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CHAPTER 3

JAXSON

“Don’t touch me.”

Aurora wiggles free from my grasp. I hold my hands up in surrender, not wanting to freak her out more than she already is.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” I say softly. “You were screaming and struggling in your sleep.”

“Looked like you were having a nightmare,” Hudson pipes up.

I share a look with Hudson. We don’t say it out loud, but we’re both thinking it. How could anyone go through what she did and not have fucking nightmares? I’m surprised she’s holding it together as well as she is.

“We’re beginning our descent,” the pilot announces over the intercom. “Buckle up.”

I roam my eyes over her face once more before returning to my seat.

Aurora’s shoulders slump, but she keeps a firm grip on the blanket around her. “How long was I out?”

“‘Bout ten hours or so,” Hudson replies.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re back on U.S. soil. Aurora attempts to stand, but her legs give out, and she crashes back into her seat.

“Let me help you.” I weave my arms under her and lift her gently into my arms. Tears well up in her eyes. “Hudson, are we taking out the IV?”

“Nah, we’ll keep it in.” Hudson takes the bag down from the hook. “She needs more fluids anyway. Now the hospital won’t have to poke her again.” He places the empty bag against her chest along with the extra hanging tubing. “Hold on to this, okay?”

She nods. “My dad?”

“He’s outside waiting for you,” I confirm. “Alpha team, go!”

My men exit the plane first. We might be on a marine base, but Aurora is our mission until she’s safe in her father’s arms. Hudson marches off the plane behind me, taking a defensive position just like the men in front of me.

“Aurora!” General Parks shouts, rushing toward me.

“D-D-Daddy,” Aurora hiccups, reaching for him.

An anguished cry erupts from her small frame as I transfer her to her father’s waiting arms. I want to pull Aurora back into my chest, but I know it’s not my place to provide the comfort that she’s seeking at the moment. The longer she’s in her father’s embrace, the harder she cries. The EMTs surround them, and Aurora grips her father’s jacket tighter, fighting to stay in his arms. The problem is the medical workers are all men, and Aurora is screaming while trying to get away from them. General Parks is struggling to keep Aurora in his arms as she swings at another pair of hands that reach for her. I can’t take it anymore and push my way through.

“Get the fuck back,” I roar.

My men quickly form a barrier around the general and Aurora, pushing everyone back. Aurora calms slightly and stops fighting her father. Her sobs hit me directly in the chest, and I fight the urge to turn and snatch her back where I know she’ll be safe.

“We need to assess the victim,” one jackass yells.

“Call her a victim again, and I’ll rearrange your face, motherfucker,” Carver sneers.

“Aurora’s a survivor,” Thomas hollers. “Fucking treat her with the respect she deserves instead of pawing at her.”

“We’re trying to do ou?—”

“Obviously, you suck at it,” Hudson interrupts. “Anyone who’s ever dealt with this kind of situation knows you need to explain your intentions to the person you’re treating and tell them who you are, jackass.”

Most of them dip their heads in shame and take a step back, except for loudmouth, who hasn’t quite learned yet that we aren’t fucking around.

“You did your jobs. Now let us do ours.” He steps toward Aurora again. “You’re not in char?—”

Crunch.

The crunch of breaking bone reaches my ears before I realize that it’s my fist that connects with the asshole’s face. Blood pools gushes out of his nose as he falls to the ground.

Fuck! Oh well… if I end up in the brig, it was worth it.

His buddies throw me cautious glances before scrambling to help him to his feet. One of them hands him a towel to catch the blood spilling over.

“Get the hell outta here,” Bennett orders. “We’ll handle this ourselves.”

“I’ll be pressing charges,” the asshole whines.

“Go for it.”

“No, you won’t,” General Parks and I say together.

I raise my brow at him in question. I hit a civilian, which could easily land me in deep shit. Granted, I wasn’t thinking, but we’re Marines. We’re taught to keep our cool in stressful situations, and I lost it when I saw Aurora screaming. Not my finest moment, especially in front of a four-star General.

“Do you know who I am?” General Parks calmly asks the EMTs.

He whispers something into Aurora’s ear that I can’t hear. She nods, and he places her on her feet. She sways, so I move to stand behind her so she can lean on me, which she does.

One thing you need to understand is that General Victor Parks never throws his weight around. It’s one of the reasons he has so much respect from his men. Not because his position demands it, but because he earned it. He paid his dues, entered the military much like the rest of us, and worked his way up. General Parks never played the political game and got where he is from hard work and the respect of his men and those above him. He was a member of a Marine Recon Special Ops team, so he knows the situations we face daily and backs us up.

“I’m assuming their boss,” another EMT answers flippantly.

“You’d be right,” his voice clipped. “I’m also the General who runs the base you’re currently a guest on. I have your complaint. Now, get off my base. Your services are no longer needed.”

“We’ll go over your head,” broken nose sneers.

“You can try.” General Parks smirks. “However, I’ll be filing a complaint with your superiors about how you handled this situation with my daughter and how she felt threatened under your care.”

They throw us dirty glances before getting into their ambulance and taking off.

I hang my head. “Sorry, Sir. I shouldn’t have lo?—”

General Parks rests his hand on my shoulder “You protected my daughter like I assigned you to do.” He scoops her back into his arms.

“What do we do now?” I ask.

“Sir, I have a suggestion,” Hudson calls. “We’ll escort you to the Naval Health Clinic. I think it’ll be better for Aurora to stay on base anyway.”

Carver twirls a set of keys on his finger. “Let’s roll out.”

We split into two groups. I ride with General Parks, his driver, Aurora, and Hudson. The rest of the men ride behind us. It’s only a five-minute drive from the airstrip to the hospital on base. Hudson called ahead and informed them that we were on our way and also requested women providers, if possible.

When we arrive at the emergency room bay doors, two female doctors and three nurses are waiting for us. I exit the vehicle first and open the door for Aurora. I lean down so only she can hear me.

“Aurora, you’re safe,” I promise. “My men and I will be here for you. We’ll stand guard outside of every room if you want us to. You’ll never be alone, I swear it.”

Her emerald eyes search mine as if she’s looking for any sign of deceit, which she won’t find.

Aurora's bottom lip wobbles. “You won’t let anyone in?”

“No one that doesn’t have authorization to be in there with you,” I clarify. “And if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, all you have to do is shout, and we’ll come running.”

She squares her shoulders. “I’m ready.”

I squeeze her hand before picking her up and transferring her to the gurney. While I was talking to Aurora, Hudson informed the healthcare team about the severity of the situation. Everyone explains who they are as they wheel her inside. I follow behind the stretcher, flanked by my men, each holding the same promise on their faces that I gave Aurora in words.

We’ll make sure she feels safe, and fuck anyone who gets in our way.