Seals Hunt Together (Book 3)

Chapter 12

Here it is. The finally awaited 12th chapter of Seals Hunt Together. I am so very, very, very sorry for the long wait. I hope that y'all enjoy reading it. This book will soon be finished. I promise that I will try my best to make sure that the wait for the rest of it won't be as long as it was for this chapter.

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A week passed and I finally made my decision. I was almost an hour from the base when my cell rang. It was Sam. "Hello?

"Where in the world are you Ella? It's been a week and I can't stall them any longer. They're demanding to know where you are." I chuckle softly. "Just tell them that you don't know where I am. That's the truth."

"You just need to come back. Everyone's worried about you and Luke's been asking about you every day."

"I'll be back in a couple of days Sam. You just hang tight, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah." He says and I could hear the smirk on his face. I hang up and toss the phone into the cup holder. Losing myself in the music and wind, it did not seem like a thirty minute drive. The next thing I knew, I was stopping at the gate and showing the guard my id.

On my way to the hospital, I stopped at the small pizza parlor and bought a couple of pies. Once at the hospital, I found a parking spot quickly and hurried through the doors. It was a struggle to get out of the jeep with the pizzas and not drop them. I managed to make it though.

By the time I reached the elevators, the intoxicating smell that was drifting from the boxes in my hand, had my stomach growling. The doors slipped shut and muted the overwhelming noise that one always found in hospitals. Instantly I missed the quiet and stillness of the small cabin in the mountains that I had ran to.

The doors opened and I stepped out onto the fourth floor. Although it was the middle of the afternoon, not many people were walking the halls. The closer I got to Luke's room, the more nervous I became. I knew that the guys would fuss at me, but that's only because I took off without letting them know anything.

Knocking softly on the door, I enter the room. Only to find all four of them fast asleep. Setting the boxes on the small table, I leave a note letting them know that I went to the house.

  The second they woke up, they would be gunning for me. Stepping closer to the bed, I watch Luke sleep for a few seconds. His hair looked longer. And it looked like he hadn't shaved in the week I was gone.

Brushing the hair out of his face gently, I place a kiss on his head and silently leave the room. A hot shower and a nap was calling my name. Several hours later my eyes snap open. I was lying on the couch. My heart was racing and I was sweating.

I knew I had a nightmare, but that wasn't what woke me up. Lying on the couch, I listen to the house. Everything was silent and I started to think that my mind made the disturbance up, when I heard the sounds of footsteps moving towards the den.

They were almost too silent for me to hear and that's when I realized whoever they belonged to were professionals. Slipping off the couch like a ghost, I hurry to my room. Unzipping my bag, I remove my HK45 (Heckler and Koch 45). A dull sound reached my ears followed by shushed swearing. One of them must have hit their knee on the coffee table.

I felt like such a nerd when a scene from my favorite movie flashed through my mind. A small grin appears on my face as I back into a corner facing my door. "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you're looking for money, I can tell you that I don't have any, but what I do have is a particular set of skills.

"Skills that I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare to people like you. If you leave now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will kill you." I quickly edited it to fit my situation. The footsteps stopped immediately.

Hoping that I scared them, I speak again. "Death does not wait for you to be ready! Death is not considerate, or fair! And make no mistake—here, you face death." There was fierce whispering in the hallway and I tensed. If they came through that door, they would die.

I was about to speak when one of them beat me to the punch. "Ella, don't shot. It's just us." I realized it was John's voice and I slowly relaxed. "Who all's with you?"

"Jason and Sam."

"Come in." I call out as I lower my gun. "Are you sure?" Jason called back and I smiled. "I'm sure." The door slowly opened and I watched as their heads cautiously appear around the frame.  "Who do you think you are?" John asked as he sat on my bed. "Liam Neeson?"

I laugh like he wanted me to and shrugged my shoulders. "I've learned from the best."

"Thanks for the pizzas." Jason spoke from the door way and I gave him a smile. "You're welcome." Silence fell between the four of us as they stared at me. "Who's with Luke?"

"Your father and his. Don't worry, we left him in very capable hands." Their eyes stay glued as I slowly slipped my HK back into the bag. "Whose idea was it to sneak into the house to surprise me?" I ask, my voice low and soft. Instantly, they point to John who just shrugs and smiles at me. As I glared at him, I could feel myself slipping back into the role that I had lost along with my arm.

"John, that wasn't one of your brightest ideas I have to say. What would have happened if my Heckler had been on the coffee table when I fell asleep? Ever since Luke's been in the hospital, I've been on edge. And to top that off, my nightmares are back, ten times worse than before.

"If I had woken from a nightmare and my gun was in that room with me, I would have started shooting the second I heard you. I would have had the blood of my three best friends on my hand John, and that's something I wouldn't be able to live with."

"Your nightmares are back?" Sam spoke up and I bit my tongue. Out of all my ranting, that would be the only thing he heard. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I sink into the recliner beside my bed and place my face in my hand.

"Yeah, they're back. They've been back ever since I received the news about Luke. Things haven't been exactly peaceful around here lately has it?" Standing up, I motion to the door. "Now, why don't y'all go grab some sleep? It's late, I'm tired and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."  

They were almost out of the room when I finished speaking but they turned to face me. "I guess that means you made your decision then?" Jason speaks softly. Nodding once, I wave at them. "I have, but that is for a conversation between Luke and me first. After I speak with him, I'll make sure to fill everyone else in. Understand?"

        They finally left and I slowly crawled into my bed. As I lay staring into the darkness, I couldn't help but wonder if I was making the right choice. As my eyes slowly drifted shut, I knew that if I let Luke go without fighting for what the two of us had, I didn't deserve him in the first place.