Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

Hays leaned back in a plush recliner on one of Aiden Porter's jets, holding Elizabeth's hand. It was almost three in the afternoon, but it felt later. Elizabeth's stress radiated from her, and he hoped to convey his sincerity to protect and love her. He wasn't certain how good of a job he was doing.

Aiden had sent eight men plus the jet's pilot Paul Braven, who could fight as well as anybody. Hays had worked with Paul on an op to protect his good friends Shawn Holister and Julie Pandoran. When Hays had scaled a cliff in the middle of the night to take out the enemy, Paul had been right behind him. Fearless. Strong. Trained. Tested. Hays was happy to have Paul and Aiden's other men with him.

It was unnerving how little detail he had about the plan Aiden and Quaid were implementing, but they might be keeping him in the dark to keep Elizabeth calm. He'd focus on his objective and purpose—Elizabeth. He'd have to trust that Quaid and Aiden wouldn't miss any details for the rest of the plan. They were two men he could and did trust, but he'd give anything to have Jagger by his side right now.

He'd assumed she was asleep, but Elizabeth turned to look at him. Her blue eyes were full of panic. "Hays. I don't know if I can do this."

"Face your father?" he asked.

"Not that. I've faced him many times. If Quaid and Jacey are safe, I don't care what my father does to me." He started to protest, but she overrode him. "I don't know that I can have you as my guard. Peter knows about our connection and Father will have researched you. What if he hurts you, kills you, brings in one of your family members to torture until you break?" Her hand trembled in his.

"Liz." He knew it wasn't that she didn't trust him to fight or to protect her, but she was petrified of her father. How had she survived so many years in that mansion without love, without support? Even worse, she'd had to watch murder and torture, be manipulated, and keep up with her parents' horrific mind games.

He unbuckled her seat belt and easily lifted her off her seat and onto his lap.

"Hays," she said in surprise, but she immediately curled into him.

Hays cuddled her against his chest. The pressure of her in his arms was perfect. He prayed these stolen moments weren't all they'd have together.

"I wish I could take away all you've been through, but I can't." Hays paused. He might be quiet and always smiling, but nobody that fought with him had ever failed to rave about how brave he was. He was the guy who stormed in first, breached the wall, climbed the cliff, whatever needed to be done to succeed at the mission. It wasn't that he had nothing to lose, but before reuniting with Liz, he didn't have as much to lose as most of his team. Right now, he had to summon all his years of proving his bravery to say, "We can only go forward with faith." He wanted to say together but wasn't ready to breach both her hang-ups in the same breath.

She peered up at him. "But I don't have any faith."

"Then lean on mine until you find your own."

"Does it work like that?" She blinked and rested her hand on his chest. His pulse predictably took off, but he focused on holding her and comforting her and maybe helping her find her faith. It had touched his heart that Quaid's wife Anna had helped him find his Savior.

Hays had always turned to Jesus, and He'd never let him down. He might not get the answer he wanted immediately, like all the years he'd prayed for Elizabeth and hoped she'd someday love him. She hadn't admitted she loved him, but she was in his arms and for now, that had to be enough.

He had spent the last fourteen years training, fighting, and succeeding in the Navy and as a SEAL. He loved his family but rarely saw them. He loved his friends Jagger and Shawn and their wives, but if he and Elizabeth could escape to a cottage by the sea, he'd opt for early retirement and make that happen. If Elizabeth never found her faith, she could lean on his, just as he loved her leaning on him physically.

"It can," he said. "God has protected me more times than I can count. A few months ago, I was shot in the head and the arm."

"What?" She bolted up.

The other guards on the plane stirred.

"It's all right," Hays told them, waving a hand. He tugged Elizabeth back down against his chest. "The bullet only grazed my head, and look; the arm is all healed." He held up his arm and showed her the bullet wound.

Elizabeth inspected the entrance and exit points, then bent her head and pressed her soft lips next to each scar. Hays's body revved up. When could they ever be alone and kiss as long as he wanted to?

He was probably headed on the most dangerous mission of his life, and not only did he not know what the plan was, but he had the most important civilian in the world to protect. These minutes together might be all they had. Still, he wasn't going to kiss her thoroughly with an audience of eight highly trained security operatives watching on.

"I can't believe you were shot," she murmured.

He didn't tell her it wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last. Unless she'd escape to Greenland with him and he retired from the fight.

"I only told you because my best friend Jagger didn't believe in God. He lost the woman that he loved for fourteen years." She startled at that. It was intriguing that both he and Jagger had lost their loves at the same time. "When I got shot, Jagger was on the phone receiving the news that Mercedes Belle had died."

