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| Powered by Platinum Coast Systems, SUITE Magazine, and Evan Scott. All images and material ©2006 |
Deadly Obligations
She felt, more than heard, the explosion on the outside of the aircraft.
Heard what she thought was the detonation of hand grenades, and each
sound got louder by the second. A whirring noise filled the air, though she
didn't know what it was or where it originated from.
Abruptly, the air inside the cabin filled with smoke. Gunfire rattled up from
below.
Cathryn peeked around the edge of the door and sucked in a deep
breath. Escara's men were shooting up at the helicopter. She stared in
horror as more of them seemed to spread into the area from everywhere,
reminding her of the continuous movement of an ant colony.
She surveyed the floor of the cabin. Four of Escara's men and a
crewmember lay dead, Bucky and the co-pilot were wounded, and her girls
were huddled as far back under the nav table as they could get. She'd
never witnessed anything like this before. The sight alone was terrifying.
She shook her head and trembled, unsure if she would be able to hold the
contents of her stomach down. The big machine swung precariously from
side to side, scaring the living hell out of her; her stomach swayed in unison
with the helicopter, churning and rolling in protest.
"Hold this chopper steady. The Cap'n's still hanging on," Bucky yelled to
the front.
Curtis took a glance backward through the open space and shouted to be
heard above the roar of the engines. "Sergeant, if he's not onboard inside
of ten seconds, then I'm outta here." He swiveled in his seat, flinching as
bullets pinged off the glass.
"I wouldn't do that, sir!" Bucky Stevens hollered back.
Cathryn heard the sound of a metal gun bolt being drawn back and saw
Kelso standing with a pistol to the head of the pilot.
Curtis jerked his head around, his amazed stare drawn to the loaded
weapon fixed on a spot in the middle of his forehead. Licking his lips, he let
out a nervous laugh, swallowed hard, and stuttered, "I, I guess-ss I'll w-wait."
He smiled weakly, relief flooding his features as the gun lowered.
"Good idea, sir," Bucky replied.
Cathryn was impressed. The loyalty of these men was phenomenal. Did
her husband really garner such devotion, such allegiance?
From the looks of these rough and tumble men of Special Ops, apparently
so. Everything about them spoke volumes for the way they felt about
Garrett, and it took her by surprise that she felt pride in their loyalty. Pride
in the fact that her husband commanded such respect from men of this
caliber.
Seconds ticked by like hours.
Bucky leaned over the side of the helicopter again, extending his right arm
over the side. The wound in his shoulder continued to seep through his
fatigues.
Cathryn peered over the edge as well. Her heart lurched at the sight of
Garrett, almost within the safety of the helicopter, hanging on to his
sergeant by nothing more than his fingertips, suspended from the door in
midair. The rescue harness, with Rivera still strapped in to it, wasn't far
enough off the ground. She had to turn away, to hide from the terrifying
sight, to block out what might come next.
Bucky shouted, his words incoherent against the loud whine of the engines.
"What?" Cathryn leaned toward Bucky.
"Son of a bitch! I dropped him!" Bucky looked at Cathryn, a mixture of
horror and denial written all over his face.
Cathryn didn't even hesitate. She scooted forward, panic racing through
every inch of her soul, and saw Garrett some twenty feet below on the sand,
still moving. "Go back down. Go down!" Her body leaned out over the edge,
she felt her balance shift forward.
Bucky threw an arm around her waist. She pointed to the ground, trying to
get her purpose across. They had to go back down and get Garrett. He
wasn't hurt that bad. Good Lord, they couldn't leave him there!
"He wouldn't want that." Bucky shook his head, his eyes telling her all she
needed to know. "He'd want us to get the girls out of here."
Cathryn screamed. She had to make him understand. "We've got to go
back down and get him."
A voice came in over Bucky's headset, Cathryn leaned in to hear.
"Two, this is One. Over." Garrett's voice was shaky, rushed.
Bucky held his hand to his ear, pushing the earpiece in tighter. He waved
for the others to be quiet. "One, this is Two. We're coming back down.
