15. Green

15 GREEN

Keaton

While the storm around us had ended, another was brewing. Six steel blades cut into the night sky like a knife through hot butter. I had no idea how Duncan got his hands on a Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, nor did I question why there were four, heavily armed, Army Rangers escorting us to our destination. The more the merrier, in my opinion. As long as I got to Henley, the boys in green could do whatever the fuck they wanted.

“Five minutes out,” the pilot called over the headset we were all wearing.

I’m coming, baby. Stay strong for me.

“How’re you holding up?”

“I’m not the one in the clutches of a killer, Duncan.”

“Let me rephrase. Where’s your head? Do I need to worry about you going solo or are you prepared to follow the plan?”

He was right to question my intentions, but it still pissed me off. The chopper would set down about a mile south of where the cabin was located. We’d then hike the remaining distance under the cover of darkness to lessen the chance of our approach being detected.

“Henley’s and Jade’s lives are on the line. I won’t do anything to increase the risk to them. You have my word.” I looked him in the eye, letting him see the truth in my words, even as my heart screamed at me to burn the world to the ground; destroying anything that stood in my way. But there were too many unknowns, too many variables to take stupid chances. I had faith in my team. They’d give up their lives to protect the girls and each other. I knew it to the depths of my soul, just as I’d do for them.

“I’ve got Koen on the sniper rifle and you’re not to leave my side. Are we clear?”

“Translucent.”

“Christ,” he rolled his eyes. “What the hell did I do in my past life to be stuck babysitting you two lovesick idiots.”

In the past couple of hours, we've witnessed a distinct change in Koen. Normally, he was a pretty chill guy, but ever since we watched the video, there was an edge to him I’d never witnessed before. I knew he had feelings for Jade, though I don’t think he realized how strong they were until he saw she was in danger.

When the pilot announced thirty seconds until touchdown, we secured our Kevlar vests in place, then double-checked our rifles and sidearms. We had enough ammunition between us to take down a small army. Considering we had no idea what Camden had in store for us out in those woods, we’d prepared for the worst-case scenario.

“We’ve got this, Keaton.” Lanie pounded her fist against my shoulder.

The second the wheels touched the ground, eight of us in total, were out the door, with the pilot staying behind to secure the craft. The cabin was situated due east of the small river we’d use to guide our way in. Duncan took command, forging a path through the rough terrain with our night-vision goggles in place. Our heads were on a constant swivel, searching for any booby traps Camden may have set to slow us down. Right now, we had the advantage, since he had no idea we were here, but one misstep could ruin our carefully constructed plan.

We weren’t a hundred yards into the dense forest when one of the soldiers stopped abruptly, holding his fist high in the air. We froze on the spot as he pointed low to the left where a razor-thin wire—known as a trip wire—was stretched between two tree trunks. The other two followed it around to the back of one of the trees, with one of them calling out over the communication units in our ears, “C4. Enough to level a house. I need forty-five seconds to disarm.”

“Copy that, Echo Two,” Duncan acknowledged.

I probably should have paid better attention when he’d introduced us to the Echo team before we boarded the Black Hawk. They were part of an elite group of soldiers whose commander owed Duncan a favor; it was all I needed to know.

We were more than halfway to our destination when the river came into view. The low, constant roar of the rapidly moving water would serve to mask any sounds we could possibly make as we traversed across the rocky landscape.

“I don’t like this,” Duncan whispered beside me minutes later as we crawled on our bellies to the edge of the trees. They opened up to a small clearing where the cabin sat directly in the middle. “It was too easy.”

I agreed wholeheartedly. Besides the one trip wire, we hadn’t encountered any other lines of defense. Camden wasn’t stupid by any means, and because of the way the cabin was situated, there was no cover to hide our approach. Meaning we needed to stay sharp.

“I’m in the eagle’s nest,” Koen’s voice sounded in our ears, letting us know he’d found somewhere high up—probably a tree—to take aim.

“Echo One is in position.”

“Echo’s Two and Three are good to go.”

“Noah and I are to the east,” Lanie reported. “Curtains are drawn so we can’t see any movement inside.”

“Eyes on the prize, kid.” Duncan pulled up to a knee with his rifle poised at the ready. I did the same. “Move in.”

