Chapter 1 #2
A hard knot fisted in his stomach as he considered how he’d allowed himself to lose focus. He thought back to the time in sniper school he’d nearly been booted for missing a shot.
“You miss again, you’re done,” his instructor had said during their morning session. Morning shots were the worst; you had to shoot through the bore of a cold barrel—one of the hardest shots to take.
He’d missed the day before because he’d been thinking about what he’d given up to be in the Navy . . . and if he missed again, he was done.
“Good,” his instructor had said after Liam nailed the target.
Of course, he had no intention of telling him he’d slept with the bullet under his pillow to warm it up. Every guy did it, though. Well, the guys who wanted to pass.
After sniper school, Liam had made a vow to himself to never lose focus.
And he hadn’t come close to missing a shot until three years ago. In his defense, it’d been right after visiting his family in Australia and discovering something that hit a twelve out of ten on his shit meter—but even then, he’d still managed to take down the hostile on the first try.
But now . . .
“Bravo Four, you good?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah.” He had to get his head back in the game. He couldn’t let his team down.
Once the compound had been breached, both Liam and Wyatt took their next shots.
All successful.
And thank God.
Liam caught sight of Asher and Knox exiting a building at the center of the compound with the hostage a few minutes later.
“Uh, TOC?” Liam pulled away from the rifle for a second then looked back through the scope. “I thought we were rescuing a woman.”
“Yeah, Elaina. What’s wrong?” Jessica answered.
“She’s a she,” Asher came on over the line, “but she’s also a kid.”
“And she doesn’t seem to want to go with us,” Knox added.
The girl couldn’t have been more than seven or eight, and she was flailing her arms, protesting the abrupt departure.
“I wasn’t aware of her age.” Jessica’s normally calm tone conveyed surprise.
“You sure this is a rescue?” Liam asked when the girl continued to struggle with Asher as he pulled her toward the exit. “We didn’t, uh, just kidnap Carballo’s daughter or something, did we?”
“Someone else want to try talking to her?” Jessica surveyed everyone in the back of their current ride, an eighteen-wheeler grocery truck. They were heading to Chile to hand over the girl to two agents.
“We showed up with painted faces and annihilated everyone at the compound,” Liam pointed out. “Of course, she’s going to be hesitant to talk.”
Elaina’s long, black hair framed her face, hiding her eyes as she stared down at her worn-out Nikes. Her arms shook beneath her white fleece jacket.
He spied a gray blanket, the kind used to wrap furniture or whatnot, beneath a bench. He dusted it off and draped it around Elaina’s shoulders.
“Good call.” Jessica’s lips pressed into a hard line as if she were kicking herself for not thinking to offer a blanket first. It was wintertime in South America, and although it wasn’t too cold, the girl was freezing.
Elaina’s chin lifted, causing her hair to swing away from her face, revealing her brown eyes.
The tiniest nod of thanks from her had his pulse picking up.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Liam said. “We’re here to help.”
“We already told her that back at the compound.” Asher sat next to Jessica with a tablet in hand, a map of their destination on the screen.
“You also look like you,” Knox said. “You know, muscles on muscles.” He placed a hand on his chest and smiled as he stood before Asher. “Hell, brother, I was intimidated by you when we met.”
“Fu—” Asher’s curse faded into the air when his eyes landed on Elaina. “Yeah, well, it’s called working out. You ever try it?”
“Anyway.” Liam’s eyes connected with A.J. He had a niece the same age. Maybe he could get through to her?
“I can try.” A.J. tugged at the bill of his American flag ball cap and sat next to Elaina on the bench. “Mi nombre es A.J.”
Liam grabbed a hand towel and began wiping the green and black paint from his face as A.J. continued to talk to her. When Elaina didn’t respond, A.J. tried Portuguese, and then French. All a one-way conversation. She never even looked at him.
“Sorry.” A.J. shot him an apologetic look and returned to his original seat.
“She’s been through a lot,” Liam said, unable to hold back his concern for the kid.
He’d seen a lot of shit in the world, but whenever a kid was involved, it made his stomach tighten to the point of pain, and a hollow ache would always gather in his chest.
Elaina’s shoulders began to relax, but when the blanket started to slip, she pulled it tighter around her body.
“Liam, can we talk?” Asher pointed to the back end of the truck.
“Yeah, sure.” He followed him, but he could feel someone else trailing behind him.
Jessica. Of course.
“What’s up?” He crossed his arms, feeling the need to build a wall between them since they stood two to one. Not a fair fight.
“You good? We’re worried about you.” Asher spoke first.
“I, uh, missed, I know.” He bowed his head, disappointment in himself cutting a sharp line down his spine. “I’m sorry.”
“You missed?” Asher’s question barreled out low and deep.
“Wyatt didn’t tell you?” That was surprising. “Then why are we talking?” He let his arms fall to his sides, but the tension didn’t melt away. Hell, he felt worse.
Emily. He couldn’t get the woman out of his head. Even now, of all times. Her beautiful face, pouty lips, and an innocence that could bring a man to his knees . . .
He’d inventoried every detail about her, even though his heart had warned him against it.
“What’s going on?” There was a soft plea to her tone. The new Jessica—no longer so icy—was front and center. A woman who now stole kisses from Asher when she thought no one was looking.
And if she could change, maybe there was hope for him.
Liam had worried Asher and Jessica’s first mission working together as a couple might interfere with the op, and yet, it was Liam who’d been off-balance and had screwed up.
“Let’s focus on the girl.” Deflection wouldn’t work, but he’d try damn hard. “We either unknowingly kidnapped someone, or she’s been in captivity hell.” Anger at either idea roared to life in the pit of his stomach.
He chanced a look at Jessica, hoping she’d returned her focus to the mission. Where his should’ve been all night.
A slow exhale left her barely parted lips.
“I have a lot on my mind, but I’m fine,” he answered as honestly as he could.
“Liam.” Jessica reached out for his forearm and squeezed.
“I missed the shot.” The inconvenient truth hung on the tip of his tongue.
“Yeah, man, I got that. But why?” Asher wasn’t looking for an explanation about his technique, but damned if that wouldn’t be easier.
“I, uh, had my mind somewhere else,” he admitted, feeling the need to unburden what he’d done. But he knew there’d be hell to pay when he did.
“Like where?” Jessica released her hold of him. “Liam, I’m worried about you.”
She’d expressed her concern about him on their flight from Vegas to Argentina, too. Somehow this new Jessica had the uncanny ability to pick up on his problems.
Just great.
“I did something in Vegas. Something really damn stupid.”
“What?” Jessica’s gaze slid to Asher’s briefly before her eyes moved back to Liam’s.
“I got married.”