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“Wow!” Tyler’s face lit up, taking in the team’s headquarters. Onyx Special Operations home. Sam said they would have everything they need as one of his black ops teams, and boy oh boy, that was an understatement.
Dex folded his arms over his chest, watching the team, his team, checking out the heart of their new facility. It still amazed him that this place was right on Coronado, and he’d had no idea. Located in a restricted area, to access it they had to go through palm scanners, retina scanners, be checked for tracking devices and a dozen other security checks that fell just short of a strip search. It had taken a while to get everyone cleared, set up with passes and entered into the system. Previously, Sam had given Dex a tour of the place, but this was the first time his team was seeing it. Until now, they’d been confined to certain, less controlled areas. No one got in the classified zone without clearance. No matter who they were.
They were standing in the war room; the windowless room where all the op planning would be done. It put their old war room to shame. The far wall hosted a bank of screens in front of a glass top table. With one touch the table came alive with the latest in computer touchscreen technology. Mackie’s eyes were wide. They all knew some tech, but Mackie, he was the wizard.
“Have you any idea what this beauty can do?” Mackie ran his hand gently along the table, eager to explore.
“Mackie, if you need some privacy, we can leave,” Ryan mocked. The guys laughed. Mackie responded with the finger.
The other side of the room boasted a long table with chairs, a planning or debrief area, with pop-up screens, enabling each team member to view separately. Televisions and monitors covered every wall, using technology Dex had no clue about.
They had their own gym, kitchen, showers, and even cots to grab a nap. Sam had an office there, too. Intel and operations personnel worked from another separate area. Dex had met a couple of them already.
“There’s more, boys. Check this out.” Dex led them outside.
A large hangar housed three black Cadillac SUVs, bullet proof of course, with all the bells and whistles a vehicle could have.
Behind them, the rear of the hangar sported a full-training area, where they could do mock-ups and drills. They also had their own shooting range. They’d been allowed access to some of the training areas prior to getting full clearance.
It was like Christmas morning on steroids. The place was locked down tight, security fences, state of the art cameras and motion sensors, despite being on an already heavily guarded naval base. In the ops Sam gave them, they would make enemies. Sam took their safety seriously.
Since calling Sam to accept his offer a month ago, Dex hadn’t looked back. No regrets about his decision. One by one his team all chose to follow him. To say he was humbled would be an understatement. It was exactly what he wanted, but shit, he still had to pinch himself every now and then.
Despite not having full access to Onyx facilities, they’d done several training simulations and one mission. Not having to break in a new team was a huge advantage for Sam, they were able to hit the ground running and relieve some of the pressure on Onyx’s first team. He and Sam had butted heads a couple of times, Dex working out where the line was with him and what he would tolerate. The op, however, had been executed smoothly and successfully. Dex remained team leader and they all maintained their ranks, but here, inside Onyx, protocols were relaxed. Captain Sam Harrison was just Sam and he addressed them all by their names, no titles.
“What do you think, guys?” Dex grinned.
“This is fucking awesome.” Steve was smiling like a kid in a candy store.
“It’s pretty cool huh?” Dex was still impressed himself. The military was funding this, pulling out all the stops to give them everything they needed to succeed. To do their job and come home alive.
The team headed back inside. They’d returned from their first op a week ago and were still getting used to this new way of working. It was weird not having orders that filled every minute of their days, but that didn’t mean they slacked off. If not training, hitting the gym, or taking target practice, they would run drills. He and Sam were on the same page. If you slacked on training, you slacked in the field which was not an option. Sam had observed some of their drills, even created some of his own to get used to what they were capable of, and no doubt make sure he’d made the right decision. Onyx teams were created because they were the best of the best, so they were determined to stay that way. Every one of them had to always be at the top of their game, nothing less would cut it.
Dex’s phone rang. Seeing Sam’s number, he looked at Mackie. “Let's see if we can make this beauty work, shall we?” He put the phone on the table and Mackie worked his magic. Sam appeared on the bank of screens before them.
“Good morning. I see you’re getting acquainted with your new home.” The beauty of modern technology, the two-way camera allowed them all to see each other.
“I think Bertha and I are in love,” Mackie admitted. The team burst out laughing.
“Bertha?” Donnie said. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, don’t you like it? She’s big and beautiful, Bertha just fits.”
“Well, I wish you and Bertha a long and happy future.” Sam smiled. “Listen, congrats on the op. The target is already talking. We were able to pass on intel to the FBI and they’ve rounded up most, if not all, of his cell members.”
“We’ll take that win.” Dex grinned.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there today. Duty called in Washington, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“When do we meet Nyx? Looking forward to being introduced to those guys properly, considering they saved our asses in Daram.” Ryan asked. Nyx was the call sign of Sam’s first Onyx team.
“They left for an op yesterday. I couldn’t let you meet them until all of your clearances were in place. But you guys need to train together and get to know each other. You’ll be seeing a lot of them real soon, I promise.”
“Sounds good.”
“Now to business. I know you’ve only been back a week, but as Nyx is gone and this is time sensitive, you’re up.”
“No problem, we’re good to go,” Dex assured him. The last op had been in Columbia and had only been three days. They had rested the last week and had been cleared by psych and PT.
