The Navy's Ghost (Bad Boys of Beta Squad) (29 page)

“Holy shit
, Retro, you using your knife?” She tried to keep her leg still, but her muscles jerked involuntarily.

Retro’s concentration never wavered as
his grip tightened on her foot.

Magic
snorted. “I doubt he’d want to have a knife anywhere near you at the moment, Ghost. Liable to get gutted.” Magic planted a knee into the soft bed of pine needles and wedged his hands beneath her shoulders. “Can you sit up for me? Gotta take a look at your shoulder and time’s a’wastin’.”

Chris clenched her abdominal muscles and tried to sit up while Magic pushed from behind. Between the pain and the draining adrenaline, her head spun and she almost folded in half. The ringing returned to her ears and she closed her eyes
, just wanting to rest for a little.

“Fuck, she’s going into shock.”

“How much blood did she lose?”

“Not too bad, but I don’t know how long it’s been since she’s eaten.”

“Ghost, I need you to focus and listen to me. We gotta move and I have to get your shoulder back into place. You with me? Ghost?”

Chris’s world floated back into focus for a moment, and she stared up at the faces around her. Two faces appeared, their features blurred by dark paint.
Hey, haven’t I been here before?
Both the faces wore tense concern.

“Stay with me, LT.”

“Magic?”

“That’s right. You think you could sit up again for me?”

Sit up? When had she gone down? Chris struggled to rise, using her arms to push herself up. Except, one arm refused to budge and screamed agony when she tried to move it.
Whiskey tango foxtrot?

“Retro, wrap up the foot. We gotta get movin’.” Magic tossed an ace bandage at the big SEAL before focusing on Chris. “
So remember when you told me the joke about a dyslexic Country singer, Ghost?” He steadied her bad arm, one hand on her bicep.

Chris frowned. What the hell was he going on about? “Which joke?”

“You know, the one where the guy sings about gettin’ his truck, his dog, and his woman back?”

“I don’t—”

Magic twisted and shoved at her shoulder. A sickening pop accompanied excruciating pain. She whimpered until the pain miraculously ended and she sat panting in its aftermath.

“Holy fuck. What the hell did you do to me?”

“Relocated your shoulder, Ghost. Come on. On your feet. We gotta go.” Magic glanced at Retro. “Got it wrapped?”

“Yeah, done.” Retro rolled to his feet, but stayed crouched. “Squad’s waiting for us. All cargo loaded. Just waiting on our arrival.”

“Good.” Magic grasped her under the arms and hauled her up with him. “Can you run on your foot, or do you need to be carried?”

“Aw
, hell, no. I’ll run.” Chris swayed a little as pain greeted her when she put weight on her left foot. “What the hell does everyone have against my left leg, anyway?”

She glanced up in time to catch the tail-end of the look the men shared over her head, but Magic flashed her a grin. “I’d say
if it still works after this, you got nothin’ to worry about. Sure you don’t want me to carry you?”

Chris suspected he
meant to goad her, but she snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure. Which way are we going, Retro?”

“That way.” He pointed ahead of her through more brush. “And we got company, so get moving.”

Chris nodded and took off at a jog, testing her foot against the ground. Pain reminded her she’d cut her heel with each step, but the sharpness dulled as she focused on the goal.
Find the LZ. Get on the helo.
The men came after her, Magic keeping pace and Retro muttering orders into his radio.

Somewhere in her fall Chris had lost the AK-47, but she didn’t
have the energy to worry about it. She’d put on a good show for the boys, but in truth she ran on determination and adrenaline. Energy had become a precious commodity and she couldn’t afford to waste any.

Voices shouting in Farsi carried through the trees from behind their steps and nervous excitement clenched Chris’s belly.
Why were they stupid enough to come after us?
She focused her attention on the flash of pain each time her left foot landed and the sight of the path ahead. Wet branches slapped her face and arms with cold caresses and her bare toes protested any stick or rock in the path.

She had no idea how far they had to run, but she’d be damned before she made the
men carry her. Hell, she carried nothing. Surely she could haul her own weight to the helo faster than they could run with her draped over them. Chris gritted her teeth against the increasing warnings from her heel and shoulder, and pounded on.

Gray light filtered through the trees just as gunfire sounded in their wake. Magic swung in behind her, his thundering steps urging her on. Chris heard the low
chuff-chuff
of the helo’s rotors against the air, but she had no extra energy left to make the final sprint. Her left leg faltered just as she hit a campsite clearing and folded under her.

Fuck, not now!
Chris tucked her arms around her head and rolled into a ball, skidding to a stop through the pine needle debris.

