Rescuing Ellena (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Bravo Series Book 4) Read online

  “Oh, we’re not friends, Dawson.” The man chuckled. “Not even close.”

  Gabe’s lamp turned back on, and it took a millisecond for his eyes to adjust. Even then, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  Sitting in his favorite recliner as if he didn’t have a care in the world was the man Bravo Team had been itching to find.

  “Hello, Gabriel.” Adrian Walker tipped his head. “It’s been a while.”

  What the actual fuck?

  Gabe’s finger slid down to his trigger as he took a large, advancing step toward the traitorous bastard. “What the hell are you doing in my apartment?”

  “Now that was almost exactly how I imagined this little reunion playing out.”

  Arrogant bastard.

  Gabe took another step closer. “I’m about two seconds away from putting a fucking hole in the middle of your forehead, so I suggest you cut through the bullshit and tell me why you’re here.”

  “Ellena.”

  The name was like a physical blow. One that nearly sent Gabe stumbling backward.

  Terror for the woman who would forever own his heart filled him with an icy cold.

  Gabe’s trigger finger twitched, his voice turning low. Deadly. “What did you just say?”

  “You heard me, Dawson.”

  Slowly, Walker pushed himself to his feet. The second he did Gabe took two, large strides across the carpeted floor, nearly covering the distance between them.

  Gabe’s next warning escaped as a deadly hiss between his teeth. “Don’t you fucking move, or I swear to God I will pull this trigger.”

  “Easy, Dawson.” The other man put his palms up. “I’m not on the job. On the contrary, I came because I have information that I know will interest you.”

  “Why did you say her name?” Gabe bit out sharply.

  “Because she’s in trouble. And the man after her, well…he plays for keeps.”

  Another unexpected blow that left Gabe’s mind whirling. “Why should I believe you? You’re a goddamn traitor. A killer for hire who’s aided in the abduction and near murder of two of my teammates’ wives.” Walker had also shot and nearly killed two of Gabe’s men. “Now you break into my apartment and try to tell me my—”

  “Guilty on all counts,” the man interrupted with a shrug. “I can assure you it was pure coincidence that my professional path crossed with your team on those other two occasions. But this time, it’s different.”

  “Different how?”

  “The man after your Ellena?” Walker’s brown eyes darkened. “He’s a special kind of twisted.”

  The ice in Gabe’s veins melted as a heated fury took over. Schooling his expression, he swallowed that damn fear and said, “I want a name.”

  “Go to her, Dawson.” Adrian ignored the request—and Gabe’s gun—and started for the door. “She needs your protection.”

  With his mind filled with a whole slew of what-the-fucks, Gabe’s reaction to the other man walking away was slightly delayed.

  Turning around, he and his gun caught up with Walker. “I said don’t move!”

  “You won’t shoot me.” The cocky fuck was almost to the door.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  Walker sighed loudly, his body shifting to face him even as he was reaching for the doorknob. “One, you’re a fucking Boy Scout. Yes, I’m in your apartment uninvited, but I haven’t touched you or made any threats toward you. Hell I’m not even armed.”

  “My ass.”

  No way a guy like Adrian Walker goes anywhere without at least one gun.

  “Do you see a weapon?” The man smiled. “I know you, Dawson. You won’t shoot an unarmed civilian without just cause. Not even me.”

  The fucker was right. Goddamnit, he was right.

  “And two,” Walker continued, “I still hold the answers to all those questions running around inside that brilliant brain of yours. Like how I even know about the gorgeous Doc with the long, blonde hair and adorable dimples.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Gabe took a step forward. He’d never had to work so hard at not pulling the trigger as he did in that moment.

  Except that day with Campbell.

  Walker glanced down at the gun now pointed at his heart and smirked. “See? I know you won’t shoot me, because you’re a smart man. As the great English writer, Samuel Johnson, once said… ‘curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.’ And you and your team are some of the most vigorous men I know.”

  “Why bother to even come here if all you’re going to do is speak in fucking riddles?”

