“Thank you,” Caroline replied.
“We’re staying here tonight,” the President said, “and flying back in the morning. Greystone is leading us, along with his team and a squadron of F-16s.” He grew silent for a few beats and the lines between his brows deepened. “The Haqazzii terror cell is one of the most dangerous in the world. They have unlimited financial resources and a lot of support from our global enemies. I won’t get much sleep until they’re caught. I’m sure BLACK OPS is putting together a strategy to figure out where they’ve gone. Let’s hope the team does this before they launch another full-scale attack.”
The President stood. Greystone, Caroline, and Evelyn rose from their chairs. After he shook their hands, he said, “See you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to anuneventfulflight home.”
After he left, Evelyn regarded them. “We’re working in building five. And we’re staying at the hotel on base. I’ll see you both in the morning.” With a relieved smile, she shut the door behind her.
Greystone pulled his woman into his arms, and the stress of the flight rolled off him. But, the terrorists had gotten away. Eleven monsters had vanished into thin air.
Let it go.
For the next twenty-four, he wasn’t thinking about the challenges that lie ahead. He would force himself to stay in the moment.
When she broke away, she peered up at him. “They got away.”
“We’ll find them,” he replied. “But not today, not tomorrow either.”
Rather than leave, he led her back to the table. “I want to talk to you about something.”
They sat side-by-side, and he took her hands in his. “I had this idea.”
“Okay.”
“I was thinking that since we’re about an hour from Las Vegas, we could head over there, and get married, spend a few days there.”
“Elope?”
“Yeah.”
She kissed him. “I love that you want to marry me today, but I want our families at our wedding, and Sydney as my maid of honor. What about our friends and your brothers? Before we get married, we need to think about what’s next. Are we staying with BLACK OPS? Is that even an option? Are we going back to the CIA? What areyourchoices? You love flying for the Navy, so how does that fit into all of this? I have so many questions, but I don’t need them all answered today. The one thing I do know is that you and me—we’re forever. We’ve been each other’s person for a while, but in order for us to get here, we had to work together first. Trust is a big issue for you Grey, and you had to trust me first before we could fall in love.”
She squeezed his hands, still clasped together. “I see that now and I love how we became a couple.” She kissed his cheek. “You’ve been asked by the President to lead us home. That’s a huge honor, and I wouldn’t want you to give that up. Plus, everyone’s going to feel much safer with you as our point man.”
They shared one more tender kiss before they left the building. As they were making their way across the base, Greystone’s phone rang.
“It’s Teddy.” Greystone answered. “Hey, you’re on speaker and Caroline’s with me.”
“What the hell happened?” Teddy blurted. “The press found out that the President’s jet got hijacked. It’s all over the news and social media. Are you okay?”
“We’re good,” Greystone replied. “Are you hunting down the eleven?”
“They’ve gone dark,” Teddy replied. “We’re all here at the Black Site, and the team is with me.”
“They’re saying the pilots were total heroes,” Hawk said, “but they can’t reveal their identities.”
“We were just doin’ our jobs,” Greystone replied. “I did run into a problem, but Caroline got me through it.”
“Nice job, Caroline,” Addison said. “We can’t wait to hear the deets. When are you coming back?”
“Tomorrow,” he said. “We fly home tomorrow.”
“Greystone is leading the squadron,” Caroline said with pride. “And there’s going to be a special White House ceremony to honor him and the other pilots. We want you guys there.”
“Caroline is also being honored,” Greystone added, “for her exceptional service during an emergency. She saved my life.”
As he thought about those words, they rang true for so many reasons.
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Dakota said. “We’re proud of you both. See you tomorrow.”