Side by side, Duncan and I advanced; our footsteps in perfect sync with each other.

Fifty yards.

Forty.

Almost there, baby.

Flood lights blazed to life from the roof, illuminating the entire area in an instant at the same time the front door swung wide. Camden stepped onto the porch with Henley and Jade, who were thankfully fully clothed again, positioned like a shield with their wrists zip-tied in front of them. Blood dripped from Henley's hands from where the plastic had obviously cut into her delicate skin. Bastard.

“Glad you could join us, Calvin.” He grinned, looking around. “Though it took you a little longer than I expected.”

“Let them go, Camden, or should I call you Declan?”

My team converged simultaneously, surrounding him on all sides. Even with seven rifles aimed at his head––eight if you included Koen, who remained out of sight––he didn’t appear anxious, just the opposite, in fact.

“So you figured it all out, huh? Not surprising. You got your brains from your father.”

“There’s a bomb under my jacket, Keaton,” Henley cried out, tears flooding her bloodshot eyes.

“Do. Not. Move,” Duncan barked through gritted teeth, but he didn’t have to worry. I went lethally still when I saw the square remote-looking object in Camden’s hand. Her whimper of pain when he viciously yanked her by the arm against him sent flashes of red across my vision, as did the bruising I saw forming on her cheek.

He was a dead man walking.

Set up the shot, Koen. The voice in my head screamed.

Swallowing down the bile creeping up my throat, I zeroed in on Henley. Her distress was palpable. “It’s okay, baby. We’ve got you.” Glancing at Jade, who appeared to be ready to crawl out of her skin, I amended my statement. “Both of you.”

“Snitches get stitches, Henley,” he cooed in her ear, dragging the detonator down the side of her face. Rivers of tears flowed from her gorgeous eyes while her entire body trembled in his grasp. “That was our little secret.”

“Fuck you,” she sneered, wiping her tears away on her shoulder.

Easy, baby.

“Why the charade?” I pulled his attention away from her. “If this was all about getting revenge on me for putting my father behind bars, why not just come after me?”

“Is that what you think?” His sinister laugh formed a pit in my stomach. “Imagine my surprise when you waltzed into my bar all those years ago. I’d been waiting for a sign, then there you were. Playing with you was nothing more than a final fuck you to my big brother, nephew . Those women deserved what they got. Every last one of them were cheating whores, just like my mother. Christ, that bitch couldn’t even own up to her mistakes. She shipped me off the second I was born, not giving a damn the man she willingly spread her legs for was a bastard who got a little handsy when he’d had too much to drink.”

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Did my dad?” A thought sparked in my brain. “He didn’t, did he?”

“I thought when he found out he had a brother, he’d bring me into the fold; give me a high-powered job at his company and we’d rule the world together, like we always should have.”

“Target acquired,” I heard in my ear.

“Instead, he kept you a secret.” I edged forward, keeping my eyes on him—along with the red dot—which appeared in the middle of his forehead from Koen’s scope. Camden was so lost in his head; he didn’t even notice my movement.

“After he took the fall, I held onto hope he’d come around one day, but the last time I visited him in prison, I saw it in his eyes. He was gonna give me up to save himself, the narcissistic bastard.”

Everything clicked into place. I’d always wondered why a man who believed he was above the law committed suicide. Now, I knew.

“You had him killed.”

“It’s amazing what people will do for a couple of cartons of cigarettes and a measly hundred bucks.” He shrugged.

“What now?” Duncan voiced.

“The fun begins. Let’s see how much you can endure. Here, Henley, hold this.” He transferred the device to her hand, wrapping her finger around the trigger mechanism. “Don’t let this go unless you want us to all go boom.”

“Give me the signal, goddammit,” Koen growled as Camden reached into his pocket.

“Close your eyes, baby. ”

“Green,” Duncan commanded.

The snick of the knife opening was the only warning I got before he drove it deep into her side; her gasp was drowned out by the report of the rifle firing.