More gunfire, closer now, echoed below the
rotor beats and Chris unfolded, determined to reach the helo. She scrambled to her knees as Magic pounded up beside her and hauled her up. Instead of putting her on her feet, he threw her into a fireman’s carry over his shoulder and took off for the helo.

Shouts and shots blended into a crazy cacophony around her as
she bounced on Magic’s shoulder. The pain in her shoulder blended with the impacts to her stomach and she swallowed against nausea. The jouncing ride ended as Magic dumped her onto the helo’s deck, jumping in behind her. He immediately strapped her into a harness as Rimshot scrambled past her to get to the side gun. He cocked it and let loose a barrage of bullets over Retro’s head as the lieutenant ran flat out for the airship. Chris tried to see over Magic’s bulk, but he blocked her view by checking on the other women already strapped in.

Retro barreled into the open doors and the helo lifted off. Magic grasped his hand and hauled
Jim into the press of bodies before wedging himself in beside Chris, careful not to jar her shoulder. He propped her against his chest, leaning down until his lips brushed her ear.

“You okay?”

She gave him a weak thumbs-up with her good arm and settled back to watch the world sail past the open side door. Lindsey caught her eye and gave a tired smile from Bronco’s arms. The ugly bruise on her face had turned purple, but she’d gotten out alive and Chris scored it a victory. She turned her gaze toward MaryAnn, but Bam-Bam crouched in front of her, his shoulders tense.
Ah fuck, what a time to find out she’s a liar and a cheat.
Chris didn’t know if Greg had gotten the news, but he didn’t look as relaxed as Bronco or Magic.

Chris sought out Retro in the crush and he
dipped his head, his gaze full of some sort of emotion she was too tired to read. She nodded back and closed her eyes, content to relax against her husband’s chest. The pain in her foot exploded into her awareness as the adrenaline ebbed, and she groaned. Her body must have tensed because Magic steadied her injured arm and leaned in again.

“Shoulder or foot?”

“Foot.” She pointed to her wrapped limb.

“Back at base in five
mikes.”

“Roger that.”

Chris settled back, trying to think of anything to ignore the pain.
Think of something more pleasant.
The memory of Retro kissing her before they left the dam surfaced and uncertainty settled into her gut. Why had he been so insistent about wanting her? Chris closed her eyes
. Wanting doesn’t seem to be the problem.
He just hadn’t taken what she and Magic offered him.

His kiss had been hurried, but
it’d warmed places in her heart she hadn’t known were cold.
God, I want more of those moments, but I’m done begging and pushing.
A frown pulled the corners of her mouth down and she bit her cheek to stop any weepy tears.
Man up or ring out, Brickman.
She wasn’t sure that would work this time.

PART
4:
The Road Less Taken

Chapter Twenty

Magic watched the corners of Chris’s mouth turn down and his heart clenched in impotent fury. She weathered the pain well, but something pushed her close to tears. He wanted to slam his fist into something, anything, to release the frustration. Had Retro hurt her?
Fuck, let it go, man. It’s not Retro. It’s being a fuckin’ hostage for four damn days with no back-up.
Todd held his wife and thanked any deity listening for her survival and her heroism. She’d kept the other women alive. One day he’d ask to hear the stories about their time in captivity, but not tonight. Tonight he thanked his lucky stars Chris remained alive and in his arms.

The helo touched down
on the tarmac at Osborn Air Force Base and Magic eased from behind Chris to help unload the other women. Lindsay had an ugly facial contusion, some superficial scratches, and a bullet graze on her arm, but otherwise had sustained no real injuries. MaryAnn’s feet showed damage, but Greg had carried her most of the way, and any injuries were minor. She flew into hysterics, shrieking and crying over something as Greg hauled her over to the paramedics, but Magic turned his focus back to Chris.

Retro helped her unclip from the harness and gently picked her up. Magic’s throat closed with unexpected emotion at the sight of the two people he loved most in such a tender pose. Jim’s love for Chris
suffused his whole body, visible to anyone who’d care to notice. Todd hoped the stubborn bastard would pull his head out of his ass and admit it.

Let’s hope I got through to him and this seals the deal.

“Let’s get your foot unwrapped and cleaned.” Magic smiled down at Chris, but her expression remained stoic as the paramedic unwrapped the field dressing. “You all right?”

“Yeah, good. Glad to be out of there.” She kept her voice low and her sentences short, hissing when they pulled the last of the bandage off.

“Good, I gotta go brief the lt. commander. You good for now?” He searched her face, but she gave him no more than a nod and a thumbs-up. “Right. Back soon.”

Retro fell in beside him as Whittleton
met them on the tarmac. “Welcome back, gentlemen. Give me the report.”

