Samantha
As Samantha started to come to, her head was splitting. At first, she thought she was waking from a nightmare until she realized that the headache was real and that she was coming face to face with the same demons who had haunted her nightmares for years. Feeling the cool chill of the now-evening air that blew through what she could tell was an old abandoned factory, she shivered, trying not to move and not catch the attention of the two men who were her captors.
Sitting as still as she could, her eyes still closed, she tried to think of all the options she had—zero, zero options. Her only hope was that Raleigh got there in time. She could hear the ticking of the clock on the bomb that was still strapped to her chest, and she started to pray and think of all the good memories she had in her life. There weren’t many except the last six months with Raleigh. So many great memories and many firsts with Raleigh. At least before dying, I will have finally known how to love and be loved.
Choking back the tears she knew would come, she thought about what it would’ve been like to spend the rest of her life as Raleigh’s wife, to have his children and make a life for themselves. She knew she had to be positive, and she knew, just knew, deep in her heart that Raleigh would make it, and she would get to watch as he took revenge on the men who took her. She knew he would make them pay and no one would stop him from killing both with his bare hands. Those were the positive thoughts she needed, and as she thought about how Raleigh would kill them, she smiled.
When she heard the slamming of a door behind her, she prayed it was Raleigh and his men, but instead it was the younger Jahan who was on the phone. He had returned without Saheed; she knew because from what little Pashtu she remembered, he was speaking with Saheed who, by the sound of it, was getting on a plane back to Afghanistan. Fuck. Looks like we won’t get Saheed today, but when Raleigh gets here, Jahan, you will die. I swear to you, you will die at his hands.
***
Raleigh
As the men arrived at the post office to prep, Raleigh was pacing back and forth in the common area as Matt packed the van for the raid on the old jeans factory. When Bryant strolled in, he took a seat at the conference table, Macalister behind him. Adams arrived, then Jackson limped in and took a seat next to Bryant.
Bryant was the first to speak up. “Well, Chief, we are locked and cocked and ready to rock. Where we headin’?”
Raleigh paused and stood in front of the white board. He had already taped three maps of the area and one of the building itself that Chance had pulled before he left with the Senator to the safe house. “Thanks, guys, for comin’. I know it was short notice, but that’s the nature of the business we are in. We have a mission across town.”
“Across town?” Bryant questioned.
“Yeah, across town. It seems our old friend Saheed Al-Balshera is right here in Fayetteville and is planning to blow up the old jeans factory. And just so you know, he has Sergeant O’Hara, he has the bomb strapped to her, and he has threatened to detonate it. He wants…well, I will show you the texts on the overhead.”
Turning on the projector that sat in front of him on the table, Macalister stood up and flipped the lights off. The words then came into view on the white board in front of them.
We want a flight out of the country and the release of all our bank accounts. If these two things happen then we will release the woman once we get to Afghanistan.
If we do not get what we want we will blow up two national monuments in Washington, DC, every three hours until we do. We will contact you in two hours.
The men all leaned back in their chairs as Raleigh walked over and switched the lights back on. “So there ya have it, guys. We gotta get in and get these motherfuckers before they not only kill Samantha but thousands of others.”
Macalister leaned up in his seat then slammed his palms into the conference table. “The motherfuckers ain’t gettin’ away this time. What’s the plan, Chief?”
As the other men echoed Macalister’s sentiment, they made their way over to the white board as Raleigh began to lay out the plan. It didn’t take long, and the men had their individual jobs and a strategy. Go in, defuse the bomb, and end this with the deaths of the two brothers—Saheed and Jahan.
“Okay, guys, how close are you to getting ready?” Matt asked as he grabbed the last box of ammunition and loaded it into the van.
“Just gotta grab my vest and I will be good to go.” Macalister was the first to answer.
“Me too,” echoed Adams, grabbing his bag then rummaging through the contents.
Jackson walked over to Raleigh. “Chief, what would you like me to do? I wanna help, but this cane is gonna hinder me a bit.”
“Jax, I’m gonna have you in the van monitoring communications and calling in the cavalry if we need it. Oh, and Matty—did you call the locals and let them know we will Start Patrol time at the transformer station down the road, half a mile from the factory?”
“All right, Chief. I’m not much for being in the support element, but if it means saving your girl, then I’m good to go. She’s one hell of a keeper, Boss,” Jackson said with a smile. “I hope you plan on putting a ring on that finger?”
