Elise Read online

  “You need to get some sleep, sweetheart. I know you are afraid, but you need sleep to be able to make the rest of the trip.” Elise looks at him with such fear in her eyes, but nods in agreement. “Would you feel better if I sleep here with you?”

  Elise lets out a huge breath. “Yes, Warren. I would feel better if you were here with me.” Elise smiles shyly when Deadeye moves to lay down next to her.

  “Don’t worry about anything. I will be right here and watch over you. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Deadeye whispers. “I promise to wake you if you have a nightmare.”

  “Thank you, Warren.” Elise settles down next to him.

  They lay side by side in the dark. He starts to reach for her but stops himself despite feeling the need to comfort her in some way. His attraction to her has only grown since finding her, but he can’t act on his desires. Can he? He is a professional. She is supposed to be a target. Besides he’s too old for her and way out of her league socially. Most importantly, he doesn’t want to frighten her after all she has been through. Then Elise rolls toward him and rests her head on his arm. He is unable to stop himself. He slips his arm around her shoulders and pulls her to lay against him with her head on his chest. He runs his fingers through her long hair for several minutes until he hears her breathing slow in sleep. Deadeye lays awake for some time longer listening to her breathing. He is getting too close to her, but he can’t seem to stop himself.

  They are awakened a few times during the night by Elise’s nightmares. Deadeye is quick to comfort and reassure her. Each time Elise clings to him and calms quickly when she hears his voice bringing her back to reality. When morning comes, they are both emotionally drained, but the long night has drawn them closer to each other. Deadeye is even more determined than ever to keep Elise safe and by his side.

  After breakfast, Mercury comes to Deadeye to update him on Worm and their current situation.

  “Hey, how long do you think it will take for an extraction team to arrive?” Mercury inquires quietly as he sits down next to Deadeye. Elise is lying on the mat next to where Deadeye is sitting with her back to the men. He had encouraged her to try and get some more sleep after eating. Both men glance at her before continuing their conversation.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. It depends on how long it takes them to reach the top and then the time it will take base to assemble and launch a rescue.” Deadeye whispers. He glances at Elise again before continuing. “Is something worrying you, Mercury? Is Worm taking a turn for the worse?” Deadeye looks over to were Worm is sleeping.

  “No, Worm is doing great. There hasn’t been anymore bleeding and his vitals are staying steady” Mercury pauses.

  “So, what’s the problem?” Deadeye asks while giving Mercury a hard stare. He knows there is more going on than Mercury has disclosed.

  “I am concerned that we might run out of pain medications and antibiotics before help can arrive.” Mercury stares back at Deadeye as the men contemplate the implications. Elise turns over and sits up. Both men turn to look at her.

  “Will he die if you run out of supplies before help arrives?” Elise asks hastily her voice rising as she speaks.

  “No. He is very strong, and his vitals are good.” Mercury gives her a smile before continuing. “I’m sure help will come before infection is much of a concern. He might be uncomfortable without the pain meds, but he will definitely survive to make it home. Don’t worry yourself about him.” Elise nods, but the worry on her face and in her eyes is easy for both men to see. Mercury gets up and heads back toward the entrance to the cave.

  “Did you sleep well?” Deadeye can see the answer on Elise’s face before she can answer. The dark circles under her bloodshot eyes tell the tell.

  “I couldn’t sleep…I was afraid of dreaming again.” Elise answers quietly. Deadeye nods as he tries to think of a solution to help her sleep better. Just then his attention is turned toward the entrance to the cave as he hears Bull calling for him. Deadeye looks back at Elise.

  “Stay right here, sweetheart okay? I promise I’ll be right back.” Elise nods in agreement as Deadeye jumps to his feet and heads in Bull’s direction. As Deadeye approaches Bull, Wallace calls out to him.

  “Deadeye, we have got a situation. The insurgents are getting closer. If they keep this pace they will be here before the extraction team can get here.” The urgency in Wallace’s voice is easy to hear. “They know this terrain much better than we do. We need to slow them down, someway.” Deadeye hurries to the entrance to peer over at the men climbing toward them. He looks around the entrance and then above them. He spots just what he needs to cause the insurgents a bit of trouble.

