Prisoners of Love (Second Chances Book 1) Read online

  Prisoners of Love

  Second Chances Book 1

  May Gordon

  Copyright © 2018 by May Gordon

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Photo: Bigstock Photos

  Cover Design: May Gordon

  Editor: Elizabeth Neal

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Prisoners of Love

  Prologue

  1. Chapter 1

  2. Chapter 2

  3. Chapter 3

  4. Chapter 4

  5. Chapter 5

  6. Chapter 6

  7. Chapter 7

  8. Chapter 8

  9. Chapter 9

  10. Chapter 10

  11. Chapter 11

  12. Chapter 12

  13. Chapter 13

  14. Chapter 14

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  About the Author

  Prisoners of Love

  Royce and Alice met and instantly fell in love. They were ready to start their happily ever after, but Royce had one last mission for the Army. When it goes wrong, Royce is taken captive for almost six years, never knowing he left a part of himself with Alice. When the opportunity for escape arises, he takes it with only one goal in mind. Returning to the love of his life. But what surprise awaits Royce when he returns? Will he and Alice get a second chance? Can he protect his family when the ghosts of war follow him home?

  Prologue

  Royce

  Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I see Alice siting on the living room couch. She’s been crying. For hours. I set my duffle down and sit next to her. She looks at me and my heart damn well shatters. Her beautiful blue eyes are filled with tears, and her checks are wet.

  “Oh, Darling.” I reach up and wipe her checks. I rest my forehead on hers, trying to calm myself before talking. I feel the tears burning in my eyes, but I need to be strong for her.

  “I can’t let you leave. I need you.” Alice’s voice is shaking, her lips wobbling as she talks.

  “God Alice, I need you too, but this is my last deployment, and it’s a specific mission. As soon as it’s done I will come back to you.” I kiss her lips, finding them wet from her tears. It’s taking everything in me not to go AWOL and run away with Alice, but I want a life with her without having to look over my shoulder.

  I’ve been in the Army since I turned eighteen. It was my only option to get away from my abusive father. My mom having been long gone at that point. Fast forward twelve years, three deployments, and eighty Special Forces missions, and I find myself at Fort Carson, Colorado recovering from a bullet wound I suffered during my latest mission. The Commander gave my unit two months to recover and prep before he sent us out again. I had every intention to do just that. It’s always been the next mission for me, and I haven’t had more than two weeks off in between each one. Most of that time was spent recovering from injuries, traveling, and mission prep.

  But then I met Alice two months ago.

  I never believed in love at first sight, but the minute I saw her I became a believer. She had a massive amount curly blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and a dusting of freckles over her cute nose. I never thought I’d meet the love of my life in a local grocery store, but I did. A few days after arriving at Fort Carson I was bored out of my mind, and craving a home cooked meal, something I hadn’t had in too many years. So, with time on my hands, I found myself at the local store, and there in the milk aisle was the love of my life, my Alice.

  As soon as I saw Alice, I walked right up to her, like she was a beacon, and I have never been more terrified in my life, even with over a decade in the military under my belt. It definitely showed because the first thing out of my mouth was, “Will you cook me dinner?” Pathetic I know. I told her I was on leave and that I haven’t had a home cooked meal in years since I couldn’t cook worth a damn. A blatant lie she later laughed at. My fumbling obviously worked because she took me back to her place and cooked for me.

  I haven’t left since.

  Over the last two months it’s been heaven on earth with Alice. She was my one, and I know I was her only. That cemented my claim on her. I was and will be the only man to touch her. If my virginity could grow back it would have before that point since I hadn’t been with a woman even before I joined the military. Not that it matters, Alice is all that does now. We love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together. I just need to complete this last mission. I’ve already informed my Commander and team I’m retiring after it.

  “You can’t even tell me how long you’ll be away!” Alice’s distressed voice cuts through my thoughts. I stroke her hair to try and calm her.

  “I know, darling. Trust me when I say I’m going to try like hell to complete it asap.” I lean back and stare into her eyes. She looks heartbroken.

  I pull out the ring I bought for her last month, it’s a beautiful 4-carat diamond in the centre and a simple white gold band. Getting down on one knee, I take her hand in mine and slide it on. “When I get back, I’m going to marry you Alice Bennet. Then you’ll be Mrs. Royce Harwick, and mine forever.” I stand and take her mouth in a passionate kiss. When I pull back I see happy tears in her eyes.

  “If you don’t come back to me Royce, I will hunt you down and drag you here.” I want to laugh because there is no way I won’t return to her.

  “I hate to say it, but we should get going. I told the Commander and the guys I’d be there by six.” I pull Alice to her feet. I wrap my arms around her and hug her, trying to absorb every little aspect.

  I have no idea how I’m going to survive the next few months without her, God forbid it takes longer than that. I have a whole life planned for us, I just need to get back to her to start it.

  Alice

  Royce parks his Charger in the Fort Carson lot. It takes everything in me not to cry again. I don’t want him to see me ball my eyes out when we say goodbye.

  Royce reaches behind him to the back seat and hands me a folder. Opening it, I see a bunch of paperwork and a pass to Fort Carson. “What’s all this?”