“Thanks, Jax. I think she is pretty great, too. Why don’t you go check commo before we load up?” Raleigh then focused his attention on Matt, who was just finishing on the phone with the Fayetteville Police Department.
“Sure will, Chief,” Jackson replied as he headed out the back door of the post office.
While the remaining men suited up, Raleigh waited for Matt to finish his call with the locals then he could suit up. Matt still needed to call the general to let him know the plan and the coordination with FPD.
When Matt finished, he yelled for Raleigh. “Hey Fitz, the general is good to go. He will run interference with the locals just in case this goes south.”
Raleigh looked up at Matt; a fire in his eyes told Matt he probably shouldn’t have used the phrase “goes south,” and he immediately tried to back track.
“Man, I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant, Matty. Everything will be fine. We will get in there and get Sammie out and kill those motherfuckers before they can do anymore damage to anyone else or anything else. Why don’t you go suit up? I’m gonna need ya in on this one. You think you are ready to play with the big boys again?” Raleigh patted Matt on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I got your back, Matty.”
“As ready as I am gonna get, brother,” Matt replied, grabbing his bag and placing it on the table.
***
When the van pulled up to the transformer station, the local Fayetteville Police Department was already there with the SWAT van and six cruisers. Raleigh’s heart was pumping so quickly it felt like it would pound right out of his body. He wasn’t nervous about the OP; he was nervous something would happen to Samantha, and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. He sat for a moment, trying to get himself together, but the only picture that kept playing over in his mind was the video of Samantha, her jacket and shirt ripped off her body and the bomb strapped to her chest.
He wanted to kill them both with his bare hands for ever laying a finger on her, but he had to somehow put it to the back of his mind and get straight. He had to defuse that bomb as soon as he could get to her.
He wanted to hold her right now and never let her go, and he was determined that once they got her out safely he would never let her out of his sight again, no matter how stubborn she was. And he knew she would be just that, as mad as an old wet hen and stubborn as a jackass, but he did know one thing. What he loved most of all was her fierce independence and her strength. Never in his life had he met anyone as strong as Samantha. Strong, beautiful, and independent, she was everything he had ever dreamed of in a woman and so much more. When they got outta there, he would make sure everyone knew it.
“Fitz. Fitz. You awake?” Macalister tapped him on the shoulder. “It’s go time, Boss. We need to brief those locals so they don’t fuck shit up.”
“Yeah, I’m awake, just goin’ through everything in my head. Hey, once we get these motherfuckers, I am gonna need you to bring in the bomb suit as quick as you can so we can get Sammie outta that vest.”
“I got you, Chief,” Macalister replied, sliding open the van door as he and Bryant got out. So did Matt, who was driving, and Raleigh who walked ahead of the men to the Chief of Police.
Raleigh shook the man’s hand and then proceeded to explain the who, what, where, and whys of the situation.
The Chief of Police was more than happy to let Raleigh and his unit go in. “Hey, y’all are the experts at this kinda stuff. We will run perimeter, and my SWAT team will go in with ya, if that is agreeable with you, Chief Fitzgerald?”
“Of course, Chief Hardy. We are a man or two short, so the extra man power is appreciated.”
“I will let my team know, and they can suit up. Let’s say ten minutes?” Hardy said as he turned to walk toward his SWAT van.
“All right, ten it is. We will be right here loadin’ up.” Raleigh turned to his men. “All right, guys, you know the deal. You know what we gotta do, and y’all know we gotta do it quickly. The clock is ticking, and right now we are twenty-five minutes before they set off that bomb. Once they are set, that gives us fifteen minutes to get in, get those motherfuckers, and defuse that bomb before it blows up twelve city blocks.”
Jackson poked his head from the van. “Hey, Chief. Commo is good to go. Whenever you are ready.”
“Thanks, Jax. We’ll be ready in five minutes for commo check.”
The remaining men all replied one after the other. “We’re ready, Chief. We got this.”
***
Jackson came over the intercom. “Commo check.”
“This is Macalister, Over.”
“I got you Mac. Over,” Jackson replied.
“Adams, check. Over,” Jackson called.
“This is Adams, Over.”
“This is Bryant. Will you marry me, Jax? Over.”
“Shut the fuck up. Over,” Jackson replied.
