Page 46 of Keeping Laryn
“I’ve never heard of the man, which should be a slight relief for you, as I know most of the major bad guys in the world. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a threat. The organizations I follow have been recruiting more and more people to work for them. Lower-ranking people. It’s impossible to keep up. The current objective for most of them is more sleeper operatives. People who are paid to watch and listen…and to pass on intel. Not saying that’s how Osman got Laryn’s number, but it’s worth looking into.”
Relief swept through Casper that Tex wasn’t blowing this off. That he was going to use his skills to help look into the situation.
“But I have to warn you,” he went on. “I’m in the middle of something. I can’t put all my resources on this right now.”
“I understand.” And Casper did. He didn’t expect a man asin-demand as Tex apparently was to drop everything for a stranger.
“I’ll do my best to get back to you before you’re deployed. In the meantime, I probably don’t need to tell you to keep a close eye on Laryn. I’ve seen too many loved ones disappear because they let down their guard.”
“No, sir,” Casper told him. “I’ve already told her she’s going to have a roommate for the foreseeable future until we can see if there’s a threat and mitigate it if there is.”
“Good. Your fellow Night Stalkers stationed there in Norfolk are all good people. Don’t know Pyro, Obi-Wan, Chaos, Edge, or Buck personally, but I’ve read good things about them. I’ll be in touch. Keep your woman safe.”
Once again, the phone went dead in Casper’s ear. He probably should be worried that this Tex guy knew so much about him and his fellow pilots—he assumed that’s what the name dropping he’d done there at the end was about—but he wasn’t. So many special forces personnel, both retired and active duty, wouldn’t trust the man if he wasn’t on the level.
But it was hearing the words “your woman” that struck Casper hard. He hadn’t even been on a date with Laryn, but deep down, she felt like his.
He chuckled under his breath. He was more like his twin than he’d thought. Nate had known from the start that Josie was his. And while it had taken Casper a bit longer, he was beginning to think he was exactly like Nate. When he fell, he fell hard.
Determination swam through his veins. He’d wasted so much time. Laryn had been right in front of him and he hadn’t seen her. Well, that was done. She’d proven time and again that she had his best interests at heart, and last night just solidified that even more. It was past time for him to return the favor. Let her know that he and his friends hadherback. This distasteful Altan Osman business was just the start. He hoped Tex found nothing.That he’d call back and tell him the man was nothing but an admin who thought he had more power than he really did.
Feeling better now that someone would be looking into the threat against Laryn, Casper picked up his sunglasses from the kitchen table where he’d left them and headed toward the door. He needed to update his friends about his conversation with Tex and reassure them again that he really was all right. He probably needed to talk them off the ledge where Barb was concerned, as well. But he understood. If it had been Pyro or any of his fellow pilots who’d been roofied and almost taken advantage of, he’d be in the same headspace that they were right now. On the warpath. Ready to scorch the earth to avenge them.
But thanks to Laryn, he was okay. Tex had been contacted, and his chopper was good to go for their next mission. Oh, and he had a date to look forward to. Yeah, things were looking up for him, and he was feeling pretty damn optimistic about the future. Now he just had to figure out where and when to take Laryn on their first date. He wanted it to be memorable but not over the top. Something she’d enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives.
The smile on his face as he headed into the parking lot toward his Taurus was probably cheesy as hell and would make anyone who saw him wonder what the hell was going on in his head, but Casper didn’t care. Even after last night, and the possible threat against Laryn, he felt pretty damn chipper. Nothing could dampen his excitement right now.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Fuck, nothing was going right.
Casper’s mouth drew down into a scowl, and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Shit had gone sideways on a mission in northern Syria, and he and his fellow Night Stalkers were needed, stat. There were pockets of ISIS operatives in the area, and they were proving especially proficient at targeting the choppers other Night Stalkers were using, shuttling special forces troops in and out of drop zones. More air power was needed to get boots on the ground to take out the insurgents before they succeeded in actually shooting down one or more of the choppers.
And that meant instead of in a week, his team was being deployed in two days.
Casper’s plan to take Laryn on a date was disappearing in a puff of smoke, which irritated him beyond belief. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t still take her somewhere, but it probably wouldn’t be as epic as he’d hoped. The last thing he wanted was anything run-of-the-mill, but it seemed likely.
Because no way was he waiting. Now that he’d made the decision to take her out, he didn’t want a deployment to stand in theway. He wanted to make sure the woman knew how important she was to himbeforethey left. And things would be different for this deployment than they’d been in the past. No more would Laryn be on her own onboard the ship. He’d never given much thought to how she’d spent her time on the carriers, but now he had an innate desire to make sure she was sleeping all right, eating healthy meals, and taking care of herself in what could be a high-stress environment. It was a huge switch, but one that felt right.
Of course, she might not want him to be so up in her business. Time would tell, but a good gauge of how things might go in the future would be how their first date went. Was she the kind of woman who liked or hated public displays of affection? Would she let him hold her hand? Or let him pay without arguing?
One area where he had no doubts about their compatibility was physically. He couldn’t remember their kisses without getting hard. And how soothing just being next to her in bed had been. Yes, he enjoyed sex as much as the next man, but after this morning, he appreciated simply being with someone he could trust more than he expected.
“Anyone have any questions?” the colonel asked.
Casper had a ton of them, but his friends beat him to the punch and asked everything that was swirling around in his head. They’d already learned about the current conflict that had caused the uptick in ISIS activity, and what the special forces teams were doing in the area. They went over the terrain, how the Taurus Mountains served as a kind of barrier between Syria and Turkey, extending all the way to Iraq, both helping and hindering the missions of the SEALs and Delta Force operatives on the ground.
ISIS was beginning to make this area a new stronghold, and they had many hideouts and knew the territory well. The mountains made the Night Stalkers necessary, as their specialty wasflying over and through terrain that regular pilots would have second thoughts about tackling…especially in the dark.
The missions would be dangerous as hell, but Casper wasn’t worried. He and his team could handle it.
The colonel told Pyro when he asked that, yes, Laryn and a small handpicked team of mechanics would be accompanying them. Especially since Casper’s chopper was going into combat for the first time.
Casper hadn’t thought there was a chance shewouldn’tbe coming, which was probably stupid of him. Just because he wanted her there, and just because she usually accompanied them, that didn’t mean she always would. Therehadbeen times when she’d stayed behind. But since she’d been told previously that she’d be deployed on their next mission, he’d just assumed that would still be the case.
He was very glad that she’d be safe on the naval destroyer though. He hadn’t thought much about her safety in the past, much to his embarrassment, but now that he was interested in her as more than simply his mechanic, his mind couldn’t help but turn to her safety. The thought of her on the front lines made him want to puke. She had some military training from when she was in the Army, but nothing like what he and the other pilots saw when they were on missions.
Thank God that wasn’t a concern. Especially since, in a massive coincidence, they were headed into Turkey—where Altan Osman was from.
