“Udall has secured an aircraft to transport himself and the girls out of Aliabad. So Mason is at the airstrip with the corporate jet, and he will fly you all to Joint Base Charleston. Wheels up at oh seven hundred.” On the outside, she appeared calm and professional, but Boone sensed worry lurking just beneath the surface. “Eddie will meet you there with his gear. From Charleston, you’ll fly to Al Udeid Air Base, where a helicopter will be made available to you. Lucas and I spoke on the way here, and I’ll let him tell you more about that.”
“Thanks, Luna.” Lucas sat forward and focused on his teammates. “Burke has arranged for an MH-60 Black Hawk to be available to us at the base. It’s similar to the ones I flew, but without all the cool miniguns, chain guns, and Hellfire missiles. We’ll fly into Gilgit Airport under the cover of darkness, and Khalid, our contact in Aliabad, has made arrangements for us to use a small, isolated hangar. We’ll stash the helo inside and use itas our base of operation. Once the mission is done, we’ll reconnoiter at the hangar, fly to Al Udeid, then back to Charleston.”
He sat back, and Luna continued her briefing.
“All of your electronics are good to go, and you should all have extra batteries, just in case.” She tapped a key on her laptop to open a program and quickly scanned it. “I can see here that you’re all wearing your bio-patches and that they’re operational. Are you guys comfortable with the operation of your new body-worn cameras?” They all nodded. “Good. Once you turn them on, I’ll be able to see what the cameras are seeing. Don’t forget to utilize the infrared mode when necessary. Your cellphones should work until you land in Afghanistan. At that point, they essentially become paperweights. I recommend you turn them off and leave them in the hangar at the airport. That’s when you should power on your sat phones. They’ve all been waterproofed to about twenty-five meters, and I managed to increase the range of service somewhat. It’s not a ton, but it should be better than past missions. Satellite comms will be up and available before you touch down in Charleston, and, as usual, I’ll be monitoring the entire operation from here.” She sat back and turned to Cole. “That’s it.”
“Luna is aware of the op plan, as well as the multiple backups. I will fill you all in on the flight over. Once we hit the ground in Afghanistan, the clock starts ticking. We get in, find those girls, get Udall, and get the hell out.” He rolled back his chair and stood. “Boone, you and Viking load your gear into my rig. Hawk, load yours into Lucas and Calliope’s truck. We’ll leave here in ten.”
He was talking quietly with Caleb as he left the room. The rest of the team pushed back from the table, stood, and quietly followed them out.
Boone called out to Cole, “I’ll be out in a minute.”
His boss looked from him to Luna, nodded, and headed into the stairwell.
Boone put his arm around her shoulders, she leaned her head against him, and they walked to the ops center. She gained access to the room and set her laptop on the desk running along the big control panel. She hesitated, as if gathering herself, before turning to face him.
He spoke first.
“Luna, there’s something I need to say before we leave.” His voice cut through the tension in the room. “I love you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she slowly began to close the distance between them.
“I want to spend every night holding you in my arms, and I want to wake up to your beautiful face every morning,” he said. “I want you to be there whenever I get back from an op. I want your toothbrush in my bathroom and your clothes in my closet. I even want that nasty flavored creamer you like in my fridge.”
She giggled, and a tear streamed down one cheek just as she stopped in front of him.
He held her precious face in his hands. “I wantyou.”
“I love you, too. So much.” Luna placed her hands over his. “And I definitely want you, too.”
A tear streamed down her other cheek, and he swiped it away with his thumb.
“Please be careful.” She sniffled and blinked away tears.
“Luna, if something happens to me …” He reached into his pocket, pulled out an envelope, and held it out to her.
She shook her head. “No, I—”
“Ifsomething happens to me, I want you to open this.” He lifted her hand and put the envelope in it. “But Luna, I have every intention of coming back to you.”
“Ireallyneed you to come back to me, okay?” she whispered.
“I will.” He yanked her into his arms. “I promise.”
Luna wrapped her arms tightly around him, and the envelope crumpled in her hand when she tightened her fists into the back of his shirt. Then she kissed him.
Before things heated up further, making it that much more difficult to leave her, he slowly nibbled his way across her lips and ended the kiss. He held her head in his hands, kissed her forehead, and stepped back.
“I love you.” Luna stiffened her back and raised her proud chin. “And I’ll be right here, watching over you until you come home.”
Thanks to Luna,homenow had a whole new meaning. Home was the two of them, together, loving each other.
“See you soon, babe.” He winked, turned, and left her standing there, holding his letter and surrounded by the technology she would use to keep them safe.
Four hours later, Boone and the rest of the team, including Eddie, were in the belly of a massive C-17, halfway across the Atlantic, en route to Al Udeid Air Base. Some sat or lay on their sleeping bags spread out on the deck. Others chose to use the drop-down seats along the side.
“Okay, I don’t know about you guys, but Eddie, I can’t stand it that you’re not talking to us about what happened.” Calliope had tried to hold her tongue, but his sister cared too much.
