Chapter 6
Timber Ridge, Colorado – Safe House
Code Name: Raven
Vision blurred from staring at the computer screens for the past several hours, Jade held her coffee mug to her chin and inhaled the bold aroma.
She opened the blackout curtains, revealing the magnificent sunrise, and gazed out the window at the beautiful landscape.
If the reality of the situation weren’t so dire, the safe house would be a wonderful vacation spot.
But the computers in the dining room and the constant patrol of the property spoke of the reason she had landed here.
“Hey, would you like to go outside for a bit?”
She turned and spotted Liam leaning against the door frame of the living room with his hands stuffed in his front pockets.
Jade had seen pictures of the man when she’d investigated the entire team.
The images hadn’t done him justice. The rest of the men were handsome, but there was something about Liam that made her want to stare.
“Well?”
She blinked away her wayward thoughts. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
The grin on his lips said that he’d caught her daydreaming.
Yup, she’d had her hand caught in the cookie jar.
“I asked if you’d like to go outside? Or is that something you can’t do?”
Oh, this man. His considerateness slayed her. “I do have agoraphobia, but I can go outside, to the store, and things like that. I’m not confined to my home. But, I’ll admit, I prefer to stay inside and away from crowds of people. It keeps my anxiety at a minimum.”
“Well, then. Would you like to sit on the porch for a bit?”
“Is it safe?” Her hands tightened around the cup.
“We’ll sit on the glider, tucked close to the house. It should be fine. The guys will report in if there’s danger.”
“It would be nice to get some fresh air.” She had a screened-in porch at home that she enjoyed.
It sounded silly, but the enclosure helped.
The open area off the front door gave her pause, but she’d deal with it.
She remembered a time when the idea of stepping out in the open would have sent her spiraling.
But now… She was a living testament to the benefit of therapy.
Through grit, determination, Breana’s steady belief in Jade, and constant pleas to God for help, she’d wrestled her terror into something survivable. Most days.
Liam pushed off, strode toward her, and extended his hand to her. “Come on.”
Taking several deep breaths, Jade took his hand and exited the confines of the four walls. The fresh mountain air had a calming effect she hadn’t prepared for. But the vast land fought against the peacefulness.
“Doing okay?”
“Yeah.” She hadn’t realized she’d stopped a few feet outside the door. Taking in the porch, she allowed him to escort her to the glider on the right. She took the seat on the side closest to the entrance of the house.
Liam sat on the other side of her. “Charlie Four, Charlie One.”
“Go ahead, Charlie One.”
“Eyes open. Advise of any changes in the wildlife.”
“Copy that.”
The guys in her ear flooded her with comfort. She’d missed being a part of their communication.
Liam shifted, dropping his gaze to her. “Let me know if it gets too much out here.”
“I will.” Steam rose from her mug as they sat in silence, listening to the birds. The air had a clean crispness compared to her home in Virginia. Her muscles eased.
“I realized something last night.” Liam leaned back and crossed his ankles.
“What’s that?” She glanced at him. The man appeared relaxed. But as the saying went, looks were deceiving.
His eyes roamed the property. “I don’t know your real name.”
She smiled behind her cup. She’d wondered when he’d ask. “That’s top secret.”
He flipped his gaze to her, raising an eyebrow. “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” Jade snickered. She enjoyed the banter with him. Staying isolated the majority of her downtime didn’t lend itself to close friendships.
“I like this side of you.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“When we are on missions, you’re friendly and nice. Even tease us from time to time. But the seriousness never fades. I’d like to get to know the real Raven.”
Could this man be any sweeter? “Jade,” she whispered.
“Excuse me?”
“My name is Jade. Jade Mitchell.”
“Well, Jade Mitchell, thank you for telling me.” Liam's eyes narrowed, and he scrunched his nose. “Nope. Sorry. Can’t do it. You’ll always be Raven to me.”
She chuckled. “I can live with that.”
