Chapter 1

Chapter One

Logan Novak

Signing the last couple documents before I can go home for the evening, I frown when my secretary Diana Ward barges into my office like she owns the place.

"Yes Diana?" I snap, not bothering to hide my annoyance towards the woman. Returning my gaze to the documents on my desk, I ignore the seductive glances I know are being directed towards me at the moment.

The contracts on my desk must be finalized today so we can start operations on Monday. And I'd planned on spending the weekend with my parents. I hadn't seen them in a week, and for mom, that meant a month. So, I wasn't looking forward to staying at the office late tonight. Besides, it's Friday, and according to my family's tradition, it would be 'family night'. I knew better than to argue with my mom and grandparents. Barbecue Night had been altered to a night of fun and family socialization, and we basically prepared anything that sounded delicious. Therefore, if you're not dead, you're not excused.

"Mr. Novak," she greeted, her voice flirtatious, but mainly awful. Instead of investing all her time flirting with me, she should see to it that she takes on some courses; Seduction 101. "There's a Fred Henderson in the lobby. He wishes to speak to you," she answers, and I froze.

Fred Henderson.

I hadn't heard that name in years. He is a Captain in the US Army stationed at the pentagon military base. What could he be doing here, at the Novak Headquarters?

"Send him up," I replied, tidying up my desk from all the documents and folders scattered across the table-top. She retreats to her desk, and I watch the sashay of her hips as she walked.

I chose to ignore her flirting a long time ago. The company's policies have always been strict and straight to the point; absolutely no fraternizing with the employees. My parents reminded me every day, and though Diana is attractive with her straight blonde hair, and the attire she wore to the office can sometimes be way more than appealing, I knew I had no choice but to ignore her, and every other woman in the company. My mom would not be pleased if she even knew I watched my employees in such a way.

I can just picture her scolding me; 'Logan, your father and I have set rules, and you should follow them. Or else, you'll be disciplined', or she would say to dad, 'Liam, talk to your son'. Her scolding still works up to this day, and no amount of apologizing gets me off the hook. Dad admits that mom learned from Grandma Sophia. However, he knew better than to take sides with me. Mom can be that scary.

When I'm through with the documents, Diana comes in to collect the folders to have them filed, and prepared for Monday. Of course, she makes it a point of duty to rub her body against mine every chance she gets. Her cleavage is practically on display in her tight dress-shirt, which actually should not be classified as 'work attire'. I ignore her, standing to leave my office. The best way to avoid temptation is to ignore it all-together; the source.

Walking towards the elevators, I decide to await Henderson's arrival there, instead of in my office. It's not like I have anything to do now. I've concluded all meetings for the day, and having signed the contracts, I'm supposed to be on my way home right now. However, with the Captain's sudden appearance, I would have to stay back a little longer than expected.

The few employees who occupy the floor along with me, scurry off to do what's expected of them. I disregard their presence and departure altogether, as I fix my black Armani suit. Moments later, the elevators ping and I'm greeted by the man himself, followed by two other army officials.

"Captain Henderson," I greet, my hand outstretched.

"Commander Novak," he greeted, giving me a firm handshake. He has more grey hairs than he did three years ago, but I knew the stress came with the job.

Nodding towards my office, they follow me. "Can I offer you anything, Captain?" I ask, my manners surfacing.

"No thank, Commander," he answers. "I'm here on classified business."

By the word 'classified', I pressed the button attached to my desk that turns on the sound proof system, preparing for the worst. If they're here on classified business, something must be wrong.

Years ago, when I turned 18, and left school, I dreaded taking over my family's business. I wanted to do something with my life, and when I found out that the military was accepting applications, I decided to apply. I worked my way to the top, and was later transferred to the Delta Forces because of said 'capabilities' that I seemed to possess.

The Delta forces, also referred to as the 'Green Berets', specializes in unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, humanitarian missions, and hostage situations- just to name a few. The training is intense, and some could say brutal, but it's the impact- though unnoticed by the public- that is benefiting to the soldier in the long run.

The day I became a Commander, I was elated. I got to have my very own squad and we did some brilliant work in the years we'd been a team.

Our missions were done as 'quiet professionals' so to speak. We must ensure that our identities are kept hidden and that we do not cause an international incident. We dealt with situations as secretly as possible, but as accurate as we possibly could.

My dad wasn't happy, per say. My mom however, always encouraged what I did. She thought it would assist in me becoming more responsible, because we all knew I wasn't the best teenager in the world.

I'd been busy in the military, and Levi had no interest in becoming the CEO. He thought it rightfully belonged to me. That was hardly the case, because the company belonged to my family, which meant it belonged to all Novak grandchildren. However, Dad hardly complains anymore, happy that I resigned and took over the company.

