Chapter 17
Nothing went wrong before they boarded the plane. No bombs exploded, no delays on their flight, no sudden arrest for a crime they didn’t commit.
For that Heath was extremely grateful.
They settled into their seats on the Thai-run airways and even that felt like they’d crossed a border, moving closer to home.
Next to him in the window seat, Zoe read the safety card and then the magazine which came in the pocket.
Heath kept his eyes trained on the door and who was boarding. No officials, no huddled discussions by the flight attendants, no cause for alarm.
When the door finally closed and the plane taxied to the runway, he relaxed a little. Then the plane rumbled down the tarmac, and finally wheels lifted from the ground, and he exhaled. On their way home.
He used the plane Wi-Fi to message Dobby and finally turned to Zoe. She was dabbing at tears in her eyes. Alarmed, he glanced at her TV screen, but it was blank. “What’s wrong?”
She sniffed. “We’re going home.”
She’d been as uptight as him.
Of course she had. He should have thought of it. Every time they thought they were safe, something else happened. “Yes, we are. In just over twelve hours, we’ll be back in Australia.”
“Thank you, Heath. Thank you for getting me out of there. Thank you for helping me rescue the children. Thank you for protecting me.”
“It was my pleasure.”
She gave him a slightly incredulous side-eye, and he chuckled. “Well, not all the shooting, and danger, and running, but helping those children and getting to know you has been one of the best experiences of my life.”
Zoe slipped her hand into his. “Same.”
His heart sang. He loved how open she was.
He hadn’t been expecting the upfront conversation they’d had about how they felt about each other.
It was a relief, because waking up next to Zoe had been a beautiful torture.
Though she’d seemed receptive, he had to keep reminding himself that Zoe was vulnerable and he didn’t want to prey on her vulnerability.
In a few more hours, she would no longer be his mission, and he could act on their attraction to each other.
The attendants started to bring around drinks and food, and he relaxed into his seat the best he could.
He was ready for home.
Just over twelve hours later, after a brief stop in Bangkok where they only had time to get from one gate to the next, the plane touched down in Perth. As the pilot announced the time and temperature, Heath wanted to cheer, but Zoe burst into tears.
Heath put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”
She nodded into his chest but didn’t say anything.
The poor woman was still overwrought. She’d slept again on the leg to Bangkok and then watched movies on the way to Perth, but she still had to be mentally and physically exhausted.
“You want to wait for everyone to get off, or do you want to be one of the first off?” he asked.
She was still sobbing, and he rubbed her arm. “Let’s wait.” Escorting a sobbing Zoe from the plane would raise eyebrows, and Dobby warned him they would have a welcoming party. He hadn’t mentioned that to Zoe yet.
As people started disembarking, Zoe sat up and he handed her a clean napkin.
“Sorry.” She dabbed her eyes.
“No need to be. I’m feeling pretty emotional to be home myself.” He gave her a minute to get hold of herself and then said, “A few people will be waiting for us when we get out.”
“Not just my parents?”
“No.” Though he had insisted they be there. “Stefan and my boss want an immediate debrief.”
She screwed up her nose and then sighed. “Where are we going?”
“Don’t know yet.”
“Do we need to get our story straight?” she asked.
Heath shook his head, ridiculously touched that she would even think of lying for him. “You tell the truth,” he said. “Though maybe don’t mention the kissing.”
She smiled. “All right.”
When the aisles finally cleared enough, Heath stood and waited for Zoe to precede him as they left the plane. It was late afternoon and the sun blazed through the windows of the gate, a dry heat that immediately felt welcoming. He inhaled deeply. It smelled like home.
At the end of the walkway he spotted Dobby and Major Hammond. The major looked unimpressed. That was his usual expression, but Heath noticed his eyes narrow as Heath placed his hand on Zoe’s back to allow her to go through the door first.
Yep, he had some explaining to do.
Next to the men was Stefan with a purple suitcase he suspected belonged to Zoe, and beside him were a man and a woman. The female’s resemblance to Zoe was uncanny.
Zoe gasped and ran the remaining distance to her parents. She flung her arms around them, and they surrounded her in a hug.
Heath’s heart broke a little for her. It wouldn’t be easy to reconcile everything she had seen, but he would be there for her if she still wanted him to be.
