Her Fierce SEAL: Midnight Delta Book 6 (25 page)

“I don’t want to listen to one of your hair brained plans,” Finn yelled.

“We’re going to listen to the plan, and then we’re sending Angie back to the hospital,” Mason said reasonably.  That calmed Finn down.

“Finn, don’t you dare act like I’m not here,” Angie said in a quiet and savage tone.

Ooops.

“Angie’s a sharpshooter.  We have her go up on the ridge.  This part is her idea, we ride horses from a neighbor’s ranch to get to the back side of the ridge in case the general is already there, which we know he already could be.”

Mason turned to Drake and Angie.  “That’s a great addition to what we already have.  You’d have to wait until they make a move on us. Otherwise, it’s murder.  They will end up drawing their guns.  We’ll make sure they draw on us.  As soon as that happens, you go for it.”

“It’s Angie Oakley and me.”  Drake grinned.

“Look you, big oaf, I said not to call me that.”  Angie backhanded him in his stomach.

***

A
ngie looked at the burnt shell of her grandfather’s ranch, the decimation confronting her took her breath away. She worked hard to quell her tears of heartbreak and rage.  Drake must have read her.

“Damn, Angie, I’m so sorry.”  She was surprised how caring Drake sounded.

“It’s all right.”  Blowing off his sympathy.

“No, it’s not.  We’re going to get those bastards.”  Through their rifles, they were able to see five men hidden around the property, and what looked like two more in a car.  She and Drake watched as the black truck drove up the drive.  Finn and Mason got out and closed the doors, miming to someone in the backseat.  It looked believable that Dasha was there.

The plan was for Mason and Finn to ask the general what information Dasha had, that she could give him.  And then they would take her back.  That was the reason for the talk, to begin with.  The two men got out of the car, one clearly in charge.  He moved forward and starting yelling at Mason and Finn.  They could hear the voice but not the words.

“I wish I knew what the asshat was saying,” Drake said.

“I wish I could take a shot,” Angie murmured.  She had her sights set on the man’s head. 

They heard Mason speaking, his voice carried, but not the words.  She sighed in frustration.  The general tried to push past him.  Both Finn and Mason pushed him back.  The second man joined the fray and pulled a gun.  Finn easily hit it out of his hands and pointed it at the man.  The general yelled.  A flash and the sound of a shot rang out.

Drake shot. 

“Got the shooter.”

“Fuck, can’t get the general, he’s too close to Mason,” Angie said.

“Finn will get the fucker.”  Drake shot again, as more shots were made down at the ranch.  Angie changed her sights, looking and finding one of the other men she had scoped out earlier. She took the shot and killed him.  She heard Drake take another shot.  That should be two that he had gotten.  She veered back to the general and the second man.  Finn had the general on the ground, she saw with satisfaction. The other man was dead.

***

“F
inn.  No!” a voice yelled out.  The voice came from a long way off.

Finn had his knife shoved against the general’s throat.  Was that Mason?  He saw blood trickling beneath his knife, and the whites of the general’s eyes were clearly visible.  It made him happy.  A hand clamped down on his shoulder.  He shoved it away.

“Please no,” the general begged.

“You are such a pussy.  Do you understand that word?” Finn purred.

“Yes,” he croaked out.

“Nod.”  Finn pressed the knife tip under the man’s chin.

“Yes, I understand.  I am a pussy.”

“Nod, you motherfucker,” Finn ground out.

Slowly he nodded.  Finn watched in satisfaction as the knife cut into his chin, and a line of blood welled up and started to drip down his throat.

“Finn, you need to stop,” a voice said softly into his ear. 
Why was somebody whispering in his ear?  Was the voice even real? It sounded familiar.

He looked down and smiled.  The blood looked pretty.

“Nod again.”

He smelled urine.  Another thing that made him happy. 

A brotherly hand rested on his shoulder.  “Finn, can you hear me?  It’s Mason.”

Mason was here?  He looked down and saw blood on the man’s chin.  Vlad.  His name was Vlad.  He pulled back his knife.