“All three targets recovered and accounted for, sir.” Retro gestured back toward the paramedics. “Only minor injuries sustained in the run out. I haven’t checked with Rimshot, sir, but I don’t think we recovered one of the tangos alive. We took some heat and Ghost dislocated her shoulder, but otherw
ise, the squad came out without a scratch.”

“How many in
the cell?”

“Rough count puts it at fifteen.” Retro wiped his face with a bandana.

“That’s all we saw. Ghost may have different numbers.” Magic hooked a thumb back toward the ambulance.

“Did you have to go in to get them?”

“No, sir. Ghost led the women out to us.” Magic couldn’t hide the pride in his voice.

Whittleton raised his eyebrows. “
She brought them to you? How many dead inside?”

“I only saw one, sir, but we didn’t have time to do more recon before the others lit us up.”

“Nice work, gentlemen. I’d like to talk to Lt. Brickman—oh, sorry, Magic—Hunter.”

“Yes, sir.”

They followed the commander back to where Chris sat. She’d been given a sling for her arm while the paramedics worked on her lacerated heel.
Hell, I should’ve carried her.
But there’d been no time and Chris would smack him up the side of the head if she could hear his thoughts.

“H
ow are you doing, Lieutenant?” Whittleton scanned her dirty clothes with distaste.

“Good, sir. Ready to go home, though.” Chris’s voice remained even despite the work the paramedic did on her heel.

“Roger that. I hear you met the squad outside on your way out.”

“Yes, sir. I didn’t know if you got my text or not, so I figured I’d make it a little easier to pick us up.” She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “We weren’t doing t
oo bad until the end there. No way to get out quietly then.”

“Any major injuries?” He gestured to her foot and shoulder.

“No, sir, just a dislocated shoulder and a lacerated heel. Nothing bad.”

“We’d like to keep her overnight at the base hospital for observation and rehydration.” The paramedic finished strapping on a walking cast boot over her bandaged foot.

“No, thank you, sir. I’ll be getting on the C-130 home.” Chris’s statement matched the stubborn light in her eyes.
Aw, hell, she’s gonna fight.
Somehow, he hoped she’d win because he wanted her home as much as she did.

“It’s
standard operating procedure after a hostage situation, Lieutenant,” the paramedic insisted.

“Yeah, if the situation is life threatening.” She raised her chin and
stared at the commander. “But a dislocated shoulder and a lacerated heel are not going to kill me and I can always go to the hospital in Coronado after a two hour flight home. I’ll sleep and drink on the way there. Hell, I’ll even accept an IV, but I am going home with my squad.”

“Sir, as part of our standard protocols—”

Whittleton held up his hand when
Chris’s expression hardened. Magic would take bets on how long she’d stay in the hospital if determined to get home. SEALs made their own rules and she’d get home, come hell or high water, the moment their backs turned.

“
We’ll put in paperwork to cover the change, Corporal.” Whittleton nodded at Chris. “But you’re going to the base hospital in Coronado for observation and you will do as the doctors suggest for the time. No questions asked, Lieutenant. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

The paramedic flattened his mouth in protest, but Stanton appeared beside the commander, his silence startling even amongst the quiet SEALs.

“I’m sorry, sir. None of
the tangos survived. The clean-up crew reports only bodies.”

“There should be one still alive
.” Chris grimaced as she shifted her arm. “In the room where they held us. Lindsey Andrews incapacitated one and tied him up. He might still be out cold, but he’s not dead.”

“Tell them to check the storage room on the north side of the dam. Is it locked, Lieutenant?”

“Yeah. He should be trussed up like a goose. Ask Lindsey how she left him.”

Stanton winked at Chris. “I’m surprised you didn’t kill him.”

“Eh, I’d already gotten three others. I figured I should let her have a crack at one. But you know cops.” She gave a half smile.

They all shared a
chuckle and Stanton took off to find a radio.

“How many were inside before you got out, Lieutenant?” Whittleton asked.

“Six, sir.” Chris shrugged. Magic couldn’t have been more proud. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL. He bet they’d never seen her coming.

Whittleton
almost said more, but his attention shifted as shouting came from the other ambulance parked on the tarmac. The commander frowned and Chris mumbled something that sounded like, “Aw, shit” as Greg roared at his sobbing wife.

“Excuse me.”
Whittleton strode toward the commotion.

“It looks like you’re good to go, Lieutenant.” The paramedic gathered up his gear. “
Lots of fluids and see the base doctor as soon as you get in to Coronado.”

“Will do.” Chris
gave him a thumbs-up and he left to tend to Lindsey.

Magic glanced over at Whittleton talking with Greg. “What’s going on?”

