Page 1 of Taming Raptor

I held my young son close to my chest. No, I never planned on being a dad two times over by the time I was twenty-one, but there I was. Scared shitless and preparing to leave for my first deployment.

“You don’t need to do this,” Falina spat with fire in her gaze.

“Yes, I do. Jesus, Falina, I signed a contract. My brothers are deploying, and I need to be there for them.” As if he sensed my irritation, Samuel fussed and wiggled.

“Bullshit. Your family could get you out of it, if you would just ask, Adrien,” she shot back with a scowl as she rested a hand on her very pregnant stomach.

Falina was my high school sweetheart and we had impulsively gotten married the week after she turned eighteen and we graduated. When she got pregnant shortly after, I did what a lot of kids do when they’re desperate—I joined the Army. In my mind, it made sense. I would have a guaranteed paycheck, benefits, a roof over our heads, and I would be making my own way in the world.

I never expected to feel the pride I would experience as a soldier.

My family didn’t understand my need to be independent. My dad had been pissed because he would’ve helped us, but there were always conditions. I had no desire to become a surgeon and live off of the Krow name. Maybe it would’ve been easier, but it didn’t feel right. It was likely because I was more like my grandfather. He had been born into money, but instead of living an indulgent lifestyle, he invested his money and tripled its worth.

“I’m not doing that. I’m a man of my word and I took an oath when I joined.”

Falina plucked our now fussing son from my arms with a snort. He reached for me as he cried, “Daddy!”

“Fat lot of good it will do you if you’re dead,” she snapped.

“Don’t,” I pleaded as I cupped her cheek with my hand. She refused to look at me and jerked away from my touch. Samuel cried, because at two, he had no idea what was going on.

Sighing in frustration, I dropped my head to kiss her but at the last second, she turned away. My lips landed on her temple. Things had been strained since I joined the Army. She didn’t understand my need to be independent any more than my parents did. She hated leaving her family, she hated post housing, she hated me being gone to the field, and she hated the fact that there was a war going on and I was soon to be a part of it.

Sometimes I was pretty sure she hated me.

“Just go,” she said with her jaw ticking angrily.

My grandfather died of a heart attack when I was in AIT and my father told me the only way I inherited anything was if I came home for good. He was furious when I told him I didn’t give a shit about the money. Falina didn’t like my decision either. Her opinion was that it was my rightful place, and I was being stubborn. I disagreed. My sister could have it all.

Hurt etched on my face, I released her to pick up my heavy duffel. “I’ll call when I can, and I’ll email you and write.”

“Boy, that will be a big help when I’m trying to deal with a toddler and a newborn on my own. I can’t believe you expect me to stay here by myself, taking care of your children, while you go off to play G.I. Joe.” She sneered and rolled her eyes.

“Last I checked, they are our children. Whether we were here or home, you would still be their mother and would need to take care of them unless you want to go to work.” It was an argument we’d had a million times.

“But if we were at home, I’d at least have help, Adrien!”

“This is our home, but if you want, I can arrange for you to go back to your family during my deployment. I told you that already.” She went home all the time anyway. Not that we could afford it, but her parents paid for her to travel.

“And will you be getting out after you get back?”

“Uh, no. Like I said, I have a contract.” I was fast losing my patience.

“Well, don’t expect me to be here when you get back then.”

A horn honked out front.

“It’s okay. I’ll have leave after I get home. I can fly back to Texas, pick you, Samuel, and the baby up and we can drive back. We’ll figure everything out. Now, I have to get going—that’s my ride.” Specialist Murphy was a friend of mine from basic training. He ended up stationed at Fort Lewis with me but in a different brigade. Murphy offered to pick me, Gibson, and MacKenzie up and take us to the company so Falina wouldn’t have to take Samuel out in the rain.

Except MacKenzie declined. He was from over in Seattle, so his parents were here to see him off. It would only be Gibson and I hitching a ride. It did hurt a little that my parents didn’t fly in to see me off, but I wasn’t surprised.

I kissed my son on his head and with one last regretful glance at Falina, I left.

On that deployment, I met Venom. Though he was barely four years older than me, he was a Sergeant, and it was his third rotation. We bonded when we found out I was from Texas, and he was stationed there. The first mortar attack terrified me as it hit during my time off. I was coming out of the MWR, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, tent as all hell seemed to break loose. He went running past me and shouted out instructions that I scrambled to obey. When I started to freak out, he gripped my head in his hands.

“Calm the fuck down,” he ordered in his no nonsense way. Amazingly, I did—it was weird.

That was the first time I wondered if there was something different about him. I carried my own secret that I was forbidden to reveal, so I didn’t ask the questions that floated around in my head.

---