Claiming Holly (Holiday Cove 1)

Or if he was coming back again.

27

Jack

After getting the call, I raced across the ship. I made my way to my squadron’s Ready Room, where the leaders for my squad were gathering, ready to launch into action over whatever had happened. With each step against the metal floor, my mind churned over new possibilities of what could be causing the emergency alarm. So far, the voyage had been perfect, every day we covered the exact distance we’d expected.

Communication with the USS Ronald Reagan had been consistent and there hadn’t been any problems or even any mention of trouble. But the reality was that we were whizzing over the ocean to a military zone and would be going into a hostile war zone to take out targets that were known terrorists and threats to our country.

When dealing with that kind of threat, nothing was ever clean cut and simple.

I reached the Ready Room and fell into line behind a handful of other men who’d arrived a few seconds before me. We filed into the room and took our seats. The room was dim to provide a better view of the large screen that covered one whole wall. There were pictures off to the right side, with detailed Intel underneath each one, and a map of the Middle East taking center stage. Small white dots peppered the map, indicating targets and assets on the ground, as they were tracked in real time from satellite and drone surveillance.

My eyes raked across the map, trying to figure out what the exact problem was, but until it was broken down, there was no way of knowing exactly what was going on. I cast a glance at the other men and women in the room. Most of them were doing the same, studying the map, and exchanging whispers with one another. All of it would prove to be speculation as the people who knew what was going on, and the reason for the alarm, weren’t there yet. They were in a separate room, holding a much smaller meeting, likely on the horn with the station chief for the CIA outpost in the area.

In the spare seconds I had before the meeting started, my mind returned to Holly and the fear in her eyes when she’d heard the alarm called over the speakers in the hallway outside my room. My eyes pressed closed for a moment, wishing I’d had another minute to explain to her what was going on.

I dismissed the thought, knowing if I didn’t know what was going on outside the ship, there was no way I’d have been able to explain it to her, even if I’d had more time. But I could have at least tried to calm her fears. I shouldn’t have left her like that. Without knowing what was going on, her mind was likely to go to the worst case scenario.

It was the one thing I’d hoped to shield her from. Holly was an intelligent woman who obviously knew that my tour wouldn’t be without an element of danger. I hadn’t lied to her or promised that I wouldn’t be put in harm’s way. However, there was a huge difference between knowing I was in danger and seeing it unfold before her eyes over the video chat. I’d planned on keeping her more insulated than that, but that plan was obviously blown. All I could do was return as quickly as possible and assure her I was all right.

My thoughts were interrupted when Commander Grissom, my immediate C.O., entered the room and strode to the front, silently demanding the attention of all eyes in the room. He scanned the screen before turning to address the room, his hands locked behind his back. “Ladies and Gentlemen appreciate the hustle. We have just received word that our troops are taking rocket fire from multiple locations along this ridge.” He paused to indicate the sectors on the map. A smattering of spots that had been white when I’d first reviewed the map changed to various shades of red, indicating the strikes.

My heart rate quickened, my thoughts immediately going to my brothers and sisters on the ground, taking fire, and the horror of what they must be going through. Whatever had gone on that morning in their section of the map was shattered and torn apart by the sudden onslaught of the enemy. We had to hurry.

Commander Grissom continued, “The USS Ronald Reagan is preparing their birds. This is a joint operation. The Reagan will take out these targets marked in blue and we’re going after the targets marked in red.” He gestured at the map; colored spots lit up at the touch of his fingers on the screen.

“This whole region has fallen into rebel hands and is now being controlled by this man,” he pointed at the top picture along the right. “This is Malik Anwar-Idris. He’s the mastermind of the group of insurgents that turned against our troops. The insurgents took the weapons given to them as we were training them to fight against ISIS. What this means is that they have the most advanced military equipment in the world and now are believed to have full control over all military facilities in the region.”