Special Forces_Operation Alpha_Shielding Alice Read online

  “I can’t see your mother being thrilled about her baby boy joining up.”

  He told me about her tears in the beginning but in the long run she was extremely proud of him. Then he redirected our chat to me and asked what happened to me after I left him at the end of the summer. I didn’t have anything as exciting as his life of jumping out of planes and emerging from the water to protect our country.

  I was still fascinated by the great outdoors.

  “My pretty little nature girl,” he announced with a smile and my heart beat wildly. It was the “my” that got to me the most—the thought of being his was very appealing.

  Chapter Seven

  Colt

  Our lunch break ended far too soon. Talking about our lives apart and, better yet, together that perfect summer, had me wanting to hold her captive...forever. I couldn’t keep myself from bringing up the intimate portion of our relationship and it turned out she had the same problem when she mentioned my lasso.

  “What are you going to do with those, Cowboy?” Alice asked with a giggle as she watched me move a couple of ropes from the back of my truck to place inside of the cab.

  I hadn’t planned anything but suddenly they never left my hand as we walked inside. Fortunately, she was renting a room in an old house in the downtown area which gave us a private place to explore each other’s body. I wasn’t sure what to do at first but there was a four-post bed in her room.

  “Take off your clothes and get on the bed,” I commanded and she complied. My knotting skills came in handy—I secured her hands and feet in place and then stripped off my own clothes. I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to get them off fast enough once I satisfied her without erupting in my pants.

  Her body looked amazing waiting for my hands to caress it and my mouth to taste it. Taking a few deep breaths, I moved over her and captured her lips with mine. There was still a hint of caramel apple and stickiness on the corner of her mouth and I moaned imagining the sugary goodness drizzled over her and me licking it off. Not available, I delighted in the salty, sweetness of her skin as I gently nibbled her neck, her shoulders, her breasts—staying there for a while paying attention to each one—before moving down her torso.

  Settling my head in her promised land area, I tried to remember what she liked when my hands roamed in the same place. She moaned “yes” repeatedly and rather loudly when I hit her tiny acorn with the tip of my tongue. I was lost in the moment, shocked by how much I liked what I was doing to her until I heard her begging “now” along with “untie me.” Unsure if the ropes were hurting her, I moved quickly and freed her.

  “Are you alright?” I asked. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Just the opposite. Now I want to feel you inside of me.” She reached for me. “Make it even better for me...for you.” She didn’t have to explain what I needed to do next, I knew to open a wrapper and climb on the bed for a wild ride.

  Those were not the memories we should’ve been referring to since I had to leave her once we arrived at the safe house, but I couldn’t stop her words. “I swear you knew what you were doing. Some things more than me and I had to keep asking you if it was truly your first time.” She laughed.

  “I have a confession.”

  “What?! I knew it! You were pulling my leg.”

  “Definitely not.” I shook my head, remembering that I was breaking bro-code. “The cowboys at the dude ranch gave me a lot of pointers.”

  “Well, my hat’s off to them...” She leaned forward and spoke softer than she had been. “I’ve never had an orgasm that easily and the stuff with your mouth, no one had ever done that to me... You were my first.”

  Talk about being terribly uncomfortable. My body was ready to go that very second. However, taking into account where we were and what we were doing together and why, I needed to cool things down. Also, she was expected at the safe house within an allotted time. Any more time spent off-task, I was bound to receive a phone call asking if everything was on schedule, were we compromised, and was the witness still safe.

  Another job I was failing miserable at according to the assignment details, but she was being shielded one hundred percent. There was no way in hell I was about to leave her side or let her go off alone...until I turned her over to the house host.

  “As much as I would like to continue our time together, we need to get to the farm. We still have about another hour or so ride...provided we’re not slammed with traffic.”

  “What a party pooper!” She grinned at me with dark eyes that were so not her. I wanted to see her sky-blue peepers. The hair was throwing me too. She was a perfect blonde. Not saying she wasn’t still gorgeous, but I wanted my Alice Kelly back.

  “Sorry,” I said after I stopped staring at her far too long. It was one of those moments that felt like the date was leaning toward a shared kiss. A simple reach across the table and plant your lips on hers. Only it wasn’t a date, so I asked for our bill, paid it and after a brief restroom break, got us back on the road.

  It was one time that I wished for traffic. Anything to give us more time together. We had stayed away from intimate topics and she told me what had happened to land her in the witness protection program. I hated to hear she was in danger. I wanted to know more about the case itself and what it involved.

  What I hated the most was that I had to leave her and drive off once she was situated. I was wishing that my job was to look after her as the safe house host. Turning away from her after saying goodbye was the toughest thing ever. I had let her go years ago and it was quite possibly even worse the second time around. At least the first time I got to hug and kiss her before she got in her car and drove away with one of her girlfriends who had worked in Durango that summer too.

  There was no way of taking her into my arms with the host standing by, ready to take over. I left the farm empty-handed with a lump in my throat and an ache in my chest wondering if our paths would ever cross again. The pain of the whole situation only deepened as I drove further away back to San Diego.

  “I can’t do it! I can’t leave her!” I pounded my fist on the steering wheel.

