SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (83 page)

Dazed, Luke scanned the crowd. “Where is Ysabeau?”

“Stand back, Luke. They’ve got this.” Ant pointed to a crowd. “They’re putting her on a gurney for transport to the Command Center. The medic’s waiting.”

“No. I’m taking her.” Luke pushed through the crowd. “Ysabeau!”

Hearing his voice, she lifted her head. “Luke?”

“I’m here, angel.” Gently, he rubbed the dirt off her cheek with his knuckle. “You’re safe.”

She blinked and tears ran muddy streams down her cheeks. “Not dreaming?”

“Only sweet dreams from here on out.” He scooped her up into his arms. She was so weak that her arm flopped. “I’ve got you.”

“Won’t let…me…go?”

“I’ll never let you go.” He smiled down at her beautiful, dusty face. “Not for anything in this world.”

She sighed contentedly, closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms.

*

Ysabeau was checked
over by the medic on staff. He gave her an IV of fluids, antibiotics, and painkillers that made her loopy. She struggled to stay awake.

“Why fight it? You’re tired, kiddo. Sleep,” Luke whispered in her ear. “We’ll be out of her soon.”

“Did they rescue the woman?”

“Who?” he asked.

“Next to me, badly hurt. Did they get her out?”

“Please, hold still,” the medic admonished. “I’m trying to get your leg wrapped for transport.”

Luke rubbed her shoulder. “We didn’t hear anyone next to you. The dogs didn’t pick up her scent. Only yours.”

Her face contorted with sadness. “She died?”

“I’ll make sure the team knows to look for her. I’ll be right back.” He sprinted back to the hole. The tunnel had been blown open wide several feet past where Ysabeau had been trapped.

“Wow, you guys did a lot while I was gone. Did you find a woman? Ysabeau said she spoke to a woman near her.”

A team member said, “No. The area’s clean. The dogs haven’t picked up any rafts, not even the beagle. You sure she didn’t imagine a woman? People hear and see all sorts of weird things in times like these.”

Luke frowned. “I’m not sure of anything anymore. Good luck!”

He raced back to the medical tent.

Ant followed on his heels. “I want to say goodbye to your fiancé.”

Luke grinned. He liked the sound of that more and more. Of course, he’d buy her a sparkly ring when he got back home. He had visions of getting down on one knee in this little park by the Bay. It had a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the City in the background. It would be perfect.

“How’s she doing, doc?” Luke asked the medic.

The doctor splinted her leg as best he could. “She’ll need to be hospitalized. I suggest you get her to Miami. The hospitals will take her there.”

She tried to sit up. “Gran? Deolina?”

“They’re fine. In fact, Deolina and I kissed and made up.” He chuckled. “I think she likes me after all. And Tico and Gochi are okay too. You need to sit back so the doctor can finish up.”

She went down to her elbows. “My patients?”

“Talitha and her family are fine. She’s a little shook up, but good. The others? I don’t know, angel, this was one helluva quake, but we’ll do what we can for them. I promise.”

“Please, miss, relax your leg,” the doctor said. “I’m just about done.”

“Good. Because our ride’s here,” Luke said.

The chopper’s blades echoed across Petionville. Everyone looked up when it hovered overhead.

“A Seahawk helicopter? Who are you, Luke Carter?” Ant asked.

“Your Ass, boss.” Luke shook his hand. “Anytime you need me, look me up.”

“Sure will, buddy. I’d say you earned your stripes today. Take care of this sweet lady of yours.” Gently, he kissed her cheek.

“For the rest of my life,” he said.

“Thank you, Ant,” Ysabeau said. “For everything.”

Leaning over her, Luke blocked the sun from her eyes. “Just relax and they will lift you up into the helicopter.”

She studied him. “Your aura is red. Only red. Marisol is gone.”

“I never told you my wife’s real name was Marisol. Her brothers nicknamed her Soli when she was a kid. That’s all we ever called her. How’d you know?”

“She told me. In her own way. I guess she was letting me know it is was okay for me to be your protector from now on.” She wiggled her finger at him. “Come here.”

“Ysabeau, my angel, I love you.”

He bent closer and she kissed her Luke. Her Guardian. Her life.

He made that deep rumble at the back of his throat, the sound she loved. “Hold that thought. We’ve got time and I’ve got a lot more kissing you to do.” He pumped his thumb toward the sky.

Ysabeau’s stomach lurched and she realized she was being lifted off the ground. “Luke!” She struggled to sit up, but found she was belted to the gurney. “No! I don’t want to leave you.”

“Ysabeau! Lie still, sweetheart. I’m right behind you.”

*

With his heart
in his throat, he watched her gurney rise toward the copter.
Sweet God, don’t let them drop her!

When several arms pulled her inside the open door, he breathed again.

“Your turn buddy,” Ant said as he helped Luke put the harness on. “Call me in a few weeks. I want to make sure Ysabeau is all right.”

“She will be.” Luke was already several feet off the ground.

Ant grinned. “Especially if you have any say in the matter. Luck, my friend.”

“To you too.” He yelled to the small figure. With the noise from the rotors, he doubted if Ant heard him.

As he went up, he scanned the apocalypse below. The devastation was far worse than he could have guessed while he was in the midst of it on the ground. Rescue workers scrambled all over the ugly site. Heavy equipment had been brought in and dogs roamed up and over the ruined hotel. It looked impossible. Hopeless. Yet, it wasn’t over. It gave him a zing of pride knowing that those search and rescue workers wouldn’t quit. As long as there was a chance, they’d fight for life with every drop of sweat in their body.