“Give me the knife.”  A hand appeared in front of his eyes.  He looked to his right, and Mason was crouched beside him.  He smiled reassuringly. 

“What?” Finn asked.

“Finn, can you give me the knife, buddy?”

“I need it.  I have to kill this guy.  He’s bad.”

“I’ll take care of him, okay?  You trust me, don’t you?”  Mason squeezed his shoulder.

Finn gave him a considering look and smiled.  “Yeah, I trust you.  Here.”  He handed Mason the knife. 

Why was there blood on it? 

Oh, Fuck.  Not again.

***

“Y
ou saved me,” Mason said quietly as they took the general to the back of the truck.

He knew Mason had been talking for about twenty minutes.  But it was all bullshit.  He needed to get away.  Quick.  Maybe he could take the car the general had arrived in.

The zip ties secured Vlad’s wrists and ankles as they threw him in the back.  Then Mason shoved Finn against the hood of the car.

“Can you hear me, Crandall?”

“What?”  Finn shook his head.  “He had his gun pointed to my heart, and you pulled the gun away. First, it was pointed at you, and you turned it so it shot his sidekick.  You risked your life to save mine—again.” Finn saw the savage sincerity in Mason’s eyes.  He wasn’t kidding.

“What are you talking about?”  All Finn remembered was having the general under his knife.  He remembered the general practically spitting as he demanded Dasha.

“Angie and Drake will back me up.”

“Then what happened?”

“You got out your knife and went a Sergei on the bastard.” 

Finn sighed.  He heard the rumble of horses.

“Finn!” Angie cried out.  He turned and saw Angie Oakley sliding off her horse and running towards him.  “You scared the piss out of me.”  She’d seen his freak out.

“I know.”

“When you went to knock that gun away, I thought you were going to die.  Don’t do that again.”  She pounded his chest.  Then she winced.  Dammit, she shouldn’t have been riding a horse.  Her rib still wasn’t mended.

“We need to get you to the doctor.”

“Nice save, Crandall,” Drake said as he pounded Finn’s back.  “I like working for Mason, wouldn’t want to have to break-in a new lieutenant.”

“What are you two talking about?  I was about ready to cut the general to ribbons?”

“So?” Drake said.

Finn huffed out a laugh.  His friend was a little bloodthirsty.

“I don’t remember much. I was having an episode.”

“So get into therapy,” Drake said easily.  “All that matters is you saved Mason.  Concentrate on the important shit, man.”

Mason looked at him.  “I told you, you fucking saved me.  This is now number four.  This is the fourth fucking time you saved my life.  You’re Finn
Fucking
Crandall.  You’re a hero.”

“He’s my hero,” Angie said, reaching up and kissing him.  Finn felt his heart swell.  He would be able to make it through this.  He had the right people surrounding him.  He was Finn Fucking Crandall.

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O
ne Month Later...

Finn had never held a baby before in his life. 

“You should be holding her,” he whispered. 

“You’re doing great,” Angie said for the forty-seventh time.  Finn saw the door up ahead.  Dasha was on the other side.  They hadn’t told her Yulia was coming home, in case something went wrong.  They didn’t want to get her hopes up.  They walked up the steps of the Preston Ranch.

Before they could even knock, Richard Preston opened the door.  His eyes lit up. 

“There’s our girl.  She’s beautiful.”  His large finger brushed Yulia’s cheek.  Finn was amazed at how at ease the man was with the baby.  “Dasha’s in the great room with my wife and Penelope.  Let’s go.”

Angie and Finn followed him.  They were in the room concentrating on something on the coffee table.  They looked up as Angie and Finn entered the room, and Dasha cried out.  She went to stand up, but Grace and Penelope each held an arm, holding her to the couch.

Finn walked over and knelt in front of her. 

“My Yulia?”  Dasha looked at Finn for confirmation.  Then looking down at the healthy baby who was thrashing and smiling in her pink blanket, Dasha reached out with a trembling hand and touched Yulia’s lips.

“Baby.” She sighed.  Then she started talking in Ukrainian.  The girl had tears falling down her face.  Her hands were trembling so badly, Grace helped her sit back, and Finn placed Yulia in her arms.

