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“Michael. I got two live ones here. One is Santos’s main guy.”
“Chad! Son of a bitch, you crazy bastard. Where the fuck are you?”
“A little damaged but alive. There’s fire surrounding us on either side of the building. One of these guys has a broken leg and the other I knocked out. He’s a fucking big dude. I need a vehicle.”
“We’re on it,” Virgo replied. Michael took a full breath. He hadn’t realized until that moment that he was hardly breathing and unable to inhale fully because his heart ached and the fear had consumed him.
Large spotlights began to illuminate the area, the sounds of helicopters could be heard above, and Michael knew that the media had arrived. This news was going to be plastered everywhere.
* * * *
“Holy shit, check this out!” Ava yelled to the others as they gathered around the television. It was nearly three o’clock in the morning. They’d just gotten home from Dixie Chix and were making something to eat before bed. Alexa walked into the room as the reporter explained the situation.
“This is what we have so far, folks. Looks like the feds, along with local law enforcement organizations, conducted a raid on what was believed to be a warehouse containing illegal drugs and weapons. Our early reports from those on the ground say that more than twenty-five people are dead, half law enforcement and others are civilians believed to be working at the supposed drug factory. We have live footage now of men lined up on the ground, their weapons secured as police begin processing their arrests. Stay tuned and we will bring you the latest.”
“Holy shit, that is wild,” Sally stated.
Alexa immediately felt scared and uneasy. She couldn’t help but wonder if Michael and Chad were involved. She had overheard them talking about a drug raid and about a fellow soldier dying. Michael had shared that much with them. She also knew that the last few days were spent with the dead soldier’s family. She held her cell phone in her hands.
“Alexa, what’s wrong?” Sally asked her.
She looked up to find the others watching her.
“I’m worried about Michael and Chad. I think they may be there at that scene.”
“What? Why would they be?” Sally asked.
“A lot of the men in town do special work for the government. BJ and Monte used to. I know that Mason and a few others do as well,” Susanna added.
“Mason, too?” Sally asked, and Alexa saw that Sally seemed concerned about that. Was her sister interested in Mason? He was such a wiseass and seemed arrogant about his muscles and good looks. She stared at her.
“I can’t call them. But what if something is wrong?” Alexa asked.
“Just relax and don’t panic. If they’re involved, then they’ll call you when they can and when it’s all over,” Ava stated.
Alexa stared at her phone and then at the television set. She watched for the next hour, and there were no other updates. It was as if the news dropped the story entirely or as if the earlier broadcast never happened. She turned off the television and went upstairs. She lay in bed holding the phone and prayed that Michael and Chad were okay.
* * * *
Another twenty-four hours passed. It was Friday morning, and she had planned on going into town to see the businesses and other organizations set up for Saturday, the first full day of activities at the Fall Festival. Alexa wasn’t even in the mood to attend the events tomorrow. She was upset. She hadn’t heard from Michael or Chad. She’d heard from Mason. He came by the house to tell her that Chad and Michael were wrapped up in debriefing and that they were involved with the bust the other night. They also had a lot going on in their careers, and they had to take a quick trip to Dallas. Part of her could understand that, but another part of her was hurt. They couldn’t take five minutes to call her themselves? Why had they sent over their friend, a guy from their unit?
What disturbed her even more was that when she asked Mason if they were okay, he gave her an attitude and told her that their jobs were dangerous and sometimes they got hurt. He then added that neither man was dead. She gave him a dirty look and so did Sally. Sally basically called him a moron and told him to get out of their house.
She took the keys to her car, Mel, along with her camera, and headed to town. The little Mazda didn’t make one ugly sound the entire trip. She parked her car and headed toward the center of town. It looked amazing, and despite her sour mood, she was convinced that she could handle Michael and Chad’s lack of communication in this relationship and that when she saw them she would lay out some rules of her own. She might even tell them that she loved them and that if they couldn’t commit, then she was done with them. She was a changed woman. She’d had this conversation with Sally this morning. Sally had teased her and told Alexa that apparently having sex multiple times had brought out Alexa’s inner diva. She was getting mouthy. She wasn’t being a quiet little mouse anymore, nor did she take any shit from anyone. Last night, at the club, Brad and Bull came up to her and started flirting and teasing her. Bull grabbed her ass and she slapped his hand away. He continued to harass her until she asked for a sip of beer from Bull’s mug. She stood up on the step near the bar so that she was almost level with his height and she poured the beer over his head and called him an asshole. Everyone saw it, and he cursed and carried on until G-Force escorted Bull out of Dixie Chix.
Alexa took some pictures but she really wasn’t into it today. She put her camera away, and then did a little shopping. She bought a homemade apple pie and thought she could bring it over to Chad and Michael’s house for dessert and then remembered that they hadn’t called her yet. She sighed and figured the pie would be eaten at her house. Everyone except for Juliet loved apple pie.
Alexa was walking down the sidewalk in town when her cell phone rang. Glancing down at the number, she recognized it as Michael’s. She answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Alexa, it’s Michael. How are you, baby?” he asked her, and hearing his voice after so many days brought excitement into her bel
ly.
“Good. How about you?” She tried for nonchalant and failed.
“You’re angry. I can tell. Please understand that we didn’t intend to be away this long and out of contact with you. It wasn’t our intention.”