Over."
Bucky set the mike on loudspeaker, allowing the entire helicopter to hear
the exchange.
Garrett's voice came back over the airwaves. A disembodied croak,
sounding so close, yet so far away. "Two, this is One. Negative. Get my girls
out of here. Evacuate the area immediately. Over."
Cathryn's heart thudded against her chest. She clutched the edge of the
door, looking into Bucky's face. He wasn't going to let that happen, was he?
He couldn't. That was her husband down there, the father of her children.
What would happen to her if he was killed? How would she go on?
Bucky spoke. "Guys, I don't care what he says. We have to go back and
get him. I know he's put his ass on the line for you many times."
Cathryn stared at Bucky. He wavered, uncertainty in his expression.
They had to go back and get him! If she was prepared to do whatever
necessary to rescue her husband, they damn well better be prepared also.
Every head in the chopper nodded in agreement.
Bucky keyed his mike. "One, this is Two. Am set to land. Over."
Again, Garrett's voice crackled over the airwaves. "Two, this is One. Get
out of here. Now. Am not worth the risk, repeat, am not worth it. Get the hell
out of here now. Please." The mike was silent for a moment. "That's a lawful
order, Bucky. Acknowledge. Now. Over."
"Damn it!" Bucky looked around then slowly stared at her.
What did he want her to say? Go ahead, leave him? No way. She wouldn't
do it, couldn't do it.
"Mommy?" Missy's call came from under the nav table, the tiny voice
trembling. "Is Daddy going to die?"
Cathryn stared into Missy's eyes, unable to answer her daughter. How did
she answer? I don't know honey, it's up to these men? Dear God, she
hoped not. She turned back toward Bucky.
He responded to Garrett, his eyes telling her how sorry he was. His voice
caught as he answered. "One... this is Two. Will... comply. Over."
Curtis heard the exchange. Throwing the helicopter into gear, he lifted the
aircraft higher, putting space between the Black Hawk and the bullets. As
the huge machine rotated and buzzed over the treetops, Cathryn lay on her
stomach and watched the ground grow smaller.
The gunfire below increased.
Two jeeps roared into the area, driven haphazardly by what she could only
assume were Escara's men firing machine guns. Grenades and other
explosives made a fireball of the tiny space below, flames lapping and
licking at everything in sight. Smoke obscured the area now as the
helicopter got farther away.
"Damn," Bucky cussed. "The captain and Rivera have taken most of the
heat off us. Look... "
Cathryn had already been memorizing the scene; she couldn't take her
eyes off it even if she'd wanted to. Her breath caught in her chest.
Garrett stood within a ring of fire, a short distance from the landing zone,
lobbing thrown grenades back at the advancing enemy as he protected a
prone Rivera. As the helicopter circled around to leave the area, he held his
hand aloft in the thumbs-up sign.
"Give 'em hell, Cap'n," Bucky muttered under his breath.
Static came over his mike, still keyed into the loudspeaker. "Bucky, it's
been good." More static. "I'm very proud... her," static "tell Cat I... tried,"
static "... always love her."
The helicopter swung around to put more distance between them and the
beach. Cathryn's last sight was of Garrett jerking as blood sprayed from his
left leg. The radio died.
Cathryn slumped to the deck, lost. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as her
chest filled with a pain so intense, so deep, nothing else mattered. Her
husband, her hero, was gone…forever.
Heard what she thought was the detonation of hand grenades, and each
sound got louder by the second. A whirring noise filled the air, though she
didn't know what it was or where it originated from.
Abruptly, the air inside the cabin filled with smoke. Gunfire rattled up from
below.
Cathryn peeked around the edge of the door and sucked in a deep
breath. Escara's men were shooting up at the helicopter. She stared in
horror as more of them seemed to spread into the area from everywhere,
reminding her of the continuous movement of an ant colony.
She surveyed the floor of the cabin. Four of Escara's men and a
crewmember lay dead, Bucky and the co-pilot were wounded, and her girls
were huddled as far back under the nav table as they could get. She'd
never witnessed anything like this before. The sight alone was terrifying.
