Chapter 14
ALEC
I can’t remember the last time I felt this uneasy about something.
Maybe that first mission after Sawyer’s betrayal, as I prepared to enter enemy territory with two new team members I wasn’t sure I could trust. As I came to the realization that I wasn’t sure I could even trust myself.
That’s when I knew my time in the Army was over. It wouldn’t have been fair to the rest of the team to stay. Not when trust between teammates was everything.
But aside from that last mission in Afghanistan, I’ve always been confident in my abilities.
Though I knew there was a chance things could go sideways, I didn’t allow myself to worry about it.
I kept a singular focus on the task at hand, whether it was doing recon in Kandahar or tracking down an HVT through the streets of Tehran.
If things didn’t go as planned and I didn’t make it home, I accepted the risk as mine to take.
But this mission, as it is, feels different.
At first, I’d hoped I could convince Hazel not to go through with it. Not because her idea was bad, but because the thought of having her anywhere near the people intent on hurting her went against every protective instinct I had.
I still feel that way even three days later. Like I’m failing Hazel by allowing this to continue. Like I’m already breaking my promise never to let her get hurt again.
But despite my best arguments against it, Hazel persisted.
“What if it were you?” she asked me the evening after the team meeting. “If you were the one being targeted? Wouldn’t you want to set a trap for them? Especially knowing you’d have your team at your back?”
Well, yes. I would. But it would be different.
First of all, I’m trained for situations like this. If something goes wrong, I can protect myself. Hazel can’t. She’s strong and capable, yes, but she wouldn’t be a match for a man much bigger and stronger than her. Most likely, an armed man, who wouldn’t hesitate to use his weapon on her.
Besides that, Hazel’s already been through enough.
Regardless of how many times she says she trusts me to protect her, she won’t be able to walk away from this experience unscathed.
She’ll be worried. Scared. There’s a very good chance she’ll be triggered into a panic attack or flashback.
And I won’t be there to help her through it. Not right away, at least.
No, I’ll be going after those assholes while Hazel hides in her bedroom closet behind the reinforced door I installed yesterday. I’ll be taking them down with the help of Ronan, Knox, and Gage, while Hazel waits, alone and terrified, to find out how it all ends.
So, no, I don’t like this plan. At all.
I would much prefer to keep Hazel at GMG while we keep investigating. After all, it’s only a matter of time until we find the evidence we need. Especially with Matt, Swede, and now Leo from the Sleepy Hollow Blade and Arrow team helping, as well.
“I get it,” Enzo told me when I voiced my concerns during our most recent meeting. “I’d be worried, too. But this could be the quickest way to end things. And there are women out there, potentially in trouble. The longer we wait…”
He didn’t have to finish his sentence. I knew what he meant. And if it were anyone else, I’d be in full agreement.
But it’s Hazel.
Seeing her hurting is unbearable.
Holding her after another nightmare, feeling her hot tears on my neck, hearing the sobs she tries to stifle, and not being able to fix things… It’s the worst kind of torture.
I never knew before. How someone could be so deeply embedded inside you that their pain becomes your own.
Is that love?
Is it possible to love Hazel already?
“Alec?”
Hazel’s voice pulls me away from my wandering thoughts. Jerking my gaze away from my plate of half-finished pasta, I look across the dining room table at her. “What, Haze?”
Her eyes are dark with worry. Tiny lines are drawn across her forehead.
As I notice the bluish smudges shadowing her eyes, a fresh spurt of guilt sweeps through me.
She should be back at the cabin. Resting.
Relaxing. Falling asleep in my arms, like she has every night since the first time we slept together in bed.
She shouldn’t be sitting here at her house, offering herself up as bait.
Yes, I know it’s a solid plan. I know there’s every reason to believe she’s perfectly safe.
But still, I hate it.
Hazel spins her spaghetti around her fork but doesn’t raise the bite to her mouth. Instead, she drops the pasta back into an uneaten pile on her plate and sighs. “Do you think they’ll come tonight? Or is that just wishful thinking?”
“I don’t know,” I reply. “It’s possible. But given that you only got here this morning, I think we should be prepared to wait a few days, as well.”
“But it’s been almost four days since I got the messages. They must have been watching to see if I’d follow their instructions. Otherwise, what was the point of it?”