Dasha pressed her face next to her daughter’s and breathed in.  All the while talking in her native language.

“She says welcome home, my love.  I have prayed every day for you.  You are my heart.  My soul.  You mean everything to me,” Sergei translated as he stood behind the sofa.

Finn felt tears on his cheeks.  Angie was also crying.  He took her hand.  Sergei came around the couch.

“Thank you both so much for everything,” the old man said.

“You’re welcome.”  Finn shook his hand, and Angie hugged him and kissed his cheek.  “Dasha remembering which bank of lockers really helped.  They just opened them all.  They got the evidence they needed.”

“Really?  Thank God.  Dasha’s been so worried.”  Sergei looked to where Dasha cuddled her baby and smiled.

“Tell her she has nothing to worry about.  He’s going back to the Ukraine, where he will pay for his crimes.  Dasha is a hero,” Finn said.

Sergei beamed.

Grace got off the couch and came up to them.

“I have a room made up for you.  I know you came straight from Indianapolis.  Dinner will be in two hours.”

“We really should be going,” Angie protested.

“Nonsense.  Rosa will show you the way.  I would, but...” She pointed towards her cane and laughed. 

“Come with me,” Rosa said with a smile.  “We are having a celebration dinner.  You are our guests of honor.  I have baked a cake.  You are spending the night.”  Angie grabbed Finn’s hand and squeezed when he would have protested about spending the night.  As soon as they were settled in their room, he turned to her.

“Why are you letting them bulldoze us into staying?  I thought you wanted to go home tonight.”

“It’s called southern hospitality.  We stay.”  She looked at him intently.  “Plus, you’re tired.”  He felt something melt inside him, as she once again cared for him.

“I love you, Angie,” he said as he pulled her into his arms.  “Can we make use of the bed?”

“That’s why they sent us to nap,” she said using air quotes around the word nap.

“Can you sit down for a moment?  I want to talk to you about the last month I spent in San Diego.”  He watched as she trembled. 

Dammit.

“There’s more than what you’ve told me on the phone and Skype?” she asked hesitantly.

“I’ve realized just how slow of a process this is going to be.  I thought after a month, I would be closer to being cured.  This could take months, maybe even a year or more, before I’m team ready.” 

Angie cupped his face and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.  “You know that’s okay, don’t you?”

“No, I really don’t.  But we’re working on that too.”  He hugged her closer.  “I feel like my whole life is on hold.  Or should be.  You know?”

Her face was unreadable.  She nodded.  “You need to do what you think is best.”

“But here’s the thing.  What Dasha said is the truth.  You’re my heart.  You’re my soul.  Every day we’re away from one another, rips me apart.” 

It was like sunlight burst across her face.  “I feel the same way.”

“I still think I’m a bad bet,” he said against her lips.

“You’re a royal flush, and I claimed you.”

“I’m claiming you back.  Marry me.  I don’t know how our careers will work, where we’ll live.  But I need to be with you.  Please just marry me.”

“I want to sleep beside you every night,” she said as she kissed him back.  “Moving forward with you every day is the most important thing.”

“Now I can finally look forward to my future.”

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C
aitlyn O'Leary is an avid reader and considers herself a fan first and an author second. She reads a wide variety of genres but finds herself going back to happily-ever-afters. Getting a chance to write, after years in corporate America, is a dream come true. She hopes her stories provide the kind of entertainment and escape she has found from some of her favorite authors.

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The Found Series

Revealed
, Book One

Forsaken
, Book Two

Healed
, Book Three

Beloved
, Book Four (Fall 2016)

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Midnight Delta Series

Her Vigilant SEAL,
Book One

Her Loyal SEAL,
Book Two

Her Adoring SEAL,
Book Three

Sealed with a Kiss
, A Midnight Delta Novella, Book Four

Her Devoted SEAL,
Book Five

Her Fierce SEAL
, Book Six

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Fate Harbor Series
Published by Siren/Bookstrand

Trusting Chance
, Book One

Protecting Olivia
, Book Two