ChloeChloe sat by the window overlooking the courtyard wrapped in a big quilt she had found on one of the beds. She had let the fire go out in the cabin but the warm sunshine coming in through the windows was keeping her toasty and comfortable. She had genetics books spread out on the table in front of her, but she was having a hard time concentrating. She kept glancing out the window at every sound, hoping it was Jackson coming back.A knock on the door startled her. "It's open!" she called as she attempted to untangle herself from the blanket."Hey, Chloe," Blake said, opening the door and kicking the snow off his boots before stepping inside. She beamed up at him, finally escaping the clutches of the quilt.Blake wrapped her up in a big bear hug, popping her back in the process. She still couldn't believe how strong he was. Or that he was a good three inches taller than when she had last seen him. He had changed quite a bit, but his green eyes were still the same. She knew that ev
One year earlier: Kandahar, Afghanistan"He hasn't spoken to anyone yet, sir," the armed guard outside the tent said."Good," Captain Wolfe replied. He chambered a round in his own pistol just in case things got crazy in there. "Is the video equipment set up?""Yes, sir. The doctor said it was a pain in the ass to work around, but he knows the difference between a request and an order."Wolfe nodded. He pulled the flap back from the tent and took a quick look inside before pushing the flap back into place. He had recognized the doctor, his enlisted nurse, and the man handcuffed to the bed was obviously the prisoner, but..."Who's the fourth guy?" Wolfe asked."He's the guy who brought him in. An Afghan National Army officer named Actor, I think?"Wolfe nodded. "Akhtar." He had heard that Akhtar had helped Americans in the past, one of the only ethnically Pashto officers in the region.Wolfe pulled out his notepad and began to walk into the tent. The younger soldier stopped him. "Will
Jackson"I woke up in a medical tent with perfect memory of what had happened. I never told a soul what really happened until now," Jackson finished. "They had to tie me down at night because I would have nightmares about it. I struck an orderly once and broke his jaw."He watched Chloe's face, trying to gauge her reaction. Her face was unreadable, only a slight frown creasing her forehead. The insides of his stomach knotted up, afraid she was going to tell him to get out. It had felt good to tell someone the truth, but now that he was finished, he was afraid."You were afraid you were going to hurt me, weren't you? That's why you pushed me away at first?" she asked. Jackson nodded."I don't want to hurt anyone again. Especially not you."Chloe reached out a gentle hand, her fingers caressing the curve of Jackson's face. She smiled. "I knew from the moment I met you that you would never hurt me."He kissed her hand, relief flooding through him. She didn't hate him. She pulled lightly
JacksonJackson Wolfe’s body radiated heat. His sweat was staining the sheets of his bed. He thrashed around in his bed violently. Even in his sleep, he knew that, once again, this would be a restless night for him.Not again, he thought. Not the dream again...***Sergeant Dearden looked over at Wolfe as he drove. "Nice day for a drive, isn't it, sir?"Captain Wolfe didn’t answer him. He just stared out the window.Dearden cocked his head. “Hey, Six, is this thing on?” he asked, tapping the microphone on his headset. “I’m talking to you, Wolf Six. What’s the matter?”Wolfe smiled briefly. Wolf Six was his call-sign on the radio, and as the leader of Wolf Squad, it was important that he maintain communication, even when he didn’t feel like it. “Your mic is fine, Sarge. And everything else is fine too. It’s always a fine day when you’re in the Army.”"Damn straight," Dearden said, turning back to the road. "But, seriously, what's bothering you? I know you ain't got a girl back home, so
Chloe“Check Fort Baskerville.”The words had run in her ears the entire day, making it hard to concentrate on her work. Fort Baskerville. She had to find him and now, after six months of searching, she finally had a clue.Chloe Madison walked into her small apartment and dumped her backpack unceremoniously on the floor by the door, dropping her winter coat on top of it. Her shoes were off in a second and she stretched her arms up over head, groaning with feeling the freedom of being home. As a graduate student of the prestigious Hudson University Genetics program, being home with her shoes off was a luxury.She rolled her head from side to side, relaxing the tense muscles and letting her shoulders drop from their permanent position up around her ears. Chloe walked over to the refrigerator and opened up the heavy white door. There was a bowl of soup from the night before, a ridiculous amount of condiments and salad dressing, and what was left of half a gallon of milk. She closed the d
JacksonCaptain Jackson Wolfe sat gingerly down on the ancient office chair, afraid that it might collapse under his weight at any moment. It wasn’t that he was particularly heavy. He was actually in the best physical shape of his life, but the chair was so ancient that it looked like it might disintegrate if the sun’s rays hit it too hard.Luckily, the chair held. It was actually more comfortable than he had expected and it had lasted him the entire week without falling apart so far. He leaned back tentatively, listening for a squeak of hinges that would foretell his doom, but the chair held. He let out a slow sigh, glancing around at the small room.This “office” in the Records Building of Fort Baskerville was small. The Army had given it to him to work out of while he was here. Truth be told, it wasn’t much more than a glorified broom closet. There was the ancient chair with an equally old wooden desk, an Army cot that looked like it had been made in the 1970’s, and piles of brown
JacksonJackson stepped out into the hallway, pausing for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim hallway light after the dark of his office. He looked left then right, trying to decide what direction to take. Toward the Records Room or toward the vending machine. The vending machine sounded like a better idea. He took a deep breath and took exactly one step in the vending machine's direction before freezing in his tracks.A scent hung in the air that made something primal in the pit of his stomach tighten and ache with joy. The hair on the base of his skull tingled and his eyes lit up with a golden fire. He could barely detect it, even with his enhanced senses, but what he could smell was something that sent shivers of pleasure down his spine.He gave a smooth about-face, sucking air into his nose to try and fill himself with the scent. It was flowers and sunshine with just a touch of something that made him start to ache with want. His feet carried him forward, his nose pulling i
ChloeChloe was breathless and shaking as she slid across the tattered red vinyl seat into her favorite booth. The 24-hour diner was quiet with only a single other customer at the counter eating some pie. It was the perfect place for her to look at the file and still be in public. Something told her not to go home just yet, so she listened to the little voice inside her head. It was usually right about stuff like this.She peered across the room at the dark window, but the sidewalk outside was empty. A cold wind blew a breath of snow skittering across the street, but no one appeared. She shook her head, telling herself she was being paranoid. No one knew about the hole in the fence. No one but the one handsome soldier had seen her, and he wouldn't have followed her here. It surprised her that she half wished he had; the way his eyes had almost glowed gold in the dark, the way they had followed her, the strength of his arms under the uniform..."You're just high on adrenaline," she whi