“Good, because even if Nyx were here, you guys are going to want this one.”
Dex frowned and the team remained quiet, waiting for Sam to continue.
“The op that went sideways for Bravo team, Ahmed Khalini. As you already know, he is Lazir’s number two and disappeared after that op.”
Hell yeah, they wanted this one. “Last thing I heard he’d gone to ground? Might be dead?” Dex questioned.
“Correct. In Lieutenant Kimber’s debrief, she reported the team confirmed he was at the location minutes before they breached. There's been no chatter about him until now. It was thought he may not have got out of the building quick enough to avoid the explosion, or perhaps Lazir wanted him taken out.”
“Let me guess, the fucker’s back,” Ryan cursed.
“A recent attack on a British tactical unit has been linked to him. Intel indicates he’s taken over the compound where you found Lieutenant Kimber. We also have reliable information that Lazir’s network is spreading here and Khalini is in contact with cells on US soil.”
“Sam, we blew that place up,” Steve said.
“I know you did. They’ve been rebuilding. The network of tunnels makes it attractive. Quick access to the caves in the mountains when needed. It’s how Lazir and Khalini have stayed off the radar for so long.”
“You want him alive?” Dex asked.
“He must be taken alive. If Reborn’s network is as big as we believe it is, taking him out won’t stop anything. Reborn will just regroup and the attacks will continue. In addition to that, if anyone knows whether Lazir is alive or dead, it will be Khalini.”
Get Khalini. He could lead to Lazir. Fuck, Dex had dreamed about coming face to face with that bastard.
“Gentlemen, I need this taken care of as soon as possible. You’re wheels up in forty-eight hours.”
“OK, we’re on it.”
“I’ll send you through the target package now to review, and we’ll do a full breakdown tomorrow when I’m back. Mackie let's see how you handle Bertha. Can you transfer the call to my office? Dex, a word.”
“No problem at all, Sam.” Mackie had the call transferred before Dex reached Sam’s office and brought him up on screen.
“Impressive, that kid really does know his tech. Fuck if I would know where to start.” Sam admitted. “It sucks getting old.”
“Trust me, when it comes to tech, I’m not far behind you.”
“You got a ways to go yet, Dex. So, you and the team settling in?”
“Well, you know, I think the boys are a little disappointed there's no dancing girls, but other than that I think we’re settling in just fine.”
Sam chuckled. “Good. Dex, I get this op is personal, but don’t lose your focus. We need Khalini alive.”
“Understood. It’ll be good to finish the job that took out Bravo.” And caused Kelly to be captured and tortured, but he refrained from saying that out loud.
“I agree. Now depending on how this mission goes, there could be another opportunity here.”
Dex arched his eyebrows in question.
“Bravo’s bodies. As you know the recovery was on hold because you blew that place up. The rubble hindered the searches. It pisses me off and I’m sure you feel the same. Those boys deserve to come home.”
“Fuck yeah.” Man, it would be an honor to bring them home. “Do we know where they’re buried?”
“That’s the problem. No. I have people working on it together with CIA’s source on the ground. We believe they’re still on that compound somewhere. As Reborn are clearing the rubble and rebuilding, there’s a chance they’ll be uncovered. If, and only if, we can confirm the location and it’s safe, you can bring them home. You wait for my order. If we can’t get the intel, you stand down. You have a very short window to get in and out. Under no circumstances can you do anything to attract unwanted attention. We have no military help in Daram, so we cannot afford to stay there longer than we absolutely need to. In and out, nice and clean. The mission is Khalini, the bodies a bonus.”
“Got it.”
“Good. Don’t tell the team about this until it’s a go. No need to distract them. If we don’t get Bravo this time, we will go back for them. They won’t be left there.”
“Understood, boss.”
“Alright, I’ll be back tomorrow. See you then.”
Dex inhaled as the call ended. Damn he’d been waiting for an opportunity like this ever since rescuing Kelly. Getting Khalini was one step closer to Lazir. To avenge Bravo team’s deaths and Kelly’s capture. He would love to be able to tell Kelly they’d got that son of a bitch. Yeah, he wanted to be the hero. It had to be weighing on her that Lazir was still out there, walking free.
They hadn’t talked about it. In fact, their conversations had steered clear of anything to do with what happened in Daram. They were both dancing around the subject. Hell, they were dancing around a lot of things. This being just friends thing was tougher than he thought it would be. It was proving hard going backwards. It wasn’t anything like how they were before they slept together. In the past month, they’d had coffee twice. They chatted when they saw each other on the street or on base, but it was all so very polite. A few texts went back and forth, a couple of phone calls, but it was almost like they didn’t know what to say to each other.
Sam’s offer and starting with Onyx had been a lifeline. Life without Kelly as he’d known it was taking some adjustment and being able to focus on getting started with Sam and the first op had been a welcome distraction. But damn, he missed talking to her the way he used to. He sighed, getting up to go join his team. They had an op to plan.
***
“IT’S BEEN THREE MONTHS since you were rescued, and you’ve come a long way in that time. How are you feeling about everything?” Claire asked. They were sitting in her office. With Kelly feeling more comfortable and confident in going out, she’d decided coming to Claire’s office at Westside, on base seemed an easy progression.