“If it’s okay, I’d love to know the why behind your agoraphobia and…what’s it called? Noctiphobia?”
She nodded. “Yes, the fear of night or anxiety triggered by night is more accurate. For me, the theory is that it goes along with the agoraphobia.” Her mind drifted to the past. The night that changed her life.
“My father died serving our country when I was an infant. So, it was just mom and me after that. I don’t remember a lot about her since I was so young, but the night that changed my life is seared into my memory.
When I was four, my mom collapsed on the edge of a parking lot outside a strip mall.
It was nine o’clock. They think someone or something else scared me while I sat next to my dying mother.
I have no memory of that. Only mom lying on the ground, not moving.
That’s where they think the fear of night came from.
That unknown that I’ll probably never recall.
Anyway, one second, she was loading bags into the car, the next, Mom was on the ground, gasping for breath.
I screamed for help, but no one heard me.
For a little girl, the parking lot was huge and overwhelming.
The vastness pressed down on me. The inability to escape the situation locked me in terror.
My four-year-old self couldn’t make sense of anything.
Or so my therapist explained. Time dragged by until someone noticed and called 911.
When the ambulance finally arrived, Mom was gone.
According to what the doctor told the social worker, Mom had an undiagnosed heart condition. ”
“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged. “It was. From that point on, I refused to leave the house. My foster parents tried, but I’d panic as soon as I walked outside. And at nighttime. I’d hide in my closet if the curtains were open in the house.”
“So, it’s not the dark?”
“Meh, not exactly. It plays a part in my fear. How could it not? But I don’t sleep with a light on. In fact, it drives me crazy.”
She could practically see the wheels turning in his head.
“But you can go outside during the day now?”
She nodded. “Nighttime aside, I’ve worked hard to become normal. Or as normal as I can get.”
“Stop right there. You are normal. You have fears. So what?”
“Fears that keep me from doing the most mundane things.”
Liam threaded his fingers with hers. “Raven. You are one of the most intelligent people I know. You’ve guided my team through some sketchy areas in the states and overseas.
You’re our eyes out there. Your analysis skills are some of the best I’ve ever worked with.
Don’t think you’re less because of your anxieties. ”
Her throat clogged, and she swallowed the ball of emotion. “Thank you.”
“We all have a past that shapes us. Yours just took a wild turn at a young age.”
She stared at him, wondering if he was blowing smoke at her. But the sincerity in his eyes warmed her heart. “You really do understand, don’t you?”
“Your phobias? Not in the technical sense, but in the I’ve walked through my own nightmares sense.”
Had he intentionally opened the door for her to ask about his past?
Jade gathered her courage. “What shaped you? What nightmares are you living with?”
Staring off in the distance, his silence stretched for several minutes.
She’d hoped she hadn’t overstepped and caused him to rethink wanting to be more than friends.
Timber Ridge, Colorado – Safe House
Friday – 0700 Hours
Call Sign: Charlie One
Well, Liam had walked straight into that one, hadn’t he?
Jade—No, Raven. She’d always be his Raven—had opened up about her fears.
He had a feeling she was unaware that she hadn’t muted her comm.
The entire team had heard their conversation.
Not that he cared, but she might. He’d muted his when they’d come outside, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her that her mic remained active.
He trusted his team to keep the information to themselves.
However, to reciprocate her vulnerability, he’d have to tell her about the worst moment in his life.
The reason he demanded excellence in the field.
He hadn’t told Charlie Team the ultimate reason he’d left Delta Force.
Did he care? Maybe. But not enough to ignore Raven’s question.
“I was Delta before I received my DD-214 and walked. I had the concept for a security company rattling around in my brain and started researching business models. When I found the men who’d fit my concept, I opened BlackKnight Security.
” He stared off into the morning sky, remembering those first days after his separation from the army.
“What caused you to leave? It’s obvious you love the work.” Raven shifted and placed her hand on his forearm.
The touch grounded him more than anything else had in his life.