"I'm sorry about Mercedes. You were close friends?"

"Yes. She and Shawn Holister, the Viking Warrior, and Shawn's new wife Julie are my closest friends next to Jagger. Mercedes's dad, Franz Belle, is almost as close to me as my own father."

She snuggled in and peered up at him. Hays felt like they were stealing time. Soon the plane would descend to the Aspen airport and they'd begin the preparations for battle. For this moment, they could let down their guard and talk.

"You have impressive friends."

"They're the best. Who are your friends, Liz?" Had her parents allowed friends? As soon as he asked and she stiffened against him, he realized how dumb his question was.

"I don't get close to people," she admitted quietly. "It's safer for everyone that way."

Hays felt awful for asking and even worse thinking of how alone she had truly been. No one to confide in, to joke with, to hug? He was awed by how strong and resilient Elizabeth was, and nobody but him and maybe her siblings now saw the true Liz hiding under the ‘ice queen' shell of beauty and poise.

"What happened with Jagger?" she asked.

He understood why she'd redirected. If only he could tell her he'd be her best friend, her boyfriend, her everything. "He lost it. He held it together long enough to help take out the enemy and get pressure on my wounds, but then he yelled at Heavenly Father. He'd lost Belinda for fourteen years and still didn't know if they'd ever be together. He'd lost Mercedes, his dad, and his mom to death. How could God take me from him too?"

She blinked up at him. "I'd lose it if I watched you get shot."

He wanted to kiss her so badly. She loved him. He knew she did. But he doubted she'd ever say it. If she got the chance, she'd try to sacrifice herself for him and her siblings. She believed they could never be together. He prayed he could change her mind. He prayed Aiden and Quaid's plan was foolproof.

"I won't get shot then." He smiled at her.

She didn't return the smile. She clung to him. "What happened then?"

"I woke up and said his name. The head wound was superficial. It just knocked me out. He was relieved and he changed his heart, forgave Belinda's dad for some horrible things he'd done, and decided he had to go for Belinda. They're happily married now." He smiled, thinking of his best friends. They all missed Mercedes, but they were happy. Even her dad Franz was busy and doing well.

The woman Hays loved was injured emotionally and spiritually. He didn't know if he had the knowledge or ability to heal her, but he wouldn't give up.

"I'm happy for them."

"Thanks." He paused. "Liz. I'm no therapist, but I love you."

She startled at the words but said nothing, only stared at him with her mesmerizing blue eyes.

"I want to help," he continued. "Would it help to talk about what you've been through?"

"I've never talked to anyone about what I've been through."

"Jacey or Quaid?" he asked.

"No. I was the oldest. I took the burden and did all I could to protect them. As you heard, I failed. Quaid was beaten, belittled, tortured. Jacey was manipulated, traumatized, and saw almost as many horrible things as Quaid and I did. I have no idea how they're so incredible, confident, successful, and well-adjusted."

"Maybe you did more than you think. Your example of bravery and resiliency inspires me."

"Thank you." She gnawed at her lip and refocused away from his compliment. "Quaid and Jacey had Nanny Maria. They loved her. She adored them, taught them about Jesus, gave them love and comfort. I think having a mothering influence, even if it was only the year and a half before my mother killed her, made a lot of difference for them."

"You've never had anyone nurture you?"

"Only you." She swallowed and said, "And Mama Millie. For a day and a half. She was a sassy angel, don't you think?"

"Yes. She reminded me of my mom."

"Tell me about your family again."

When they'd been dating, she'd been hungry for details of his mom and dad, his two younger sisters, and family life. His family had a fraction of the means of hers, but she'd seemed jealous of the love, the family dinners, family prayers, trips to the beach on the weekend, his mom making him his favorite treat, his parents never missing a basketball game, him having to sit through ‘boring' dance and piano recitals. Little things he had taken for granted and missed now.

Hays started talking, telling her about each of his family members, what they were currently up to, his sister Shay, brother-in-law Mace and his niece and nephew, all the funny things they said when he talked to them on video chat or made it home to visit, his sister Carmel who was finishing up her master's in speech pathology at UNC.

He hadn't drawn Liz out like he wanted to. All he'd done was tell her stories. But she was cuddled against him, and she looked more relaxed than he'd ever seen her. Maybe that was enough for now. He'd given her a respite from the war she'd been fighting her entire life as they headed directly into the conflict again.

He prayed for the right path to help her heal, strengthen her, and love her. All he knew was he couldn't live without her. Not after being reunited like this. There had to be a reason God had brought them together again.

Hays would give his life to protect her.

He only prayed she wouldn't get the chance to sacrifice herself for all of them.