Chapter 35 Mission
THIRTY-FIVE
Mission
TIA
They made love through the night, slow and passionate, hard and fast, lying in bed, down on the floor, and even up against the wall.
Ryker attacked Tia with an unbridled hunger, and she met his need with rising passion.
But, like most things, it had to come to an end.
The sun rose, a new day began, and it was time for Ryker to leave.
With even more caution than the last time, she exited her quarters and triple-checked to make sure no one was out to catch Ryker leaving her room. She rapped on the door and left, knowing he would exit the other direction.
When not wrapped around each other, in those exhausted moments between sexual bliss and frantic hunger, they had talked about the future.
He had only this tour left on his enlistment and had talked about the possibility of extending his time with the band once he separated from the military.
Bent’s injuries were severe enough that he wouldn’t be playing for many months to come.
It was feasible that Vane could keep Ryker on temporary duty with the USO tour through the end of his deployment. After that, the sky was the limit.
Things were not as cut and dry with Tia.
The Air Force was her life, and she’d worked harder than most to earn her position on the special ops surgical team.
Officers didn’t reenlist like the enlisted corps, but a multiyear contract kept her for another year.
She planned to sign another right on its heels.
Her dream was to make the Air Force a career, perhaps make colonel one day.
Her current assignment on the special ops surgical team was a major stepping-stone to one day being competitive enough to make colonel.
When she returned stateside, she’d probably be assigned to a medical center and its many operating rooms. Perhaps she’d even take a look at teaching new up-and-coming nurse anesthetists.
Her tenure with the special ops unit had given her invaluable experience, and it would be a shame not to share what she’d learned, but with Ryker leaving the Air Force and her next assignment still up in the air, their future was far from certain.
While he headed back to the rooms he now shared with Angel Fire, she wandered to the medical center in search of Collins.
Hopefully, he could give her advice. He’d never steered her wrong before.
Perhaps he’d heard news about where her next duty station might be.
With that knowledge, Ryker could look for civilian jobs in the surrounding area.
Believing in a future with him wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Insecurity pulled at her though. Knowing Ryker’s reputation, things might be different back in the real world.
And, if he did continue with the band, if that was even a possibility, he would be surrounded by screaming female fans and probably hounded by groupies.
How was a man, especially one as good-looking as Ryker, going to avoid letting that get to his head?
Maybe all they shared was the potency of the moment.
War, deployment, and living on the cusp of life and death heightened emotions.
Did they even have something that could endure the stress of civilian life?
With those unsettled thoughts storming through her head, she found herself outside the field hospital. A few inquiries later, and she was knocking on the door of a borrowed, shoebox office.
“Come,” Collins barked.
“Sir,” she said, “do you have a minute?”
He glanced up from the stack of papers he’d been studying, which were spread across the utilitarian desk. He waved to the only other chair. Industrial aluminum, it was sturdy and light, exactly what a mobile military needed. Placing his pen down, he sat back and folded his arms across his chest.
“Take a seat, T.” When she didn’t take the seat, his brows pinched together. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“Sorry, sir,” she said, lowering herself down onto the sturdy chair. “I was wondering if you’d heard anything about my next assignment.”
Pushing the papers to the side, he cleared his desk. “I know you’re anxious for your next duty assignment, and I put out an inquiry the night we got in, but I haven’t heard anything new. You’re in a good position, and you should get one of your top picks.”
“I hope so. I’m sorry to interrupt; it’s just been on my mind lately.” She made a move to stand.
“Stay for a moment,” he said. Then, he got up, walked around his desk, and closed the door. “It’s a good thing you came. We need to talk.”
With the solid click of the door shutting her in, her heart leaped to her throat. There could be only one reason he needed to speak privately.
“Sir?”
His head bowed. Instead of returning to his seat, he came to the front of his desk and hitched a hip on the hard surface. “I had a visit from Colonel Vane last night.”
She swallowed the thick lump in her throat. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating, leaving a hollowness in her chest. No, there it was, sending a racing flutter vibrating through her veins. There was no appropriate response. At least, not one she could intelligently put together.
“From the look on your face,” he said, “you know what he had to say.”
“I do,” she answered. Her voice came out thick and hoarse. She cleared her throat. “He spoke with me last night as well.”
