No Fear After Ten Years

Chapter One

“She said yes!”

A chorus of congratulations went up at Dex’s announcement.

Not that the engagement was a surprise. Donnie raised his bottle of beer in salute and wondered what had taken Dex so long to pop the question.

His team leader and Kelly, head of the intel team at Onyx, had known each other since they were kids and been involved for over seven years.

It was about time he sealed the deal. He smiled at his friends and took his turn in kissing the bride-to-be and slapping Dex on the back.

“So, when’s the big day?” he asked.

Dex’s smile wavered. “Not yet.”

Raven and Nyx were two teams with Onyx Black Ops, a highly classified unit of the military.

The teams had been hand-picked by Captain Sam Harrison, former SEAL Team 6 leader and a bit of a legend in the Navy.

A unit like theirs often got rolled into action on short notice and could be gone for days or weeks.

Planning anything, let alone a wedding, was always a challenge.

“We’re on downtime for the next week. No time like the present.” Donnie grinned.

Raven team had just got back from a two-week mission and were due some R I can be patient a little longer. Neither of us wants anything fancy, but I know Kelly doesn’t want to rush it, so this will be on her timeline,” Dex said quietly.

Before joining Onyx, Kelly was a lieutenant with Naval Intelligence, supporting SEAL teams. She had been deployed to Daram with Bravo team when they got ambushed.

Bravo team were killed. Kelly had been captured, tortured, and raped by Reyes Lazir.

Raven, or Alpha as they were known then, had rescued her and Lazir had been captured, but Reborn, the terrorist organization Lazir was a soldier in, now had a personal grudge with Raven and had been causing trouble far too close to home.

“She doesn’t still blame herself for Reborn’s retaliation attempts?” The last couple of threats by Reborn had been foiled by Raven, no doubt pissing them the hell off. The team were expecting they would try again.

“A little. Doesn’t matter how many times I tell her, none of what’s happened is her fault, the guilt creeps in every now and then. She still seems to think us rescuing her is what started this vendetta,” Dex said. The two of them had moved away from the ladies all admiring Kelly’s engagement ring.

“Are you serious?” Steve said, pausing as he passed by.

“Yeah. We’re working on it. I forget sometimes it’s only been a little over a year since it happened. The sooner we take down those fuckers and finish Reborn, the better. Perhaps then she can finally move on.”

“OK, you guys look way too serious. This is supposed to be a celebration,” Ryan said as he, Mackie, and Tyler joined them.

Donnie looked at his teammates. They read each other well and could sense when something was off.

“Just wishing we could take down Reborn sooner rather than later,” Steve said.

“We all want that,” Tyler said. “Any more news on them?” He glanced at Dex.

“Sam says no.”

“Sam says no about what?” Their captain asked, joining the group.

“No more news on Reborn. We are long overdue taking down the Aziz brothers and bringing Reborn to their knees.” Mackie filled him in.

“Nothing solid yet. As soon as there is, you will know. We’ll find them.”

The conversation came to a halt when the women joined their men.

“What are you all talking about mysteriously over here?” Kelly said, wrapping an arm around Dex’s waist. Dex smiled, pulling her close into his side.

“Nothing important, fiancé.”

Donnie turned to Steve and Diane. “How are you feeling, Diane? What are you? Six months?”

“Almost seven. I feel great. Relieved to finally be settled in the new house.” She smiled up at her husband. “And I get to have Steve here the whole week to complete his honey-do list.”

Donnie laughed. “You mean there’s more to do? Didn’t we do everything before we spun up?”

“There’s always more to do.” Steve grumbled, although he was smiling lovingly at his wife.

“Megan has settled in alright?” Donnie glanced over to where Steve and Diane’s nine-year-old daughter played soccer on the beach with some of Nyx.

“Oh, yeah, she loves it. Being on the beach, swimming in the ocean. It’s a dream come true for all of us. And she’s busy helping get the nursery ready for her brother or sister.” Steve placed a hand on his wife’s stomach.

Steve and Diane had been married almost ten years.

Dex and Kelly were now engaged. Ryan, the team’s second in command, had fallen hard for Sophie, head of the E.R.

at Westside, the naval base hospital. Tyler, the team medic, and Mira, who worked with Kelly on their intel team, had started dating a few months ago, and it looked like things were going very well.