  “I have an idea, but it’s going to be tricky. It will take all of us to make it happen.” Deadeye tells the men. Before he can turn back into the cave to get Straw and Mercury for his plan, Elise speaks up.

  “What can I do to help?” Deadeye spins around and quickly pushes her back inside the cave.

  “You shouldn’t be out here” Deadeye exclaims. “It’s too dangerous. I need you to stay out of harm’s way.” Deadeye regrets his harsh comments the moment he sees Elise’s eyes tear up and her lower lip begin to tremble.

  “I was only trying to help. You wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for me.” Elise’s voice cracks as she tries to keep her tears at bay. Deadeye reaches for her, but she takes a step backwards. He stops and drops his hands in defeat.

  “Elise, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.” Deadeye sighs. “It’s dangerous and I was so afraid you might be injured. Elise nods a takes a step back toward him. Deadeye reaches for her hand and she places it in his much larger one. “There is something you can do to help us. I need you to watch over Worm while we deter the men climbing up the mountain. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes, of course.” Elise agrees. “I will do whatever you need me to do. I’m sorry I worried you. I wasn’t thinking about it being dangerous out there.” Elise looks up at him. Deadeye can’t help himself. He pulls her closer and she comes willingly. He smooths her hair back out of her face while gazing into her eyes.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. It is dangerous, but I won’t let anything bad happen to you again. I promise I will get you home, safely.” Elise leans into Deadeye resting her head on his broad chest. He wraps his arms around her as he gently rocks her. They are interrupted when Wallace calls out.

  “Are you going to let the rest of us in your plan?” Wallace chuckles when Deadeye glares at him over his shoulder. Deadeye turns back to Elise.

  “Go sit with Worm, while the guys and I get things ready, alright?” He smiles down at her. Elise turns and heads to where Mercury and Straw are sitting. Deadeye follows behind her. When they have gotten to the men, Deadeye hurries to grab the mat Elise had been sleeping on. He places it next to Worm and helps Elise to get settled.

  “Straw, Mercury I am going to need your help. Elise is going to sit with Worm” both men nod in agreement. Deadeye looks to Elise and when he has her attention he continues. “We shouldn’t be gone very long.” Elise nods and peers over at Worm.

  “I can help you if you need me. It don’t hurt that bad.” Worm declares as he points to the dressing on his injured leg. He moves to try and get up, but Straw thumps him on the head.

  “That’s because you are heavily medicated, genius” Straw informs him. “You can’t be up running around. You’ll tear open our handiwork. We worked too hard to seal that off for you to play hero and mess it up.” Worm rubs his head as he glares at Straw. Elise watches the exchange in awe as she realizes these men really do care about each other even if they are strong alpha men and would never admit it out loud. Mercury and Straw get up to head out of the cave. Deadeye hesitates for a moment.

  “We’ll be right back.” Deadeye looks to Elise. She gives him a smile and squeezes his hand.

  “Worm and I will be fine until you get back.” Elise assures him. Worm chimes in.

  “Yeah,
Elise and I will be just fine.” Worm winks at Elise as he tries to shift a little closer to her. “She can give me some TLC. It’s just what the doctor ordered.” Worm laughs at the frown that forms on Deadeye’s face. “I’m just kidding, man.” Worm laughs again. Deadeye huffs before getting up and heading out of the cave.

  Once the men are gathered together, Deadeye discloses his plan.

  “There are several large rocks just to the left of this cave. If we can dislodge them, we can rain rocks down on the enemy. Hopefully it will slow them down or make them turn back.” Deadeye looks at each man to see their response to his plan. The men acknowledge their agreement one by one.

  “That’s a good idea.” Wallace replies. “I think it can work. Let’s go get this party started.” The men head over to the loose boulders to the left of the cave, Mercury and Straw take up guard while the other three go to assess the situation. Deadeye radios to Mercury.

  “Get ready, they may fire on us when we start this.” The radio crackles as he ends the transmission.