  “The forms making you my power of attorney and next of kin. You’ll have access to my bank account, and Fort Carson if needed. The Commander will be stationed here during our mission, if anything happens to you, you go to him. Got it?” Royce seems to have everything planned out. I’m not sure how I feel about all this. Is he planning for our future or in case he doesn’t come back?

  I feel a little better knowing Commander Fisher will be close though. I’ve met him and the rest of Royce’s team quite a few times over the last couple months. They’re a great bunch of guys, and the Commander reminds me of my father, which made me like him instantly. My parents passed away a few years ago, so Royce is all I have. Well, if my suspicions are correct, I won’t be alone when Royce is gone. I place my hand on my belly, I should really take a test, but for some reason I don’t need to. I just know I’m pregnant. I was a virgin when Royce and I first made love and we never used any protection. I don’t want to tell him yet. He needs to focus on the mission. He’ll have one hell of a surprise when he gets home. I just hope it’s before the baby is born.

  “Royce, I don’t need your money, I just need you to come home safe.” I scoot over the bench seat to be closer to him.

  “I’m not just giving you my money, I’m also leaving you my car.” He pulls the keys from the ignition and hands them to me. He loves this
car. It was his dream to own one and he finally bought last month after deciding to retire.

  “Royce,” I try to protest, but he doesn’t let me finish. He kisses me, hard. His hands tangle in my hair and I circle my arms around his neck. We’re both out of breath when we pull apart. A tear rolls down my cheek and he leans in and kisses it away.

  “I love you Alice. You’re mine. Don’t forget that. Ever.” Royce growls out.

  “I love you too, Royce.” I hold back all my sadness. I’ll cry after. He’ll only see my smile when he leaves.

  We get out and he grabs his duffle bag from the back seat. The same one he’s basically lived out of for the last twelve years. When he gets home, I’ll make sure he has a household full of love. He’ll never have to live out of a bag again.

  “You have the photos?” I see a grin spread across his face. I gave him three, one of just me, one of us together, and one he took of me in his favourite nighty.

  “Yeah, darling, and they will never leave my pocket.” He lifts my left hand and kisses it. “If you take this off I’ll know,” he tells me with a serious face.

  I grin now. “Then I guess I’ll never take it off.”

  He leans down and kisses me. It’s slow, controlled, and passionate. Royce rests his forehead on mine.

  “Take care of my heart and soul. I’m leaving it with you,” Royce whispers.

  “And you’re taking mine with you,” I reply.

  I feel his tears on my face before he kisses my forehead one last time then leaves, taking my love with him and keeping it prisoner until he returns to me.

  Chapter 1

  Royce

  Five Years, Nine Months Later

  “198, 199, 200,” I grunt out, finishing my morning sit ups.

  “Why do you bother with the routines?” Fergus asks from his side of the cell.

  “Keeps me busy, strong, and sharp,” I say as I move to do pushups.

  We are both prisoners of war. I’ve been here for over five years, Fergus around three, at least according to my estimated counting. My last mission went south, my whole team was wiped out. We were near the mountains in Afghanistan, a war on both sides. We were sent to shut down a major drug ring supplying people around the world. My team got trapped in a kill box situation, somehow, I survived and next thing I knew, I woke up in this dirt cell, being tortured every other day for information. Information I have never given up. After the first two years, they gave up, and now they keep me properly fed, using me for collateral. Fergus was also tortured for the first year, but his stopped as well. Seems like these drug dealers have a soft stomach. We aren’t the only men in this cave of a prison, there are at least four others. We get three meals a day, if you can even call them that, they give us barely enough to survive. Besides that, the guards don’t spend much time with us. I do my routine three times a day. It’s the only thing that keeps my mind sound, that and thinking of Alice. My Alice.

  I think about her every day, minute, and second. She’s the only thing that’s kept me alive this whole time. The vision of her curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She’s perfection. Knowing that I will one day get to see her again gives me focus.

  “Tonight’s the guard switch,” Fergus says in a quiet tone.

  “I know,” I respond as I finish my workout.

  We’ve been planning this for years, tracking every guard and moment. They work in shifts, always the same ten men, but every six months they get switched for an entirely new group. Today is the day. Today we are escaping.

  “Are you ready?” Fergus asks.

  I grunt in response. Fergus was captured on a recon mission. I’ve gotten to know him very well these past three years. He’s also a career military man like me and had a brother who died on a mission two years before we met. He wants to get out as much as I do and track down his brother’s killer. Mine is to return to Alice.

  “T-minus 2 minutes” Fergus whispers. I go to the hole where I buried a shank I’ve been working on. Fergus does the same. We then return to our corners and wait. The currents guards do their last sweep, then they leave.

  “Go time,” I tell Fergus.

  He kneels and pulls out the wire pin he found last year and starts to pick the cell lock. After a few minutes, I hear a click.

  “Done,” he says.

  He quietly pulls the pin from the lock then opens it. We grab our shanks and move down the hall, trying to avoid the other cells. We can’t take the risk they’ll make noise and alert the other guards. We creep along the edges of the cave, then reach a corner and I peak around it.

