The next day, Lizzy decided to swing by the hospital to see Valentino. She waited until John was free, and they headed to Nairobi’s central hospital.
Kenya had some of the most advanced medical facilities in Africa—private hospitals that rivaled those in the West. This selection of impressive hospitals was available only to those who can afford it, with fees beyond the means of most Kenyans.
In contrast to the millions who relied on severely overcrowded and under-resourced government facilities, the central hospital tried its best to cater to the hundreds of patients who sat in the waiting rooms every day, under tremendous pressure to meet the needs of the Kenyan people.
John seemed as saddened by the overcrowded wards as Lizzy was.
It was times like these when Lizzy regretted not finishing her nursing degree. Every bit helped. Standing on the periphery didn’t feel natural or very helpful.
Little Valentino sat in a sea of chaos on an overly crowded children’s ward. His huge eyes lit up, and he tried to pull the nebulizer off when he saw Lizzy rounding the corner.
“Easy, little man.” Lizzy gently pulled his stubby fingers away and slid onto the bed, pulling him into her lap. Those same fingers clutched at her shirt, then her hair as he snuffled with excitement, babbling into the face mask.
Lizzy laughed as a nurse walked by.
“You can take it off. He’s been on it long enough,” the nurse said.
John leaned down and slowly slid the mask off Valentino’s chubby cheeks. Freedom from the mask released a chattering diatribe. Lizzy couldn’t understand much of what was said. All she caught was something about candy and a “twuck with big wheels.”
She grinned at John. “Hand over his gift—that might slow him down.”
Valentino’s excitement at the Spiderman backpack and coloring book and pencils brought a lump to her throat. These kids had so little to look forward to. Like the other children at the orphanage, Valentino would treasure those two small gifts for years to come.
He deserved so much more. A home with loving parents, food on the table, new shoes and clothes that fit, and a toy box all of his own. Instead, he was a lost little boy. A number in a system. A tick on someone’s checklist in an overcrowded ward.
John saw her swallow back tears and distracted the tyke by opening up the coloring box as Lizzy turned away. When she’d gathered her composure, Lizzy turned back, kissed Valentino’s sweet face and helped him color in a picture of the Transformers.
***
The kid got to Johnny. Correction—the kid and Lizzy’s reaction to the kid—got to him. His immediate protective instinct towards the tender scene took him unawares. He wanted to sweep them both away from the chaos. Take them to his Wyoming cabin far away. Far from the harsh realities of a world Johnny was all too used to.
And leaving that sweet boy in the room was like a kick to the gut. Lizzy stood, and panic lit Valentino’s wide brown eyes. She leaned down and spoke softly in his ear before singing a quick lullaby. The toddler lay back with such a resigned, flat look that Johnny had to turn away.
Sadly, Valentino knew what to expect in his tiny world. People left. Came back, then left again. Then new people took their place.
Johnny knew the uncertainty of that parentless childhood. He knew what if felt like to be alone at such a young age. He swallowed against the ache in his chest, took Lizzy’s hand and led her out of the bleak room. They sat in the darkened space in the underground parking, saying nothing.
Lizzy took a breath and placed her purse on the floor. “I hate leaving him there; he’s just so tiny.”
“Are they checking him out in the morning?”
“Thank goodness, yes. The Teens & Tots resident doctor will pick him up at seven. God, there are so many orphaned kids out there. How do I help them all?”
“It’s impossible, but you’re doing your best.”
“It’s not enough.”
Johnny picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “I love your big heart, but you need to pick your battles, otherwise it will break you.”
She stared back before tracing his temple with a tiny finger.
“Why do you do that?”
“What?”
“Touch my scar?”
“Because I want to make it better.”
“Jesus.” He grasped her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. They paused, staring at each other before he crushed her lips to his. Her hair fell over Johnny’s hands as he grasped the back of her head, seeking a better angle. He stroked her temples, in time with his tongue stroking hers, and she moaned against his mouth. She tasted like spearmint gum and glossy strawberries.
