Chapter 40
Ansley couldn't take her eyes off the screen as smoke billowed out of the building. People were running away from the house, self-preservation finally taking over.
She shook her head, thinking that those idiots had been too close in the first place. No one should have been that close to the house because it was basically a war zone.
The fire expanded, and smoke rushed out of two windows. She clasped her hands together, holding them close to her chest as she prayed that whoever was in there would make it out.
She was about to get up to get some water when an explosion rocked the camera, which was focused on the house. Her breath caught in her chest as she dropped back against the couch.
Was that real? Chaos erupted on screen, and people screamed as they raced away. For almost a minute, the camera was pointed almost at the street, with just a small section of the house being shown. Then someone adjusted the camera, and the wreckage was on screen. Part of the roof had collapsed.
Worry washed over her, bringing tears to her eyes. Link and his friends were strong and capable, but that house had exploded. Could they make it out?
People died in combat, and this was a combat situation, though it was in the middle of a modern European city. She feared the worst.
The camera zoomed out, showing a wider view of people fleeing the area. She shook her head, wondering how so many people stayed until explosions shook the area. They must not have realized how dangerous the situation was.
She couldn’t sit and watch. It was too upsetting seeing the fire spread, knowing US service men and women were inside. She stood, ready to flip the TV off when another explosion hit. She dropped to the floor, her knees hitting the carpet as all thoughts of doing anything else were forgotten.
They hadn’t announced that the ambassador was clear. Did that mean whoever had gone in to save the guy was still inside?
Where was Link? She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and counting to four before blowing it out. She needed to calm down.
Link was smart, strong, and very capable. He could get out of anything. But fire and explosions were merciless.
Maybe he wasn't there. They could be in Africa or the Middle East. Maybe they were in Northern Europe.
Ansley opened her eyes to see the roof of the ambassador's house fall in, so none of the frame remained above the second story. Her heart clenched. She wished she'd turned on music instead of the TV. She didn't need to see this.
If Link were in there and he hadn't made it out, the video of this scene would haunt her forever.
Her mind twisted over all the crap she'd gone through going into hot zones, the explosions, the gunfire, the people hell bent on causing havoc.
They'd run the gauntlet of land mines, booby traps, and angry mobs.
War was hell on earth, and loving someone who walked into it was crazy.
She wanted to turn off the TV, but she needed to wait for the sound bite that declared everyone was okay. Her heart wouldn’t stabilize until she knew. Even if it wasn’t Link’s team, she wanted them all to be safe.
Knowing the intricacies of war was a detriment. If she could be ignorant in this moment, it would be better. She would trade her knowledge and training for the simplicity of not knowing how dangerous the situation was.
Sitting here wasn’t helping her. The dishes needed to be cleaned, and she could vacuum and mop the floors. Anything to get her up off the couch.
Though it physically hurt her heart, she punched the power button on the TV remote, cutting off the anchor mid-sentence. Later, after all the misinformation had cleared up and something closer to the truth came out, she would find an article or some video that told her what happened.
Ansley spent the next four hours cleaning. Not that Link’s house was messy, but she did all the weird cleaning tasks that usually only were tackled once a year.
Exhaustion made her weary, and she dropped to the couch, pulling out her phone to look at headlines.
She found an article about the rescue of the ambassador.
Buried deep in the article, there was one line stating that the members of the USA military who'd gone in to rescue the ambassador got out safely.
Ansley burst into tears. She didn’t know if it was Link, but she thought they might have been the ones who were tasked with saving the ambassador. Whoever it was inside that house, whatever team they were associated with, she was glad they were all okay.
She curled into a ball and cried with her head on the armrest of the couch, relief running through her like a cool stream.
Maybe she drifted off, or maybe she was just in that liminal space between sleep and being awake when the front door opened.
She blinked open her eyes, wondering if it was Link. But that didn't make sense. Link was overseas. Her phone, which was tucked under her arm, hadn't buzzed or pinged.
She pushed herself up, blinking as she stared at the dark entryway. No lights. When had the sun set?
The door slammed, then the lights flipped on. Horror filled her. It wasn't Link. Instead, Pete stood in the entryway, his smile too wide for the dead look in his eyes.
Then it hit her, she hadn’t turned the alarm back on after the package delivery. She was totally screwed.