showdown. She’d gotten herself into this pickle believing no one could find her. I guess I was too sure of myself, and I will pay the price.
She thought of Ranger and wondered if they’d have dated and stayed together. Haley heard a noise at the back of the cabin, then a yip from the storage room. Was Sampson scared? She got up and quickly went to the kitchen and opened the storage room door.
“Come on out, Sampson. We’ll go down together.” When she stepped further inside, she noticed the back door leaning open.
Haley flipped her rifle up from over her shoulder, but someone grabbed her before she could aim it.
“It’s all right,” a familiar voice said. “We’re here, and others are outside. We plan to get this man and his group for good.”
She frowned at Kijika. “You’re one of the SEALs who rescued me before.”
“I hope you’ll live more safely going forward and not make this a habit,” a slurred voice said.
“Ranger?”
“Yes.” Kijika pointed to the shadows beside the door. “He’s injured.”
“No.” She ran toward the sound of Ranger’s voice.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “You are a dangerous woman to chase.”
She sank down to her knees and touched the side of his bloody head. “How did you get this?”
“I have a girlfriend who didn’t warn me she had rockets and knew how to fire them.”
“I did this?”
“Yes, but you did kill the bad guy first.”
“Listen,” Kijika interrupted. “You two can catch up later. Let’s join the main base for this action. It’s going to get rough, and we don’t want to be in this cabin when things go down.”
Kijika helped Ranger and Haley carried Sampson. They leaned over and ran quickly through the forest. The pup barked once, but Haley held his muzzle shut. He looked up at her, she kissed his nose and whispered, “It’s okay. Be quiet.”
They ran through shrubs and around thick trees. As they neared the outpost, Kijika spoke quietly into his mouthpiece. “Three alive and one puppy are nearing the camp.”
At the hidden entrance, Kijika spoke the safe word. Jackson grabbed both teammates and hugged them. “We’ve prepared a cot for Ranger,” he nodded his head toward it. Then he turned a smile on Haley. “I’m glad we got here in time.”
“I am, too. And I’m sorry for causing you more trouble. I was stupid and thought I knew it all.”
“We’ve all been that way once. It never happens again. Who’s the furry ball?”
“This is Sampson.” His little head came up when he heard his name.
“I’m surprised he didn’t bark.”
“I’ve been training him. He tried once, and I held his mouth shut. When I let go, he snuggled in my arms and went to sleep.”
“He might make a good dog for us when he’s big enough.”
“We’ll see if I can let him go. He’s pretty special.”
The medic who’d taken care of her and Ranger on the flight home walked in her direction. She ran to him. “Is Ranger going to be all right?”
“I hope he will, but he has to have some tests to be sure.”
“Can I talk to him?”
“Yes, keep him awake, hold his hand, but call me immediately if he vomits or has any other symptoms that might worry you.”
“Thank you.”
He walked back with her and placed a stool beside the cot where Ranger slept.
“What do I do if he wakes up?”
“Wake him up now. Try to keep him from sleeping. Go along with whatever he says. It’ll probably be nonsense, but I don’t want him upset by anyone trying to correct him.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
“Once the fight starts and they know we’re here, I’ll call for a helo to get Ranger out of here.”
“Good.”
Sampson sat beside Haley, but once more bullets flew, he jumped into her lap. His small body shook.
Haley held him close and whispered in his ear.
Abruptly, Ranger sat straight up. “Where’s my rifle?” He almost fell off the cot looking for it.
“Everyone is doing fine without you jumping into the fray.” She gently pushed him back down onto the cot, and only realized she’d tossed Sampson off her lap when he started barking frantically.
She turned to see a tall, dark-haired man step into view. He aimed a vicious kick at the puppy. The man Haley hoped never to see again grinned at her.
“I had hoped to torture you until you begged for death, Haley.” He grinned and tipped his head to the side. “I wonder if I can get out of here with you or if I should just kill you now.”
Ranger thought he was dreaming until he squinted his eyes open. He saw the menacing stranger standing in front of Haley and heard what he had said.
Moving slowly, he felt around the side of the cot opposite the man and then under it. Ah, yes. Never leave a man without a gun or two. He ran his hand over a handgun and a rifle. But getting the rifle out might attract the killer’s attention. He grasped the gun and edged his hand out and up.
Ranger blinked to clear his vision and aimed high, so he didn’t hit Haley. The gunshot had several of the SEAL’s looking in his direction. One ran toward him, and the other two rushed through the bushes after the man who was running away.