She shook her head and trembled, unsure if she would be able to hold the
contents of her stomach down. The big machine swung precariously from
side to side, scaring the living hell out of her; her stomach swayed in unison
with the helicopter, churning and rolling in protest.
"Hold this chopper steady. The Cap'n's still hanging on," Bucky yelled to
the front.
Curtis took a glance backward through the open space and shouted to be
heard above the roar of the engines. "Sergeant, if he's not onboard inside
of ten seconds, then I'm outta here." He swiveled in his seat, flinching as
bullets pinged off the glass.
"I wouldn't do that, sir!" Bucky Stevens hollered back.
Cathryn heard the sound of a metal gun bolt being drawn back and saw
Kelso standing with a pistol to the head of the pilot.
Curtis jerked his head around, his amazed stare drawn to the loaded
weapon fixed on a spot in the middle of his forehead. Licking his lips, he let
out a nervous laugh, swallowed hard, and stuttered, "I, I guess-ss I'll w-wait."
He smiled weakly, relief flooding his features as the gun lowered.
"Good idea, sir," Bucky replied.
Cathryn was impressed. The loyalty of these men was phenomenal. Did
her husband really garner such devotion, such allegiance?
From the looks of these rough and tumble men of Special Ops, apparently
so. Everything about them spoke volumes for the way they felt about
Garrett, and it took her by surprise that she felt pride in their loyalty. Pride
in the fact that her husband commanded such respect from men of this
caliber.
Seconds ticked by like hours.
Bucky leaned over the side of the helicopter again, extending his right arm
over the side. The wound in his shoulder continued to seep through his
fatigues.
Cathryn peered over the edge as well. Her heart lurched at the sight of
Garrett, almost within the safety of the helicopter, hanging on to his
sergeant by nothing more than his fingertips, suspended from the door in
midair. The rescue harness, with Rivera still strapped in to it, wasn't far
enough off the ground. She had to turn away, to hide from the terrifying
sight, to block out what might come next.
Bucky shouted, his words incoherent against the loud whine of the engines.
"What?" Cathryn leaned toward Bucky.
"Son of a bitch! I dropped him!" Bucky looked at Cathryn, a mixture of
horror and denial written all over his face.
Cathryn didn't even hesitate. She scooted forward, panic racing through
every inch of her soul, and saw Garrett some twenty feet below on the sand,
still moving. "Go back down. Go down!" Her body leaned out over the edge,
she felt her balance shift forward.
Bucky threw an arm around her waist. She pointed to the ground, trying to
get her purpose across. They had to go back down and get Garrett. He
wasn't hurt that bad. Good Lord, they couldn't leave him there!
"He wouldn't want that." Bucky shook his head, his eyes telling her all she
needed to know. "He'd want us to get the girls out of here."
Cathryn screamed. She had to make him understand. "We've got to go
back down and get him."
A voice came in over Bucky's headset, Cathryn leaned in to hear.
"Two, this is One. Over." Garrett's voice was shaky, rushed.
Bucky held his hand to his ear, pushing the earpiece in tighter. He waved
for the others to be quiet. "One, this is Two. We're coming back down.
Over."
Bucky set the mike on loudspeaker, allowing the entire helicopter to hear
the exchange.
Garrett's voice came back over the airwaves. A disembodied croak,
sounding so close, yet so far away. "Two, this is One. Negative. Get my girls
out of here. Evacuate the area immediately. Over."
Cathryn's heart thudded against her chest. She clutched the edge of the
door, looking into Bucky's face. He wasn't going to let that happen, was he?
He couldn't. That was her husband down there, the father of her children.
What would happen to her if he was killed? How would she go on?
Bucky spoke. "Guys, I don't care what he says. We have to go back and
get him. I know he's put his ass on the line for you many times."
Cathryn stared at Bucky. He wavered, uncertainty in his expression.