Now, so many things rushed through my mind at what I could call 'classified'. The Delta Forces operations were classified, and it's like we didn't even exist. But, why would they suddenly show up here to inform me about this case? These were beyond my job description. Besides, I didn't even work for them anymore. However, as the saying goes, 'Once a Soldier, always a Soldier'.

"Is there a problem, Sir?" I asked, preparing myself for the worst. If it was something in relation to international warfare, I would've seen it one the news, or someone in the squad would've called.

Henderson made himself comfortable before removing a folder from his briefcase. The cover read 'Classified', only heightening my curiosity. Opening the folder, I'm greeted with a picture of a woman. Brown hair, green eyes, extremely beautiful; she didn't look like a terrorist or criminal. Looking further into her file, I read her background information, picking out the most important details.

Name: Khloe Anderson.

Age: 22

Country: United States of America

Mother: Catherine Anderson

Father: John Anderson

I do a double take, returning my gaze to the names of her parents, as I recognize them. My eyes weren't playing tricks with me. I'd seen correctly. General John Anderson is her father?

"This file, as you have read, is about Khloe Anderson." He continues, "She's General Anderson's daughter whom was kidnapped from her apartment last night. According to General, he spoke to her about 10pm last night, as she was leaving her shop. She owns a bakery and catering shop in the city, and was supposed to call him when she got home, which is about 15 minutes away from her shop. However, when he heard nothing for an hour, he called us to go check up on her. Her apartment has been ransacked, nothing has been stolen, and she's nowhere to be seen. No witnesses, and we're still trying to locate her."

I pause to comprehend the information that I've just heard. That's so sad. I didn't even know General Anderson has a daughter. And I could only imagine how he feels having no idea where his daughter is. Who would've taken her? And why?

"The General asked especially for you. He wants your squad on this."

Confused, I asked, "Isn't there another squad that can do this?" But I knew there had to be. New people joined the force all the time.

He nodded. "Yes, but he specifically asked for your squad. He doesn't trust anybody else but your team to handle this case."

How could I decline such an offer? If the General asked for me, then it's a guarantee that I show up on the base. He's been my mentor in the force, and we'd done many cases in the past.

I nodded. "Have you contacted everyone?" I asked. There were other soldiers in my squad who lived all across the country. One or two were probably still in the force, but the others had taken other jobs in the Army when they had families. That's where I met my best friend, Christopher Grant, who like me, had wanted something new in his life; something different. We'd met in the Army, and had instantly clicked. We later joined the Delta forces together. When I decided to have an early retirement to run the company, my dad thought it would be a great idea to give him a job. Now, he runs his mouth as the Public Relations officer off the company. And he's damn good at it too...

"Yes. All the soldiers on your squad have been contacted. Another squad has agreed to join the rescue mission." I nodded. At least, some good news for once. He went on further to ask, "What about Grant? Can you get in contact with him?"

"Yes. I'll pass on the details."

"The estimated time of arrival at the F.S.A.P is 0800 hours." He gives me the details on our flight. The Fort Daniel Army Personal (F.S.A.P) Military Base is where I'd trained for hostage situations in marksmanship, demolitions and combined skills. Thousands of Soldiers resided on base, the FSAP being the Special Forces headquarters. It would be nice going back, but I'd prefer better circumstances.

The Captain leaves after congratulating me on my return to the force. He and I both knew I wouldn't be back permanently, but I was back on the Special forces- nevertheless.

~**~

The Novak mansion is noisy as usual, and I know all my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are there. If there's one thing the Novak and Maddox families value, then it's tradition. According to my mom, the having barbecues in the backyard has a lot to do with my birth.

I walk across the lawn, heading to the backyard, and I'm greeted by the delicate smell of whatever's being prepared. I'd already asked mom for the menu for tonight; homemade pizza and burgers with fries. The backyard is buzzing with movement and laughter. The younger kids are on blankets scattered on the lawn, being monitored by the teenagers. Most of my cousins are all grown, and only a few were teenagers.

I look around to spot my mother, and of course she's with dad near the grill. I head straight there to greet them. They're in a heated discussion, and mom's cheeks are flushed by whatever dad said to her. These two just never understood the term 'kids are around'. You'd think with kids of their own, they would learn to apply parenting rules.

"Hey mom, Dad."

The petite woman turns to face me, and a grin spreads across her face. "Hey baby," she greets, her arms wrapping around me a second later. I'm her favourite.

Kissing her cheek, I take a moment to look at my mom, Mia. She knows I will never admit to missing being home, but I did miss spending time with my family. Call me a mamma's boy, but I would always cherish the love I receive from my parents.

I give dad a hug, with a promise to speak to him later on how the company's going, and he turns back to the grill. Suddenly, a shriek fills the air, and a moment later, I feel a body crash into mine.

"Logan!" She screams, and I grin. "You're home!" My little sister Sophie beams, wrapping her arms tighter around me- if that's even possible.

