Page 11 of Protection for Nichole

Someone helped her onto the helicopter, and she spied Angie sitting up, looking a little loopy still. Nichole moved to support her, wrapping one arm around her shoulder.

The sound of the helicopter blades turning and the engine roaring made it impossible to hear Angie. She nodded, just trying to make her feel better. She had no clue what she would say if she could hear the words Angie spoke. Everything was too fresh, and Nichole was compassionate, but she knew her intrinsic interviewer side would kick in and ask Angie the wrong questions. For once, she was glad she couldn’t interview anyone.

There was a reason she wasn’t the type of reporter who stood outside an event like a courthouse or political event and yelled questions at people. It wasn’t in her nature. She was the type of reporter who spent time digging into the truth until she unraveled the last of the lies woven so she could expose corruption and lies.

As the last military guy loaded onto the helicopter, they took off. Her stomach dipped, and Angie clutched her arm, digging her fingers into Nichole’s flesh. They were escaping. Relief filled her, and she breathed a sigh, glad they had gotten out of there alive.

Angie relaxed a little, and curiosity hit Nichole. She glanced around, taking it all in. Her gaze roamed over the men still in their full military gear. One of the men was looking right at her. Maybe she was making too much of it, and he wasn’t looking at her. They were wearing black goggles, and she couldn’t see his eyes, so he could have his eyes closed, but she didn’t think so.

The intensity of the guy held her attention, and she wished it was quieter because she would be asking him everything about what had just happened. But the noise and Angie leaning on her made it impossible to ask any questions. Cara held onto her other side, and Elizabeth sat next to them. They’d survived because they’d leaned on each other. Maybe they would have lived even if the military hadn’t come in to rescue them, but they might have all been killed. That thought sent a shiver down her spine.

The helicopter dipped, and she took her eyes off the guy as she fought to balance herself. She needed to pay attention to everything happening around her and not just one guy.

Burley, no, confident men, their hands holding straps, their eyes hidden behind lenses that made them look like bugs—not bugs, wasps. But people hated wasps, the words of the article she would write played through her mind as she memorized details.

Her breath caught as thoughts of Angie being dragged out of the room they’d been held in swirled through her mind. No way would Angie ever want to relive this experience. It would be absolutely wrong to put what had happened to Angie in an article, but telling the truth of stories was a part of her, just like her hand or her leg. She could abandon this story about as easily as she could abandon breathing. She would find a way to write this without harming Angie or any of the other captives.

Chapter 13

Jay couldn’t takehis eyes off Nichole. Even with the dirt and grime, the bruises and exhaustion on her face, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He hadn’t let his emotions get in the way of doing his job. There hadn’t been a good time to tell her he was on the rescue team, and now the chopper was too loud. She was staring up at him, which made him want to peel off his equipment and go to her, telling her everything in his mind and heart.

Nichole finally glanced away when the helicopter dipped a little. It gave him more time to study her. Though there were bruises and scratches on her face and arms, she looked good. Did she have any clue he was here, or was her interest in him just her natural curiosity?

The rescue had gone off well. They’d not lost a single person, and none of them had been injured. They’d made the right decision going in.

He heard over his coms that they were about five minutes out from the ship. He needed to come up with a plan to talk to Nichole. Usually, the Navy had people who would take those they rescued to get medical attention, food, showers, and rest.The SEAL teams would be fed and prepared to fly out on a helicopter and catch a flight back to their base. But there was no way in the world he would leave before having a chat with Nichole.

They were almost to the ship when he moved to Griz, signaling he needed to talk. Griz nodded, but he wasn’t sure if Griz would agree with what Jay wanted to do.

The landing was perfect, which didn’t surprise him, and they offloaded quickly. Once they were away from the noise, he started talking.

“I have to go talk to her.”

Griz shook his head. “Dude, the Navy has them now.”

“How long until we leave?”

Griz shrugged. “Four hours, I think.”

“I need time with her before then.”

Griz stopped before opening the door and turned to face him. He’d removed his goggles so Jay could see his eyes narrow as he contemplated Jay’s request. He saw the moment Griz realized arguing was pointless.

“Fine, I’ll arrange it. Get showered fast, and I’ll see what can be done.”

Jay’s lips spread into a wide grin. “You won’t regret this.”

Griz huffed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Jay finished his shower in record time, energized by the idea of talking to Nichole. He wanted her to know he was going to get in touch with her. She had gone through something terrible. He didn’t know exactly how bad it had been, but from what he’d seen as a SEAL, it couldn’t have been good for her or the other women. He just hoped she wasn’t too traumatized by everything that she would associate him with negative emotions.

Griz stopped by and told Jay that he’d cleared the meeting with command. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

Griz rolled his eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Jay chuckled. “You know me well.”

“Dude.”

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