Please God, let them save more people today.
How many others were still buried alive beneath the Montana? How many women, children, fathers and mothers? What would he have done if he hadn’t found Ysabeau? How would he have survived her loss? He shut his eyes tight and let the rope lift him toward the clouds.

As he crawled inside the helicopter, his limbs went weak with relief. Danny yanked him inside and closed the door. Luke weaved on his feet when the chopper took off.

“Welcome aboard, bro,” Danny gripped his arm to keep him upright. “You’d better take a seat. You don’t look so hot.”

“Daddy!” Sunny squealed. His beautiful, sweet girl with her dark-rimmed courageous eyes gave him her heart-seizing smile.

“Luke,” Ysabeau whispered. He could barely hear her over the chopper sounds.

It was then that he noticed Sunny and Ysabeau holding hands. Both of his women had tears streaming down their cheeks but their smiles knocked the air out of his chest.

He dropped to his knees next to Ysabeau’s gurney. With one hand on Ysabeau’s soft arm, he grabbed up his beautiful daughter with his other arm. Burying his nose in Sunny’s soft hair, he inhaled the sweet fragrance of cherry shampoo and squeezed her to his chest.

Sunny sobbed into his shirt. “Oh, Daddy. I was so scared. What if I I’d lost you?”

His heart clenched. “You can’t lose me,” he said softly. “But you’d better stop crying before you get the hiccups.”

“Too…
hic
…late.”

So small, so strong, Sunny was the air he breathed and now Ysabeau was part of his heart. Battered, dirty, exhausted to the bone, he knelt inside the army helicopter and felt something that he hadn’t felt in years—hope.

“How’re you doing, angel?” he asked Ysabeau. He was struck by how pale and weak she was. Her blinks were getting slower and slower.

She made a soft sound and closed her eyes completely.

In the seat closet to the door, Danny was smiling his face off.

“Thank you, Dan-man. For everything.”

Danny gave him a thumbs up.

Luke put his headset on to talk to the pilot. “Hey, I appreciate you picking us up, man.”

The pilot nodded. He had a long black braid and gray-blue eyes. “Least I could do for a fellow corpsman. Lieutenant Commander Mack Riley wants a full report. On the earthquake and my first day on the job for the team. Mack says I screw it up and I get his big boot enema.” The man turned around and winked. “Put a good word in for me, will ya?”

Luke grinned. “Will do, sailor. Thank you.”

“It’s Ty Whitehorse, sir.”

“Nice meeting you. Don’t worry about Mack. He’s a softy.”

“Really? I never met a soft SEAL before. I have a short communications from the Lieutenant Commander. Are you ready to hear it?”

Luke looked out the window. They were over the water now, the devastation behind them. “Yeah, sure.”

“He wanted you to know that team was fully aware of the ‘family connections.’ He told me to use air quotes.”

Luke sat back. The team knew about the Soli’s family—the drug cartel?

“I’m supposed to wait a beat and say, ‘Hell, yeah, asshole we knew. But it didn’t matter. You’re our brother and welcome back anytime. You can have this grunt’s job.’” Ty thumbed toward himself.

Guilt bricks fell off his back and crashed to the floor of the helo. He felt lighter than he had for years. “Thanks, Ty. It means a lot, but I won’t take your job. I’m not re-upping.” He smiled at Sunny. “I’ve got a family to think of.”

Ty dipped his head. “Good to know. Let’s get you all home.”

Luke kissed Sunny’s cheek. “You climb into that seat next to Danny and buckle up. I’m not leaving Ysabeau’s side. Ever.”

“Ahh,” Sunny said softly as she clicked her own belt buckle. “Dad’s in love.”

Luke grinned. She had no idea.

‡

Three days after…

G
rann and Deolina
were still inside the makeshift hospital at the Post Office.

A nurse sat next to Deolina on her cot and checked her blood pressure. “Looks good, Miss Deolina. Back down where it should be. You can go home now… Or, you know, somewhere other than this hospital.”

“Thank God!” Grann said.

“Blessings to you both,” the nurse waved and went to see another patient.

“I’ve already sent a mental image to Tico. He should be out front to pick us up any minute now,” Grann said.

Deolina tipped her head to the side. “Talkin’ into people’s minds has come in handy de past few days.”

Grann smiled. “Yes, it has.”

“Still…” Stretching her arms over her head, Deo yawned. “It’s not as good has having visions. I feel sorry your powers can’t match mine.”

Grann shifted her weight. “I beg your pardon.”

“No need.” Deo wiggled her finger toward Gran. “I forgave you de moment you forgave me.”

Gran’s mouth fell open.

“I’m not saying your powers aren’t useful. ‘dey helped us.” Deo shrugged. “A little.”

Grann sputtered. “You’re saying your visions—!”

“Saved our girl.”

“And you did that all by yourself?”

“Like I said, you helped a little.” Deolina crossed her arms. “But can your mind-talkin’ tell you Ysabeau is safe and sound? Dat she’s on her way to de United States to be cared for by de only man who ever loved her? I see her, clear as a bell, in his arms right now. Luke looks for all de world like he’ll never let her go. Just like I saw in all my visions. Uh-oh…” Her face looked the same as it did when she was a little girl about to be in deep trouble with the nuns. “I…I might’ve misunderstood dat image in de beginning. I guess Luke was good for our girl after all. Maybe we shouldn’t have tried so hard to keep dem apart. Don’t dat beat all?”