Haley crouched beside him as he unsteadily sat up. He clutched her arm. “Are you all right?” He looked her up and down.
“Yes. My hearing may never be the same,” she said with a smile, “but you saved my life.”
His lips curved slightly and he sank back onto the cot
, closing his eyes. His hand fell limply from her arm.
The medic rushed to Ranger’s side. He efficiently checked his patient over. Ranger didn’t respond. The pale cast to his skin frightened Haley.
“His vitals aren’t good,” the medic told Jackson when he joined them. “Do you think we can get a helo in here soon?”
Jackson touched his ear and listened to a message coming through, then he nodded. “I just got word the guys have the surviving members of the group and are bringing them here. I’ll call for a helicopter for Ranger and a truck to transfer the others to the nearest airport.”
“Will he be all right?” Haley asked the medic.
“That would be for a doctor to say, once they get a chance to run a full roster of tests on him.”
“It’s my fault. Ranger begged me not to come here.”
“Then I guess you’ll listen next time,” the medic snapped and walked away.
Jackson put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Ranger’s a lucky guy. He’ll pull through.”
“But will he still be able to be a SEAL?”
“I hope so. I need to go check on the others and our prisoners.”
Haley watched him walk away. She studied Ranger’s strong face. If he comes out of this, I’ll give us a chance. It’s the least I can do. Who am I kidding? I want to try. But he may be through with me after he gets well.
Haley heard the helicopter before it came into view. It landed somewhere near the cabin. Several SEALs carried Ranger’s cot through the bush and around trees until they got to the helo.
Haley walked beside him holding his hand. Ranger woke as they lifted him onto the chopper. A nurse and doctor waited to check him.
“Can I ride with you to the hospital?” she asked the doctor.
“It’s not allowed. We’ll be landing at the nearest trauma hospital in Phoenix. You won’t be able to see him anyway until the trauma team finishes with him. You can meet us there. Sorry, please back up. We need to go.”
Jackson walked over and put his arm around Haley’s shoulder. “Come with me. Our helicopter will fly us there. But as soon as Ranger’s good to travel, he’ll be transferred to San Diego.”
In all the excitement, Haley had forgotten Sampson. She turned and called his name.
Kijika emerged from the trees, a wiggling puppy held against his chest. He handed an ecstatic Sampson to Haley. “Here he is. Don’t worry. I kept my eye on him.”
“Thank you. I’m new at this pet thing. I can’t believe I forgot him.”
Kijika gave her a small smile. “It’s natural. You were worried about Ranger. We look out for all our people and animals.”
“You must hate me for getting Ranger injured by my stupidity.”
“No. We all make mistakes, but I hope you’ll take our warnings more seriously from now on.”
“I definitely will.” Sampson licked her chin and snuggled down in her arms.
Jackson patted the pup’s head. “Kijika, come with us. You can see to getting Ranger and Haley transferred back to San Diego.”
“Will do.” Kijika walked beside Haley to the other helo. He helped her in and sat next to her. Jackson sat in front with the pilot and held Sampson. They put a towel around the puppy’s head as temporary protection from the noise. Sampson twisted in Jackson’s hold at first, trying to pull the towel off, but Jackson held him close and he settled down. Once they all had put on their headsets, the chopper took off.
Haley shivered. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to flying this way. I’ve had to do it several times in my job, but it doesn’t get any easier.”
Kijika smiled. “I love them. They rescue us out of a lot of tight spots.” He motioned to the man flying the chopper. “Cliff’s one of the best. He’s our hero.” They heard Cliff chuckle.
When they reached the airport, Cliff leaned around and said to Haley, “All our pilots are very skilled. Don’t worry about flying with any of us.”
She looked up into his eyes to speak, but was startled by the clearest light green eyes she’d ever seen. If I weren’t so sure Ranger’s my guy, Cliff would catch my attention and any other woman’s.
He smiled. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, but I hope I don’t have to ride in any more helicopters for a long time.” She jumped down to the tarmac.
“Come on,” Jackson called out.
“See you,” Cliff said and strolled off.
Haley ran to catch up with Jackson and Kijika.
Jackson had arranged to have a car waiting to take them the short distance to the hospital.
The ER doctor showed Jackson, Kijika, and Haley, Jackson’s X-rays. “Your colleague has a hard head,” he said with a grin.
“I already knew that,” Haley said.
“When can he be moved to San Diego?” Jackson asked. “We’d like to get him home as soon as possible.”
