Chapter Three

Kelly pulled his SUV alongside the other vehicles parked by the sidewall of Hangar B6. The steel building was large enough to house several civilian planes but far enough from the tower to afford some privacy. Stepping inside the building through the massive partially open doors, Kelly headed for a metal stairway to his right. It led up to a bank of rooms, which overlooked the planes and the rest of the hangar.

The sound of ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ met Kelly’s ears when he reached the top of the stairs. Wondering what the hell was going on, he walked toward the large meeting room, the source of the excited voices. He stopped short in the doorway and gaped. Three of his team members were already there. The noises they were making were almost sexual as they pawed over the vast array of weapons that covered four large tables lining the walls. As he moved closer, Kelly had to admit that the three of them behaving like kids in a candy store was entirely justified. Handguns and rifles, every caliber and barrel length imaginable, available in the US, Canada and pretty much anywhere else, were on display. It was a soldier’s wet dream.

Kelly stepped closer to the table that held the handguns neatly arranged in rows. Holy shit! Is that really a Korsakov? He’d only heard rumors of the weapon actually existing, based on an imaginary one used in those British secret spy movies. Kelly lifted up the 9mm beauty, rotating it back and forth and admiring the lines before returning it to the table and continuing his perusal. His gaze was continually drawn back to the gun until he sighed, finally admitting defeat. He slipped the Korsakov into the waistband of his pants at the small of his back. He pocketed several boxes of ammunition for it.

He couldn’t be bought, but damn he could be tempted.

Slipping a P229 into his shoulder holster and picking up the appropriate ammunition for it, he turned his attention back to the rest of the room.

The fourth table held nothing but knives from Ka-bar’s to Tac Tanto’s. Those were the ones that could cut through the side of a car like the metal was made of soft butter. Kelly grabbed a couple of those too, grumbling as he slid them into their sheaths, which he then strapped to his thighs. He chose a smaller one and slipped it into his boot.

Okay, bought maybe just a little.

Several boxes filled with explosive devices sat beneath the tables. His jaw dropped as he caught sight of what stood between two tables. Son of a… He took a second look to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Nope, there were definitely bazookas and portable missile launchers propped up on their ends against the wall.

Mind blown, Kelly slowly spun in place, staring around the room. He was having a hard time keeping his jaw from actually hitting the floor. There was enough firepower here to take down a small country. Sure, Kelly had contacts and resources but nothing compared to this. It had to be Brendan’s doing. He knew Matt, Nathan’s father, had extensive dealings with the military. Brendan had already provided Kelly with useful aerial intel, but how in the hell had he and Brendan managed to pull all this together? And so fast? Damn, they must have called in every favor the two of them had.

“Kelly?” Brendan’s hesitant voice came from one corner of the room. He was chewing his lip. The high-powered attorney was visibly uncertain as he slowly approached Kelly. “Is this going to be enough?” Brendan asked, gesturing around the room.

“Enough?” Moose, a huge mountain of a man, spun around and stared at Brendan incredulously. “Boy, this is all you?” He waved a hand, indicating the rest of the room.

Brendan nodded. “Is it good?” he asked again. “I mean, is it enough? Do you need more?”

“More?” Moose turned to Kelly. “Do you hear this boy?”

The others stopped to watch as Moose clapped a huge hand to Brendan’s back driving the smaller man forward two steps.

“More, he says.” The big man shook his head. “Son, you better be single cause I’m gonna either marry you or adopt you.”

At Brendan’s instant flush all the men roared with laughter. Both Brendan and Nathan were very fair and cursed the fact that they blushed all too easily.

Kelly punched Moose lightly in the arm. “Moose, stop it. You’re gonna scare him away.”

“Scare him away? Are you kidding?” Manny called out while reverently running his fingers over one of the portable missile launchers. “We’re calling dibs on who gets to keep him.”

Manny brought the missile launcher up to his cheek, and rubbed his face along the length of the barrel. “Oh, baby. I think I’m in love.” He sighed, tenderly caressing the metal like a lover.