  “Ready.” Mercury replies. A few moments later the mountain side erupts with noise as the large rocks begin their descent down the side of the mountain. The insurgents try to fire at the exposed men, but they are too far out of range and at an angle that made it difficult for them to get off a good shot. Deadeye and Wallace take their time dislodging the rocks one or two at a time. They wanted to give the illusion they could continue to send rocks down the mountain for a long time.

  A large rock hits one of the insurgents and he tumbles down and out of sight. The remaining insurgents quickly move around the side laterally in an effort to get out of the path of the rocks. As the team continues to push rocks down toward the enemy, the insurgents are forced to take shelter in a small alcove the team had seen on their way up the mountain. The team stays diligent watching for them to attempt to resume their climb. After about 30 minutes, Deadeye spots an insurgent moving out from the shelter. He watches patiently until he and another man have moved far enough away from the shelter. They wouldn’t be able to get back to the shelter before another avalanche of rocks descend on them. Deadeye, Wallace, and Straw send another landslide of rocks down the mountain side causing both insurgents to fall to their deaths. The team continues to watch for more men to emerge, but after another 45 minutes no one else appears.

  Back near the top, Tank has pushed the men hard to reach the summit after hearing the avalanche of rocks raining down on the insurgents. He knows the only way to help his team is to get in contact with base camp for reinforcement.

  “Beehive this is Swarm, over” Tank calls over the radio. The men wait for 30 seconds and then repeat.

  “Beehive this is Swarm, over” After several moments the reply comes.

  “Swarm this is Beehive, report over” Tank sighs in relief.

  “The Queen bee has been secured. However, caught in spider web with spiders surrounding. Request Killer bees and Snake doctor to the following location” Tank rattles off coordinates. Luckily for them, the camp had been on stand-by incase they were needed to assist the team in extracting Elise. They had been waiting to hear word from the team. An immediate reply comes.

  “Affirmative Swarm, killer bees in route. ETA 10 minutes. Blow smoke in 9, confirm over.”

  “Swarm confirms. Blowing smoke in 9, over” the men make ready for the in bound firepower that is on it’s way to them. As the time approaches, Tank deploys the smoke flares. Suddenly a line of Apache helicopters blast through the smoke screen and drop out over the side of the mountain. Tank and his men watch as the choppers rain a barrage of bullets at the insurgents trying to climb out of their shelter. One well-placed missile hits the alcove and a blast of rocks and dust erupts into the clear air. Another chopper peppers the insurgents on the ground that were guarding the disabled Humvee. When the dust settles, all the insurgents have been eliminated.

  “Swarm, this is killer bee 1. Spiders have been eliminated. Snake doctor in bound in 5.”

  “Affirmative, Killer Bee 1. Swarm out.” Tank responds back.

  A few minutes later the sound of blades chopping the air as the in bound Huey approached could be heard. The chopper hovered over Tanks location and dropped rope ladders out each side. Tank and his men are up the ladders and in the chopper in under a minute. Once inside, Tank updates the crew on the location of the rest of the team. When the pilot has positioned the chopper as near the cave entrance as possible, they drop a ladder down. Tank shimmies down the ladder to report to Deadeye. Once he is on the ground the ladder is drawn back in and replaced with a stretcher. Bull and Wallace hurry out to secure the stretcher while Mercury and Straw carry Worm to it.

  “Deadeye, the insurgents have been taken care of and the extraction chopper is here.” Tank relates the information as they are all moving toward the entrance to the cave. Deadeye has Elise next to him as they approach the entrance.

  “It’s going to be very loud out there and hard to hear. I want you to stay next to me the whole time, okay sweetheart?” Elise nods and clings to Deadeye as they approach the spot where the stretcher has already begun its assent. Once Worm in securely inside the chopper, the ladder is again dropped. The downdraft from the chopper is very strong and makes it difficult for Elise to keep her footing. Deadeye steadies her as he pushes her toward the ladder and gestures for her to climb. Eyes wide with fear Elise turns away from Deadeye and tentatively begins to climb. Deadeye follows close behind her along with the rest of the team. The chopper banks away from the mountain as the last man enters the safety of the chopper.

  Elise stares down at the burnt side of the mountain as they pull away and head towards the safety of base camp. She is surprised that she doesn’t feel any remorse for the men that died there, but after her ordeal she isn’t the same naïve woman that left home only two months ago. Some people are evil and do evil things and so they deserve to face death.

