by Kat Smith
Alex felt a pang of jealousy as she watched and heard Devan’s voice as she introduced Teona. There was clearly a connection between the two. She noticed Payton shuffle and clear her throat at the same time and knew she wasn’t the only one who had seen it.
Alex pushed the thoughts away. Devan was coming home to her, and that was all that mattered now.
When Teona and Alligood finally got Devan to the bay door of the helo, Devan knew they didn’t have much time. Lena stood guard beside her as the others loaded the last of the gear.
Devan looked at Teona, tears in her eyes, and hugged her tightly. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
Tears streaked Teona’s face, as well. “Don’t let tree shoot you again.”
Devan laughed. “No, I won’t.” She turned to Taylor. “Did you bring what I asked for?”
Lena reached into her vest and pulled out an envelope and passed it over.
Devan turned and pressed it into Teona’s hands. “Here. This will help you.”
Teona opened the envelope. It was packed full of rubles. Her eyes widened. “Oh, no, no. I cannot.”
Devan pressed Teona’s hand closed around the envelope. “Yes, you can. Buy a new phone and get the internet hooked up. The rest is for you. Take care of yourself.”
“Yes, I will.” Teona was crying now.
“You remember how to send me a message? Just write it, but don’t send it.”
Teona nodded. “I will. Now go…go home.”
Devan hugged Teona one last time before allowing Randell to boost her into the helo bay.
Teona jogged back to the edge of the field as the rotors cut through the night air and came up to speed. She watched as the helo carrying her new friend rose and disappeared into the night sky.
Mara watched and listened as Devan, tears brimming in her eyes, gave a long, lingering hug to the woman who had saved her life, nursed her back to relative health, and risked her own life to see Devan to the pickup zone. It was only natural for Devan to form a powerful bond with the woman, Mara thought, but the money Devan had demanded for Teona was a bit excessive.
She contemplated the possibility that Devan had found solace in the arms of the woman on the long, lonely nights abroad. When she glanced over and noticed a confused frown form on Alex’s face, Mara knew she’d picked up on the connection, as well.
She was lost in thought when Frank’s voice bellowed out. He swung around and snarled at Payton. “You let that woman keep the computer?”
“Yes, it was of no further use to us. We’d already pulled everything we required off it.” She gave him a sly smile. “I guess this wouldn’t be a good time to tell you we also left the sat phone.”
His face flushed red. “You didn’t… Do you have any fucking idea how much those damn things cost?”
When Payton gave an innocent shrug, he blustered. “Fine, I’ll just have the chip fried.”
“Frank.” Payton stepped close and crossed her arms. “If you do that, I may have to start asking questions about how you came about obtaining a highly classified, yet-to-be-released piece of military clothing.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, then huffed. “That’s dirty, Director.” He jammed his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I went out on a limb for you, and this is how you show your appreciation?”
She leaned in and whispered into his ear, “We both know how you want me to show my appreciation, Frank―on my back.”
He jerked back, and his eyes bore into hers. “Hmph. Not likely. I prefer my women to have a more…shall we say, cooperative spirit.”
She said it before she ruminated about the possible repercussions. “Yeah? Well, I prefer my women to be tough, honest, loyal, and without salacious expectations.”
He swung around, gave her a malicious smile, and slowly nodded. “Well, I’ll be damned. I’d heard that but didn’t believe someone as pretty and smart as you could be a dyke.”
Payton stepped toward him, but Mara gently grasped the back of her jacket. “Let it go.”
As he stormed out of the ops center, Mara scanned the faces of the others in the room and sighed with relief when she saw they all had headsets firmly over their ears. “Well, guess you won’t get any more favors out of him.”
Alex had observed the entire altercation. She shook her head and mumbled. “Damn. You just blew that closet door off the fucking hinges.”
Although Mara was stunned by Payton’s directness, she was also very proud. She bit back a smile. “Very subtle, Director. Very subtle indeed.”
Flustered, Payton glanced around the room. “Shut it, both of you.” She then waved a hand at the screen. “Pay attention.”
Alligood knelt beside Devan and slipped a comm unit over her head. “It’s good to see you again, Captain.”
Devan’s voice cracked when she answered. “It’s good to see you, too, Sergeant.”
“Captain, I need you to lay down on the stretcher for me.” She shook her head. “Come on, Captain, I have my orders. You were injured, and I have a direct order from the colonel to check you over. You know the rules.”
She conceded and stretched out on the stretcher. As Alligood checked her blood pressure, a tear slipped down Devan’s cheek. He wiped it away. “Sorry, Captain. We stirred up a lot of dust in that field.”
She could only manage a nod.
He uncapped an IV catheter and inserted it into her arm. “This might sting a bit.” He then looked up to Taylor.
She leaned over. “How are you feeling?”
“Good, great. Ready to get back home.”
She gave Devan’s arm a pat. “Just relax, Captain. We’ll be in Vaziani in about fifty minutes.”
Alligood pushed a syringe of clear liquid into the IV tube while Taylor had Devan’s attention.
