10. Will
Chapter ten
Will
Seven days, that’s all we had. But memories of Jewel have been playing on repeat this past month, like I’d known her my whole life.
Little things she said or did have popped into my head at the strangest times.
Damn, I miss her. Just being with her, talking about everything and nothing.
Sharing laughs, stories, and exquisite moments of pleasure.
I’m desperate to explain all this to her, yet I don’t dare.
Not when my life has been built around keeping my emotions hidden.
Picking up my whiskey glass from the coffee table, I lean back onto the firm backrest of the sofa and take a sip. It’s quiet tonight, almost unnerving in this large, busy city. It’s been the hardest thing to acclimate to. But slowly, as the weeks pass, I’m adjusting with the support of my friends.
The furnished one-bedroom basement apartment I found in my first week in DC is comfortable enough, especially after living in barracks on a military base.
It’s only a few blocks from the office and on a tree-lined street of Victorian houses, which makes it feel more suburban than city.
It can be a little jarring stepping outside the door of the building some days, as I’ve never lived anywhere with trees on my doorstep.
Jewel thinks it’s pretty. I sent her some pictures just after I’d moved in, and she said she’d like to have a leafy view like that outside her apartment. There are tree-lined streets in Brooklyn, but apparently her apartment isn’t on one of them. Maybe soon I’ll get to see that for myself.
I jump up to grab my cell off the charger to check my emails, hoping Ben has confirmed that this weekend I’m completely free for the first time since I arrived.
Two hundred and twenty miles. That’s all that separates DC from Brooklyn.
But it might as well be the other side of the world, given how difficult spanning those miles has become.
We got close to agreeing on a date a couple of weeks ago, but when I checked my calendar, I needed to be on call, as Parker was out of town.
The ad hoc nature of the work I’m doing at Capital Security hasn’t given me a chance to plan in advance. Until now.
Hooah. Ben has replied, and this weekend looks good. Hopefully, it’s the same for Jewel.
Dropping back onto the sofa, I dial her number, not wanting to delay another moment in locking in a plan.
She answers on the first ring. “Hey you.” A smile breaks out across my face at hearing her voice. We don’t talk a lot on the phone or for very long, but when we do, it makes living alone for the first time in my life feel a little less lonely.
“Hi, beautiful. Are you missing me still?”
“I’ve told you before I’m a busy woman, I don’t have time to be daydreaming over a ripped former military man who delivers multiple orgasms like he’s giving out candy,” she teases.
“That’s it, darling. Keep busting my balls. You know it turns me on.”
She moans. “Please don’t remind me what it’s like to turn you on. Not when you’re too far away to do anything about the situation.”
“You’ve got a situation? How about I come and help you with that this weekend?”
“What? This weekend? As in five days?” With each question, her voice rises another decibel.
I chuckle. “Yes, the weekend that starts in five days. Are you free?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Lock it in,” she says in a rush.
“Good. I’ll be there Friday night, so plan on being in because I have every intention of getting you naked the moment I step through the door. And then keeping you that way all weekend.”
“Damn, I love it when you talk dirty. And it’s even better when you deliver on those dirty promises.”
“I will, beautiful.”
Then, before our conversation gets too out of hand and my palm is going to my cock, I change the subject and ask her about her day.
I love listening to Jewel’s stories from the clinic. If we can’t be together, this is the next best way to spend a night alone.
Sorry.
I stare at the single word I’ve typed so far in my text message to Jewel. It’s totally inadequate and doesn’t even come close to the disappointment I feel at having to cancel our planned weekend in New York, one day before I’m due to arrive.
How do I explain the demands of my job when I can’t tell her why I’m about to fly to South America? Or that what I’m going to do there could mean life or death to a young girl?
This text canceling our weekend is all wrong, and although I don’t really have the time, I dial Jewel’s number instead.
“Hi, I wasn’t expecting you to call tonight when we only talked this morning.” She sounds happy, and I hate that I’m about to ruin that.
“Hey, I don’t have long to talk.” My grip tightens around my cell. “But something important has come up at work. I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to cancel.”
The line is silent except for the sound of her taking a couple of deep breaths. “You’re … not … coming?” Disappointment oozes from the gaps between the words. My heart sinks at having stolen her earlier happiness.
Fuck, I feel like such an asshole.
“I’m so sorry. And I promise if there was anything I could do to avoid this trip, I would.”
“You’re going on a trip?” she asks, her voice faint.
“Yes. I’m at the airport with the guys now, we’re about to board our flight to …” I take a breath before choosing my words carefully because I don’t want to lie to her. “To meet the client.”
“Come on, man, shift your ass,” Ben growls from behind me. He’s not usually an impatient man, but this mission is different, and the speed with which we respond could literally save the life of the young woman taken hostage.
I lengthen my stride, picking up the pace as I follow him across the tarmac.
“Hey, I have to go, but I’ll call you when I can,” I promise.
“Okay. Bye,” she chokes out before the call disconnects.
I climb the cargo plane’s stairs two at a time, my pack slung over my shoulder.
Parker, Ben, and I are still stowing our gear when the engine kicks in.
We’re just taking our seats when, with a jolt, we start to move.
From the moment Tim briefed us in the office to now, we’ve barely had time to think.
It’s a four-hour flight to our destination, and most of that time will be spent planning the mission.
Capital Security predominantly handles private security and protection for wealthy and high-profile clients.
But occasionally, like today, we’re asked to run special operations for the government.
The kind of work that nobody talks about and that the countries we go to don’t even know we’re there.
Sure, there’s risk involved, but considering what I was doing in some of the most dangerous places on earth, this is still a nice change of pace.
Buckling my seat belt, I draw in a deep breath and drop my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes. The loud drone of the engines as we taxi down the runway can’t even drown out the thoughts tumbling around.
I’m on my way to South America. Where? I haven’t been told yet.
All I know for sure is that tonight I should have been packing my bags to catch a commercial flight to go see Jewel tomorrow. Some days life sucks, and today is one of them.
“Wake up,” Ben says, dropping into the seat facing Parker and me.
“Fuck off,” Parker grumbles, and we both know he doesn’t mean it. I think he’s been seeing a woman and is obviously pissed that his plans have been changed too.
I scrub a hand across my face and stare at Ben.
He’s a big unit, but he’s pretty enough to mask his true intentions in a room full of dignitaries.
So, while we’re all considered equal partners in the company, when it comes to covert operations, Ben is our designated leader, and he’s damn good at it.
“Okay, so here’s what we’ve got.” He opens a map of Guatemala on the table between the three of us. At least I know which country now, and I focus my attention on the mission’s details as he explains every possible scenario over the next couple of hours.
It’s somewhere high over the Gulf on our way to Guatemala City when I’m next left to my own thoughts.
I lean back in the chair, staring out the scratched cabin window at the dark night.
My brain is buzzing with information and logistics, but sneaking in between it all is a beautiful brunette who is never far from my thoughts.
This is probably the last chance I’ll have to think about her, and certainly the last opportunity to send her a text before switching to a burner cell.
A necessity when we’re slipping undetected into countries where we have no legitimate business, even if it’s one that’s friendly with the United States.
Pulling my cell from a pocket, I go back to the unsent text and retype it.
It’s only when I’ve hit send on the message saying that I should be back in DC in about a week, and I’ve seen her response, that I turn off my cell.
The last four words she sent tattooed on my brain: I’ll see you soon.
Fuck, I hope so.
But right now, my sole focus has to be on the mission. I hope we’re not too late.