Ice (Elite Forces #1)(17)
“Motherf*cker.” I take off my sweat-soaked shirt, tossing the bitch in the corner of my office. Training was easy. Everyone knows what their responsibility is, right down to the two-man medical team. Aim and shoot anyone who stands in our way of killing the man we came here to kill.
What’s really got my ass riled up is her. Jade. She wouldn’t look at me all goddamn day. Nothing, not even when I addressed each one of them individually, making them all repeat what is expected of them and for two of them to stay together at all times.
I stared her down when I spoke to her. Telling her if she has the shot if we draw him out, she better f*cking take it. She addressed me appropriately in front of her teammates with her answer, but f*ck me. I need to see her up close when she talks to me. I need to taste her lips on mine one more time before we go. “Fuck.” I grab a clean shirt, pulling it over my head as I walk out the door.
“Sir.” I exhale, acknowledging both men on my medical team with a nod. They, too, are trained to kill.
I hold back my anger as I continue walking the small compound, looking for her. My eyes scan everywhere, from the tiny tent we eat under to hers. Where in the hell is she?
The sun is setting deep in the desert. Soon we'll be going from closing out one day and right into the next. The day we’ve prepared for. The day that will forever be engrained into our memories as one of the craziest times of our lives. When our lives were in danger and we were on a mission to kill anything that moves.
I finally see her. She's standing off to the side of my tent. Our eyes lock. This shit is forbidden out here. It's dangerous for me to keep my observance of her, exploiting what I desperately want to say. I know the look on my face will give away the desperation I'm feeling inside.
She drags her gaze away first and tucks her blond hair under her hat, disregarding me as if I never existed. I watch closely as she makes her way to JJ, tucking herself close to his side. I lose sight of her when they enter the equipment area... The one that I f*cked her in last night.
It kills me more than I care to admit that he’s the one with her right now instead of me. He’ll be with her on top of that roof, guarding her back the same way she’ll be guarding his. He’s a good man and a dedicated soldier, not only to this country, but to his wife and children as well. “Take care of her JJ, I need her,” I whisper to myself.
“You worried about her?” Roberts comes up behind me. I scoff at the absurdity of his question. That woman has more balls than most men I’ve met.
“Not at all. She’s more put together than the rest of us. She can handle this.” Speaking the damn truth, I know Jade can handle it. It’s my damn feelings for her that need to be handled before I f*ck this shit all up. A mind must be clear during a mission. A single hesitation could cost a life, so I need to get my shit in check quickly.
I need to focus on being an expert, as well as the leader of this team for the next few hours, while we compile our gear. Then tear down what we can to help the cleaners who will come in the minute we leave and demolish this small camp like it never existed. All teams leave out today. Not a damn thing will be left behind, only memories.
Memories should be left behind here in this mass destruction, this place called hell. Mine will exist.
With determination, I enter my office to send one last email to Colonel Wright, who I will report back to the minute we land in the United States.
Closing my laptop, I tuck it safely into my duffle bag that will await me at the airport in Dubai. I stand, roam to my small cot, and sit on the edge to set my alarm on my watch, knowing damn well I won’t sleep. Not out of fear for our mission. I’m fearful of her and of what the f*ck will become of us after we're all debriefed and go our separate ways.
Will she act as if I never existed, the same way she did the entire night we tore shit down? Or will she want to exist in my world and get to know me? Will she want me the same way I want her? What she fails to know about me is, I’m not a man to give up on the things I want; and I want her. Not just her body, but her soul and her heart.
As I lay my head on my pillow, I close my eyes. I don’t sleep. I’m ready for this mission. I’m focused. I have to be. I have men to protect. A woman to protect. “I will own you, Jade. You will become mine.” Those are the last words I speak before I succumb to the sleep I didn’t think I would get.
The distinctive sound of the MH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter approaching rings in our ears. Everyone is geared up and dressed in darkness with our backpacks attached. Each one of us carries several rifles and pistol mags, a radio, and hydration reservoirs. Watching everyone with special ops helmets in hand, I stand secure, knowing they're designed to stop a round from a pistol busting open a skull. These helmets are lightweight but carry the necessities needed to guide us through the dark. Flashlights, cameras, ear and microphone pieces all in place and tested repeatedly. All exposed skin painted, making us inconspicuous to the enemy. We are f*cking ready.
No one speaks as we watch the helicopter land; instead we’re running toward it. The high-pitched whirl of the engine and the blades strum over the loud beating of our pounding chests.
“Let's do this. In and out. I don’t give two f*cks who kills that bastard as long as the proof is recorded. I also don’t give a shit who you take down to get to him. Do I make myself clear?” I yell over the top of the roaring engines as we lift off of the ground. My eyes are trained on Jade, who looks straight ahead, still not meeting my eyes. I need to drive my point deep into them all.