A couple of seconds later, she abruptly turned her head and looked up at him, her eyelids fluttering. “What…did…you…just…give…”
He smiled down at her. “Just a little something for the pain that you won’t tell me about. Take a nap, Captain, we’ll be on base in no time.”
Everything became blurry, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. “Mother fucker. I’m going…to…kick your…”
Alligood grinned at Taylor over Devan as she slipped away. “Copy that, Captain.”
When the helo was safely in the air, cheers filled the Tactical Operations Center, and Mara finally allowed herself to relax. She dropped her comm unit on the desk and turned to Payton. “I need a few minutes. Can you see Alex out?”
“Of course,” Payton said. “It’s a good day, Colonel.”
A tear welled in her eye and threatened to slip down her cheek. “Yes. A very good day.” She nodded. “I’ll be in my office when you’re done here.”
Alligood and Taylor stepped back and let the paramedics do their work. They slid the stretcher out of the helo bay and transferred Devan to the waiting ambulance.
When they turned, two MPs walked toward them followed by Colonel Bowman and a man in a suit.
Taylor turned her head to Alligood. “Whatcha bet that’s CIA?”
“I’d say that was a sure bet.”
They watched as the MPs hauled Christopher out of the helo and escorted him to a waiting vehicle.
“He probably won’t see grass for the rest of his life.” Taylor pulled her bag from the helo and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go see if we can find a cold beer.”
Alligood grabbed his bag. “I’m buying.”
Mara quietly closed the door to her office and locked it. She didn’t make it to her desk before the tears flowed. She hadn’t realized until she saw Devan’s face just how much she’d come to love her…loved her like a daughter. Maybe it’s time to throw in the towel and retire, she thought.
She opened the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out the Scotch and two glasses. She needed a drink and knew when Payton arrived, she would, too. She poured two fingers of Scotch into a glass and walked to the window.
She l
ooked out over the exercise yard as she had thousands of times before, looked at the American flag flapping elegantly in the breeze. The wars they would fight in the future would never stop claiming the lives of good men and women, but tonight…this one night, they’d won a battle. She’d take that, she’d take every win she could get. While it didn’t make the losses any easier, it did make the days a little brighter.
Chapter Sixteen
The black van drove through a gate topped with razor wire, then continued to a nondescript windowless block building. The van was met by four soldiers who pulled Christopher from the back of the van. He was shackled at the wrists and ankles as he shuffled through a metal door.
A new set of guards processed him in and led him to a six-foot-by-eight-foot cell. A stainless-steel sink/toilet combo was bolted to the wall. Above it, a rolled edged sheet of stainless steel served as a mirror. The guard removed the ankle shackles, then pushed him into the cell and shut the metal door behind him. He then slid open a small slot. “Arms.”
Christopher pushed his arms through to have his wrist shackles removed. The guard grinned through the wire-imbedded plexiglass window. “Enjoy your new home.”
Devan lay in a hospital bed at Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the midst of a nightmare. Her hands gripped the sheets as a sheen of sweat covered her face. She moaned and kicked at the sheets tangled around her feet.
Payton rounded the side of the bed and gently touched Devan’s arm. “Captain?” When Devan didn’t wake, she shook her shoulder. “Captain Conner.”
Devan fought through the nightmare. Instinct took hold when her eyes opened wide, wild and dangerous. Devan didn’t see Payton, all she saw was an assailant to be neutralized.
Payton knew the signs, knew from her own military experience to back away, but she didn’t react in time. Devan grabbed her arm in one hand and the front of her shirt in the other and flipped her onto the bed. Payton braced for a possible punch or choke hold but tried to stay calm and allow Devan a moment to wake.
When she did, Devan looked down into Payton’s face and froze.
Payton quietly spoke. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Devan jerked her hands away. “I’m…Good God…I’m sorry.”
Payton pushed off the bed and straightened her jacket. “Quite a grip you have there, Captain.” She tried to lighten the mood. “Remind me not to go hand-to-hand with you.”
Devan looked around the hospital room. “What are you doing here? Where are we?”
“Fort Bragg. Womack Army Hospital.” She poured a cup of water from the Styrofoam pitcher and handed it to Devan. “The colonel couldn’t come herself, but she pulled some strings and snagged a sweet private room for you.”
Devan tried to clear her head. “I thought I was going to Walter Reed.”
“The colonel wanted you on the first available flight stateside. So here we are.” Payton went back to the chair she’d occupied for most of the night as Devan slept.
“Where’s Alex?” Alex was all she’d thought of on the long flight home.
“She’s having dinner with the colonel this evening. She’s doing fine. Better still now that you’re safe.” She studied Devan’s face. “She believes you’re still at Vaziani. I trust you’ll keep my visit here between us.”
Devan sucked water through the straw, then studied Payton. “Well, I guess that depends on why you’re here, Director.”
Mara removed a large pan of lasagna from the oven while Alex poured two glasses of wine. “What time will Payton be home?”
Mara turned off the oven. “She’s out of town, so it’s just us tonight.”
“I knew she was out of the office today, but she didn’t say anything about a trip.”
Mara shrugged. “I think it was a last-minute thing. You know she can’t always tell me where she’s going.”