Lizzy sucked his bottom lip before pulling back. He loved that she was as out of breath as he was. “What are we doing, John?”
“What we do best—loving on each other.”
“There’s no love in this equation if we’re going to continue…whatever this is.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I mean it. You won’t break my heart again.”
He lifted her off his lap and reached for the ignition. “You think that’s what I’ll do?”
“I have no idea. I thought I knew you, but I don’t know anything anymore.”
Not trusting a reply, he backed out and circled to the exit. Lizzy latched her seatbelt and he looked away. Then he opened his mouth, as surprised as she was at what came out.
“I want you. I want to bury myself in your tight little body. If you don’t want the candles and poetry thing, then let’s just screw like rabbits.”
“Gee, that’s romantic.”
“That’s honest. Just being friends with you will be too tough. I want to touch you every second of the day. No games, Lizbug. That’s me, putting it out there.”
They pulled up at a red light.
“Fudge buckets. I’m speechless…”
Johnny said nothing, just gave her a heated stare, letting her know what he wanted to do to her. Lizzy licked her lips and his pants grew tight.
The light changed.
She turned in her seat. “If we do this, it means no commitments and no promises. What we do in Kenya, stays in Kenya.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We’re strictly friends—with benefits.”
He placed a hand on her leg and squeezed. “Whatever you say.”
She nodded, seeming happy with that arrangement, and he smiled to himself as his fingers stroked her thigh. Lizzy had just made a deal with the devil. Once he got her between the sheets, she was never getting out.
A surprised Lizzy opened the door. “What are you doing here?”“A guy can’t see his girl for four days in a row?”“I’m not your girl.”Johnny pushed past. The strappy dress she wore revealed tanned limbs, and he ached to kiss the couple of freckles dotting her right shoulder. Instead, he laid a pizza on the counter. “Want some?”“It’s nine in the morning.”“I’ve been up since five, sorting out the team’s week. They’re rolling in late tomorrow, and then we’ll be heading out the following day.”“How long will you be gone?”“I’m not sure.”MIT2 were heading to the Kenyan territory bordering Somalia. They planned a joint training exercise for Kenyan first responders and law enforcement professionals to support efforts concerning extremist activity. MIT worked closely with PREACT—Partne
In a flash he was on her, fondling her breasts as he kicked off his underwear. Lizzy smiled as she kissed the top of his head. She had the brawny operator wrapped around her finger. It was him, and only him who she wanted in her bed.She couldn’t imagine being with anyone as solid, as sheltering as James Cane. His strength chased away her cowardice, and when he looked at her with those hound-dog eyes, she felt like she could climb Everest.A future with this handsome soldier still fell somewhere off her radar, but she could enjoy the moment, and what a moment it was. She sensed his thrill of arousal. His expert tongue swirled along her entrance, and her lady parts clenched at the electric touch. She came. Then he made her come again with explosive pleasure. After what seemed like hours of torturous bliss, John pulled back.He ran a finger up her swollen folds and sat back to sheath himself. “Are you ready, Lizbug?”She nodded as he raise
Embrace the suck, Johnny thought as he walked gingerly into the maintenance shelter and laid out the plate carriers next to the holsters and radio equipment. Thanks to a sex-crazed little blonde, and the baking heat in the warehouse, his joystick didn’t feel all that joyful.Velcro crackled as Slater pulled apart a plate carrier. “You okay there, bro? You’re embracing that Wyoming cowboy swagger.”“Fell in the shower,” Johnny muttered.“Damn shame. My grandma can lend you a non-slip shower mat if you need it—”“Screw you.” Another hour with Lizzy’s luscious mouth and body and he would’ve been wheelchair bound. He’d forgotten how tough she was; it stood to reason that she’d take to bonking with the same amount of enthusiasm as she climbed trees.Johnny didn’t mind her climbing all over him like he was a giant oak, already counting the days until he could
