Jack nodded his hello and leaned, arms crossed, against the table.
“Matt here taking good care of you, Blake?” Jimmy asked.
John nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Beneath his facemask, he smiled. “No formalities around here. Save your sirs for Commander Miller.” Jimmy looked John up and down. “You ready, Blake?”
He was probably about as ready as he was going to be, so he nodded. “Yes, s—” John caught himself before the whole sir came out.
Jimmy didn’t comment on it. Instead, the swaggering southern brother was all business now. He turned to Coleman. “Matt, call in Bull, BB and Trey. Let’s get Blake here briefed so we can get this show on the road. It’s gonna be a long night. Might as well get it started sooner rather than later.”
Coleman nodded.
While John waited for the others to filter over and assemble, he had a moment to marvel at the team dynamics. No one used their ranks. Except for Commander Miller, they were all considered equals on the team, no matter what rank they had achieved before being recruited. Miller had explained that to him already. For a career Army man like John, it seemed just plain strange.
“All right, Blake. This is your show tonight.”
John raised a brow at Jimmy. “Me?”
“Yup. Here is your team. Matt will be on the console. Anything you need that involves technology or a computer, he can provide it for you. The big boy here is Bull. He’s our explosives expert. Remember that. He will likely be your best friend tonight. Trey here is our language expert. You may be needing him too because you just never know what will be thrown at you.” Jimmy halted a second. “That was a big-ass hint right there, Blake. Make sure you take note of it.”
John’s brows shot up. “Okay. Uh, thanks.”
Language expert? What the hell?
“But of course, it all depends on how good you are,” Jimmy continued and grinned at him, making John wonder what the hell this assignment entailed that he would need a bomb expert and a language specialist to complete it.
The training leader went on. “BB here is the team’s pretty face, but don’t let that fool you. He’s also our number one underwater guy. We may be in the woods here, but there are a few big-ass lakes around, and that is the last hint you’re getting from me. Next, you’ve already met my brother Jack. His specialty, besides cracking bad jokes, is hand-to-hand combat. I’m a sharpshooter myself. You’re to use all of us and our collective skills to complete this assignment.”
Great. The question remained, what the hell was this assignment?
“Matt. Map, please.”
At Jimmy’s command, Coleman unrolled a map onto the field table, which now that John was all suited up, was empty except for the battery-operated lantern.
John leaned forward as Jimmy tapped one finger.
“We are here. We need to get there.” He moved his finger to a point in the far corner of the map. “Between here and there can be anything you’d expect the baddies to throw at you—hidden IEDs, armed insurgents, possibly an ambush and a few more surprises. Your job is to get us from here to there unharmed.”
John leaned back and let out a breath. He was in the middle of the freaking woods somewhere in North Carolina where he didn’t know the terrain on a dark and nearly moonless night. He took stock of his assets. He had the stars since the night was clear. He had a map. He had a team of trained men who were experts in their respective fields. More importantly, he had good instincts and his experience from Iraq.
“How long do I have?”
Jimmy smiled at him. “As long as you need and can avoid capture.”
John nodded.
Let the games begin.
Chapter Seventeen
It was the fourteenth. John had said he would be stateside on the fourteenth and call as soon as he could. But still no call.
Maureen had barely gotten through the day at work. Now, as the hours ticked by and it got later and closer to midnight, she realized he would not be calling—at least not today.
Maybe he was still traveling. Maybe the plane got in really late and he was afraid to call at this hour, thinking she would be asleep.
She had done all she could. He had her home, cell and work numbers. But not knowing which one he’d choose to call, Maureen hadn’t gone to the bathroom all day at work. She had been afraid to leave her desk and miss a call on her desk phone in case he didn’t try her cell. At home she carried her portable house phone and her cell with her all over her apartment so she wouldn’t risk missing his call. She was acting crazy. She knew it, but still couldn’t help it.
This waiting was horrible, and as bad as it seemed to say, it was almost easier with him in Iraq. At least she knew he wouldn’t call from there unless they arranged the time online.
Finally, she gave up and went to bed thinking she would be blissfully unaware of the painfully slow passing of the hours while asleep. Then hopefully when she woke up John would call and all would be well. She had to believe that. The question was would she be able to sleep?
Maureen spent a restless night tossing and turning and not sleeping while watching the digital clock mark the passing of time. Finally, at about dawn, she must have dozed off. The last thing she saw in her insomniac state was the faint glow of dawn creeping in her window.
A loud ringing startled her awake. She sat bolt upright in bed, the sunlight now streaming brightly through the cracks between the slats of the window blinds. It took her tired brain a moment to realize the noise wasn’t her alarm clock, but instead her phone.
It took another moment to get her eyes focused enough to find the receiver tangled in the sheets of the bed where it had fallen off her chest while she slept.
Panic filled her when she thought she might not get to it before voicemail picked up. Finally, her hand hit the phone. She fumbled and pushed the answer button. “Hello?”
“Maureen?”
Hearing his voice, actually clear and static free and on the same continent as her caused her heart to pound. “John.”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Maureen laughed, bubbling halfway between tears and smiles at being able to talk to him while knowing that—for now anyway—he was safe and relatively close by. “Wow, your voice is so clear it’s like you’re in the next room.”
Was he? Wouldn’t that be wonderful to find him standing in the hallway outside her apartment?
She was just swinging one foot to the floor to go check when she heard his deep laugh through the receiver. “It’s nice to hear your voice so clearly too, but sadly, I’m not in the next room. Sorry. I wish I was.”
