The Rosey Thorn

Today was the day every little girl has dreamed of. Her wedding day! And today was my day, my wedding day. I get to marry the love of my life, Jake. We’re both in the military. I was in the Air Force, and he was an Army Ranger. We were both assigned to the same mission, finding an arms dealer and ending him. My job was to find him and Jake’s team was to hunt him down. When Jake and I were first introduced that we would be working together, it was like everything around us disappeared, and we were the only two people in the world. When we shook hands, sparks flew. I could see it in his eyes that he felt it too. He was the hottest guy I have ever seen. 6’1 with broad shoulders with a strong jawline. I could see his muscles underneath his tight shirt. His bright blue eyes traced over my body, appreciating my figure. His light brown hair was in a buzz cut which I don’t like, but on him, it looked good. At first, I was nervous to speak to him, but he was so laid back and easy-going that my nerves went away, and I could talk to him. We got to know one another, learning that we both liked baseball, and we’re both from the South. Each day I was slowly falling in love with him, and I think he was falling in love with me. I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to scare him away if he didn’t have the same feelings for me, but he was protective of me. I had to go with him to Armenia to help track down the dealer and Jake didn’t like it, but orders were orders. I’m trained and from the South, so I know how to handle a gun, but Jake wasn’t reassured, so he taught me hand-to-hand combat. Turns out I’m a fast learner because I mastered everything he taught me in a month. On the way to Armenia, he stood by my side, being overly protective and possessive when his comrades tried to flirt with me. It was cute that he got jealous, but there was no reason to. The night before the mission, we were all in a safe house and Jake and I were the only two awake. I occupied the only room with a bed and Jake was with me. We stood beside each other looking out the window. “You don’t have to be jealous Jake,” I say softly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says and I smiled. Of course, he’ll deny it. “I know you don’t like the fact that your brothers flirt with me. I can see it in your eyes. I just want you to know to not worry about it because…” I trailed off because what I say might scare him off and he’ll never talk to me again. I’m taking a big risk, but I have to know if he feels the same way. If not, then I will forget this ever happened and move on. “Because what?” He finally asked, looking at me. His chest heaved up and down, and he seemed nervous. Why? “Because my heart belongs to someone else. No other man comes close to him.” “And this man, do you know him? Is he close to you?” “Yes,” I whispered. “He is right beside me.” In the blink of an eye, he kissed me. His lips were soft and demanding. His kiss was so fierce I felt like I was on fire. My hands dug into his buzz cut, pulling him closer to me. He pulled slightly away and said, “My heart belongs to you too.” Oh, how my heart soared at his declaration. We made love that night and, after a successful mission, we were never apart. Our love grew and after two years of being together he popped the question and here I am twirling in my wedding dress in my apartment waiting for the limo to take me to church, so I can walk down the aisle and marry the love of my life. I never thought this day would happen to me. I twirled in my dress again, smiling. I looked like a princess. I couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle to him. I can’t wait to start my life with Jake. I began to imagine my life, my dreams with Jake. I could not stop smiling even though my cheeks were starting to hurt. A knock on my door disturbed my thoughts. I looked at the clock on the wall and frowned. The driver was an hour early. No other family members are here. They all left for church for final preparations. Before I could even walk to the door, it burst open and two men wearing ski masks and dressed in black barged in. “Who the hell are you?” I shouted. “Get her!” one yelled. I grabbed a vase from the side table and threw it at one of them. He fell to the ground as the other came my way. I lifted my skirt and kicked him in the chest, but not strong enough for him to fall back. I made the mistake of turning my back on the guy that he grabbed me from behind. One arm went around my midsection while the other grabbed my throat, cutting off my breathing. My legs thrashed wildly. I tried to elbow him, but my dress and his hold restricted my movements. I need to be free to fight back. “Grab her legs,” the one holding me says. My legs soared, contacting his face as he got close to me. I pumped my legs, moving us backwards until he hit a wall. I did it repeatedly until my captor loosened his grip, but it was not enough for me to break the hold. Swinging my elbow back, I hit him in the gut, and he finally let go. Turning around, I punched him straight in the jaw. I went to the other guy who was shaking his head from my kick and grabbed a bowl from the counter and broke it over his head. He went down. I smiled on the inside over my small victory. My heart pounded with adrenaline and when I turned around, I was taken by complete surprise. A leather gloved hand backhanded me across the face, and I went down. Stars danced around my head as a third man stepped in front of me. “I can’t believe a woman bested the two of you,” his deep voice said, chuckling. My vision was still blurred as I looked across the room from one man to the other. My apartment was trashed. My coffee table was turned over. Broken vases and glass were spread all over the floor. There was even a long crack in the wall. “She isn’t like any other woman,” one of them says. “She’s stronger than she looks.” “Time is up,” the third man says. “We need to leave now. We’ll get her the easy way.” The easy way? No, I need to get up and fight. But I’m weak and tired already. That one hit banged my head badly. As the third man comes closer, I know this is it. They are going to take me and all I could do was hope. Hope that Jake will come after me. Hope that he will find me and trust that I didn’t run away, that I wanted to marry him. I hope and trust that he will save me because I will be waiting. Waiting for him to save me.