Tropical Threat (#3 - Semper Fi Series )

Chapter 15 - Catch

This was not a typical hostage situation. Most weren't textbook. Usually two men didn't hold one woman hostage. In this case, Max was thankful the two gunmen didn't know how many team members were there. They now had the element of surprise on their side. He didn't need them getting scared and shooting Natasha either. He was thinking maybe one of the guys with sniper skills would be able to take care of them. That was before she called. That phone call changed the whole situation!

He motioned silently to the men to head back across the street, so that Natasha's safety wouldn't be compromised as the two abductors made their way from the cabin to the car. Hopefully one of them knew how to drive in these conditions. Otherwise, this could end in tragedy.

"Max!" Leroy, looking like he had been asked to abandon his dying horse, "What in the world are you doing?"

"Saving your wife's life!" The look on his face told Max that Leroy was very confused. In his calmest voice, Max elaborated. "If they feel threatened, they might shoot her. I was going to have one of you guys take him out, before it became them. Now we are on their timetable, and have to follow their rules, or lack thereof, to keep her alive. We've faced worse and come out unscathed. We'll do the same here. If you are too emotional, though, you will stay behind. You know what emotions do to dangerous and life threatening missions. Now snap out of it or go sit in the car and wait while we save her! Understood, Connelly?"

Feeling like a child being reprimanded, Leroy checked his emotions at the proverbial door and answered humbly. "Roger, Boss."

He hated when Max was right. And this was certainly one of many times Max had been right. What ate at Leroy's gut more than anything was that he was letting emotions dictate him, and in any and every other similar instance, that wouldn't happen. But, blast him, this was his wife. How could he standy idly by and let these guys take her at gun point and do nothing? The answer was: he couldn't. He started to walk back across the road towards the cabin, but a pair of hands grabbed his upper arms and held him back.

"Dude! Friend." He said sharply. "You have to follow directives. You don't want her dead, and you don't want to get shot either. You both have a future: together. This is just a little bump in the road." Paul, always calm and collect, advised his friend.

Just as he finished speaking, the door opened, and Natasha walked out, head down, towards the car; two guns trained on the back of her head. Lee stopped breathing when he saw her. Her face: what had that demon done to his wife? She was bruised very badly. Her nose was swollen, and dried blood covered her face from her upper lip to her chin. And she was still drop dead gorgeous. He strained against Paul's hands, trying to get to her.

Natasha looked up and their gazes connected. For what seemed like an eternity, they just stared at each other. Finally, she mouthed "I love you!" She saw him, knew he was near. His lips sent the same message back to her, as his eyes clouded with tears. If ever he'd felt helpless in his entire life, it was at this moment.

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Natasha caught Lee's eyes. Her thoughts said, "he must think I look awful." She mouthed her sentiments of love, and had to stifle a sob when he returned them. He was ready to risk his life right then to save her. She couldn't, wouldn't, lose him, too.

"Decklin: Please let me at least hug him once. This is the first time I've seen him since the accident. I won't try anything funny, I promise."

"I know you won't but I don't trust him. So NO!" His answer was reinforced with the butt of his gun against the back of her head, which sent her into vertigo, and almost knocked her over. A shouting curse came from across the street, from Lee, making Decklin cock his gun.