Donnie and Mackie, their tech guy, were the two remaining single guys on Raven.

Whenever Donnie saw his teammates with their women now, he envied what they had more and more.

It had been six months since he’d been with a woman.

He flirted and had offers, but the hook-ups he had once enjoyed seemed so...

empty now. Fuck, he must be getting old.

He was just twenty-nine, but he wanted more.

He wanted a connection. Someone he could go to sleep with and wake up with every day.

Someone waiting for him when he came home from a mission.

Someone who understood him, what he did, who he was.

He wanted what his parents had: thirty-five years of marriage and still so in love.

Yeah, he wanted that. There was only one woman he’d ever felt that spark with, that connection, but he’d walked away from her.

The decision haunted him almost daily now.

“I’m so happy for Dex and Kelly. Although Kelly said they haven't set a date yet,” Diane said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“I’m sure they will soon enough.”

“I hope it’s not too soon. I don’t want to look like an elephant in their wedding photos.” Diane frowned, stroking her stomach.

“Jesus, woman. You will be as beautiful nine months pregnant as you always are.” Steve laughed.

“You would say that.” She smiled, then pushed at him and wandered off.

“I get the feeling Kelly might not want to set a date until Reborn are taken care of,” Donnie said, now it was just the two of them.

“Yeah, I got that impression, too. I didn’t realize how bad it was still affecting her.”

“Me, neither.”

The two men looked over to Dex and Kelly. Standing together, they looked happy enough, but Reborn were never far from anyone’s mind.

“So, what you doing with your week off?” Steve asked.

“I’m catching an early flight in the morning. It’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow.”

“Ah, a trip to upstate New York. Does she know you’re coming?”

“Nope. I spoke to Dad, to make sure he wasn't whisking her off on a romantic getaway. She has no idea.”

“How long since you’ve seen them?”

Donnie thought back. “Shit. Before we joined Onyx. I mean we talk on the phone, but yeah, it’s been a while.”

“It will be a great surprise then,” Steve said warmly. “I think you could use the break too.”

Donnie arched an eyebrow in surprise. “What do you mean by that?’

Steve leaned away, grabbing two beers out of the cooler next to him.

“You haven't been quite yourself lately.”

Donnie took one bottle from him and twisted off the cap, dodging Steve’s gaze. “I’m good. We’ve had a couple of back-to-back missions. We all need this break.”

“We do. But I think it’s more than that. Look, I’m not getting up in your business, but I’m here if you need to talk. You’ve been there for me recently. Especially after what happened with Diane.”

Steve and Diane had hit a low point in their marriage, then on top of that Diane had been held hostage by a crazed Russian businessman facilitating the transport of chemical weapons to Reborn.

Onyx had taken down the Russian, rescued Diane, and secured the weapons, but Donnie knew Steve and Diane were still working through some stuff.

Steve admitted they were seeing Claire, the team’s psychologist.

Donnie sipped his beer. “I’m good, Steve, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Offer is always on the table.”

“Things look good between you and Diane.”

“Things are good. She might not be working at a swanky law firm anymore, but she’s much happier working with Melanie, doing family law for everyday people. The job, moving, the baby coming. It’s been a lot of change but we’re taking it one day at a time.”

“Isn’t that how we all live our lives?”

“You got that right.”

“Daddy. Can I get the cookies now?” Megan came bounding up to them.

“Ooh, cookies.” Donnie grinned. “Did you make them?”

“Yes. Mommy and me made them this morning. Chocolate chip or peanut butter. Oh, and oatmeal, because Mommy said we had to make some healthy ones.” She scrunched her nose in disgust, making Donnie laugh.

“Come on then, pumpkin. Let’s go and get them together,” Steve said.

Donnie watched father and daughter walk hand in hand into the house.

Steve thought he had been off? Steve knew him better than anyone.

Donnie had been struggling to get out of the funk he got into at the anniversary of Nate’s death a few weeks back.

It still hit him hard every year, thinking about his best friend from high school.

This one had been extra tough, perhaps because it was ten years.

It seemed impossible it had been so long ago.

Nate’s death had changed Donnie’s path in life.

He didn't regret his decision to join the Navy, but he did sometimes wonder what his life would have been like if Nate hadn't died.

Would he still be in Albany? With Charlie?