Page 30 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

Summer bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, welcoming the pain. God, when she thought of this precious little being tucked inside her just a little while ago, relying on her to protect and take care of him…

A hot knife of pain sliced through her. She broke. Felt herself split apart.

Harsh, ugly sobs racked her. She couldn’t stop, was inconsolable. Her son. She couldn’t let him go. They would come and take him from her soon. How was she supposed to let him go?

She cradled him and vented her grief, her guilt. I’m so sorry, little A.J., please forgive me. So very sorry…

Chapter Ten

Present day

When the pilot announced they’d be landing in Amman in a few minutes, Taya stood up to stretch her stiff back briefly before buckling back into her seatbelt. The injuries she’d sustained in Afghanistan normally didn’t bother her much anymore, but sitting in one position for too long made her lower and upper back ache.

It felt like forever since she’d left D.C. She and Maya had spent the first half of the flight to London chatting about their experiences overseas. Maya was surprisingly open about it, but then, so was she.

By the time they’d reached London, they’d forged an intimate bond. There’d been no response from Nathan yet, so she knew he was likely out on the hunt somewhere. For Summer’s sake, Taya hoped they found the hostages before she got there.

This second leg of the journey to Amman had seemed to take forever, probably because Taya was both dreading being there but looking forward to seeing Nathan.

When the plane parked at the gate, Maya turned to her and arched a dark eyebrow. “Ready?”

She nodded, checked her phone and found a message from Nathan, sent a few hours ago.

Sorry, we were busy for a while. I’ll be at the airport when you arrive. Can’t wait to see you!

“Nathan’s here,” she said, unable to keep the smile from her face. “Let’s do this.”

Anticipation swirled inside her. It had only been six days since she’d last seen Nathan but she’d missed him like crazy, and seeing him would go a long way to dispel her lingering fears about being here and dredging up all the ugly memories she’d been working so hard to move past.

Maya went up the jet bridge first. Taya followed close behind her, her heart beating faster as they made their way toward the waiting area at the gate. As soon as they turned the corner she spotted Nathan, standing right next to the podium with Tuck.

Everything else faded into the background as she drank him in: tall, his dark auburn hair raked back from his forehead and the start of a reddish beard covering his face.

A big smile split his face and he started toward her. Grinning like a lunatic, she rushed for him and flew straight into his arms.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, hugging her tight. The feel of his embrace lifted the weight of dread she’d been carrying around from the moment she’d agreed to come here. Then he kissed her and she couldn’t think at all until he pulled back.

“Hi,” she breathed back, tucking her face into the curve of his neck. God, he smelled good.

He kissed the top of her head and leaned back to look at her, his hazel eyes warm as he cupped the side of her face in one big hand. “Flights were okay?”

“Great. And Agent Thatcher was great company,” she said, looking over at Maya, who stood watching them by the entrance to the jet bridge. She couldn’t believe how much they had in common. “Her husband’s a PJ, so I thought you might know him.”

His gaze sharpened with interest as he eyed the female agent. “That right?”

Maya nodded. “Jackson Thatcher.”

Nathan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No way! I know him, he was a few months ahead of me in the pipeline. Is he still in?”

“Yep, he’s stationed at Bagram right now. I’ll tell him we met.”

“Please do.” He shook Maya’s hand. “Thanks for escorting my girl over here.”

“It was my pleasure.” Maya turned to her, her eyes full of understanding. “I meant what I said. You ever want to talk about anything, just give me a call.”

“I will.” Taya looked over at Tuck, who was waiting patiently by the podium, scanning the crowd of people milling about, always vigilant. She felt safer already with the two of them here. “Hey, big guy. This is from your wife.” She walked over and hugged him.

He chuckled against the top of her head and returned the embrace. “Thanks for that.”

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