  Chapter 9

  Thankfully the flight across the desert and on to the safety of base camp went relatively easy. Elise has been glued to Deadeye side the entire flight, which if he was honest made him want to howl like a wolf to a full moon. It might make him a caveman, but the way she has clung to him since realizing he was an American soldier has Deadeye feeling ten-feet tall and bullet proof. The need he as felt to keep her safe since he first saw her picture has only gotten stronger during their time in the desert. His mind briefly flashes a head to getting her back in the States. What will happen then? Will he be able to keep her close? He tries not to think about her leaving to go back to Maryland with her family. It makes his stomach feel hollow and a little sick.

  When they reach the camp, the Huey drops them off at the base hospital. As the team enters the building holding the hospital and emergency services, Deadeye demands the best doctor available. The staff are ready and waiting for them. Worm is whisked away for emergency treatment and to stabilize him for the trip to Germany for removal of the bullet that was lodged deep in his left thigh. Straw and Mercury had taken great pains to keep him alive and pain free. They were reluctant to leave him in the hands of the hospital workers, but at the nod from Deadeye they hand him over.

  A young woman arrives and takes Elise into an exam room. The woman begins to ask her a lot of questions. Elise just stares at her without saying a word and then looks at Deadeye with fear in her eyes. It almost breaks his heart to see her fear and anxiety. He has refused to leave her side despite the nurse’s glares.

  “Perhaps if you left the room, she might be more willing to answer my questions.” The nurse quips at Deadeye. Before he can make a protest. Elise exclaims, “No!” All eyes turn to look at her. Her face flushes and she drops her gaze from his eyes.

  “Elise, sweetheart look at me.” Deadeye commands her in a gentle tone. When her eyes meet his, he places his hand on her cheek. “You don’t have to do anything or say anything. Would you be more comfortable if I stepped outside the door while the nurse gets information from you? I promise to stay close enc
ase you need me.”

  “No…no, please don’t leave me.” Her voice cracks as tears begin to fall down her face. He couldn’t stop himself if his life had depended on it. He took her into his arms and held her to his chest. She gripped his gear strapped to his sides like he was a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. His left arm was around her upper back and his right hand gently stroked her hair. He was murmuring words of comfort when the door to the exam room opened. Deadeye glanced back over his left shoulder to see who was entering the room and recognized the woman immediately. He stiffened a little. She hadn’t been overly impressed with his team on the flight over here. He hoped she wouldn’t hold her hard feelings against Elise.

  “Hello, Ms. Sommers. I am Dr. Robertson.” The woman from the plane says as she enters the room. The nurse jumps to her feet and begins to try to explain why she didn’t have Elise’s paperwork done.

  “I’m sorry Dr. Robertson. She hasn’t been very cooperative. I am trying to get her chart done.” The woman is looking a little frantic.

  “Ensign Stone, relax. I’m not going to be upset about the chart not being done before I enter the room.” Dr. Robertson assures the nurse. “I know you are new here and have probably been treated badly by some of the officers around here, but I’m not one of them. As long as you are giving your best effort to do your job, you will have my respect. I can ask my own questions if there is something not on here that I need.” She smiles then at the woman to ease the nervous woman’s mind.

  “Yes, ma’am. Dr. Robertson. Thank you.” The ensign seems to relax a little as Dr Robertson comes toward Elise and Deadeye. Elise has kept her head buried into his chest as he tries to soothe her. As Dr. Robertson gets closer, Deadeye refuses to pull back from Elise. He can still feel her body trembling under his. Her breathing is rapid and fast. He fears she is going to pass out from hyperventilating.

  “Ms. Sommers.” Dr. Robertson says softly near her as she leans toward Deadeye and Elise. “I need to make sure you are physically unharmed. I understand you have been through an awful ordeal and for that I am very sorry. You don’t have to talk to me, answer any questions, or even let me examine you for that matter. You have the right to refuse any treatment, but I want you to know that I only have your best interests in mind. I just want to make sure you are safe to travel back to the states and away from this place. I will give you as much time as you need to think about what you want to do.”