Page 49 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Millie

Virginia Beach, Virginia

2020

I’ve only had a second alone with Raine since the meeting. I’m sensing she wants to discuss something privately with me, and we still haven’t talked about her going to Iraq with Chase. I need to get her by herself, but Alex won’t leave us alone. She left her office about a half hour ago. Alex followed her, but he’s back now without her. I’ve texted her a couple times, but no response.

“I’ll be right back,” I say to Alex.

Alex stands up immediately. “Where are you going?” he says quickly, and then immediately tries to act casually uninterested. Something’s off with him. I can’t quite place it.

“The bathroom,” I say as I brush by him. “Would you like to come with me?”

“Yes. I would actually like to go everywhere with you.” His megawatt smile accentuates the sugary-smooth tone of his voice.

I roll my eyes as I start to walk out the door. “The charm doesn’t work on me anymore, Alex.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” I hear him laughing as I close the door.

I take the long way to the bathroom, so I can look in the situation room for Raine. It’s empty. I turn around and see the top of Alex’s head moving around the corner just a tad too late. Since he seems to be watching me, I head to the bathroom. I’m sitting in the stall, trying to figure out what’s happening when I see feet wearing male boots walking in. Alex is apparently done hiding from me. I open the door, ready to confront him, and jump back when I see Hawk and Butch standing there.

“What are you guys doing in here?” I look quickly from them to the empty duffel bag Hawk is now holding up. He grins from ear to ear, looking like a ten-year-old holding up a fish he just caught.

“Okay,” I say as I back up into the stall slowly. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but y’all need to get out of my way, so I can leave.”

“Sorry, Mills. No can do,” Butch says as he quickly covers the ground between us and picks me up like a baby in one fluid motion. Hawk holds the bag as Butch starts to feed my feet through the opening.

I jerk my feet away from the bag. “What the fuck? Butch! Put me down!”

Butch ignores me and looks up at Hawk. “I hate it when they struggle.”

“Yeah. It takes so much more time,” Hawk says as he grabs both my feet with one of his massive hands. He pulls down hard on my legs as he shoves my feet into the bag.

“Ow!” I say, backhanding him hard on the cheek. He doesn’t react.

“Mason said to extract her ‘gently,’” Butch says as he lifts my upper body higher, so Hawk can keep force-funneling my legs into the bag.

“How does gently work again?” Hawk looks thoughtfully at Butch as he pulls the bag over my waist.

“Man, I’ve never really been sure,” Butch says. “Maybe they should teach a BUD/S course on that.”

In a matter of seconds, I’m standing between them with the duffel bag up to my chest. I desperately grab the top of the bag before they can pull it all the way over my head.

“Mills. Do you want to get the rest of the way in the bag by yourself or do you need my help?” Hawk says, smiling mischievously at me as he gently taps his fingers on my hands.

“Will you at least tell me where you’re taking me?” I say as I try to discreetly push the bag down a little bit. Butch pulls it back up from behind me.

“I guess we could tell her,” Hawk says, looking over me to Butch.

“Man, I don’t feel much like talking right now to be honest,” Butch says, pulling the bag a little higher.

“Look at that, Mills. Even Butch doesn’t have anything to say. Guess it’s time for you to be quiet, too.” Hawk flips my clenched fingers off the bag and holds my hands gently, giving me one last chance to comply on my own.

“I hate you both so much right now,” I say with all the drama I can muster as I put my arms in the bag and start to sink down.

“That’s rude,” Hawk says as he pulls the duffel string closed over my head.

---