  “You a card player, Dawson? First rule of poker, never show the other players your cards until the hand’s over.” Walker opened the door and faced him again. “I give you everything now, you probably will kill me. At the very least, you’ll turn me over to the authorities. Not that I could blame you. But either one of those happens before we talk again, you’ll lose your chance at ever learning what I know.”

  “You’ve already told me someone’s after Ellena. Why do I need you for anything else?”

  Adrian’s lips curled up into a smug grin. “Because I know who is after her and why. The knowledge she has will help you and your team stop them, but you need to get to her soon.” He glanced at his watch. “It may already be too late.”

  The man vanished, then, leaving Gabe alone in his apartment to try to make sense of what had just transpired.

  You let the asshole go. That’s what happened.

  “Fuck!” Gabe slammed the palm of his hand against the door. His chest rose and fell with heaving breaths, his booming voice echoing through the modest space.

  He had him. He fucking had him. What the hell had he been thinking?

  You were thinking about keeping Ellena safe.

  From the moment Walker uttered her name, Gabe hadn’t been able to think of anything else.

  His instinct to protect her had always been strong. It was that same innate need to keep her safe that had been the driving force behind his decision to leave her.

  But now…

  If Walker was telling the truth—and Gabe’s gut said the asshole was—Ellena was in danger. Again.

  He was well aware that this could all be part of some big, elaborate set-up to take him and the rest of Bravo Team down, but he couldn’t think about that now.

  All he was worried about…all he cared about…was the woman he’d spent the last three years trying to forget.

  I need to call her!

  Praying she still had the same number, Gabe shoved his gun back into his waistband and pulled his phone from his jean’s pocket. Muscle memory took over as he dialed the number he hadn’t called in ages.

  It started to ring.

  He waited.

  It rang again.

  Come on, baby. Pick up!

  It rang a third time and then, “You’ve reached the voicemail of Dr. Ellena Dawson.” Gabe’s chest tightened, her sweet voice stealing every ounce of oxygen in his lungs. “I’m unable to come to the phone right now, but if you’ll leave your name, number, and a brief message, I’ll return your call as soon as possible. If this is a medical or mental health emergency, please hang up and dial nine-one-one.”

  Gabe held his breath. As he waited for the beep, he tried not to think about the fact that these would be the first words she’d hear from him since he’d walked away from her years before.

  “Take care of yourself, Elle. I’ll see you in my dreams.”

  That was the last thing he’d said to her. It was what he always told her when his SEAL team would leave for an op. That and… I love you.

  But Gabe hadn’t said those three little words when he’d left for the last time. Not because they weren’t true. They would always be true.

  Until the day I die.

  Gabe had purposely chosen not to tell Ellena he loved her right before he walked away because he knew she no longer believed him.

  Wrapped up in the parti
cularly shitty memory, he nearly missed the beep’s end. Gabe swallowed hard and began to speak.

  “Hey, Elle. It’s me.” He cleared the trembling fear from his throat and spoke quickly. “Listen, I know it’s been a long time, and this is going to sound crazy, but I think you’re in danger.” God, he hated to just blurt that shit out. Mumbling a curse, he ran a hand over his salt and pepper scruff before continuing, “I’m sorry to drop this on you out of the blue, and I promise I’m not trying to scare you, but…look, I’ll explain more when I get there, okay? I’m leaving Dallas tonight, and I’ll call you as soon as I land. Do me a favor and don’t go anywhere. Keep your doors locked and don’t answer them or the phone unless it’s me. Call me when you get this.” Because he knew how much she hated being bossed around, Gabe added a quick, “Please.”

  He barely got the message out before the phone beeped again, ending the recording. Rushing down the short hallway to his room, Gabe frantically began to pack.

  Uncaring of how wrinkled his wadded-up clothes would be, he filled the large duffle with enough to last a week, along with all the necessary toiletries. He was zipping it closed when his phone began to ring.

  Heart pounding, he snatched the phone from his mattress and answered it on the first ring.

