You Distract Me

Turkey

"How many hostiles?"

"About fifteen of them are surrounding the cabin, but only one ever enters the place, an elderly lady. I'm guessing she's Olivia's caretaker from what we can see."

"How good is the sight from here?"

"Follow me."

I followed Laura out the tent and into the woods behind it, going further in until there was an opening that led to a cliff. At the edge of it sat one of the snipers keeping watch of the cabin through his sniper scope.

"Take a look."

The sniper moved out of the way and I crouched to the ground, taking hold of the rifle and looking through the scope. Adjusting it to my preference, I aimed at the luxurious property, noting its heavy security detail.

I scoffed. "All that muscle for one person? Seems like they're a little paranoid honestly."

My heart suddenly leapt when the scope zeroed in on that beautiful face, green eyes staring out the window like all was tragic.

A rush of air left my body as I continued to stare, aching to touch her. To hold her. To kiss her. And yet I was relieved to see her well and as beautiful as ever.

"How long does she usually stand there like that," I asked the sniper who stood behind me.

"Everyday for the past few days, she's been standing there for hours on end looking like that. But still I haven't seen her drop one tear. Seems like a strong girl to me."

I smiled, finally taking my eye off the scope and lifting my gaze to the sniper, another recruit. He immediately took one step behind, fear overcoming his demeanor.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked quietly.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Victor, sir. I mean ma'am. I mean—"

"Victor, how would you like to be captain of my armed forces?"

He blinked several times before responding. "I-I-I would—"

"Good," I said before looking back at the love of my life for the last time, missing her smile. "I'm starving. What's on the menu?" I said rising to my feet.

Laura grinned too widely. "Packaged beef jerky and tinned fruit."

"Great."

An hour later I was settling into my quarters.

"How are things that side?" Drew said through the phone.

"Pretty shit, but I got to see her so it's not all bad."

I put the phone on speaker and placed it on the bed as I unpacked my bag.

"Is she okay?"

"From what I could see, she hasn't been harmed. Whatever is going on, it doesn't involve compromising her safety. Sasha still hasn't said anything?"

"That woman is made of stone, it'll take a lot before she spills anything else. She must have really needed the money to throw away years of friendship like that."

"I don't even want to think about that right now. I just want to focus on getting Olivia back and catching that son-of-a-bitch."

"And I'll focus on making sure it's safe for both of you before you get back."

Drew was in charge of finding the rival gangs that had been responsible for some of the attacks on Olivia. Sasha had no problem admitting to the explosion at the apartment and the missiles that had taken away part of the family. Everything else pointed towards the idiots who targeted Olivia because she was my weak point.

"You do that, big guy. Any word from Freya?"

"Nothing, I'm starting to worry, Shayne."

"Hey, if there's one thing that woman is good at doing, it's kicking ass and staying alive while she's at it. I'm sure she's fine."

"You're right, man. Anyway, all the best getting your girl back. I kinda miss her cupcakes."

I chuckled. "You and me both. Later, Drew."

My smile left as soon as I ended the call, now starting to really worry about Freya even though I tried to assure Drew. Her injuries hadn't been severe, she would have easily fought off anyone who would have tried to hurt her. Unless she was outsmarted, no one would have stood a chance.

The sound of a helicopter in the distance pulled me out of my thoughts, pausing for a second before bolting out of my tent, nearly crashing into Laura who came running to me.

"It's the first chopper to come here. I'm sure it's him," she said breathlessly.

"Then let's waste no time."

"Copy that, boss."

When we went into the makeshift conference room, Laura pulled up the map as the tent filled with those assigned to the main mission.

I studied the map as Laura barked out orders.

"The first team will infiltrate the compound, making as much way for the second team, which will include me and Shayne. The last team will remain behind as backup in case things go south. We don't have much time as we don't know how long we have before that chopper leaves, it is vital that we do this swiftly and effectively," Laura said. She turned to me with a slight bow, urging me to speak.

I strengthened my stance. "I'm sure you've been well-prepared for this, but I just want to make a few things clear," I said, looking everyone in the eye. "The hostage is your first priority, no matter what. But capturing Oran Demir is absolutely necessary to this mission. If he escapes, we will have a cataclysmic problem on our hands. So you all need to be alert and have each other's backs for this mission to be a success. Copy?"

"Copy!"

"Good. Anyone with a question should speak up now because I will tolerate no mistakes."

I waited for a moment but only received silence.

"Well, in that case, get your asses outta here."

As soon as the tent cleared, Laura came up to me.

"God knows this is the worst possible time to bring this up." She took a deep breath. "But did it ever occur to you that whatever is going on might be bigger than you and me? What if getting back Olivia is the wrong move? I mean what does a world-class criminal want with a high school graduate? It makes me think—"

"You're right." I strapped on the rest of my gear and looked her dead in the eye. "It's the fucking worst possible time."

I stomped out of the tent with my temper sparked and blazing. I wasn't even angry at Laura. I was angry at the fact that she'd voiced my very concerns.

What if Olivia doesn't need rescuing? What if she doesn't want rescuing?

What if she doesn't need me?

That one thought was so incredibly upsetting that I was much too pleased with imagining myself snapping Oran Demir's neck. I didn't care what he was to Olivia, he'd caused enough grief and I wasn't about to let up.

If it meant dragging her out of that place, then so be it.