The third member of his team, Frodo, was holding a rifle in each hand, his gaze traveling from one weapon to the other before glancing at Kelly. “Santa? Can I haz pleeeze! I haz been a good boy this year.”

Kelly rolled his eyes at their antics.

“Careful, mon cher. You roll them too much, they get stuck looking at the back of your skull. Oui?”

Kelly tipped his head at G, a stunning woman in an expensive pantsuit as she walked into the room. “Hey, G. I was just about to text you.”

“No need, mon cher. I am here. Zuit d’alores but everyone wants me today.” She sighed in exaggerated exasperation.

“Problems crossing the border?”

“No. Simply my government wishing the use of my services but I told them no, they would have to wait.” She shrugged as she dropped her suitcase at her feet. “Unfortunate for them, oui?”

G took a sharp breath as she took in the arsenal arrayed around her. “Merde,” she murmured in awe before moving over to examine one of the tables more closely.

Brendan leaned over to Kelly. “Government? Is she one of your team?”

“Mais oui, ma petite,” G said, glancing up at Brendan. “I’m French-Canadian and very much a part of this team.”

G placed the handgun she had been admiring down and moved toward Brendan. Her steps, more like the slink of a cat than a walk. She pressed herself sinuously against Brendan who was roughly the same height and ran a finger down his cheek.

“Oh, cher, I like this one. He is simply delicious.”

Brendan reddened, gaping at the woman like a guppy. Kelly blew out a breath. G had worked her magic and another one had bit the dust. Not even a high-powered lawyer was immune to her charms.

“Okay, guys,” Kelly said loudly to the room in general, effectively snapping Brendan out of the spell G had woven around him. “I’ve already sent you the intel I was provided with.”

He turned to Nathan’s brother who still had G draped all over him. “Brendan, this big goof whom you’ve already met is Moose; he’s communication and pretty much anything electrical. The one over there making love to the missile launcher is Manny, our heavy weapons expert and that one playing with the rifles is Frodo, our sniper.”

“Frodo? Is he a fan of Tolkien?”

“No, man,” Moose said to him from across the room. “He’s got furry feet. Don’t need to wear socks, just braids the hair around his toes.”

Frodo gave Brendan a shit-eating grin, obviously not embarrassed in the slightest.

“Oh.” Brendan flushed as the group burst out laughing.

Kelly smiled. They were all a bit crazy. It was a result of the history they shared and the work they still did. Being not-quite-sane was a definite requirement but he couldn’t ask for a better group of people at his back.

“Continuing on,” he interrupted them. “G is short for Giselle and she’s our logistics tactician. Guys, this is our benefactor and Nathan’s brother, Brendan. You can thank him for all these prezzies on the plane.”

Brendan gave them all a small wave. “Hi, guys. You all have code names. That’s so cool.” He looked eagerly at Kelly. “Do I get one too?”

“No,” Kelly told him flatly. “This is not a game or the latest blow-em-up movie.”

Kelly knew he had hurt Brendan’s feelings. Even though he was pretty sure it wouldn’t work, he was still hoping to dissuade Brendan from joining them. The man had to understand that this wasn’t a movie where everyone got shot at and never hit. This was going to be dangerous and no one was guaranteed to come out of this mission in one piece or at all.

Directing his next words to the entire team, Kelly faced them, hands on his hips. “Go get changed, grab whatever gear you want and get on the plane. We need to head out. Brendan, I’ll kit you up.”

Kelly spun on his heel, anxious to leave. The need to get to Nathan was growing, eating away at his insides. It was becoming increasingly difficult to reign his anxiety in, to not to snap at the people around him. A clock ticked inside of him and he felt like he was running out of time.

“Uh, Kelly?” Brendan called tentatively to him. “Could I have a word with you?”

Kelly stopped, closed his eyes while he counted to three, and turned, trying hard not to show his impatience. “Yes, Brendan?”

“Dad and I took the liberty of chartering a different plane for you.”

Kelly stared at him. “A different plane,” he said flatly.

“Um, yeah. This way.” After giving Kelly a furtive glance, Brendan walked out of the door of the meeting room. Kelly could hear the hesitation in Brendan’s voice. He guessed he hadn’t been doing a good job of keeping it together after all. Brendan had never seen Kelly like this and was probably afraid that Kelly would lose it and refuse to let Brendan come with them.