He stopped in front of the Major and saluted.
“At ease,” Major Hammond said. He glanced at Zoe as if annoyed by the emotion shown. “Let’s go.” He turned and walked away.
Heath glanced at Dobby and then at Zoe.
“Debrief back at base,” Dobby said, and then lowered his voice. “Major came to make sure there were no delays in you getting there.”
Right.
Zoe separated from her parents, and before Heath could speak, Zoe’s mum hugged him. “Thank you for getting my baby home safely.”
Heath hugged her back, his heart filling. This was why he did what he did. To keep families together and safe. “Zoe barely needed my help.”
When she clung a little longer than was necessary, her husband put a hand on her back. “My turn.” He grinned at Heath and when she stepped back, he grabbed Heath in a manly hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Heath responded, touched by the affection.
Stefan cleared his throat, and Heath glanced at him. “Zoe, we need to do our own debrief.”
She nodded.
“I’ll call you,” Heath said. “Make sure you’re settling in OK.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Every fibre in him screamed for him to hug her and not walk away, but he had to.
At least she was safe now. What came next for them was anyone’s guess.
***
When Heath walked out of the debrief with Dobby, it was already dark.
The Major had gone over every detail to make sure there was nothing that could get back to them politically and cause an international incident.
It turned out that Lotfi had been taken in for questioning and they’d found Zoe’s phone on him.
After a short session with the UAE tech people, they’d found the deleted photo of the witch.
The witch was now at the highest security prison and awaiting trial.
Zoe and Heath had been cleared of any wrong-doing.
There wasn’t much chatter yet about the Iranian navy vessel, but Iran was probably keen to keep that quiet, assuming smugglers had been able to overwhelm one of their boats, which was never a good look.
“You want a beer?” Dobby asked.
He wanted to see Zoe, but she would be catching up with family, and he didn’t have her number because her phone was still in the UAE. But Dobby would have her number. “Yeah.”
“The rest of the guys want to hear what happened,” Dobby added.
“Whose place?”
“Yours?”
Heath nodded. It would be good to chat about what had happened without needing to watch his words, and his teammates would be curious.
Dobby made a call and all he said was, “Joker’s place.”
Heath grinned as he got into his car. He loved his friends. Word would get around and some of them might beat him home. “See you there.”
It felt a little surreal to drive out on the streets of Perth. It always was after a mission where he was constantly alert for danger. Traffic wasn’t too busy at this time of night and the drive was peaceful. He focused on his breathing, trying to disconnect from being mission-ready.
People went about their everyday lives and didn’t have to worry about bombs or guns.
Safe. Secure.
That veneer was broken for Zoe. She’d seen the other side and she wouldn’t be able to fully go back.
He would help her however he could.
Fifteen minutes later he pulled into his garage and spotted Rhys’s car out front. He grinned. Always the first to a party.
He waved and unlocked the front door as Rhys crossed the lawn, looking every bit the preppy white boy.
“Glad you’re in one piece.” Rhys hugged him.
“Me too.” He flicked on some lights and headed for the kitchen as Dobby and then Noah came in carrying a few pizzas. “Mitch?” Their last teammate wasn’t a regular at their social catch-ups because his wife was eight months pregnant and didn’t like him to go far.
Heath had seen the stress on his face when they’d flown to Qatar. The relationship had been a little turbulent before she’d become pregnant, and now it was one spark from an explosion.
Noah shook his head.
Shame, but Heath would catch up with him later. “Romeo?”
Noah sniggered. “Hot date.”
Heath grinned. Romeo was still new to the SAS and enjoying the perks that came with the title.
He passed out beers, and they settled on his comfortable sofa and opened the pizza boxes. The smell hit him, and he inhaled deeply. The airline food hadn’t been great. He grabbed a slice and savoured the taste.
“So what the hell went wrong?” Rhys asked.
He swallowed and laughed. “It would be a shorter story if I told you what went right.” And then he launched into the tale, being careful to avoid mentioning how close he and Zoe had become. His teammates wouldn’t judge him, but he wanted to keep it to himself.
When he was finished, Dobby said, “So you and Zoe a thing?”
Heath laughed. Why had he thought he could keep it a secret from his closest friends? “What makes you say that?”