Alex mulled that over as she sipped her wine. “True, but she usually tells me.”
Mara took plates from the cupboard. “Well, all I know is it means more lasagna for us.”
A recorder sat on the rolling hospital table as Payton questioned Devan about her time in Makhachkala. Frank Gilbert had insisted on an immediate debriefing. Although she’d had to go over his head after their encounter the night of Devan’s rescue, she’d finally got the nod to conduct the interview herself on the condition that she would record it.
They’d been at it for hours, and the strain of reliving those weeks were exhausting. Devan threw off the covers in frustration and walked into the bathroom.
Payton looked up from her notebook. “I know this is difficult, but any additional information you can remember will help the CIA and the ICC in locating any other members of the militant group.”
As Devan bent down to splash water on her face, the back of her gown fell open, exposing the long slashing scars on her back.
Payton was stunned to see the slashes. Mara had shared the details of Devan’s childhood and the beatings she’d received from the grandmother, but it didn’t prepare her for seeing the ridge of scars put there by someone who should have done anything to protect her, an innocent child.
Devan turned around and saw the look on Payton’s face―the shock, the pity. She’d grown accustomed to the stares. “I know. Let’s keep going.”
Payton quickly averted her eyes. “Ahh, this woman Teona. She could’ve given you up, but you trusted her. Why?”
Devan sat in the chair beside the bed. “I didn’t have a choice. I was dying. I was desperate for help. I got lucky.”
“That you did.” Payton smiled. “You were damn lucky.”
“I even asked her myself, and she said it was because I had been nice to her. The night we went in to get Jacob, she woke up and…” She looked at the recorder. “Ahh, one of the team found her poking around and roughed her up a bit.” Devan took a more formal tone. “I reprimanded the soldier and made sure Teona’s leg was cleaned and bandaged, and she was kept comfortable for the remainder of the mission.”
Devan picked up a cookie and took a bite. “God, I’ve missed American food.”
Payton paused the recorder. “The colonel baked those especially for you. Last night.” Payton tipped her head to the large container. “She said you looked thin when we watched the rescue. She sent four dozen, but I wouldn’t recommend you eat them all in one sitting.”
“Christ, I won’t pass weight requirement if I eat all of these.” Even so, she pulled another out of the container, bit into it, closed her eyes, and savored the flavor of real chocolate chips.
Payton chuckled. “I feel like I should leave the room and give you a private moment with those.”
“They’re good.” Devan laughed and swiped her hands together. “Okay, let’s get this done.”
Payton looked at her notes. “I think I’ve got all I need at this time.” She reached over, picked up the recorder, and tucked it into her bag. “The CIA may want to talk to you again at some point but make them go through the colonel. You’ve been through enough, and I can’t think of anything else they could possibly need after this interview.”
“They were able to get all the rebels.”
Payton nodded. “Yes. They had a cache of explosives, pipe bombs, and enough weapons for a small army.” She handed Devan photos of the men. “Thanks to your detective work, sending us the information you found in Christopher’s files, we were able to thwart the attack.”
Devan returned the photos. “And the reason for the attack? Did you find anything?”
“Not yet. The detainees are still being questioned. We’re trying to ascertain if there are others in the group.”
“What happens to them?”
“They were captured on a public road, and it was witnessed, so they will be turned over to the Georgian officials after we’re done with them.”
“What about Christopher?” Devan shook her head. “He’s batshit crazy. What happens to him?”
Payton smiled and tipped her head. “The G
eorgian authorities don’t know he ever existed. He’s currently at a CIA black site. Let’s just say he’s retired.”
Devan couldn’t resist. She picked out another cookie. “Retirement sounds good about now.”
Payton shook her head. “You need some time to digest all that’s happened the last few weeks. You’re an excellent soldier. There’s still a lot of work for us to do. I know the colonel thinks very highly of you.”
“She’s the only reason I’ve stayed in as long as I have. She’s been good to me.”
Payton studied Devan for a moment. “You know, I was quite surprised to learn that you listed her as your emergency contact and next of kin.” She watched for a reaction and didn’t see one. “You don’t have family?”
“My parents were killed in a car accident when I was seven. I lived with my maternal grandmother until she got too sick.”
A frown formed on Payton’s face. “That must have been hard.”
Devan popped the last half of the cookie into her mouth. “Oh, no, she was great.” Devan looked away. “But when she got sick, I was sent to live with my Dad’s mom. That’s when I discovered where my father got his ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ attitude. She loved her switch.” Devan smiled sadly. “My back. You saw the scars. I got those from her for coming home fifteen minutes late one day.”
Payton tried to keep her face blank. “How horrible. How old were you?”
The cookies had made her thirsty. She poured more water. “Thirteen. I ran away that same night and lived on the streets for about a year, then met a guy that gave me a job and let me live with his family. I finished school, went to college, and finally joined the Army and never looked back.”
Embarrassed, Devan turned to look out the window. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. Since I fell out of a helo and almost died, I’ve been spilling my guts to anyone who will listen.”
“You’ve been on an emotional roller coaster for the last couple of months. It’s perfectly normal to reflect and rethink the future.”