Page 46 of River

This was my second time deployed since Kat left two months ago. I called Gage to see if she had returned, but he said no. Raven had moved into her house temporarily and considered buying a condo where we lived. I pushed thoughts of Kat out of my mind and focused on the mission.

The first thing I noticed was that the soldiers were drawing straws to decide who would be part of the firingsquad for the American prisoner. They picked five soldiers, and to my surprise, Oliver was one of them. We exchanged a quick look, unsure of our next move. Then, they handed him a gun.

It was happening right now. I knew Oliver was as shocked as I was. We followed the men as they led us outside to the clearing, where the Navy SEAL was supposed to be standing against the wall. But when we arrived, the place was in chaos—guards were running everywhere, and the Navy SEAL had disappeared.

I glanced at Oliver and nodded for us to leave. We moved quickly, trying to make our way out of the area unnoticed. Then I saw her. She was grinning at me, and before I could react, she winked. She was pushing a man in a wheelchair through the gate and heading toward a jeep. Without hesitation, Oliver and I jumped into the back of the jeep as it passed by.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.

“I missed you too,” she teased. “I’m here to help this sick soldier get home.”

I heard a weak chuckle from the soldier. “Where are we going?” I asked her.

“To the plane,” she replied. “I’m glad you showed up. I hadn’t exactly planned that far ahead.”

“You’re coming home with me,” I said, my tone firm. “Wait, are you the Navy SEAL who was about to face the firing squad?” I asked the man.

“Yeah. Let’s lose these people. I can’t fight—I haven’t eaten in a week. The guards thought telling me they’ve been poisoning my food would be funny,” he muttered.

I turned to Kat. “How are you doing?”

“I’m starting to feel like myself again,” she said. “I was heading home after helping this soldier.”

I leaned over and kissed her on the head. “Let me drive. We need to stay off the main roads—they’ll be looking for him soon.” She pulled over and slid out of the driver’s seat, and I stole a quick kiss as she got out.

“I missed you, Kat. More than you’ll ever know.”

“I missed you too,” she said, her voice soft.

The soldier chuckled again.

“You two can catch up later. By the way, Kat, I missed you too,” Oliver said, smiling. Just a heads-up—your files at work might be a little messed up now.”

She shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll just be happy to get home.”

“How did you end up here?” Oliver asked.

“It’s a long story,” Kat began. “I’ve been helping medics in a neighboring country. I was about to head home when I overheard two guys talking about an American Navy SEAL being held prisoner here. They thought it was hilarious that the Iranians were poisoning him before putting him in front of a firing squad.”

“So, I decided to make a detour and rescue him,” she said casually. By the way, I need to stop and get Penny. I rented a room, and she’s there.”

I shook my head, listening to her. “Damn it, Kat. I hoped you’d stop running off to all these countries.”

She smiled. “I have. This was the last time.”

“Good,” I replied, relieved.

27

Kat

I knew it would take time to recover from being kidnapped and stranded in the middle of a roaring ocean, all alone. But I never imagined it would make me fear every shadow. This wasn’t the woman River had fallen in love with—I could feel myself doubting everything. I needed to fix myself. That’s why I left the country and began working with medics overseas.

The momentI landed and saw the eastern garb, I knew this was the path to healing. At first, I hesitated to step off the plane, but after a deep breath, I lifted my head high and stepped into the world of the same people who had once kidnapped me.

I became so busy that I didn’t have time to be scared. There weren’t enough medical staff here, and chaos was everywhere. I was on my feet for sixteen, sometimes twenty, hours a day. By the time I collapsed into bed, I’d sleep until I was called to help again. All while Penny followed my every footstep.

I worked alongside medics from around the world, trying to keep both soldiers and civilians in this war-torn place alive. The locals hated the American military—yet, even when we were saving their lives, their hatred lingered.

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