Chapter 6 #4
“When the explosives went off at the hospital, he had a massive heart attack. He didn’t make it.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “He was okay. I mean, I knew he was sick, but he was talking. He was fine.”
“He had a stroke in the desert, like you guessed. His heart was too weak to take any more stress. When the kidnappers found out he was dead, and that you’d slipped through their fingers, they ran off to hunt you down.
The Jaeger Corps left a few hours ago with his body.
They’re heading to Italy, and then on to Denmark,” Mustang said.
Lexie’s chin dropped to her chest and she sighed deeply. She stood with her arms at her sides as Midas hugged her against him. “Lex?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” she said softly. “I just can’t imagine what his brother will think. I guess they were really close. It sucks that he was actually rescued, only to die before he could get home.”
“I’m sure Magnus Brander would appreciate your condolences once we get you somewhere safe,” Jag said.
“Yeah,” Lexie said with a nod, but Midas could tell she was lost in her own head.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get the hell out of here, yeah?”
“Fine by me,” Pid said.
“Just been waiting on you,” Slate said with a small smirk.
Midas knew his friends were teasing. It was obvious they’d been worried.
“How’d you find us, anyway?” Mustang asked.
“A friend of Lexie’s led the way,” Midas told them. He explained Shermake’s and his mother’s role in their escape. Then said, “I’d like to repay them when we get home.”
“I’m sure Baker will be happy to help track them down,” Aleck said. “All he’ll need is their names and other details that you can remember, and it’ll be done.”
“Who’s Baker?” Lexie asked.
“A guy back home in Hawaii who gets stuff done,” Jag said.
“Wow, that was vague,” Lexie complained.
“He’s hard to explain,” Mustang told her as they walked. “He’s a former SEAL, a hard-core surfer dude, and a bit like a mainframe computer. He knows everyone, can find any information about anyone, and is grumpy as fuck.”
“He sounds fascinating. Is he as good-looking as you guys?” Lexie asked.
“You think we’re good-looking?” Jag asked, exaggeratingly puffing out his chest.
“Well, you’re all looking a bit rough. Especially him,” Lexie said, gesturing with her head to Slate.
His friends chuckled. She was grieving for Dagmar, that was obvious, but she was still doing her best to be friendly to his team.
“Did I ever formally introduce you to everyone?” Midas asked.
“No. But it’s not like we really had the time,” Lexie said.
“True. So, that’s Aleck. His last name is Smart, so you know why his nickname is Aleck,” Midas said quietly as they walked.
He assumed they were headed for the LZ for the chopper that he hoped was on its way to pick them up.
They’d have to board quickly, just in case the kidnappers tried one last time to prevent Lexie from leaving the country.
“So are you really a smart aleck, or did you just get stuck with that moniker?” Lexie asked.
“Oh, I one hundred percent live up to my nickname,” Aleck said with a smile.
“Next to him is Pid; his first name is Stuart,” Midas said.
Lexie groaned. “Jeez, you guys need better nicknames.”
“Then there’s Jag, whose name is Jagger.”
“Ah, that’s better,” Lexie said with a smile in his direction.
“The impatient one is Slate—whose last name is Stone—and Mustang is our team leader.”
“The one married to Elodie, right?” Lexie asked.
“You heard about my wife?” Mustang asked.
She nodded. “We had a bit of time to kill today,” she said.
“You and Elodie have something in common. I met her in the Middle East too. Of course, she was on a ship and not on land, but still.”
“She sounds pretty amazing,” Lexie said.
“She is,” Mustang said simply.
“And she makes a hell of a hamburger,” Aleck added.
Lexie groaned. “Let’s not talk about food, okay?” she asked.
Midas made a mental note that getting food for Lex was his top priority.
They walked for another five minutes, the team making small talk with Lexie. Midas knew they were trying to distract her from what was going to be an incredibly dangerous few minutes as soon as the chopper was incoming.
They arrived at the outskirts of the neighborhood they’d been walking in and Midas stared out at a large expanse of desert.
It was fascinating how the town simply ended and the desert started.
There were literally no lights in front of them, only sand as far as the eye could see…
which wasn’t very far at the moment, since it was dark.
“Can she run in those huge sneakers?” Pid asked Midas.
“I can run,” Lexie answered for herself.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to talk over you.”
“It’s okay. I know I’m just the chick you were sent in to rescue, and I’m no Navy SEAL, but I’m not helpless either,” Lexie told him.
“I’m guessing there’s a story behind those shoes,” Jag said. “As far as I know, you weren’t wearing them when we rescued you from the desert.”
“Nope. Shermake gave them to me,” Lexie said.
“Yeah, Baker will definitely want to help,” Slate said, understanding how important a gesture it was that the teenager had given up his shoes.
“You all ready?” Mustang asked.
Everyone nodded.
“Ready for what?” Lexie whispered to Midas.
“To run. When that chopper approaches, everyone in town’s gonna know. And the people who don’t want you to leave will try to get here as fast as they can,” he told her.
“Then it’s a good thing they can’t run faster than the helicopter can fly, isn’t it?” Lexie asked.
Midas heard his teammates chuckling, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Lexie.
She looked incredibly sad, but now she also had a determined gleam in her eye.
She also still looked as if she’d been through hell and back, but it was now somehow part of her charm.
“Definitely,” Midas agreed. “Stay by my side,” he told her.
“Mustang and Aleck will take point, we’ll go after them, and Pid, Jag, and Slate will have our backs.
When we get to the chopper, just hold up your arms and Mustang and Aleck will help you inside.
Crawl away from the door as soon as you get inside. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said immediately. “And I’ve already done this once, remember? Piece of cake.”
Her voice wobbled a little, but she lifted her chin as if daring him to comment on it.
There was no way Midas was going to say a damn word.
He’d be worried if she wasn’t a little scared of what was about to happen.
But Midas had the utmost trust in the Night Stalker helicopter pilots.
They were badass in their own right and could fly in the worst of conditions.
As long as they could get inside the chopper, they were good to go.
“Incoming,” Mustang said.
Midas heard the rotor blades of the helicopter as it flew fast and low toward the LZ.
Within seconds, sand flew in all directions and Midas felt Lexie duck her head against his chest as she did her best to protect her face. He took her hand in his and leaned down. “On the count of three, run like hell. Keep your eyes closed. I won’t let you fall.”
She nodded, and his belly clenched with the amount of trust she was literally putting in the palm of his hand.
“One, two, three,” he counted, then took off running, Lexie at his side.
The sand hurt his face but he ignored it. Getting to safety was more important than a little discomfort right about now. He watched as Mustang and Aleck leaped into the opening of the chopper and immediately turned with their arms outstretched.
Midas positioned Lexie at the door and shouted, “Arms up, Lex.”
She immediately complied and disappeared inside the helicopter. Midas leaped in behind her and was quickly followed by the rest of his teammates. Within seconds, he felt the chopper lurch, then they were in the air once more.
Everyone was tense for several minutes as they flew fast back toward the desert—and hopefully away from anyone who might want to try to shoot them down.
But their exit from Galkayo was uneventful.
As the lights from the Somali town got smaller and smaller, Midas breathed out a sigh of relief.
He turned to Lexie and gave her a thumb’s up.
They hadn’t paused to put on headphones, so they couldn’t talk, but it didn’t seem to matter.
She beamed at him and returned his thumb’s up.
Yeah, it was safe to say Lexie Greene was officially under his skin. And Midas had no idea how he was going to be able to give her up.