  “Only two guards, the rest must be late,” I tell Fergus.

  “They got too comfortable. Well behave prisoners will do that,” he remarks.

  We each sneak up behind one and slit their throats quickly and quietly, then drag their bodies out of sight. We take their guns and clothes before moving on. I see the entrance and notice pipe lines along the side, as well as another guard.

  “Quick attack. Follow my lead,” I say over my shoulder to Fergus.

  I quietly run up and take down the guard before shoving him to the side.

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re too good at this?” Fergus asks.

  “That’s how I got my code name, Havoc.” I sense a stillness from Fergus. I turn and see him staring at me, a weird expression on his face. I give him a little shove. “Buck up, we’re almost home free.” I see him clench his fists then nods.

  Suddenly I hear yelling and screaming.

  “We need to move.” Running as quickly as possible down the tunnel, we hear bullets behind us and duck, moving even faster. “Come on,” I yell at Fergus.

  I feel a bullet nick my shoulder, but I keep running, making sure Fergus is on my six, then I’m blown forward by an explosion behind us. Shaking my head, I stand, trying to control the shock in my system. I look and see part of the cave collapsed.

  “Fergus”! I yell and try to dig out some of the dirt and rocks. “Fergus!” I yell again. I hear voices coming from outside. I fucking hate the idea of leaving him. I’ve never left a man behind. Ever. The voices are getting closer and I know I need to decide. My instincts kick in, and all I can think of is Alice. I need to get to her. With regret, I pick up the gun that fell out of my hand during the explosion and run.

  I make it out and shoot two men heading my way. I run along the side of the mountain. I’m wracking my brain, trying to remember the logistics of range. Hearing yelling behind me, I book it. I finally find a gap within the range and sneak through it, making it to the other side. I run down the side and hit the tree line. If I remembered correctly, there’s a base north of the small mountain. I have no idea if it’s still there after almost six years, but it’s all the hope I have.

  I must have been running for a solid forty-five minutes, glad I kept my strength up all these years, even in a small dirt prison.

  “Halt!” I hear before the single firing of a gun. I raise my hands, dropping my gun to the side. “Turn around and identify yourself!” The voice commands.

  Slowly, I do as it says. I don’t recognize him, but he’s clearly US Army, as are a few soldiers behind him. I breathe a sigh of relief. I can finally get home to Alice.

  “My name is Sergeant Major Royce Harwick, US Army. Team leader of alpha special unit Night-wing code name Havoc . My Commander was Michael Fisher. My unit was wiped out and I’ve been a POW for over five years. I just escaped.” I hope that’s enough to not get me killed on sight.

  I see the guy speak into his walkie talkie. His men are still aiming at me. I see the guy nod at whatever response he’s given. “Sir, we’ll be taking you into custody and escorting you to the base to confirm your identity.” I drop to my knees, keeping my hands up. One of his men zip ties my hands behind my back and places a bag over my head. I hope someone on that base recognizes me, even with my giant beard and long hair, or at least has the equipment on hand to look me up on the database.

  After a long while walking, we finally ma
ke it to the base. I could hear the rustling of the soldiers. Suddenly I’m seated in a chair. “Commander, this man claims he’s Sergeant Major Royce Harwick, and has been a POW for the past five years, and recently escaped.”

  “Take off his hood,” I hear another voice, one that sounds so familiar. It takes me a few seconds, but I remember it. The hood is ripped off and I’m staring at Commander Johnathan.

  “My God,” he whispers in astonishment. Johnathan and Commander Fisher are close friends. I’ve known him for years, done many missions with him and his men. “Royce is it really you?” He stands and walks around the makeshift desk.

  “Cut him free!” He yells at the solider. I stand once he complies. The commander gives me a hug. I’m shocked by the contact. “I can’t believe you’re alive after all this time. Fisher will be so happy!”

  “I need to get back. I need Alice.” That’s all I care about right now.

  Jonathan nods. “Don’t worry, Royce, we’ll get you home. You’ll see her soon.” And with that I feel like the past few years are starting to melt away. Just knowing that Alice will soon be in my arms makes me feel like a new man.

  Chapter 2

  Alice

  I shut down my work computer after finishing my designs for the new hotel being built in town. I pause and look at the photo of Royce and I on my desk. I pick it up and sit back in my chair.

  I miss him every day. I was utterly heartbroken when he died, inconsolable for so long. But I had a baby on the way and couldn’t live in sadness forever. I had to get myself together, for our daughter, Rowan. Not long after Royce left for his mission, I had a new neighbour move in. Ruth was a dream come true. She’s an older lady in her late 40s. We became fast friends and she’s like a mother to me now. She’s helped me through everything, my pregnancy, Royce’s death, and with Rowan. From her birth to after-school pickups at kindergarten. She’s been there for us, and she’s not the only one who’s been a life saver. Commander Fisher call him now has as well, becoming like a father to me, and in fact Ruth and Commander Fisher, or Michael as I call him now, got married a few years ago. He retired after the death of his unit. He couldn’t handle the job any longer. I think he needed us as much as we did him. They are my family, and I consider them Rowan’s grandparents. I couldn’t imagine my life without them.