"Hey, Sophie," I chuckle, used to her bubbly personality. She got that from mom. Actually, she got everything from mom- even mom's untamed curls which are still as blonde as they'd always been. Levi, Leah and I took after dad, with the exception of Leah who has all of mom's features, except the hair. She got dad's hair, same as Levi and I. My hazel eyes were from mom, of course, and she celebrated that detail every day.

When I was old enough to know about my mom's past, I couldn't believe all that she'd been through. She's always been so happy, so positive, never complaining about anything. She's an amazing mother. And being totally biased, she's the best mother in the world. She's the one who motivated me to join the army. Knowing that by being a soldier I could change or save someone else's life, it inspired me. She inspired me. It took true courage to go through such an experience. Although she wasn't aware of the circumstances as a child, and earlier into her adulthood, I couldn't help but feel proud that she'd not given up on us. I'd been such a special gift to her and dad, and they'd told me how they'd met, and mom getting pregnant. I thought it was an amazing journey that they took to be here today. Strength.

My parents are the only ones who didn't have more kids. They decided four was enough, and stopped at Sophie. My uncles? Not so much.

Friday barbecues are always a family reunion. However, as the oldest, it had always been my duty to look after the others. Most of them were old enough now. Except the few who were below 18. Like Sophie. Basically, I didn't want her to grow anymore. According to dad, we should start locking her up so she can stay hidden from guys. We live in constant fear that she'll become even more beautiful than she is now. Dad blames mom for this. He thinks if my mom had been ugly, Sophie would've been too. However, that conversation goes on for way too long to remember every single detail...

"Sophie, let go your brother," Dad teases, and she gives him the adorable pout that got him every single time. After all those years, he still hasn't understood how we get him to agree to everything we want.

"But daddy, he hasn't been home in a week." He sighs and goes on about her being too pushy, and demanding like mom, which gets him a smack to the chest.

"Chris and the others are waiting for you over there," mom points towards the pool, and I remember having to inform him about the case we'd have to fly out for in the morning.

"Thanks," I kiss her cheek, and Sophie's before walking towards the pool. I greet a few aunts and uncles on the way there, trying my best not to cross paths with both my grandmothers. Those women are absolutely scandalous. If they met me, it would be the same topic of discussion as always; when I'll be giving them grandchildren. Not, 'how are you?', or 'how have you been?' Mom would frequently join them. Dad, however, says he's too young to be a grandpa. I don't know how 52 years can be classified as 'too young'. His excuse is that his hair is still all black, which means he's not at the age to be called 'grandpa'.

I arrive safely, and untroubled at the pool, and my best friend and a few cousins are there with a cooler of beers in ice, and stronger alcohol on the centre table.

"Hey guys," I greet, grabbing a beer to open it. The cool drink is refreshing, and I can't help but sigh in relief.

"A beer?" Chris teases as he looks at me curiously. After a tough week, it was required that I drink something a lot stronger. However, beer would have to do, as we're required to depart in the morning. The last thing I needed, was to show up on base in the morning nursing a hangover. Well, General would be proud of that!

"Yes," I answer. "And you should stick to beer only."

A look of confusion then curiosity travels across his face as understanding dawns upon him. "What's wrong?" he asks, and I nod towards the gardens. He understands, and we leave the others at the pool. When I'm pleased that we're far enough away from the others, I stop.

"We have a case." I blurt out, thinking it's the best way to inform him about our impending mission.

He frowns, still confused. "A case?" He asks confused.

I nod. "General Anderson's daughter has been kidnapped, and is being held hostage. Where? It's not been concluded. By who? They have no idea." I pause to gauge his expression, and it's one of shock to confusion, to anger.

General Anderson had been our mentor during the years we'd stayed in the Army. He's a man of few words. Why would someone want to kidnap his daughter? It's not like she has Intel that they would want to access. Soldiers were seen as a threat to terrorists and criminals, and besides, he's not the type of man to include his family in his occupation. And why didn't Anderson have his daughter guarded, or at least surveyed. Being paranoid about the safety of others came with being a Soldier- needless to say his own daughter.

"General Anderson has a daughter?" Chris asks, puzzled.

I nod. "Yes. Her name's Khloe, and she's 22. She lives here in the city- from what I read. Which means she was kidnapped here." He nods. If she was kidnapped in the city, then there must be one or two cameras that show footage of a particular vehicle leaving her apartment, or the neighborhood she lives in. However, this isn't our level of qualifications. Being the commander of my squad, I'm responsible for the reconnaissance, and tactical objectives. Chris however, specialized in artillery.

"What time do we depart?" He asks, and I know he's made up his mind. Soldiers never gave up, or turn down an opportunity at saving lives. I knew all my squad members would be at the base, once they're alive and healthy.

"0600 hours."

"Good," he states. "It's been a while since I've handled a gun."