Running a hand through his hair, Kelly forced himself to rein his temper in once more. It wouldn’t do anyone good if he lost it, especially Nathan.

Brendan stopped at the second-floor railing, waiting until Kelly joined him. Pointing to a small aircraft in front of them, he said, “That’s the one you chartered.” Then he shifted slightly to the left and gestured to the half-open door of the hangar. “That’s mine.”

Kelly looked past Brendan’s shoulder and felt his jaw drop…again.

“Holy shit! That’s stealth military… H-how did you…?”

Kelly was blown away. Just what kind of pull did Brendan and Matt have to be able to secure one of those and at such a moment’s notice?

G pressed herself against Brendan’s back, draped her arms over Brendan’s shoulders and clasped her hands together on his chest. “Mon cher, you do know how to impress a girl. Kelly, I’m keeping this one.”

“Wait in line toots!” Moose bellowed.

G angrily twisted around. “Toots. Toots? What Neanderthal says toots?”

“I do. Toots.” Moose pointedly emphasized the word.

“You…”

“Why do they call you Moose?” Brendan smoothly interrupted as he stepped between them, effectively and cleverly averting the impending bloodbath.

“No,” G and the other men shouted simultaneously making Brendan jump and look around in alarm.

“Do not get him started,” warned Kelly.

“Well, ya see, pup…”

“Shit.”

“Here we go.”

“Moose,” Kelly growled, his patience wearing thin with the need to get to Nathan. “We don’t have the time. Wheels up in thirty.”

“Fine, fine, fine, short version then. I wrestled a moose in Alaska and won. Okay?”

Brendan stared at Kelly in astonishment. “Seriously?”

Kelly snorted derisively. “Yeah right and I have a bridge I can sell you, dirt cheap. Ever hear of Moosehead Beer? No? Never mind then. Pack your chutes, ladies, and let’s get ready to go. I have a fiancé to retrieve. G? Can I have a word with you?”

G moved up alongside him and he pulled her by the arm until they were separated from the others by several feet and unlikely to be overheard.

“You got all the intel I sent you?”

“Oui.”

“Good. I want you to take point on this.”

She looked at him in surprise. “But why, Kelly?”

“I’m too close to this. Nathan is the love of my life and my emotions are all over the place, clouding my judgment. My heart wants to go in with guns blazing but my head knows how stupid that would be.”

“Oh, Kelly…” G rested her hand against his cheek. “Of course, mon chere amie. I will do whatever you need.”

Kelly sighed in relief. “Thanks, G. I knew I could count on you.”

“Anytime, Kelly, you know that.”

Kelly ducked his head. “I know, G. You’re the best.” He swung his hand wide to encompass all the men watching them. “You are all…I couldn’t ask for better friends, especially at a time like this.”

Kelly trusted these people with his life. Circumstance had made them comrades in arms. Trial had made them friends. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t tell them the truth. The only way to save Nathan’s life would be to give Varga what she wanted—Kelly.

§§§§

Nathan glanced up as the door to his prison cell slowly opened. He couldn’t help the clench of his muscles or cringing against the cold cement wall, not knowing who it was or if this was it. He was a healer, not a fighter. There was no way he would be able to get out of this on his own. Was he about to be tortured? Killed?

Sighing in audible relief, Nathan relaxed when Luis appeared in the open doorway instead of one of his captors. His breath froze when he caught sight of two small children behind Luis, each with a stuffed toy clutched tightly in their arms. They had to be Maria and Jesus.

It was one thing saying he was going to take them; it was another if they refused to accept him. Nathan gave Luis a quizzical look although he was pretty sure why the children were here.

Luis moved the children out of the way, peered outside the door, then quietly closed it behind them. “I brought Maria and Jesus to meet you, to give you all a chance to get to know each other.”

Nathan smiled warmly at the children. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” He was saddened when he saw how thin they both were. Nothing like the round-faced little cherubs in Luis’s photo. Their clothes, like Luis own, were little better than rags upon their small frames. Neither had shoes on their bare feet.