Henley

“Henley.” His voice sounded like it was a million miles away, even though I swore he’d been right in front of me. At least I thought he had been until a blade of fire penetrated my side and a loud boom made my ears ring. Everything happened so quickly, I hadn’t even had a chance to close my eyes like Keaton asked. One minute, Camden was behind me, the next he was lying on his side with blood seeping out of a hole in his head. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t get the breath to leave my lungs.

God, I wish I’d closed my eyes.

My knees buckled, sending me crashing into the unforgiving surface below. Feeling the remote in my hands start to slip free, I panicked, squeezing the trigger with both hands, not caring about the fact my body was on a collision course with the porch. Warm arms circled my shoulders, stopping my descent mere seconds before my head bounced off the wood.

“I've got you, baby.” He positioned my head on his thigh and pressed his hand firmly into my side. The pain was so intense, it made me see stars. “I’m so sorry, but I have to stop the bleeding.”

“It’s okay, Henley. Let me have this,” Duncan pried my fingers off the little black box, handing it to someone wearing all black next to him. Then he snipped at the restraints on my wrists, releasing another wave of agony through my body .

“Jade,” I rasped, fighting for breath through the agony.

“I’m right here.” She grabbed my hand. “You’re gonna be fine.”

“Agent Parker,” the soldier called out. “We need to roll her so I can disconnect the power source on the vest.”

“Fuck that. Take it off of her,” Keaton sneered.

“It’s okay, honey.” I reached up to stroke his jaw, but stopped when I saw the blood dripping down my arm. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Fuck,” he said again. “Get the chopper here, now.”

“Move, Keaton.” Lanie shoved her way in. “I’ve got the first aid kit.”

When she replaced his hand with wads of gauze, I groaned. “Shit, I was wrong. That hurts like a motherfucker.”

Lanie worked fast, wrapping each of my mangled wrists before moving back to apply pressure to the other wound. I stared into Keaton’s loving eyes through it all. He was my compass, my North Star. There was never any doubt in my mind that he’d save me.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Shh, baby.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Henley.” He swiped his thumb across my cheek.

“I’m afraid this next part isn’t going to feel much better, Henley.” Duncan squatted down next to my head. “This is Captain Hanson Pierce, Echo One to his close friends. We need to sit you up a bit so we can take the vest off of you carefully without disturbing the wires too much. Do you think you can handle it?”

I nodded, though I was pretty certain I’d just lied to him. Keaton repositioned himself, getting up on his knees while keeping one arm behind my shoulders, holding me steady. Slowly, he began to sit me forward with Lanie matching our pace, never lessening the force of pressure she was holding at my side. I hissed through my teeth as black spots dotted my vision.

“Breathe through the pain, baby. In and out.”

Once fully upright, Duncan and Captain Pierce carefully unzipped my jacket, revealing the vest loaded with explosives underneath. My heart pounded away in my chest at the memory of when Camden had forced me to put it on. How he said if I didn’t, he’d shoot Jade and let her bleed out right in front of me. He’d known the instant they were close, even made us watch their trek through the woods on a monitor in the living room. He was almost gleeful when he told us how he’d purposefully only set one trap, with the intention of letting them get to us quickly, so he could go down in “a blaze of glory.” The guy was whacked in the head.

“Here comes the hard part.” Duncan slipped one wrist out of the sleeve, then had to pull the material in order to get my entire arm free. The motion twisted my torso at the exact spot the knife had entered and my world faded to black.

“Open those beautiful emerald eyes, baby.” His deep voice was music to my ears, if only someone would make the incessant beeping in the background stop.

“Maybe you should give her some space, Keaton,” a male voice I didn’t recognize spoke. “You’re gonna scare the poor girl if she wakes up to your ugly mug hovering over her. ”

“Stop it, Jasper.”

Jasper? Where did I know that name from?

“He knows I’m only messing with him, Heather.”

Oh no. Jasper and Heather?

Those were the names of the people who took Keaton in after his father went to prison. I remember them from when he told me the story. But what in the world were they doing here? And where the hell was here?

Blinking my eyes open, the world began to come into focus, starting with the gorgeous man smiling down at me.

“There she is.” He leaned down to kiss my lips.

“Hey,” I croaked.

“How are you feeling?” I inhaled, preparing to answer, then winced when I felt a twinge on my right side. “He didn’t hit anything vital, but you lost a good amount of blood before we were able to fly you here.”