  Then I did a dumb thing, I made an illegal u-turn and headed back—following my heart—in the direction of the farm. I didn’t know what my plan was, but I could stay overnight at a little motel that I remembered passing as I left her. One more time. I had to talk to her one more time. We needed to make plans once she was out of danger...no longer in witness protection, no matter how long it took. If a total disappearing act was necessary, I could run away with her—shielding Alice forever. So many ideas were brewing in my brain and maybe I was wrong to be contemplating all or any of them, but something told me to go back.

  Chapter Eight

  Alice

  What a great day! I had been reunited with my cowboy. The man I would call the love of my life... After that thought popped into my head, I realized it was true. I had always labeled it as an amazing summer fling, but it felt like so much more seeing him again. Reminiscing about our time together made my body feel warm all over and my chest tightened with each memory.

  Once he dropped me at the farm and left, I wanted to cry. It was painful to watch him drive off without so much as a hug...or kiss. That didn’t seem appropriate for someone transporting me and I didn’t want to cause trouble for him or his job. Did it matter that I knew him in the past? Should he have stepped back? I guess it was too late by the time I told him that it was me under the black hair and dark brown eyes.

  Only my name remained. The look even had me doing a double take and jumping a bit when I caught my reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t a bad transformation, but it was foreign and not what I was used to, nor did I like it. Again, it was a reminder of the regrets I had—my mouth should’ve remained closed. I should’ve never recorded the video in the first place.

  It didn’t bring anyone back to life and it was ruining mine...or was it? It brought Colt back in my life. My mind bat
tled back and forth for the rest of the evening and into the night. Sleep was virtually impossible. Another pair of regrets were playing in my head: leaving my cowboy in Durango and letting my cowboy leave me at the farm.

  By the time I noticed the sky lightening, I decided to get up and watch the orange grove come to life—starting with the sunrise. Pulling back the covers, I slipped my bare feet onto the cold, wood-planked floor, grabbed my toiletries and headed off to take a shower.

  Clean and dressed in a pair of jeans, a white tank top, a dark olive hoodie and a pair of sky blue Chucks, I left a note for my hosts and stepped outside. There was a slight chill in the morning air as I walked through rows of orange trees in various stages of production and I wondered if they were different species. I loved that some of them were covered in blossoms that smelled incredible and probably drew a swarm of bees to them. Others were loaded with perfectly round orange globes that I planned to pluck—at least one. There were so many, I figured they could spare one or two.

  As I watched the sun come up over the hills that partially surrounded a portion of the farm, the sounds around the farm changed. Still quiet of workers, the crickets were slowing their rhythmic legs to give way to a variety of birds chirping their good morning greetings to the day. I imagined that it would develop into a nice, warm, sunny day looking up at a clear blue sky.

  With my two stolen oranges, I found a perfect location and sat down with my back to the trunk to indulge in their sweet, juicy goodness while looking around. It was so peaceful sitting in the grove as I watched the flutter of butterfly wings—some monarchs but mainly giant swallowtails. The latter in its caterpillar-form loved to construct their chrysalis/pupa—which many people refer to as a cocoon—in citrus trees. It was amazing how pretty they turned out when they became butterflies judging from their beginnings. Not to be unfair or ugly in my description of them, but they were one of the least attractive brown and cream colored caterpillars with dog faces. Kind of like the ugly duckling or was it the ugly swan story...I couldn’t remember. I just knew that nature was amazing and I loved being surrounded by it.

  Taking a deep breath in of the fresh air, I leaned my head back against the trunk to let the first sun rays of the morning bathe my face. Shutting my eyes, visions of my cowboy appeared behind my closed lids and I was transported to another outdoor area a few states away.

  “You are so lucky. You live in one of the most beautiful places.” I didn’t know where to look, I didn’t want to miss a thing as he drove me out to the lake where he lived. Log cabins surrounded by trees, high grasses, wildflowers in various colors, I imagined living in one of them. “Oh my goodness! The lake and the mountains—it doesn’t look real. It’s like a perfectly painted background scene in a movie.”

  “I think you appreciate it more when it’s not an everyday thing.” Colt laughed at my excitement that never ended that whole day. I must’ve amused him...and his parents who were absolutely lovely.

  Since I spent most of my days on the river, we left the water sports to the renter and went next door to a dude ranch to ride horses. I had been on horses a couple of times growing up so I wasn’t a total novice, but my cowboy was very impressive and taught me a few things that made my ride far more enjoyable. Getting the horse to go in the right direction and stop were a big plus. My last ride had consisted of me being taken where the horse wanted to go.

  “Wow! This is even more wow...just wow!” He had taken me up the side of some rocky hills to a wide open meadow with a bazillion wildflowers where we had a picnic.

  On a blanket we sat amongst the flowers and tall grasses eating yummy pulled-pork sandwiches with homemade pasta salad and sweet tea. The only thing that topped our lunch was having my cowboy’s muscular arms around me and being kissed silly with his delicious lips on mine. I never wanted to leave that spot.

