Page 25 of Protecting Vera

Hop had fallen hard for Vera. No question, he wanted her in his life for a long time. Now they just had to get through the intricacies of building a relationship. The next two weeks went by too fast. They got to know each other outside the bedroom, though they spent a lot of time together between the sheets.

It was late on Wednesday night, and he was about ready to take Vera by the hand and lead her into the bedroom, when his phone buzzed. He picked up the device and looked at it as a call came in. His heart sank, but this was life as a Navy SEAL.

Vera stepped in from the kitchen, her expression falling as she saw the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Not wrong. But I got a text. I have to go.”

The way her face fell made his heart squeeze. She shook off the look almost immediately and smiled as she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around him before squeezing him tight for a few seconds.

“What can I do to get you out the door faster?”

“Let me hold you for another minute.”

“I’m yours.”

He drew in a deep breath, breathing her in. She smelled of vanilla, citrus, maybe some cinnamon, and some scent that was all her own. He wanted to remember what she felt like in his arms.

He’d held on too long and needed to get moving. When he stepped back, Vera was trying to smile, but he could see the tears gathering in her eyes.

“I know you’ll be fine.” Her voice shook a little as she spoke.

“I will be. This is my job, and I’m good at it.”

“I’ll be here when you get back.”

He grabbed his things, making sure he had everything he needed in his go bag. He still had over an hour, so he pulled her close, hugging her to him.

“I’ll miss you.” He leaned back and met her gaze. “Maybe it’s not fair for me to say this now. I should have said it last week or even before then. Vera, I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Her lips spread into a wobbly smile. “Ben, I love you so much.”

Her words filled his heart. They clung to each other for a few more minutes. He had to go, and he didn’t want to leave her, but this was his life.

“I’ll be home before you know it.”

She nodded, then squeezed his arm. “I’ll be waiting.”

Walking out of his house and heading to base was one of the toughest things he’d ever done. When he showed up at the base, he was surprised to see Kevlar there.

Hop glanced around, seeing that it was more than just Kevlar. Safe was there, too.

“What’s up?”

“We were called in, too. Looks like we’re all going on this one.”

Hop shrugged. “Must be big.”

Right then Rider stepped in. “The high value target we’ve been gathering intel on just popped off. He flew into Colombia and we’re heading down there to bring him home.”

“Oh, crap. So we didn’t know he was going there?” Hop asked.

“It was a surprise for many. That’s why we’re all going in.”

The rest of the guys on Kevlar’s team showed up along with his team members. It wasn’t totally unheard of having two teams go in for a target, but it had been a while since he’d gone out with a team this big.

They were briefed and learned that Kevlar’s team was in the lead. They would follow and be backup. That was easier in some respects, and much more difficult because the responsibility of watching someone else’s back was intense.

“It’s time to head out,” Rider said as he grabbed his bag.

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