Collins’s eyes softened, but worry clouded his expression. “As your commanding officer, he came to me this morning to file a complaint.”
Denying Vane’s accusations would place her in a position of lying to Collins. She respected him enough not to insult his intelligence or his integrity. Fortunately, Collins filled in the gap left by her silence. He looked to her lap where her fingers twisted with nerves.
“He had a lot of things to say about you and Ryker.”
“Sir, I—”
He held up a hand. “Listen, I don’t want you to say anything. I don’t want to put either of us in a position of ferreting out the truth.”
Her stomach knotted, and bile rose in her throat, but she remained silent and waited for whatever came next.
“Vane doesn’t know you. He doesn’t understand how hard you work, how vital you are to the team. He’s putting his nose where it doesn’t belong. However—and this is where things get difficult—he holds the ear of more than one general.”
“I understand.”
He arched a brow, reminding her to be silent.
“His words carry weight. This isn’t good.
But, so far, those words are unsubstantiated accusations.
I’m going to spare you the embarrassment of having to address them.
You’re one of my best men,” he said and then laughed.
“You know I mean that with the greatest respect.”
“Yes, sir.”
Collins never gave her special treatment. He expected her to perform her job, meeting the same physical demands as her teammates, and didn’t make things easier on her because she was female.
“What you and Ryker choose to do or not do in private is between the two of you.”
He wasn’t even asking her to deny Vane’s accusations. Had they been that transparent? Looking back on the past couple of days, she didn’t think they’d behaved unprofessionally—at least, not where others could see.
“Nevertheless, rumors have a way of snowballing into unfortunate misperceptions, and perception tends to become reality. I care about you, T. I care about everyone on the team, and I don’t need to tell you, this is a career-ending event.”
He certainly didn’t need to do that. Vane had explained the AFI and UCMJ codes. He’d laid out exactly what the penalty would be.
“Colonel Vane has asked for charges to be brought against you. He’s talking prosecution.”
Her pulse thundered past her ears, a pulsating wave of sound that made it difficult to hear what Collins said next.
Collins stood and took his seat back behind his desk. “I’m not letting that happen.”
Her head snapped up. “Sir?”
“Listen, I’m not going to put you in a position where you have to lie to me, nor will I put myself in a position where I have to lie to anyone else. If you and Ryker have sorted things out between yourselves, I support you.”
Her eyes widened. “S-sir,” she sputtered.
He held up a hand. “This is probably a good time for you not to speak and just listen.”
She nodded.
“The team is moving out. We got orders less than an hour ago.” He made a sweeping gesture at the papers and maps spread across his desk.
“We leave in an hour. Now, I can take your replacement, who just walked off the transport less than four hours ago and hasn’t had a lick of decent sleep in over twenty-four hours, or you can volunteer to join us.
I have enough clout to shelve Vane’s temporary assignment. ”
“What about Ryker’s replacement?” She’d been told not to speak, but if their team was down two people, it couldn’t function at full effectiveness.
“He arrived yesterday and has at least seen his pillow.”
“Good,” she said.
“Yes, it is. What I’m proposing is simple.
Rejoin the team. I can make whatever excuses I need for Vane and his damn exclusive interview.
It removes you from his scrutiny, keeps you separated from Ryker, and eliminates any rumors, perceptions, or reality of what might or might not be going on.
Ryker will be busy playing for Angel Fire the rest of this deployment, and you can’t afford an investigation for fraternization. ”
“Sir, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, T. Be smart.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good,” he said. “Your ruck is packed. Collect your personal things. I suggest you make no contact with Ryker before you leave.”
“I can’t just leave him.”
He tapped his finger on the desk. “I get it. I really do, but I need you to listen. I can’t protect you if someone sees something they shouldn’t.
If a good-bye becomes more than a professional exchange, you’ll tie my hands.
Regulations are regulations, and I won’t violate my integrity to save you.
Come on this mission. You’ve got less than a month on this deployment, Major Meyers.
Don’t fuck it up by making poor choices. ”
She gulped and swallowed down her fear. He wasn’t going to turn her in. He was doing exactly the opposite—protecting her in the only way he could.
“I understand.”
“Good,” he said. “And don’t worry; I’ll make sure Ryker knows the entire team got called out.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said. “I really appreciate this.”