About the Book
Nearly all her life, Annie Fletcher has had one goal: becoming a Special Forces soldier. Like her Delta Force father. Like her honorary uncles. She’s had all the support in the world, from family, friends…and from the boy who’s owned her heart since the tender age of seven. With Frankie’s love and encouragement, she’s now an elite Green Beret soldier, captain of her own unit, the culmination of a lifelong dream.
So why is it suddenly not enough?
Serving her country is everything, but mission after mission, Annie puts her life on the line. Her most recent narrow escape from death puts into sharp focus everything she has to lose—a lifetime with the man she loves. Becoming a wife. A mother. Staying in one place, instead of dragging Frankie from post to post, forcing him to take a backseat while she ascends the ranks. Suddenly, Annie has a life-changing decision to make. Can she disappoint her loved ones by walking away from the only career she’s ever wanted?
Annie’s hoping her upcoming cruise with Frankie will give her the space and perspective she needs to decide. But when a thrilling vacation adventure goes wrong, her fiancé proves yet again why they make the perfect team…and why love is always the only choice.
(You’ve all been asking for Annie’s story forever…and here it is! Some have suggested this story should be called Rescuing Frankie…but no matter how accomplished we are, no matter how smart or tough or strong…we all need someone to have our backs, to rescue us when we need it most. Annie is no different. Enjoy!)
**Rescuing Annie is a full length book in the Delta Force Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by Susan Stoker
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Edited by Kelli Collins
Cover Design by AURA Design Group
Manufactured in the United States
Chapter One
Captain Ann Fletcher looked around, struggling to understand how everything had gone to shit so quickly. She and her Green Beret Special Forces squad had gone out to do some reconnaissance…and somehow found themselves in the middle of a firefight.
They’d arrived in eastern Afghanistan a week ago and had spent the time since getting caught up with the layout of the area and their target’s movements and followers. A raid was in the planning stage for ten days from now. Ann and her squad were going to lead about a hundred Afghani commandos in an attempt to kill or capture Sahib Lal Wakil. He was the newest leader of the local Taliban group, and one of the most brutal. Reports alleged that he hadn’t hesitated to kill his own son, who’d contradicted him in front of his followers.
Ann and her squad had arrived in the country and immediately gotten to work meeting with Afghani officials, trying to come up with the best way to get to Wakil. He was holed up in a small town in the middle of a large mountain range. Getting to him wouldn’t be easy as the location he’d chosen for his home base was almost impossible to approach without notice. The quickest way to get to the location was by helicopter, but as soon as the chopper got anywhere near the location, Wakil and his followers would know, which made it extremely risky. Despite the risk, the information that would be gathered on the location of Wakil’s men and how many followers the terrorist actually had would be invaluable to defeating him once and for all.
Today was supposed to be a recon of the valley they’d have to cross just to get to the village where Wakil was located. But the simple reconnaissance had turned into a full-blown firefight.
The team had been dropped off without incident, but shortly after they began to make their way across, they’d been attacked by heavy artillery fire while in the narrow valley and had retreated up the side of the mountain, opposite of where Wakil’s forces had taken up positions. While they’d been engaging the insurgents, Wakil had sent some of his men closer to the Green Beret’s position, effectively surrounding them and cutting them off from any retreat. It was taking everything Ann and her team had to keep from being picked off one by one.
As it was, two of Ann’s six teammates had been injured and there seemed to be no lessening of the attack. They were making their shots count, and not firing indiscriminately, but for every insurgent they took out, it seemed another immediately took his place.
“Bell! Did you get a hold of air support?” Ann yelled.
“Ten-four!” Sergeant Charlie Bell shouted back, straining to be heard above the sounds of gunfire the others were laying down. “Two minutes and counting!”
Ann nodded as she concentrated on tightening the tourniquet around Green’s leg. She had the most medical experience out of everyone on the team, and had taken it upon herself to do what she could for her teammate. Keeping one eye open for the enemy, she divided her attention between working on Green and making sure no one tried to climb up to the ridge where they’d taken refuge. Green had been hit in the knee by a sniper bullet. Her tourniquet was doing what it was supposed to, namely keeping him from bleeding to death, but he definitely would need more intensive medical attention.
Unfortunately, the longer they stayed on this ridge, the higher the chance none of them would make it out alive. Shef’s left arm had been taken out of commission by one of the snipers as well, but luckily he was right-handed and he hadn’t stopped firing back.
Bits and pieces of rock flew all around them as bullets hit the mountainside. The air was heavy with dust as the shots hit rocks and dirt, making it harder and harder to see the enemy, but that also made it more difficult for others to see them, which could work in their favor. Still, Ann needed their air support to get there now. They might not have two minutes. The team was literally sitting ducks. They were spread out along the ridge, doing their best to use the large boulders as cover as they returned fire, trying to take out the snipers.
Seven Special Forces soldiers against who knew how many terrorists weren’t good odds. All it would take was one rocket-propelled grenade and they’d all be blown to bits.
Amazingly, Ann didn’t panic. Instead, her concentration sharpened. The volley of gunfire faded into the background as she made sure the tourniquet on Green’s leg was holding. When she was done, the sergeant didn’t hesitate to get right back into the fray. Ann could smell Green’s blood that had seeped into her uniform and smeared on her hands. She smelled her own sweat and the stench of the dirt and sand. It seemed as if the worse the odds got, the more steady she became.