  “Wake up, sleeping beauty!” I was jarred from the past to the present by an unfamiliar male voice. “You need to come with us.” I shielded my eyes as I pushed off the ground to stand and recognized the woman behind him from the police station.

  “Okay,” I replied, dusting off the dirt from my bottom, grabbing my jacket from the dirt and hoping that she had come to tell me I was free. My mind was racing to thoughts of calling Colt at the number he had given me and telling him to come back for me.

  My wishful thinking was quickly vanquished when I was asked to put my hands behind my back. Was I being arrested? Did they think I had something to do with the murder after all? They had treated me as if I was a suspect at the station at one point.

  Complying, I let go of my jacket and stood still. It was when they presented a dark pillow case and were about to put it over my head before pushing me into what looked like an unmarked police car that I thought things were about to get really bad.

  So bad. So bad. So bad. I’m going to die. They’re going to kill me. I’m doomed. Scream. Kick. Fight back. Remember the guns. Oh my God. Oh my God. Why didn’t I run? My heart was racing. My body was starting to sweat. I couldn’t breathe...

  “No.” I screamed internally, fighting natural reactions.

  No, negativity. You need to keep your wits about you and stay calm.

  A pep talk ensued inside of my head as I remembered one of my favorite actors talking to his daughter when she was being kidnapped. Listen to my surroundings and count as we pull away. Over and over I counted to sixty, trying to estimate how far away from the farm they were taking me. I tried to figure out turns and directions by my body’s sway, but I didn’t want to lose count—the distance seemed more important. I wasn’t sure if that was right or wrong. However, it was preventing me from panicking and preparing me for the ransom call I imagined happening once we got to wherever we were going.

  Stay calm. Listen. You need to send a coded message if given the chance. If they wanted ransom money, whoever they called would want proof that I was alive, right? Otherwise how would they give my captors what they wanted? What did they want? If they wanted my phone, I didn’t have it. What I did have was my senses to pinpoint my location. Keywords were what I needed to let my rescuers know where I was... It worked in movies. I hoped that it worked for me. Was anything real? I kept thinking I was in a bad dream or I had fallen down a rabbit hole.

  Chapter Nine

  Colt

  Grabbing a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee offered at the motel’s complimentary breakfast bar, I sat and checked my messages. Nothing from Alice. I had hoped she would call me after I gave her my number. I made her say it over and over so she would remember it since she wasn’t supposed to log numbers into her phone. I wanted to tell her goodnight and good morning, but no chance.

  Was that a sign that I needed to be on my way...or did I return to the farm?

  I decided to go with my gut feeling that said go to Alice and tell her how I felt. Tell her how I could barely sleep all night as I thought about us. Things happen for a reason. The universe was bringing us back together. I wished that it had been under different circumstances, but I would take her however I could get her back in my life and it couldn’t happen soon enough.

  When I pulled up to the safe house, I already had a whole speech planned to give the house host and was ready to pull some strings with some of my high-up contacts to trade places with him. The woman they had staying there could remain, but he could go. No one would shield Alice like I would. I was feeling positive about my decision until no one answered the front door and my girl was nowhere to be found.

  Something wasn’t right.

  The day before when I had dropped Alice off at the farm, there had been activity and noise everywhere—along with several workers milling about. It was practically a ghost town as I peered around. Too quiet. I, immediately, opened the unlocked front door and walked right in. No one. No sounds. I checked every room. Alice’s stuff was in one bedroom: her overnight bag was on the dresser, her rolling luggage was on the floor still unpacked, a hairbrush was sitting next on the bed, and next to it was a
bath towel with a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. It appeared as if she had gotten ready for the day as the made-up bed looked rumbled, making me think it had been slept in.

  Knowing Alice, I could imagine her roaming the property and set off out the back door into the grove. She was fascinated with nature.

  “Those columbine flowers are so fun. I’ve heard people say pansies and daisies are the happiest and most fun flowers ever, but I think they’re wrong. Look at those.” She pointed. “They all look like they could fly or dance right off of their delicate stems. The multiple colors are so pretty too.”

  “Are those you’re favorite flowers?”

  “Definitely not. I love daffodils, narcissus and jonquils. They’re all from the same amaryllis family. Their scent is sweet and lovely. And, they look like teacups resting on petal saucers ready for a grand tea party.”

  Alice’s descriptions were magical and imaginative. I often found her talking to insects and other creatures as if they understood her. She was the only girl I knew that would capture a lizard and let it crawl all over her skin. “They love the warmth of our skin.” She didn’t seem to mind any bugs landing on her. No squeals or screams or running away. Even bees... “The key is to stay still. Once they figure out I have nothing to offer them, they will fly off... Bumble bees are very important. Without them we would suffer.”

  I knew a bit about their role in the world, but I loved hearing her explain things and willed her to tell me more. “Do tell, Miss Kelly.”

  With a smile she continued her bee speech. “Their buzzing sound—created by the rapid movement of their wings—creates a vibration in the air. The buzzing vibration is key to shaking pollen from flowers. Pollen equals fertilization that plants need to thrive and produce. It’s a real crime to ever kill a bee... Now, flies...or mosquitos are another thing altogether and since the mosquitoes want my blood, I do smack them.”