KenyaOne Month Later“I’m still pissed that we left without the Scythian all wrapped up for HQ in a neat little camo bow,” Slater said.Donnie agreed. “At least we’ve made progress and trained up a generous contingent of indigenous forces. If the phantom Horse Lord steps back onto Ethiopian soil, the welcome committee is ready.”Johnny glanced at his two weary comrades as he drove. He’d been away from Lizzy for a month and it felt good to be back in Nairobi. He couldn’t wait to surprise her—he couldn’t wait to catch up on sleep. Four weeks of hunting, then training the local military took its toll. The Scythian had slipped out of their grasp, rumored to be back over the border in Somalia. MIT2 wouldn’t give up and awaited more intel. In the meantime, Max had taken the red-eye out of Addis Ababa to Fort Bragg in California, with meetings lined up with MIT&rsq
Two days of hard grafting and the fence was up with cameras installed. They’d even set up a basic alarm system that alerted the staff to intruders on the property.Lizzy invited the men back to her place for dinner and left the orphanage early to dash home to cook a delicious roast. As the food simmered away, she slipped into the shower. Soaping up, she let out a loud shriek when firm hands wrapped around her waist.“James Johnny Cane! Do you want me to keel over from fright?”Already naked, he twisted her around and shoved her against the tiles. “That’s what happens when you give your ‘friend’ a key to your apartment. Now don’t move. I need to get clean and then please my woman.” He wrenched the soap bar from her hand. He’d already sheathed himself in a condom and she ran her eyes over the very male picture he made.“I’m not your woman.”“At this moment, you’
The sofa wasn’t large enough for the mighty chaperone spread across its awkward cushions. Lizzy sat down wearily on an armrest and watched John sleep.When they’d first arrived, he’d offered his help. As a medic, he was more than qualified, but Garrison refused the offer. John didn’t argue, instead situating himself in the front room.At three in the darn morning, they were finally done. It looked like the family had viral stomach flu—a norovirus—and after a round of IVs and anti-nausea meds, they all slept like babes.All that time, John waited patiently, the diligent soldier always guarding her back. Why her? She didn’t deserve his loyalty, still kicking him in the nuts when she should be thanking him.She’d worried that if John ever found out about her past with Ivan, he’d treat her as carefully as her family did. But nope. He never tiptoed around her. John attacked life like a sledgehammer. He neve
She had a bladder the size of a peanut. Lizzy slammed out of the aircraft lavatory. Her phone buzzed again for the fifth time and she slipped it out of the apron pocket to glance at the screen. John had sure meant it when he’d said to keep her phone nearby. Two missed calls and five texts from the man. She should just switch it off and place it in her damn carry-on.He seemed concerned over her insistence on working the flight. She knew he was right to be worried. She felt like dog poop. As soon as she landed in Johannesburg, she’d see the family doctor.Talking to John was out of the question. He wanted space, well now he had it, and it would probably be a long time until she saw him again. With her packed flight schedule ahead and his covert work, they probably wouldn’t see each other for months.It was better that way. It gave her time to mourn the loss of their budding relationship and to get back to earning a living. She’d bid for mo
As Max pulled up, Johnny jerked open the door and surged out. He ran for the already cordoned entrance. Slater and Donnie dragged him back as Max dug in from the front. Johnny was living a nightmare.“Don’t touch me. Don’t. I was just with her. Yesterday, I held her. She was alive, and I just spoke with her, a few minutes ago. I heard her voice.”“I know, bro. Stay with the vehicle; Slater will hang with you. You hear me, bud?”Johnny struggled and stared at the pathetic array of flashing lights lining the entrance. With no integrated emergency services and a lack of resources, many incidents in Kenya had poor response times. Lack of specific training of emergency personnel, poor coordination, and a lack of standard operating procedures were invariable challenges when it came to militant attacks. They’d all arrived too late.“I need to see her.”“I can’t let that happen.”