They had to go back and get him! If she was prepared to do whatever
necessary to rescue her husband, they damn well better be prepared also.
Every head in the chopper nodded in agreement.
Bucky keyed his mike. "One, this is Two. Am set to land. Over."
Again, Garrett's voice crackled over the airwaves. "Two, this is One. Get
out of here. Now. Am not worth the risk, repeat, am not worth it. Get the hell
out of here now. Please." The mike was silent for a moment. "That's a lawful
order, Bucky. Acknowledge. Now. Over."
"Damn it!" Bucky looked around then slowly stared at her.
What did he want her to say? Go ahead, leave him? No way. She wouldn't
do it, couldn't do it.
"Mommy?" Missy's call came from under the nav table, the tiny voice
trembling. "Is Daddy going to die?"
Cathryn stared into Missy's eyes, unable to answer her daughter. How did
she answer? I don't know honey, it's up to these men? Dear God, she
hoped not. She turned back toward Bucky.
He responded to Garrett, his eyes telling her how sorry he was. His voice
caught as he answered. "One... this is Two. Will... comply. Over."
Curtis heard the exchange. Throwing the helicopter into gear, he lifted the
aircraft higher, putting space between the Black Hawk and the bullets. As
the huge machine rotated and buzzed over the treetops, Cathryn lay on her
stomach and watched the ground grow smaller.
The gunfire below increased.
Two jeeps roared into the area, driven haphazardly by what she could only
assume were Escara's men firing machine guns. Grenades and other
explosives made a fireball of the tiny space below, flames lapping and
licking at everything in sight. Smoke obscured the area now as the
helicopter got farther away.
"Damn," Bucky cussed. "The captain and Rivera have taken most of the
heat off us. Look... "
Cathryn had already been memorizing the scene; she couldn't take her
eyes off it even if she'd wanted to. Her breath caught in her chest.
Garrett stood within a ring of fire, a short distance from the landing zone,
lobbing thrown grenades back at the advancing enemy as he protected a
prone Rivera. As the helicopter circled around to leave the area, he held his
hand aloft in the thumbs-up sign.
"Give 'em hell, Cap'n," Bucky muttered under his breath.
Static came over his mike, still keyed into the loudspeaker. "Bucky, it's
been good." More static. "I'm very proud... her," static "tell Cat I... tried,"
static "... always love her."
The helicopter swung around to put more distance between them and the
beach. Cathryn's last sight was of Garrett jerking as blood sprayed from his
left leg. The radio died.
Cathryn slumped to the deck, lost. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as her
chest filled with a pain so intense, so deep, nothing else mattered. Her
husband, her hero, was gone…forever.
"Tamara McHatton’s
DEADLY OBLIGATIONS
depicts beautifully the
challenges presented to
military wives. I've often
heard that if the Army
wanted their soldiers to
have spouses they would
have issued them. This
story will have readers
understanding exactly how
true that statement can be.
Ms. McHatton brings to
light Garrett and Cat’s
emotional upheaval and
will have readers cheering
for them to reunite."
~Chrissy
Romance Junkies
5 Ribbons
DEADLY OBLIGATIONS
depicts beautifully the
challenges presented to
military wives. I've often
heard that if the Army
wanted their soldiers to
have spouses they would
have issued them. This
story will have readers
understanding exactly how
true that statement can be.
Ms. McHatton brings to
light Garrett and Cat’s
emotional upheaval and
will have readers cheering
for them to reunite."
~Chrissy
Romance Junkies
5 Ribbons
Brazenly graphic and filled
with heart pounding action,
only Ms. McHatton, an
ex-Special Forces spouse,
could bring to life this
action-packed tale of
danger and daring with
such ease.
~TG Leigh
with heart pounding action,
only Ms. McHatton, an
ex-Special Forces spouse,
could bring to life this
action-packed tale of
danger and daring with
such ease.
~TG Leigh
Tamara McHatton
Deadly has never looked so good...
| "Heart pumping action from beginning to end . Move over Rambo, there's a new badboy on the block." |
