Page 48 of SEAL's Angel
All too soon, Dawn yawned and said goodnight. She kissed him on his cheek, then headed to the tent.
He and Rafe were sleeping outside, even though the tent was large enough for all of them. Jake preferred it. Sleeping close to Dawn would have been too tempting.
Rafe added more wood to the campfire, then they climbed into their sleeping bags. It took Jake a long while to fall asleep. As he stared up at the star-filled sky, he listened to Rafe’s snores and the forest sounds. Just as he was about to nod off, a shiver raised the hairs at the back of his neck.
Unable to figure out what had triggered the feeling, he checked that his knife was under his pillow. Then Jake turned onto his side toward the fire. He had a bad feeling that his little taste of heaven was about to end.
* * *
When the sun rose, so did Jake, even though he’d only slept for a few hours in between his tossing and turning. When he’d finally slept, he’d dreamed of his grandfather, probably because he told Dawn about his childhood. Jake sighed with regret that the old man could meet Dawn and her kids. He’d have loved them.
Wide awake now, Jake would sell his soul for a cup of coffee. But Rafe had the Jeep keys so he’d just have to wait.
Jake slid out of his sleeping bag and rolled it up. Tucked his knife into his boot and he inhaled the brisk pine-scented air. It was chillier than he expected and bathing in the icy water wouldn’t be fun, not that he hadn’t done it countless times over the years.
After reaching the lake, he breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. Then kneeled down to wash his face. It wasn’t as cold as he’d expected, but he still got goosebumps. He understood why Rafe and Dawn loved the park. The quiet filled him with peace.
Maybe he needed to get some gear and go camping back home. There were lots of places, although there was something about Colorado. It would be easy to get used to this. Too easy. Plus, there was his job. He wasn’t ready to give up operating yet, especially before they captured Azfaar, but he might not have much of a choice either. His discussion with Tony when they returned would give him a better idea about his future.
The ringing of his sat phone disturbed the silence. Jake hadn’t bothered to check his cell before he went to bed. They were too far from the nearest cell tower to have service.
“Warner.”
“Jake, Knox here. We need you and Rafe back here. You’re on a flight out of Denver at noon your time. Report to base as soon as you land.”
“Copy that, sir.”
“See you in a few hours.”
Jake didn’t need Tony to spell it out for him. They were being recalled for a mission and he’d bet a week’s pay they were going after Azfaar. If Tex said he found him, then he had. The CIA seemed like amateurs around Tex. The man had serious skills.
Azfaar had been in their sights since he’d slipped through their fingers twice. Jake was looking forward to finally taking him down, but there was always the chance that the CIA wanted him for interrogation. After all the death the Taliban leader had wrought over the years, he deserved to die, not rot in a cell, but it wouldn’t be up to him. He didn’t doubt that any of the Black Eagles would disagree, especially after what Azfaar put Meghan and Miranda through. The world would be a lot better off without him still breathing.
Jake finished washing, then headed back to camp. There would be a lot of disappointed faces when he told Dawn and the kids that their trip had to end early.
