"What the fuck, asshole?" I lean forward and punch him in the gut. This is serious shit.
"You, man. Your head's tripping over this chick. I fucking love it. Now I really can't wait to meet her. Hell, I'm counting the days down now." And fuck me. Just like that, the three of us sit around, finish up our business, and call it a night. The last thing I say as I walk out the door is, "Keep your eyes off of her. If you even look at her ass, I swear to fucking god I will shove a stick of dynamite up yours and light that bitch."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JADE
Kaleb reached out to both Harris and I, saying he needs us to fly to the compound. He's sending a private plane, and we're supposed to be there tonight to meet the entire team and organize the Intel they've received on our guy. My nerves are a little shot about this mission, but I'm sure it's just that I'm going in with only Harris and Maverick at my back as of right now. I'm hoping I'll feel better once I meet them all.
My emotions are mixed with the nerves of the mission and with meeting Kaleb's two best friends.
"I wish you weren't leaving. Can you please promise you'll call me as soon as you can? I can tell you guys are all up to something big, and I'll respect you enough to not ask any questions." Mallory throws her arms around my shoulders before she pulls me in tight for a nice hug.
"I'll call when I can." I hold her just as tight.
"I know you will eventually, but shit, I'm worried, so please make it soon." I need to go. My head needs to be in the game, so I pull away from her. I can't be touched right now, not even in a caring way. It's time to get my head on straight for this mission.
"Be ready for that pamper day you keep asking me about. I'm due for one soon, and it would be a great thing to look forward to when I get back," I say truthfully.
"For sure. Now please be careful, and if you get a chance to talk good about me to Beau, I'd really appreciate it."
"You know I will, but you have to tell me how it all went at the ranch." My phone begins to vibrate mid-sentence. It's Harris. Shit, that was fast.
"Elliott, I'm pulling onto your street now, we have to leave, so meet me outside." He seems stressed and bossy as hell, but I begin to grab my single bag of belongings, knowing I won't have much room for anything on this mission.
"Mal, I have to go now. I love you, girl, and I'll be in touch as soon as I can."
"Love you too. Be safe." I turn and walk out the door as I let the rush of the situation wash over me. I didn't dare tell her how dangerous this mission is. I could never deal with the look on her face if she realized the severity of this. My mom and dad kept telling me to be safe too when I called them to cancel. Of course I'll be safe. There's no other option.
"You ready to do this?" Harris is walking up the driveway when I step outside.
"You bet your ass." Confidence and clarity are vital. I'll be using this flight to get my clarity in check. My confidence comes easy.
We both start talking about what we know about the mission, which isn't much. The drive to the private plane is very short, and there's an oversized hanger we're instructed to pull his truck inside of. I grab my bag and take a deep breath. Harris just moves without a thought, so I draw from his courage at the moment and step out of the truck to start this journey.
"Morning. Captain Harris and Captain Elliott, I'll be your pilot." I watch a massive silhouette walk into the hanger out of the bright sunshine. His swagger is cocky and confident, and I'm instantly intrigued.
"Name is Trevor. We don't have time for you to gawk at me, ma'am. We have to move." Harris smiles as we both walk, directly following this Trevor guy. My eyes do fall on his perfect ass for a short second before I catch myself. Shit, I'm going to have to watch that.
The flight takes a few hours, and Harris and I don't talk much. He talks to the pilot as we fly across part of the US, and I find my peace and clarity.
This is my life now. Exactly what I'm trained to do and the very thing I prayed I'd have the opportunity to be a part of. A mission like this only comes to an elite group, and I'm now going on two back to back. Going AWOL was an easy decision once I found out who we're going in for. My superior didn't give me any issues when I reported my status. I didn't share any details about this mission with him, which he didn't ask about either. He seemed more concerned about me having clearance from the psych evaluations.
My mind shifts to Kaleb. Honestly, I'm excited to see this side of him. Not many men can lead something like this using only private resources. His dedication to his career is evident in the way this is all playing out, and I can't tell you how sexy that is to me. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it is a man who gets things done. He's determined, and I can only hope he continues to be focused on me once we all return from this mission.
We land before I know it, and this is when everything goes quickly. We follow Trevor into a Hummer that's waiting for us, drive a few minutes across a field, then pull up next to a log house that appears to be very new. I'm working overtime to pull in all I can as I look around to know my surroundings. Three more log cabin style homes in view and a dog on my left. Two men standing next to a helicopter and another three in front of the house we pull up to. Movement toward us pulls my focus back to the men by the helicopter.
Once we're all standing near, Kaleb steps out of the house, and I feel my tension decrease. My anxiety falls slightly, and I don't miss his stare straight into my heart. The hungry look in his eyes matches mine, and I decide right then that he matches my cravings when it comes to the adrenaline of this kind of stuff.
"Captain Elliott, Captain Harris, this is my team. You've met the pilot Steele, this is Bullet, Tank, Ace, and Vice, and that grinning fool over there is Action Jackson. Everyone come inside, so I can brief you before we leave out."
He stands holding the front door open, allowing everyone through as he watches me. I wait till the end to walk up and feel the warmth of his smile move over me in this otherwise cold situation. Tension is definitely in the air when I step through the door and look at the men standing together in the large living area. A few begin to sit at the long dining room table, so the rest of us follow.
"We don't have much time. Pierce, get the images up." He brushes his hand across my back as he passes me to take his spot at the head of the table, allowing him access to the technology surrounding us. The guy he called Ace earlier begins to put information on the large wall behind Kaleb's back.
"This is Al-Quaren. He has a few look-a-likes surrounding him at all times, so we're looking for these specific markings." He shows scars on the target's arm and neck as well as a small mole on the side of his face. His features are hard to see with the thaub he seems to always wear. "I need him alive. We go in and pick him up. If you're in this room, I expect you to have anyone else's back in here as if you'd have mine. This is a big mission for me before I take some much needed fucking time off. These orders came from The President himself, so don't fuck this up."
"We're flying in tonight then immediately boarding a waiting truck . We'll reach the drop locations later that night. We'll go in, fuck shit up, grab his ass, and then get the fuck out. Here are the pictures of his pussy sidekicks you have my permission to blow their heads off once you verify it's not our guy." He begins to show us pictures of five men who look very similar. I work to notice noses, lips, and eyes, focusing on the slightest differences.
"Each of you will have a packet with all of this information. I want you studying the shit out of it on the flight. Know these fuckers like you'd know your own mom before we land that bird."
I stop obsessing just slightly, knowing I'll have another chance to look. Kaleb keeps his focus on the mission and does very well hiding our relationship from the guys, which I'm thankful for.
"You each have a bag with your gear in it and your fake IDs with clearance back into the US in the event there are any problems. I've given you everything we need to do this without limitations. You'll have heat and night vision capabilities, and your weapons are the ones you're used to using. There's no time to be hesitating even one single fucking second out here. Wear your goddamn vests and headgear with the rest of the clothes and this should go easy." He pauses to look at me for just a slight second.
"Have each other's backs. This is a ride or die team, and I want you to include Harris and Elliott in on that. I promise you they have the talent to save your asses out here." His intense stare into his team's eyes leaves no room for discussion. This is him protecting me. I know this. He knows this.