Her hopes deflated. “That’s okay. I was worried when I didn’t hear from you last night. Did your flight get in late?”
He hesitated. “I, uh, just got to the base this minute. I got in the door and dumped my duffle on the ground and called you as soon as I could get to the phone.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you did. But you’re on base? I kind of assumed you were coming back to the States on leave.”
“Um, not exactly. I will be able to get a few days off to see you, but I also had some training I had to attend. It is so good to talk to you, Maureen.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Why was John changing the subject? He sounded nervous. It was weird.
Maybe she was over thinking things. He had been traveling, possibly all day and night. Of course he would be exhausted, and still he had called her. That meant something, didn’t it?
“Can you tell me where you are?”
“On a base down south.”
That was vague and very evasive. She felt the pounding of her heart clear through to her throat, making it difficult to swallow or talk. “Oh. For how long?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll tell you as soon as I know.”
He definitely sounded strange. Maureen prodded a bit more. “So I guess you don’t know when we can see each other?”
“Not yet. The moment I do know, I’ll call you. I promise.”
“Okay.” Maureen began to shake as a horrible, disgusting, depressing thought hit her. Her throat felt as if someone was strangling her as she steeled her nerves to ask the question that screamed through her brain. “You’re married, aren’t you?”
“What?” He laughed. “No. Of course not. Why would you ask that?”
“I don’t know what else to think, John. If you’re not married, do you have a girlfriend here?”
“Maureen, I told you I wasn’t married or dating anyone. God, you can ask Jazzy if you don’t believe me.”
She should be relieved, but somehow she wasn’t. Why was he being so uncertain about when he’d be seeing her, and what he was so busy doing? A sob escaped her. “Then you just don’t want to see me. It’s okay. Just tell me. I can take it.”
“Maureen. No. That is not it. I want to see you more than anything else in the world.”
“But you’re being so evasive and secretive—”
“Maureen, listen. I’m here for something so confidential I don’t even know the details. If I could tell you more, I would. I probably shouldn’t have even told you that much, but I don’t want you thinking crazy stuff.” He let out a frustrated-sounding burst of air. “You know what? Fuck it. I’ll tell them I’m done with this and just come to New York if that’s what it’ll take to make you happy.”
“No.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’ll be okay. I understand if it’s your work. I’m overemotional, I guess. I didn’t sleep well. I’m sorry.”
“Believe me, baby.” His voice softened as he called her baby for the first time. “I’m going to see you while I’m here in the States. I don’t care if I have to fly in and out of New York in one night, I will see you before I leave this country.”
There was such determination in John’s voice that Maureen smiled as the tears blurred her vision.
“I’d like that a lot.” Not the part about him leaving the country, which she didn’t even want to think about, but the fact he would see her no matter what.
“Good.” He let out a soft groan. The sound sent a tingle through her core. “Shit. I should go.”
“Oh.” Her happiness whooshed away.
“Maureen, I could listen to your voice all day and night and feel happy, but I desperately need a shower, and I haven’t slept since two nights ago. Can I call you later this evening after I get a few hours’ sleep?”
“Sure. But I um”—she swallowed hard—“I have a date tonight.”
That was met with an incredibly long stretch of silence.
“Oh.” There was a definite edge to his voice. It didn’t make her feel very good.
“John, I don’t want to go—”
“Maureen, listen. You don’t have to explain to me.” No matter what John said, she could tell by his tone he wasn’t happy.
“But I want to explain. I have to go for that article I’m writing. Remember, I told you about it—”
“Maureen, it’s fine. I’ll just call you tomorrow morning.”
“I’m supposed to sleep at Peter’s tonight, but I can come home instead—”
“No. Keep your plans. I’ll get in touch with you. I have your cell phone number.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve really gotta get to bed.”
Why did she feel like they’d taken a huge step backward? Probably because they had. She’d mistrusted him and then told him she was going on a date with another man. She’d be lucky if she ever heard from him again.
“John?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re okay, aren’t we?”
“We’re fine.” His voice softened again, almost enough that she believed him. Almost.
“John?”
“Yeah?”
“I…” She smothered what she’d almost let slip out. Now was not the time to say I love you just because she feared she was losing him or he might be killed during this secret assignment before she got to meet him. “Um, are you in danger doing this secret thing you’re doing?”
“No, not so far. I don’t think I will be. Don’t worry.”
“You don’t sound very sure.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure of a lot right now, but I honestly don’t think I’ll be put in danger. At least not at this point.”
That wasn’t enough of a reassurance for her liking. “I need you to know something before you hang up and go do whatever you have to do and before I go on this last date that I don’t want to go on.”
“What’s that?”
I love you.
“I, uh, I’m really happy I met you, even it is hasn’t been in person yet.”
“I’m really happy I met you too. Maureen, I hate to cut this short but I truly can barely stand up, and I don’t know how long it’ll be before I get called back in today so…”
“Oh. That’s okay. I just wanted you to know.”
“I’m glad you did. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
After your date.
She heard what she imagined were his unspoken words clearly in her mind and wiped hot tears from her eyes. “Okay.”
“Have a good day and night, Maureen.”
“All right. You too.” She hung up and flung herself onto the bed face first, sobbing and in no mood for a date. She would go. Since she was managing to fuck up the relationship she had with the last good man on earth, she’d soon have nothing but her writing career to lean on.
Story of her life. Maureen let out a bitter laugh. She would go out tonight and hope for a disaster date worthy of writing about, but until then she would cry her eyes out.