  “Ellena?” He was met with silence.

  Frowning, Gabe held the phone away and looked at the screen. The area code matched hers, but the call was from a number he didn’t recognize.

  He put the phone back to his ear. “Hello?” He spoke a little louder.

  “Uh, yes. Is this Gabriel Dawson?”

  His heart sunk. The female voice on the other end of the call didn’t belong to his Elle.

  She’s not yours anymore, remember?

  Ignoring the annoying prick-of-a-voice, Gabe answered the woman. “That’s me.”

  “Mr. Dawson, my name is Amy Hallowell. I’m an emergency room nurse calling from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.”

  It was the same hospital where Ellena works. Except Ellena worked on the mental health floor, and this woman had said emergency room.

  A ball of dread settled in Gabe’s stomach. “Yes?”

  “Sir, I’m calling because Ellena Dawson was brought in as a patient a few hours ago, and you are listed in her chart as the person to contact in case of an emergency.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Sir, Ellena was in a pretty bad car accident. She’s currently unconscious and listed in serious but stable condition.”

  Ah, God.

  Gabe grabbed his suitcase from the bed and raced down the hallway. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Walker’s warning ran through his head. “Do not let anyone other than hospital personal in her room.”

  There was a pause and then, “Sir?”

  “Amy, I need you to listen to me. I am a retired Master Chief Special Warfare Operator.” Because she worked in a Naval hospital, she should understand what that meant. “Less than five minutes before you called, I was made aware of a threat to Dr. Dawson’s life.” He stepped out of his apartment, locked his door, and jogged to his truck. “I’m in Dallas now, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. In the meantime, Ellena needs security posted outside her room. Do you understand?”

  Obviously flustered, the woman attempted to respond. “I-I…um…”

  Shit. He needed to make her understand. “Amy?”

  “Y-yes?”

  “I’m going to give you a phone number, and then I’m going to hang up. I want you to wait three minutes and call that number.”

  “Who am I calling?”

  Gabe got into his truck and started the engine. Tires squealed loudly as he tore out of the parking lot and headed for Jake McQueen’s ranch.

  More specifically, the private airstrip located on his boss’s property.

  “The number I’m giving you is a direct line to Agent Jason Ryker with Homeland Security. I want you to tell him what’s going on and that I told you to call him. He’ll be able to verify who I am and that this is not a hoax or some type of prank. The threat to Ellena is very real, and I need for your hospital to take it seriously.” He rattled off Ryker’s number. “I’m going to hang up now, Amy. Please. Call the number. Ask for Agent Ryker. He’ll take care of the rest.”

  Gabe started to end the call when he heard the nurse’s voice again.

  “Wait!”

  Shit. “Yeah?”

  “How will I know this man really is a Homeland agent?”

  “Trust me. You’ll know.”

  There was another short pause and then, “What exactly is your relationship to the patient?”

  Gabe swallowed before answering, “Ellena’s my wife.”

  Chapter 2

  “You’re married?”

  Feeling like a doomed man facing a firing squad, Gabe stared back at his boss and his team. With his hands shoved deep inside his denim pockets, he stood in front of the large, stone fireplace and blew out a breath.

  “Yeah, Carter.” Gabe nodded to the former Naval Intelligence officer. “I’m married.”

  “Whoa.” Nathan Carter, Bravo Team’s technical analyst, looked like a cartoon character as he blinked his wide eyes and plopped down onto the leather couch.

  “Holy shit.” Kole looked just as surprised. “I don’t…I don’t even know what to say to that.”

  “Nothing to say,” Gabe told the young sniper who was sitting next to Nate.

  “Oh, there’s plenty to say, Dawson.” With a shake of his head, Zade grunted. “I’m just trying to decide where to start.”

  Gabe looked over at Zade, who was sitting in one of the room’s two leather recliners. The former Marine lifted his ballcap and ran a hand through his short, dark hair before readjusting the hat back into its rightful place.

