Page 77 of The Commander

Feeling his soft pulse and having to hold my breath as they lifted him from the back of the Humvee was hard enough. I wanted to scream.

All the love I’ve fought to ignore came crashing down on me as he was taken from me by the enemy. I felt hopeless. Powerless.

My heart torn apart.

Tears ran down my face as I remembered all the moments we shared together. The nights on the back of the motorbike.

Me kissing him on the highway.

Standing in the rain as he tried to fix my car.

Finding him in my kitchen eating my homemade pasta. Feeling his heat as I curled up on the sofa with him.

His strength as he lifted me and carried me to my bedroom.

...the lust and love pouring from his eyes as he devoured me the night before.

My Noah.

The one I walked away from in Texas because nothing can change who he is to me. My commander, my trainer, the one responsible for most of my promotions and...

If he dies?

Would I care if I were standing next to his grave?

My heart pounds rapidly as I dart into the tree line in the shadows. Now is not the time to be making big life decisions or work out if there’s the possibility of a future with Noah.

I need to find him.

I’d regret it if I didn’t try.

He’s inside this house somewhere, and I calculate I still have about five more minutes before the rescue team arrives.

The guard at the door is playing on his phone, which I’m sure would get him killed if his boss saw him. Creeping along the bushes on the far side of the house, I go right to the end of the house and see two guards along the perimeter of the yard.

I drop down and gather my thoughts.

That’s when I hear it.

Clink, clink, clink.

My eyes drift up to a second-floor window and see a dark shadow up against the glass. I blink. Then blink again, leaning closer.

Is that...is that Noah?

Clink.

The window partially opens. One side of it, as if he’s unlocked a handle.

Oh, my God!

I realize what’s happening with clarity.

Noah is trying to escape! Not trying, he is.

I almost laugh out loud, wanting to leap up and yell at him that I’m down here, but I can’t. Not with the guards around and the BHS team not far away.

Just knowing he’s alive makes my chest feel as if it’s going to burst with happiness.