He Came Back to Collect

Chapter 002

A secluded courtyard adjoined Bellwick Military Medical Center, near the state line on the outskirts of Bellwick City. Flower beds lined the paths, and the air smelled of pine and damp earth.

An elderly man sat at a stone table, studying a chessboard. A small teapot steamed beside it. Four bodyguards stood out of sight around the courtyard, watching the grounds.

“Time for your medication, General.”

A young nurse approached with a steel tray. The old man sighed and set down the piece he'd been turning between his fingers.

Just then, a figure appeared on top of the wall and vaulted into the garden.

“Intruder!”

All four guards moved at once, converging on the man before his feet touched the ground.

“Stand down!”

The guards stopped, startled by the force of the old man's voice.

His water glass slipped from his hand and struck the chessboard. He barely noticed. His other hand trembled around his pills as he stared at the man he hadn't seen in three years.

“General Sten.”

Cornell sank to his knees in the damp grass.

“I'm sorry it took me so long.”

“Don't be ridiculous, son. Get up.”

The old man hurried over and pulled him to his feet. Still holding his hands, he looked him over with the anxious affection of a father welcoming a son home.

“You're taller than I remember. Broader, too.” Austin Sten gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You look a little wiser. Let's hope you've learned to think before you act.”

Cornell swallowed against the tightness in his throat.

Three years earlier, Task Force Reaper had joined forces with a special operations unit from the Republic of Vaskora to fight terrorists in the Kharven region. During the operation, several officers from the allied force had shot civilians.

Cornell hadn't been willing to let that pass.

One night, he'd gone to their tent to teach them a lesson. By the time he arrived, they were already dead. Before he could make sense of what he was seeing, soldiers had flooded the tent and caught him standing over the bodies.

Only then had he understood. Someone had arranged the whole thing.

The court-martial had followed. If General Sten hadn't called in every favor he had, Cornell would have faced a firing squad.

That was why he'd stayed in prison. No one there could have held him against his will, but the old man had already paid enough for his mistakes. He wasn't going to cause him any more trouble.

Footsteps on the path brought him back to the present.

Hannah Beatty hurried into the courtyard, motioning for her escort to wait outside. She stopped in front of the general, came to attention, and saluted.

“Mission accomplished, sir.”

“Oh, stop that, Hannah. We're among friends.” General Sten waved her over, smiling. “Come and sit down.”

Cornell looked from her to the old man. General Sten was clearly unwell, but he was on his feet, talking, and apparently enjoying himself.

“Hang on.” Cornell turned to Hannah. “You told me he was dying. As in, any minute now. His last wish was to see me, remember?”

She burst out laughing.

“And how long would you have taken to get here if I'd told you the truth, genius?”

“You little liar.” His grin returned as he took a step toward her. “Come here. I owe you a spanking for that.”

He reached for her backside, but she slipped away and dropped into the seat beside General Sten, linking her arm through his.

“See what I have to put up with? He's trying to smack my ass again.” She shot Cornell a look. “And this is supposed to be the Reaper?”

The general laughed. He'd heard enough of their bickering over the years to know better than to get involved.

“A lieutenant colonel and the finest soldier I've ever trained. Listen to the pair of you. God help us if anyone finds out.”

His smile faded a little as he turned back to Cornell.

“She exaggerated, but not by as much as you think. I'm not about to drop dead today, but two more years is probably all I've got.” He paused. “I wanted to see you, of course. But there's another reason I brought you here. I have a job for you.”

His voice changed.

“Cornell Bateman.”

Cornell was on his feet before he'd even thought about it. He snapped to attention and saluted.

“Sir.”

“You'll go to Dunswell City tonight. There's a young woman named Maria Sten. Your assignment is to protect her. I'll give you a file with everything you need to know.” The old man studied him. “This won't be like your previous assignments. Can you handle it?”

Hannah blinked.

Protection duty? He'd had her talk Cornell into breaking out of prison so he could babysit some woman?

“General Sten, are you sure...?”

He ignored her.

Cornell was having much the same thought. He'd just escaped from a maximum-security prison, and now he was being sent off to work as a bodyguard?

The general saw his hesitation.

“That was an order.”

Cornell straightened.

“Understood, sir. Whatever it takes, I'll get it done.”

“Good. That's the man I trained. Now, you...”

A coughing fit cut him off. Hannah and Cornell were at his side immediately, steadying him as he bent forward. Cornell helped him take his medication, then rubbed his back until the coughing finally subsided.

After a moment, the old man reached for a large envelope.

“Her file.”

Cornell took it, still wondering what this was all about. The first page contained Maria Sten's personal details and a photograph.

That got his attention.

She was stunning. He leafed through several more pictures, taken in less formal settings, but her expression hardly changed. Even away from work, she looked cool, composed, and thoroughly unapproachable.

“Well,” he murmured, smiling at the photograph. “She's pretty.”

Hannah rolled her eyes, then leaned over to see for herself.

He wasn't wrong, which made it worse.

The idea of him spending every day with a woman that beautiful left her deeply uneasy. She knew how he operated. Give him three days with a woman and he'd usually have her in bed. She was one of the few exceptions.

She snatched the file from him.

“Just look at him. He's already drooling.” Turning to General Sten, she softened her voice. “Are you sending him to protect Maria Sten, or are you handing her over to someone she'll need protection from?”

She gave the old man her most hopeful smile.

“I happen to know a very capable lieutenant colonel who'd be perfect for the job. A woman, too.” She pointed to herself. “What do you think?”

General Sten had known for years how she felt about Cornell. Her sudden interest in the assignment came as no surprise.

“Maria is my granddaughter,” he said. “Why else do you think I'm insisting on him? You're good, Hannah, but he still has the edge.”

His granddaughter.

Hannah relaxed. Even Cornell wouldn't dare try anything with General Sten's granddaughter.

“Then you've got nothing to worry about,” Cornell said. “I'll keep her safe.”

The old man nodded, looking pleased. He rested a hand on Cornell's shoulder and held his gaze.

“I'll find out who framed you, Cornell. You have my word.” His grip tightened slightly. “And I hope you'll look after Maria for the rest of her life.”

“The rest of her life?”

Cornell considered that for a moment.

Then he understood what the old man was really asking.

He wanted him to marry Maria Sten.

By the time Cornell looked up, the nurse was already helping General Sten back inside.