Page 42 of Rescuing Sadie

Fletch had gone through surgery and was currently recovering, just as Chase was. Fletch’s liver had been nicked by the piece of wood and if it hadn’t been for Ghost’s constant pressure, he would’ve died out there in the grass.

Sean Taggart had suffered a pretty good gash on his head from hitting the steering wheel, but considering his old car didn’t have airbags, he was in remarkably good shape. The Scout was sturdy as hell and the frame had held up remarkably well under the circumstances. Unfortunately, although the car had held together well enough to save Sean’s life, the classic vehicle was toast.

Ian was supposed to arrive with Sean, but had gotten held up because he was wrapped up in a situation with one of the bodyguards from McKay-Taggart. That had actually turned out to be a good thing because the passenger side of Sean’s Scout had taken the brunt of the damage from the RPG.

Jonathan was most definitely dead. The Feds weren’t happy, as they had wanted to interrogate him, but Sean hadn’t hesitated to do what he’d needed to do to make sure his niece was safe from any future threat.

The fact that Jonathan had done what he had wasn’t exactly a surprise, but everyone was still wondering why. Chase thought he understood, after talking with Sadie, but it wasn’t his story to tell.

Jonathan had taken a few rocket-propelled grenades with him the last time he’d escaped from Bexar. He’d shot one into Fletch’s house, then a second just moments later, while Chase and the other men were passed out, which was the hit that separated them from the women. He’d used a third on Sean’s car—and no one had any doubt the man would’ve used the fourth RPG the cops had found hidden in the trees near Fletch’s house, if he’d had to.

Of course, the government was now trying to figure out where Jonathan’s father, Jeremiah Jones, had gotten the weapons in the first place. No one wanted that kind of firepower on the streets.

As for Sadie… She hadn’t left his side since he’d almost died on the operating table.

Chase had been hit by a nail. It was a freak accident. The metal missile had embedded itself inside his body and he hadn’t even known it. The doctors had said it wouldn’t have been so bad, but with the effort he’d put into moving Fletch, then tackling Jonathan, it had moved inside his abdomen, tearing into his large intestine, kidney, and bladder in the process. He’d almost died of both internal bleeding and from the toxins in his body contaminating itself.

Rayne had been by his side almost as much as Sadie, and he’d finally had to kick her out of his room. When she refused to leave, he’d sicced Ghost on her. He loved that his sister was concerned about him, but he was going to be fine.

Sean Taggart had hung around for a week and had been joined by his wife, Grace. They’d wanted to make sure their niece was all right after everything that had happened. Chase actually owed both of them a huge debt of gratitude. Sean had helped Sadie rent the large apartment near the Army post—and move all of his belongings out of his old apartment and into the new one before he was discharged from the hospital.

It was a ground-floor unit so he didn’t have to do stairs.

He and Sean had had a long talk late one night. The older man had wanted to know what his intentions were toward his niece. Chase had no problem looking the notorious man in the eye and telling him how much he loved Sadie and wanted to marry her.

As Chase stood against the wall, watching Sadie putter around in their kitchen, he momentarily closed his eyes in gratitude for all he had. He would heal, and he’d be able to rejoin his unit soon. Sadie was living with him and they shared a bed every night. She’d officially quit her job at McKay-Taggart up in Dallas and was currently looking for a job in the Fort Hood area.

“Chase?” came her soft voice.

When he opened his eyes, she was standing right next to him with a hand on his biceps.

“I’m good,” he reassured her.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. But I do have something I need to tell you.”

“What?”

Chase hated that Sadie looked freaked, so he quickly said, “I was wrong.”

Her brow crinkled. “About what?”

“About women being in combat. You were right. Women are just as capable. I was being hardheaded and sexist. If you hadn’t been there…” His voice trailed off as he struggled to contain his emotions.

Sadie didn’t gloat or even say “I told you so.” She simply squeezed his arm in support.

Chase cleared his throat and continued his thought. “I think Rayne being in the middle of that coup in Egypt really screwed with my head. Not to mention that I’ve been hanging out with the Delta teams. I promise to be better at not jumping to sexist conclusions.”

“Thank you. I’ve been in the unique position of watching all the operatives at McKay-Taggart in action…men and women. I’ve seen what they can do, and how capable they are, firsthand.”

“You think, if I asked nicely, Ian would let me come up and train with him and his operatives sometime?” Chase asked.

“Are you serious?” Sadie asked.

“Of course.”

“I think they’d love that. They’d love to get the chance to kick your ass.”