Luis knelt before the two kids. “Maria, Jesus, this is Doctor Kirkfield. He would like to be your new papa.”

“I’m very pleased to meet both of you,” Nathan replied. He patted the cot indicating that the children should join him. They climbed up and settled on either side of Nathan, both mimicking his cross-legged stance.

Maria glanced back at Luis. “Luis dice que desea ser nuestro nuevo papa.”

“Si, Maria,” Nathan answered instead of Luis.

“Ingles, Maria. Use your English,” Luis gently chided.

“Yes, Luis.” She leveled a solemn gaze onto Nathan. “Do you really want to be our new papa?”

“Yes, Maria, if you will have me.”

“Are you really a doctor?”

“Yes, I am.”

“And you would take us to live with you?”

“Yes, I would. We have a nice house beside a large lake. There are lots of trees and I would teach you and Jesus how to swim.”

Maria smiled at that. Apparently, she wanted to learn how to swim. That was one point in Nathan’s favor.

He decided to sweeten the pot. “You will have your very own rooms that you can decorate any way you want to and you will both go to a very nice school to learn new things and become very smart.”

She stared at him a minute more. “Can Niña come too?”

Nathan spared a quick glance over at Luis who smiled at him. “Niña?” Nathan asked Maria.

Maria held out the well-worn, well-loved rag doll in her hands. “Niña.”

“Of course, Niña can come. I will try to be the best papa for her and you that I can be.”

“Good. Will I have a new mama too?”

Nathan hesitated. “No, Maria. I would be your papa and Kelly, my future husband, would be your daddy. We would hire a nanny to help, or course.” He paused again. “Is that all right with you? Having a papa and a daddy to love and care for you instead of a papa and mama?”

He held his breath as Maria chewed on her bottom lip. It hadn’t occurred to him that this could be a deal breaker if she refused him because of the lack of a wife.

She gazed into Nathan’s eyes again and slowly nodded at him. “I think I would like that.”

Nathan carefully raised his arm, not wanting to alarm Maria. “May I hug you?”

“Si.” Maria tucked herself into Nathan’s side and held onto him tightly.

Nathan turned his attention to Jesus who had been quietly regarding him and Maria the entire time they had been talking.

“Jesus? Would you like me to be your new papa?”

The little boy rose to his feet, reached out and ran his fingers lightly through Nathan’s curls before pulling back and touching the dark curls on his own head.

Nathan took a chance and rubbed Jesus’s hair. The little boy didn’t flinch at the contact, which was a good sign in Nathan’s opinion.

“That’s right, we have the same hair. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Now that Nathan thought about it both the children had lighter skin than Luis. Not that he cared but they could easily pass as Nathan’s biological children. It wouldn’t matter if they had pink and green polka dots decorating their skin, he would love them regardless. He had a feeling, that given time, the bond he could feel already forming between him and the children would be a powerful one. He was already falling under their spell and not regretting it for a minute.

Jesus nodded then held out his teddy to Nathan.

“What a fine teddy you have. Does he have a name?”

Jesus nodded then quietly said, “Theo.”

“Oh, I like that name. I could be Theo’s Papa too, that is, if you want me to be?”

Jesus looked at Luis, then at Maria who was watching him from the circle of Nathan’s arm. He stared at Theo for a minute before coming to a decision and nodding his head. Climbing over Nathan’s knee, Jesus curled up in Nathan’s lap, his small head pressed to Nathan’s chest beside Maria’s.

“Si. My papa.”

Warmth flooded Nathan’s body as he gazed down at these precious children who had given him the gift of their trust. It was incredibly humbling. They gripped him tightly, their foreheads nearly touching.

Nathan glanced up at Luis whose eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he observed the three of them. The room blurred before Nathan as tears gathered in his own eyes. He lowered his head, resting his face between their small heads. Jesus’s hair against one cheek and Maria’s brushing the other. Nathan breathed in the sweet smell of the little boy and girl, memorizing them, his heart expanding, making room for both of them in it.

Nathan would die before he let them down.