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Book: Stepbrother Soldier's Baby: The Hero (The Complete Series) by Lila Moore
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Authors: Lila Moore
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hard. The way he’d yelled at me nonsensically back at home still gave me the chills. The boy I’d known as a teenager liked to laugh and drink; he was like Nate’s brother. This man he’d turned into was a stranger.
I looked at Nate. Was he a stranger too? How much had the war changed him? The plane hit turbulence, dipping and rocking. I grabbed the armrests hard. My knuckles were white with the strain of holding on.
I looked to Nate. He gazed out the window; totally unfazed by the turbulence. He used to be afraid of flying. Now he didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.
The plane started to descend. I looked out the window. A tower loomed in the distance.
3
I recoiled away from the hot desert wind. Sand pelted my skin and blew in my eyes. Already, I was red with the beginnings of a sunburn. I watched Mia wrap a scarf around her head. She tucked her hair perfectly beneath it and let the light violet fabric fall around her shoulders. She looked quite stunning against the desert backdrop. It oddly suited her.
Mia marched off across the tarmac to a parked SUV. I glanced back at Nate; he was half-leading, half-dragging Jackson off the plane. He nodded towards the SUV. I followed behind Mia.
A man sat behind the wheel. He glanced at me as I approached. He wore dark glasses that hid his eyes and a tight expression. He looked away from me as if bored with what he saw.
Mia sat down in the back of the car like this was her normal routine. I didn’t want to sit next to her, but I didn’t want to sit in the front beside the driver either. Looking at my options, I decided it was better to deal with the devil you know.
I slid into the backseat beside Mia.
Nate pushed Jackson into the SUV’s third row seating and sat down beside him. He mumbled to himself; his head tossing around like he was having a bad dream.
“We’re ready,” Nate said.
The driver took off. From behind me, Jackson mumbled: “Get down,” and “Stay away.” In spite of Jackson’s actions, it made me sad. He clearly suffered from PTSD. Whatever happened to him in the war had changed him for the worse.
I glanced at Nate. He smiled thinly. We’d gone through a lot these last few weeks. He was about to be the father to a child- possibly two, if Mia is to be believed. How was he coping?
I looked at Mia. She stared straight ahead, a determined expression on her face. She looked like she was in her element, like this was where she belonged. It was strange. She seemed to have more knowledge about Nate and Jackson’s business than I would have guessed.
She sighed and rested a hand on her bulging belly. The baby was due soon. Would she give birth in this country? Would I? I wasn’t even sure where we were.
I looked out the window. We passed a billboard with what looked like Arabic writing on it. The tower I’d spotted from the airport grew taller before us. It appeared as if it was our destination.
We pulled up to the front; a man in a suit opened the door. He spoke to Nate in a language I didn’t recognize. Nate responded in the same language. I had no idea he was bilingual.
Mia got out of the SUV and stretched. I followed behind her. Nate pushed Jackson out and threw a jacket over his handcuffed wrists.
The front of the tower was teeming with people. Families moved in and out of the building, taking pictures and laughing. The tower was apparently a hotel. No one paid us much attention, except for a little boy that pointed and stared at Jackson’s black eye.
Jackson responded by smirking and winking at the kid. Nate pushed him forward into the hotel. The man in the suit handed Nate an envelope. He didn’t open it until we were on the elevator. Inside was a room key and cash. Whoever Nate’s contacts were, they knew we were coming. I wasn’t sure if I found that comforting or unsettling.
4
Once in the hotel room Nate took Jackson into one of the bedrooms. He attached a second pair of handcuffs to the
I looked at Nate. Was he a stranger too? How much had the war changed him? The plane hit turbulence, dipping and rocking. I grabbed the armrests hard. My knuckles were white with the strain of holding on.
I looked to Nate. He gazed out the window; totally unfazed by the turbulence. He used to be afraid of flying. Now he didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.
The plane started to descend. I looked out the window. A tower loomed in the distance.
3
I recoiled away from the hot desert wind. Sand pelted my skin and blew in my eyes. Already, I was red with the beginnings of a sunburn. I watched Mia wrap a scarf around her head. She tucked her hair perfectly beneath it and let the light violet fabric fall around her shoulders. She looked quite stunning against the desert backdrop. It oddly suited her.
Mia marched off across the tarmac to a parked SUV. I glanced back at Nate; he was half-leading, half-dragging Jackson off the plane. He nodded towards the SUV. I followed behind Mia.
A man sat behind the wheel. He glanced at me as I approached. He wore dark glasses that hid his eyes and a tight expression. He looked away from me as if bored with what he saw.
Mia sat down in the back of the car like this was her normal routine. I didn’t want to sit next to her, but I didn’t want to sit in the front beside the driver either. Looking at my options, I decided it was better to deal with the devil you know.
I slid into the backseat beside Mia.
Nate pushed Jackson into the SUV’s third row seating and sat down beside him. He mumbled to himself; his head tossing around like he was having a bad dream.
“We’re ready,” Nate said.
The driver took off. From behind me, Jackson mumbled: “Get down,” and “Stay away.” In spite of Jackson’s actions, it made me sad. He clearly suffered from PTSD. Whatever happened to him in the war had changed him for the worse.
I glanced at Nate. He smiled thinly. We’d gone through a lot these last few weeks. He was about to be the father to a child- possibly two, if Mia is to be believed. How was he coping?
I looked at Mia. She stared straight ahead, a determined expression on her face. She looked like she was in her element, like this was where she belonged. It was strange. She seemed to have more knowledge about Nate and Jackson’s business than I would have guessed.
She sighed and rested a hand on her bulging belly. The baby was due soon. Would she give birth in this country? Would I? I wasn’t even sure where we were.
I looked out the window. We passed a billboard with what looked like Arabic writing on it. The tower I’d spotted from the airport grew taller before us. It appeared as if it was our destination.
We pulled up to the front; a man in a suit opened the door. He spoke to Nate in a language I didn’t recognize. Nate responded in the same language. I had no idea he was bilingual.
Mia got out of the SUV and stretched. I followed behind her. Nate pushed Jackson out and threw a jacket over his handcuffed wrists.
The front of the tower was teeming with people. Families moved in and out of the building, taking pictures and laughing. The tower was apparently a hotel. No one paid us much attention, except for a little boy that pointed and stared at Jackson’s black eye.
Jackson responded by smirking and winking at the kid. Nate pushed him forward into the hotel. The man in the suit handed Nate an envelope. He didn’t open it until we were on the elevator. Inside was a room key and cash. Whoever Nate’s contacts were, they knew we were coming. I wasn’t sure if I found that comforting or unsettling.
4
Once in the hotel room Nate took Jackson into one of the bedrooms. He attached a second pair of handcuffs to the
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