“I suspect MaryAnn told Greg she was fucking Leon Jackson behind his back.” Retro’s voice held derision.

“What?” Visceral repugnance soured Todd’s stomach.

“She cheated on Bam-Bam with the rich prick.” Jim’s voice dropped to raspy growl. “The asshole didn’t even know the difference between Army and Navy.”

“You knew, Retro?” Chris’s face showed surprise.

“Yeah. Found out when investigating your disappearances. Met the dick she was banging.”

Magic’s stomach clenched. The SEALs worked their asses off the protect home and family. Being cheated on by the ones th
ey protected would make any man question his efforts.
Aw, shit, is that what Chris feels when we leave her to go on missions?

Retro swore and shook his head
. “How did you know, Ghost?”

“
MaryAnn let it slip when I told her to run full out. I figured she’d gone to the gym enough.” Chris shrugged, but disgust curled the corners of her mouth down. “I almost left her behind, but even I’m not that much of a bitch.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you,” Retro
said.

“Yeah, maybe not, but I would have, and so would Bam-Bam.” She shook her head. “It’s
just a fucked up situation. Better he finds out now than later, but shit, it sucks.”

Magic crouched beside
Chris, taking her good hand while she stared at him in surprise. “Do you ever feel that way when we go on ops now that you can’t come with us?”

He hadn’t meant to sound so worried, but he
refused to lose Chris through ignorance or negligence. She understood his duty, but he had one to her, too. And damn, he’d almost lost her to something else entirely.
No fuckin’ way will I let her ever believe I don’t want her.
He’d do just about anything to prove it to her now.

****

Retro waited with his breath held.
Damn, it’d kill Magic if Chris found someone else while the squad got deployed.
Hell, it’d kill him, too. Jim wanted no one else but Chris. He’d even given up any hope at personal happiness to preserve Chris and Todd’s relationship, not poisoning it with his kinky needs.

Except Todd had told him he was
full of shit, and Jim was starting to believe him.

“Todd, I know better than any ot
her woman what all you and the squad have to do. I know you can’t tell me specifics, but shit, I’ve lived them already. I don’t need to know the new ones.” Chris cupped her husband’s cheek and Retro swallowed back a sharp stab of yearning. Damn, he wanted that from her, too. “You have my fidelity. I don’t feel neglected. I know what you’re doing, and even if I can’t be with you to protect your ass, I can train the new green bastards coming to try out this gig.”

Todd exhaled so hard it sounded like a sob as he grabbed his wife and hauled her into a tight embrace. She closed her one good arm around him and rested her head against his shoulder. Jim fought the onslaught of yearning and relief alternately tightening his shoulders and
releasing his stomach. Intellectually, Jim had known Chris understood what they did, but the game had changed since her injury.

The only shitty thing about
his position stemmed from Chris’s apparent lack of interest in him. He’d tried to tell her he’d changed his mind and wanted to take her up on her previous offer to share with Magic. But the way she held Magic now and her quick dismissal of Jim at the dam told him she’d moved on.

“I love you so much, darlin’.” Todd kissed
her and Jim had never been so envious in his life. “I thank God you’re okay.”

“Yeah, well, get me home and you can show me properly.” Chris met Jim’s gaze briefly, but she grimaced and turned her eyes away before he could move.

God damn, he wished he could show her how much he’d missed her.

“Right, let’s get you into the cargo plane for the ride home.”

Magic lifted Chris and carried her onto the plane while Retro collected their gear. He couldn’t stand to be too close to them or Bronco and his wife. The love and gratitude coming off them rankled too much. His gaze strayed to where Whittleton tried to calm Killian down and Retro grimaced. He hadn’t really liked MaryAnn, but her actions made her downright deplorable.

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

Retro glanced over in surprise at Magic. He hadn’t heard the
other man come up beside him.

“I never imagined MaryAnn would be
unfaithful to Bam-Bam.” Magic shook his head in disgust. “He’s like the SEAL version of
Semper fi
. He never stepped out on her when we had downtime deployed. It’s just sick.”

Retro swore softly as Killian stalked away from his wife and
up the ramp of the C-130 in his rage. He avoided Lindsey and Chris, his expression tight and angry.

“
Like I said, it’s pretty hard on the wives. Not all of them can handle us being gone all the time.”

“
Yeah, but most of them know what they’re gettin’ into from the start. You figured out what’s most important yet?”

Retro shook his head, unwilling to answer the question. He was pretty sure he’d lost it. “
At least Chris knows the kind of shit we get into.” Retro shook his head. “I bet she wishes she could watch over your ass all the time.”

“Both our asses, Jim.” Magic grabbed his shoulder. “She still wants you, you know.”