“This is Chief. Stop with the funny shit, Bryant. Save it for the bar.”
“Sorry, Chief,” Bryant replied. “Just trying to break up the tension.”
“I know, Bryant. We’re good,” Raleigh replied. “Jax, check the SWAT team. They on?”
“Stand by, Chief,” Jackson replied then called the local SWAT to check their radios.
“Yep, Chief, they good to go.”
“All right, let’s load up,” Raleigh ordered as the men all loaded into their vehicles and drove the half-mile trip to the old factory. Just shy of the factory, they parked the vehicles and then headed to surround the building from all sides. Bryant took the sniper position on an adjacent rooftop to where the Senator said they had been staying.
“Bryant, you got eyes on Samantha yet?” Raleigh asked as he readied himself for the take down.
“Yeah, Chief, I see her, and I see Jahan. He’s sitting watching a TV not far from Sammie on your side of the building, Chief. But I don’t have a shot. Sammie is in front of him. I got no shot, Chief.”
Damn it, Raleigh thought as he approached a window, hoping he could get a clear view of the inside. He peered through and saw her. His heart fell into his toes, and he shook himself straight. He watched for a moment and saw Jahan stand in front of Samantha, shoving the gun to her temple, and in that moment, Jahan struck her again with the butt of his gun, knocking her out. Raleigh started to go but then watched as Jahan grabbed his bag, headed to the car that sat just twenty feet from where Samantha was, and tossed his bag in.
“Guys, we gotta go now. Jahan is attempting to flee. Go. Go now.” Within moments, the men were inside. SWAT had driven their van through the factory doors and into the vehicle that Jahan was attempting to get into. Jahan ran toward Samantha, struggling to manually blow the bomb, but before he could get to her, Raleigh and the men heard Bryant yell. “I got a shot! I got a shot! I am taking it now.” And Jahan was down, blood streaming from his head.
“Got you. You son of a bitch,” was all they heard from Bryant. Raleigh rushed to Samantha and held her head up. He saw she was bleeding from the cuts in her brow and on the side of her head.
“Sammie. Sammie, can you hear me?” Raleigh asked but got nothing. As he waited for Macalister and the bomb suit, he pulled out his Alabama throw and covered her shoulders, careful not to touch the bomb on her chest. “Jax, I need you to call 911. We are gonna need an ambulance for Sammie. She is unresponsive, and she has some pretty bad cuts from the pistol whippings she’s gotten.”
“On it already, Chief,” Jackson replied.
“Thanks, Jax,” Raleigh replied. “Mac, where the fuck are you?”
“Be right there, Chief. Just coming in the door now.”
“Well, hurry. We only have six minutes,” Raleigh shouted.
“I’m here, Chief,” Mac said as Matt approached Raleigh also.
“Good. Let’s get this on me,” Raleigh replied as he stood up and removed his armored Molle vest and his jacket.
“Chief, I got this!” Mac replied.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Raleigh snorted back.
“You didn’t, Chief. I am trained. You aren’t.”
“You can talk me through it,” Raleigh explained.
“No. It will take too long, and the longer we sit here and argue, the more time ticks off that counter. Now help me get this on, Chief, so you can get to safety.”
“I am staying here.”
“Fine but help me get this on.” Matt and Raleigh helped Mac get the bomb suit on, then Matt and the other men got to safety outside of the building. Raleigh held Samantha as Macalister worked one wire at a time. Finally, with nine seconds to go, the counter stopped, Mac removed the vest from Samantha, and called in the SWAT team with the explosives container to remove the bomb from the building. Raleigh picked Samantha up from the chair and laid her down on the concrete floor of the old factory, still trying to get her to wake as the paramedics arrived.
As they began to treat Samantha, wrapping her head then loading her on the gurney for transport to Fayetteville Memorial Hospital, Raleigh never left her side. When they loaded her into the ambulance, the medic attempted to keep him from accompanying her.
“Sir, you can’t ride with her.”
“Like hell I’m not!” he screamed. “It’s either you and me back here or just me ’cause I am fixed to make you a patient.”
During this back and forth, the Chief of Fayetteville Police Department spoke up. “Jason, let him ride along. It’s his soldier he is responsible for.”
“Fine. Come on.”
Raleigh stepped into the ambulance and sat opposite the paramedic and held Samantha’s hand as the medic worked. Mac shut the door, and the driver pulled away.