“Honestly, I’ve surprised myself. Those first few days in this hospital, everything felt so hopeless. I didn’t think there was any way back to some sort of normal life. And yet here I am. Back at work and starting to socialize again.” She and Sophie had been out a few times and she’d grabbed coffee with Ryan and Dex. Dex. Just thinking of him brought up a whole mix of emotions.
“You’re a strong woman, have to be in the career you chose. It’s no surprise to me how far you’ve come. Work’s good? Are you back fully now?”
“Sort of. I’m on research and recon but not been assigned to a team yet like I was before. But getting back into the digging and diving has been great.”
“Is that what you want, to be assigned back to a team?”
“I don’t know. That could mean spinning up with them, and I don’t know how I feel about that. A part of me wants to do it, to prove that I can. But on the other hand, I’m petrified of being captured again. Especially when my captor is still out there. And I can’t afford to let my team down by freezing up or worse.”
“No one is going to force you to deploy after what happened. There are plenty of opportunities where you can stay on shore.”
Kelly thought about Bravo. She'd spun up with them so many times. The trust they had between them, the connection. There was something about being that close with a team that was so special. Unless you experienced it, you could never understand. She had the same connection with Alpha, but now the Alpha team she knew was gone too. It would be strange having to get to know a new Alpha and a new Bravo.
“I know there is, I’m just not sure if that will be enough for me. Although it probably is right now.”
“Have you spoken to Dex or Ryan about it?”
She shook her head meekly. While she and Dex had cleared the air, nothing was the same. It was strained. She felt it and she knew Dex did too.
“Why not?”
“We don't talk that much anymore. I mean we’re friends, and if I need anything, I know they both would be there, but everything's changed.”
“Changed how?”
“When we were younger, Dex and I shared everything, then we risked it all by sleeping together. I don’t regret it. The last few years with him were the best of my life. But now I feel like I’m paying the price for that. So much as we’re trying, we’re just not connected like we used to be, and I know that’s my fault.”
“Why is it your fault?”
“I’m the one that changed the dimension of our relationship.”
“You’ve said yourself; your relationship was based on snatched time together when you were on shore at the same time or had leave at the same time and, forgive me for being blunt, but I’m guessing most of that was spent in bed.”
Kelly blushed. “Yeah, it was.”
“So, the connection was more physical than emotional?”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “It was emotional for me. I was in love with him.” Lowering her head, she added softly, “I still am.”
“And perhaps that’s why you’re finding just being friends so difficult. You want that emotional connection and now the physical side of the relationship isn’t there, you’re not feeling it from him.”
Kelly looked up, frowning. “Are you saying, you think he was just in it for the sex?”
“No. And I do believe he cares a great deal about you. He wouldn’t have tried so hard to see you if he didn’t. And he’s told you he loves you. I don’t know Dex, but men are often more black and white. You're either in the friend box or the girlfriend box. I think maybe he’s as confused as you as to how just being friends works. I’m not saying guys don’t have female friends they don’t sleep with, but to stay friends with someone he’s slept with, who he loves, that’s probably a first for him.”
“I want to talk to him more, but I’m scared of sending the wrong signals. The thought of being intimate with someone again petrifies me. Even Dex. I could never burden him with that and risk him staying with me out of pity. Breaking it off was the only way to make him move on, and I honestly thought it would be the easiest way for us both to move forward but still be a part of each other’s lives.”
“And do you still think it was the right thing to do?”
“I miss him, Claire. I really do. But yes, he's a man, he has needs that I cannot fulfill. Not now and maybe not ever. Before Daram, we never said I love you, never shared how we really felt about each other. I know how much I love him and now, he’s told me he loves me. This whole situation is just so damn hard. It would have been easier if it had just been sex between us. Perhaps I was asking too much of him, to just be friends.”
“It’s not asking too much; but it’s going to take some time to adjust and get used to. For both of you. Do you see him on base?”
“Occasionally. The team has been...er...reassigned.” She couldn’t tell Claire what they were doing now. Claire had clearance but not that high.”
“Oh, I had no idea.”
“It’s a good move. What they wanted. They are still on the base, but the new role means our paths won’t cross too often.”
“You sound disappointed.”
She was. She missed seeing the guys. All of them.
“I am. The guys are my friends, my family. It's strange not seeing them as much now. I lost Bravo, and now it's like I've lost Alpha too.”
“So why don’t you do something about that?”
Kelly cocked her head. “What’s stirring in that head of yours?”
“They have somewhere they hang out, a bar?”
“Yes. Jerry’s.”
“So go there. I bet the team would be thrilled to see you and being in a bar environment with Dex and the whole team won’t be so intense or awkward. In fact, it could help.”
“Jeez... I don’t know. Turning up out the blue. I’m not sure I could do that yet.”
“Sure, you can. Look at how much you’ve done already. Walking into a bar where you know you will be welcomed will be a breeze.”
A small smile formed on Kelly’s lips. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Perhaps I could reach out to Ryan and see when they might be there.”
“There you go. See. You got this.”