“I want him to stay at least a day or two. We’ll see how he does tonight and in the morning. What did he hit his head on?”
Haley blushed when all the men looked at her, and she hugged Sampson closer. “On the side of a tree.”
The doctor frowned. “A tree?”
“It’s a long explanation.”
“I see. Did you push the patient into the tree?” the doctor asked.
“Not exactly, but it was my fault. I didn’t know Ranger was so close.”
“Ah, well. At least you didn’t do it on purpose. My wife will love this story. Were you mad at him?”
“No, I was aiming at someone else.”
“Did you get the other guy?”
“Yes, Doctor, I did, even though I’m terrible at measuring distances. You say Ranger will be all right?”
“Barring any complications, yes.” The doctor walked off, laughing. He looked back and added, “If I were him, I’d stay away from you.”
That was what Haley was afraid of. Before she had time to worry more about that possibility, a nurse joined them. “Your friend is awake. The doctor said he could have visitors for a few minutes.”
Jackson stepped forward. “I’ll see him first. I’m flying back to California tonight.” He looked from the puppy to Haley’s face. “I’ll take Sampson with me, if you don’t mind. Jacob will love playing with him, and he’ll be safe.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
Kijika and Haley sat alone in the waiting room while Jackson went into Ranger’s room.
“Maybe now’s not a good time to ask you what happened back at the cabin,” Kijika said. “But if you can Haley, I’d like to hear the whole story of how Ranger got hurt.”
“You mustn’t tell anyone else,” she whispered. “I might get put in jail.”
“This sounds serious. Tell me, and I’ll try to help you. We’ll find out the answers about this crew that wanted you dead. Our men are looking all around your place.”
“The last time I visited my cabin, I decided it was secluded enough to guard my privacy, but I needed to beef up my protection.”
“I see.”
“I bought a gun and several rifles and flares. Then I had an opportunity to buy two small rockets.”
Kijika frowned. “You shot Ranger with a rocket?”
Haley’s fingers tangled nervously in her lap. “After the mission, when I heard the Naldo group was after me, I bought the two rockets. I didn’t expect to use them. They were for a life-and-death emergency.”
“And you decided today that time had come?”
“Yes. I didn’t see Ranger, so I lit the rocket. He accidentally got in the way. You told me the force of the blast threw him into the side of the tree. I’m very glad it was a small tree.”
When Jackson entered the room, Kijika motioned for Haley to stop talking. “How’s Ranger?” he asked.
“Better than I expected. The nurse started intravenous fluids and gave him medicine through the IV tube. He seems a bit confused but better than when we got here. I explained I had to leave, but that you and Haley wo
uld stay and fly home with him.”
Jackson glanced at Haley. “He wants to speak with you next. I’ve been notified a military transport plane is waiting for the rest of our men at the nearby airport. I’ll fly back with them and send the plane back for you three as soon as Ranger can be discharged.”
“Haley, you’d better go on to Ranger’s room, or he might start getting restless. I’ll see you when you all get back to San Diego.” Once she was out of sight, Jackson turned to Kijika. “Do you think she and Ranger will end up together?”
“Yeah. If she doesn’t kill him first.”
Haley knocked on the door and heard a soft, “Come in.”
She cracked the door open and stuck her head inside. “It’s me.”
“Good. I missed you.”
She ran to his side, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and cried. “I almost killed you!”
“True. Your aim wasn’t much off, but you did get the bad guy. You thought you were alone, so of course you had to take action.” His fingers touched her chin. “Haley. Look at me.”
“What?”
“It wasn’t your fault. It does happen in a battle that occasionally the wrong person gets shot.”
“I’m so stupid. I feel awful. You may not be able to be a SEAL anymore.”
“Yes, I will. The doctor said I didn’t appear to have any permanent damage. But this is my second lucky break. I’d rather not have my third right away. Then I will be in trouble.” He grinned at her. “You’re so pretty.”
“Now I know your brain still isn’t right. I’m wearing the same clothes I put on this morning. I’m dirty and smelly, and…”
He pulled her head down and kissed her. “Has anyone told you before that you talk a lot?”
“Mostly my Dad. He said women should be quiet and not be involved with anything but the caring of the children, cooking, and housecleaning.”
“What did you say?”
“I was eating. I jumped up, ran around the table, and kicked my Dad’s leg. I yelled at him, and said I’d never marry a man that thought like he did.”
“How old were you?”
The SEAL’s Surprise Mate - Rachel McNeely Page 8