“The way your gaze barely left her at the airport, the promise to call her later.” Dobby handed him a piece of paper. “That’s her parents’ number by the way.”
This was why he would do anything for these men. “Thanks.” He smiled. “She’s pretty special. She fought for those kids even when she had no idea how to get them off the ship.”
“What did the Major say?” Noah asked.
“Suspension pending further investigation.”
“You don’t seem too cut up about it,” Rhys said.
He glanced at Dobby. “Actually I was going to ask Dobby about his security firm.”
“Shit, don’t tell me we’re going to lose you too,” Noah said.
“There are a lot of kids getting smuggled, lots of people needing help out there.”
“And none who can afford to pay,” Rhys pointed out. “How will you earn a living?”
“There would be clients who could afford to pay well.” Heath looked at Dobby. “Where are you with that?”
“It’s coming together, but to buy the equipment we require, we’re going to need an investor.”
Heath grinned. “About that. I happen to know where you can find a few million.”
***
Zoe was unemployed. It really wasn’t unexpected, but she was surprised by Stefan’s insistence on telling her immediately.
He’d taken her to a room at the airport, not unlike the one Lotfi had locked them in, so she could tell him what had happened, but she was sure he’d already made his decision.
Stefan was just tidying up this matter before he caught a plane to Canberra later that night.
She skimmed the details, saying they had time during the dust storm to look into the children’s whereabouts and that the ship had set sail earlier than they’d expected.
She didn’t go into detail about what had happened on the navy boat or at Dubai airport. He already knew what the military was willing to tell him.
Finally he accompanied her into the public area where her parents were waiting for her in a coffee shop.
Stefan stuck out his hand. “Good luck, Zoe.”
Zoe shook his hand in response. He didn’t care if she succeeded or not. Her actions had become a blot on his record, proof he couldn’t control his staff, and he wasn’t pleased by it.
After he left, Zoe hugged her parents again. “Let’s go home.”
Her father drove, and she stared out the window at the orderly traffic and familiar buildings.
So normal.
So safe.
The sun was setting as her father pulled into the drive. As he got her suitcase out of the boot, her mother said, “Your sisters want to see you, if you’re feeling up for it.”
“Sure.” Zoe had rested enough on the plane and she didn’t want to repeat the story too many more times.
“How about we get fish and chips for everyone?” her dad suggested.
Zoe nodded. “That sounds great.”
She followed them into the house, which had barely changed since her childhood. Maybe a fresh coat of paint of a different colour, but the layout and decorations were the same. She smiled as the tension in her shoulders released.
“You can sleep in your old room,” her mum said.
Zoe followed her father into the bedroom. This had changed. Gone were the posters of her youth and her single bed, and in their place was a photo of a Highland cow on the wall and a double bed and dresser.
Still it was comforting.
Her dad left the suitcase by the dresser. “Why don’t you freshen up while we invite the others and organise dinner?”
“Thanks, Dad.” She kissed his cheek, and he hugged her.
“Just glad you’re safe.”
Zoe turned away so he wouldn’t see the tears well in her eyes, and busied herself unzipping her suitcase, which she’d packed when word got out that the embassy was leaving.
She didn’t have a lot of Western clothes in there.
Just things she wore around her apartment.
The rest were more appropriate for going out in public in Qatar.
She found a jumper and a loose pair of pants which would work and headed into the bathroom.
She sighed as she glanced at herself. She still had bags under her eyes and a heaviness that came with fatigue.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to think about her future. In the morning she’d research options, call Dobby to get Heath’s phone number, and maybe he could put her in touch with the woman who’d helped them settle into Australia.
She could take any job in the meantime so she could find a place of her own. As much as she loved her parents, she couldn’t imagine staying with them for too long.
She showered, changed, and by the time she returned to her room, she could hear her sisters in the living room.
Zoe braced herself and walked out as her father came through the front door with a large wrapped parcel of fish and chips. Her mother had set the table with an array of condiments and some plates.
So incredibly normal, something they’d done so many times before.
And yet she felt apart from it, as if it was just a facade or a play she was watching from the outside.
She hugged her sisters and took a seat at the table, already knowing she wasn’t going to tell them everything.
Knowing life couldn’t go back to how it was.
She was no longer the same.