Raven’s question still hung in the air. He wouldn’t give her a flippant answer. He’d never told anyone the real reason. But the truth had festered long enough. His men listening through her open mic deserved to know as well.
“My last op in Somalia…” His voice broke.
He cleared his throat. “We were compromised. Command hadn’t relayed that intel.
We found out the hard way. I called for extraction, but it was ten minutes out.
I…hesitated to give the order to pull back.
I mentally debated if we’d be better off standing our ground while waiting for the helo or retreating.
My team was family. I wanted to protect them.
It didn’t take long to discover that my indecision would be fatal.
Those seconds cost my best friend his life. ”
Her hand tightened on his arm. He placed his over hers. Uncertain if he’d see judgment in her eyes, he kept his gaze on the field in front of him.
“Brendan took a round to the neck where his body armor didn’t cover.
I ordered the rest of the men to the extraction point while I ran to him.
I tried to save him.” The weapon blasts.
The chaos. The sight of Brendan’s body jerking and falling.
All played like a movie reel in Liam’s mind.
He released a shaky breath. “In the short time it took to reach him, he was unconscious. I knew he wouldn’t make it.
But I refused to leave him behind. As I lifted him, I caught a round in the hip.
It was minor, but I struggled to walk, let alone carry him.
My team defied orders and came to get us.
We made it to the extraction point and onto the helo, but Brendan was already gone.
I came home with a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with Valor that I didn’t deserve, and a severe case of survivor’s guilt.
I failed my best friend. And to be honest, I never want to feel that kind of loss again. ” He forced himself to look at her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “That’s why you’re so exacting about every mission detail.”
He nodded. “I swore that I wouldn’t let that happen again. When I started Charlie Team, I vowed we’d never go in with partial intel, and we’d always finish the job we started.”
“It wasn’t your fault, you know. You had no idea the mission would go sideways.” Her expression softened, and she cupped his cheek.
He leaned into her touch. “That’s why I left.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. Unable to sit any longer with the ghost of memories rattling in his head, he stood and rushed to the railing. The nightmare played on repeat in his mind.
A hand rested on his back, pulling him from his runaway thoughts.
“Stop blaming yourself for something that wasn’t in your control.
You didn’t decide to go in without intel.
Command owns that mistake. You did your best. I understand that the loss of one man is too many, but the rest of your team made it out alive on a mission failed from the start. ”
“I might be demanding, but I refuse to make those same mistakes with Charlie Team,” Liam said for his team. They heard him through Raven’s comms, of that he was sure.
“I’ve worked with a lot of teams. I can honestly say that Charlie Team is the most well-prepared, effective unit I’ve had the pleasure of operating with. You’re a great CEO and Charlie One. You know that, right?”
Liam turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her waist. This woman had blasted through his barriers and given him the dose of confidence he’d been missing. “Thanks to you, I do now.” The urge to kiss Raven overwhelmed him. He lowered his head, asking for silent permission.
She raised up on her tiptoes, closing the distance.
“Charlie One, Charlie Three.”
Liam straightened at Dax’s serious tone. He tapped his comm, unmuting it. “Go.”
“Reflection spotted from the south. It could be nothing.”
“Or it could be something. Check it out.”
“Almost there.” Dax’s heavy breaths come over the comms.
“I’ve got your six.” Boone cut in.
A crack split the air, and a searing burn sliced across his temple. His head jerked to the side, and a round exploded against the bulletproof glass of the window behind them.
“Get down!” No time to worry about her ribs, Liam shoved Raven to the floor and covered her with his body. His head throbbed, and blood trickled into his eye, but he had to protect Raven.
“Charlie One, report.”
“Liam? Liam!” Raven’s frantic voice registered, but his body refused to respond. “Charlie Team, Raven. Charlie One is down.”
He opened his mouth. At least he thought he did, but nothing came out.
God, protect her.
Eyes closed, he drifted into the abyss.