“That’s true.” I reach across the table to take her hand. “It could happen tonight. But—” I gentle my tone. “It’s possible they might not come at all. They might decide coming back to your house is too risky.”
“The message said to stop hiding,” Hazel retorts. “I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to do. Sit in the middle of Bliss with a sign that says, Here I am. Come get me?”
Her voice is strained. A tiny quiver shakes her words at the end. Her hand trembles in mine.
Shit.
She’s scared. And I hate it.
“Haze.” I hold her gaze. “We don’t have to go through with this. We can go back to GMG right now. It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind.”
“No.” With a shake of her head, she continues, “We’re already here. Your team is outside, waiting. We’ve planned everything…”
“That doesn’t matter,” I insist. “What matters is how you feel.”
“All the preparations, though. Sneaking you here in the trunk of my car, installing the extra security cameras, disabling the VPN so my location can be traced—”
“None of those things was a big deal.”
“Your teammates,” she says. “They’ve been hiding in the woods for hours. Gage is out there with his drone. You’ve had meetings about this.” Her voice pitches up. “It was my idea, after all. How could I change my mind now?”
Pushing up from my chair, I round the table to pull her into my arms. “You can change your mind at any time. No one would blame you. It’s okay to be scared; everyone understands—”
She tilts her head back to look up at me. “I’m not scared for myself. I’m scared for you. And your friends.”
“What? Why are you scared for me?”
“Because we don’t know what to expect. One man? Two? Six? I know you’re trained, Alec, but you can only take on so many people. And all it takes…” Trailing off, she bites her lip hard. “Anything could go wrong.”
“It won’t.” Pushing aside my own worries, I focus on hers. “I’ve faced far more dangerous adversaries than this. I’ve been up against men with RPGs and AK-47s. My team has been surrounded by three times our numbers and walked away unhurt. We can handle whoever shows up here. I promise.”
Hazel’s face pales. “Men with RPGs and AK-47s?”
Shit. Maybe that was too much information. “It sounds worse than it was,” I reply quickly. “And anyway, I’m fine.” Cupping her cheek, I lean down to kiss her. “So don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not worry about you? Don’t you worry about me?”
“Of course. But in this case, you don’t need to. If—when—these guys show up, they’ll be the ones surprised. Because they’re not going to have any idea who’s waiting for them.”
And when I finally get my hands on them… They—because we don’t really believe it’s just one person behind this—will sorely regret ever targeting Hazel.
Hazel strokes my jaw, brushing her fingers across the muscle working there. “Just be careful. Okay? I want this over, but not at the expense of your safety.”
I kiss her again, this time lingering for a few seconds. “I will, sweetheart.”
Glancing down at her cooling pasta, she says, “I’m not very hungry. Maybe we could watch some TV and cuddle instead? Since the curtains are all closed, it shouldn’t be a problem for us both to be in the living room, should it?”
I make a mental note to make Hazel some snacks later, so she at least eats something. “We can watch TV. That should be—”
A soft chime interrupts me, accompanied by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Hazel stiffens. Her eyes meet mine, wide and worried.
It’s our team ringtone; the one we all use so we always know when a teammate is calling or texting. The message could just be Enzo checking in from HQ, since he’s the one staying back to monitor the property. Or it could be one of the guys stationed outside with an update.
While still holding Hazel with one arm, I retrieve my phone from my pocket and read the message on the screen.
It’s from Gage.
Two men approaching from the southwest end of the property. Both all in black. Can’t tell if they’re armed.
My adrenaline jumps. It’s happening.
I quickly send Gage a reply.
What direction are they going? Towards the front or back of the house?
Seconds later, his response appears on my screen.
The back. They’re just about to reach the western wall.
Okay. As anticipated, the men are probably going to try to enter through the back door. Or a rear window, like the original intruder did.
I send one more text.
Heading to the back. Will let you know when to move in.
Then I silence my phone and slide it back into my pocket. “It’s time.”
Fear flashes in Hazel’s eyes. “They’re here?”
“Yes. Two men.” I press a quick kiss to her forehead. “It’s going to be fine. Everything will be over before you know it.”
Her chin wobbles. “Be careful. Please.”
“I will. But I need you to hide. Now.” Taking her hand, I tug her back into the living room. Angling my head towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms, I add, “Stay in the closet. Don’t come out no matter what you hear. I’ll come for you. Okay?”