  “Tell me about it,” Matt spoke up from the recliner positioned on the opposite side of the cozy space. “Between that major bomb drop and Walker showing back up, I’ve got so many what-the-fucks going through my head right now, I can’t even think of a response.”

  Matt’s confusion wasn’t unexpected, given the white lie Gabe told his teammate months before. An elaborate excuse for why he and Ellena were no longer together.

  Fuck!

  “There’s a first,” Nate teased the other man.

  Nate wasn’t wrong. As a former Pararescueman and Bravo Team’s medic, Matt was as badass as they came. He was also a total smartass who always seemed to have some sort of quippy comment ready and waiting.

  He now also knew his team leader was a damn liar.

  On a major time crunch, Gabe nodded. “I’m married. So what? It’s really not a big deal.”

  “Oh, it’s such a big deal.” Matt stared back at him.

  Gabe gave him a look that said they’d sort their shit out later.

  “Turner’s right, Dawson.” Nate gave Gabe a pointed look. “How is it this never came up in conversation?”

  “Seriously, man,” Zade agreed. “I mean, we’ve had how many weddings between the four of us so far? Not once have you ever mentioned having a wife of your own.”

  “Because we’re not together anymore,” Gabe bit out harshly. Pulling his hands free from his pockets, he ran one over his scruff-covered jaw and blew out a breath. “Look, I get that you guys are probably pissed that I didn’t tell you about Elle before now, but we can hash that shit out later. Right now, I need you to focus on the possible threat to her, and I need to get my ass to San Diego.”

  “He’s right,” Jake spoke up. Standing between the edge of the couch and the recliner Zade was in, their boss rested his hands on his hips and addressed the entire group. “We all know what kind of man Adrian Walker is, and what he’s capable of.”

  “He’s a fucking traitor,” Matt spit out the words, his focus now off of Gabe’s previous deception and onto the man in question.

  “And kidnapper,” Nate added angrily.

  Zade’s expression hardened. “Don’t forget cold-blooded murderer.”

  Ea
ch of the three men had a personal connection to the former Marine. Matt and Walker had been working on the same Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team—or FAST—when Walker vanished. After a lengthy search, the military assumed he’d gone AWOL. It wasn’t until later that they discovered the bastard had actually switched sides.

  Working for the highest bidder, Walker had played an intricate part in the kidnapping of Gracie, R.I.S.C.’s office manager and Nate’s wife.

  The fucker had shot Nate before handing Gracie over to a bastard who’d nearly killed her. A few months later, Walker showed up again when he kidnapped Matt’s wife, Katherine, and shot Zade and left him for dead.

  Thankfully both of Gabe’s men pulled through, and with the help of a kick-ass Delta team, Bravo was able to bring both women back home safely.

  Now the fucker was back and this time his woman was the one being threatened.

  You keep forgetting she’s not yours, Dawson. Not anymore.

  “Adrian Walker is all of those things and more.” Jake’s voice drew Gabe’s attention back to the topic at hand. “Most importantly, the man is smart. He doesn’t do anything without purpose, which means we have to assume what he said about Dawson’s wife is true.”

  Nausea filled Gabe’s gut for what felt like the millionth time since Walker had mentioned Ellena’s name. “Ellena and I…” He started to explain but stopped to swallow down the knot of regret filling his throat. “We’ve been separated three years, and our divorce will be finalized soon.” The thought clawed its way into his broken heart. “But she’s still—”

  “Important,” Zade finished for him. The man gave him a knowing glance. “We get it, Gabe.”

  “We all do,” Nate chimed in.

  Looking around at the other men in the room, Gabe realized his teammates were right. At one time or another, every single man staring back at him had lived with the woman they loved being threatened.

  And every single one of them was willing to die to protect the ones they loved.

  Just like me.

  His and Ellena’s future may have been destroyed long before now, but he’d still fight death itself if that’s what it took to keep her safe.

  “Just tell us what you need, Gabe.” Matt looked back at him solemnly. “We’ve got your back. No matter what.”