“Fly?”

“In a helicopter, baby.”

“Dammit,” I huffed. “My first helicopter ride and I was unconscious.”

“I’ll take you on another one someday.” He chuckled, positioning himself on the bed next to me.

“Where are we?”

“Cabell Huntington. It was the closest trauma center.” Lanie stepped away from the wall she was leaning against. Looking around the room, I noticed everyone was here, all of Keaton’s team plus a few extras. Everyone except Koen and Jade.

Seeing the question written on my face, Noah answered, “She’s fine, but her brother showed up here raising holy hell, so Koen took them both home. She said to tell you she’d come by to see you in the morning.”

“I’m Heather, by the way.” A gorgeous, curvy blonde came forward. “Since no one seems in a rush to start the introductions.”

“Jesus, woman.” A man, probably in his fifties, tucked her into his side. “And I’m Jasper. We were hoping to meet you under different conditions, but when Keaton called, we knew he needed us here.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.”

A knock sounded on the door; however, the person didn’t wait for permission to enter before they did. When he strutted into the room I knew why.

“Miss Graves, we meet again.” Dr. Stallworth maneuvered around the crowd of people gathered at my bedside.

“You know this tool?” Lanie asked.

“Unfortunately,” I muttered under my breath.

“I see you’re here this time for a knife wound instead of your diabetes,” he continued, oblivious to the daggers being thrown his way from my friends. “Since you don’t have the funds to pay for an extended hospital stay, I’ll see what I can do about getting you discharged immediately.”

“What the fuck?” Keaton growled.

“If you’d excuse me, sir. I need to examine my patient.”

“No, you don’t.” Keaton stood, towering over him by a few inches. “What you need to do is get her a new doctor before I find a reason to put your arrogant ass in handcuffs.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You know? Handcuffs? Not the fun, fuzzy kind either,” Noah added, moving to the opposite side of my bed in a protective stance.

“What’s your name?” Waverly, who’d been observing from the small couch in the corner, spoke up.

“Dr. Richard Stallworth.”

“Well, Dick . You’ve landed yourself in quite a pickle here, so let me give you the rundown.” She rose, pulling her badge from her purse. “I’m Resident Agent in Charge Waverly Mitchell of the FBI. To my left, is my second-in-command, Special Agent Duncan Palmer. Besides the two of us, in this room there are three more federal agents, as well as the CEO of Renshaw International, and one seriously pissed-off momma bear who’d love to have a go at you. The woman lying in that bed is one of us, so by waltzing your sorry ass in here and treating her like garbage, you’ve insulted a group of people who could make you disappear inside of a black site prison without blinking an eye.”

I was almost certain she was joking…almost, until I took in the faces of everyone else. No one was laughing, in fact, Lanie wasn’t the only one I saw with a hand on their weapon.

“I’ll get someone else.” He turned, heading for the door.

“Good decision, asshole.” Duncan patted him on the back as he went by, hard enough to make him stumble. “Our work here is done. We’ve got a shit ton of paperwork to be completed and Henley could use some more rest.”

One by one, they gave me a hug, then filed out of the room, leaving Keaton and me alone. He returned to his place on the bed, turning on his side and curling his arm over my stomach. No words were spoken. None were needed. We’d been through something horrible-–– traumatizing, even––but we were still here, battered but not broken. Alive and breathing. Better still, there was a brand-new lightness behind his soulful eyes. As if the echoes of the past, which had haunted him all these years, had finally been silenced.

“Move in with me.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me, baby.” His hand shifted to rub circles across my belly .

“Isn’t it too soon?”

“Do you love me?”

“With everything I am,” I answered honestly.

“Then make me the happiest man in the world. Marry me.”

I jolted. “Whoa…wait…what? Where did that come from? A second ago, you asked me to move in with you. Now it’s marriage?”

“I want it all with you, Little Bird.” He propped his hand on his elbow. “Life’s too short to wait.”

Truer words had never been spoken. My hopes of becoming a social worker may have crashed and burned, but finding Keaton opened up a brand-new treasure trove of dreams to reach for. Which was how I found myself uttering the only word I could.

“Yes.”