by Jaime Lewis
It was getting late, and the fire was burning down. He saw her yawn a few times and knew it was time to let her go for the night. “I should let you get to bed.”
“I should, but I’m glad I decided to stay. I’ve enjoyed this.” When she smiled at him, it hit him in the chest. Damn, he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her. She removed his pullover and handed it back to him. He thought about telling her to keep it but thought better of it. It had been an enjoyable evening, so he didn’t want to push it.
He stood and started to pour water on the smoldering embers when suddenly a loud crack echoed in the air. Knowing the distinct sound of a rifle firing, Ace went into defensive mode. His first reaction was Alex’s safety. Grabbing her around the waist, he threw both of them to the ground. He landed on top of her using his body as a shield to protect her. His heart pounded, and the adrenalin started to kick in, flowing through him like wild rapids. Reaching down to his ankle holster, he retrieved the pistol he kept there.
“Alex, are you okay?” Ace murmured, pushing aside a few loose strands of her hair. He held his breath for a response that never came, and he began to panic. Stitch and Dino ran over and knelt down next to them with their own weapons drawn.
“What the hell. You guys, okay?” Stitch asked.
Ace rolled off Alex, and that was when he saw the blood trickling down the side of her head.
“Alex!” Stitch shouted as his eyes saw the trail of blood down the side of her face. He, too, was met by silence.
Stitch felt for her pulse. “She’s got a steady pulse.”
Together, they rolled her over onto her back. Skittles joined them with Stitch’s medic bag. Ace felt some relief when they found no other wounds on her body, but she did have a large gash on the side of her head near her temple.
“Let’s get her moved inside. I don’t like being out in the open like this,” Ace said as he carefully lifted Alex into his arms. Once inside the teams’ barracks, he laid her on a cot.
Stitch started looking at her wound. “Damn, this is deep. She’s going to need stitches. What in the hell did she hit?” He asked for some smelling salts.
Ace ran his hands through his hair. “My guess is one of the rocks around the fire pit. I heard the shot and just reacted, throwing us both to the ground.”
Ace felt awful, knowing it was probably his aggressiveness that caused her injury. He held her head steady between the palms of his hands while Dino ran the smelling salts under her nose. He whispered in her ear. “Come on, honey, please wake up.” When she started to stir, he let out a huge sigh.
Moments later, Colonel Johnson burst into the room.
◆◆◆
Alex fought the icky blackness impeding her vision. When she was finally able to push it aside, she sensed a state of confusion going on around her. She felt multiple sets of hands touching her body, not to mention the number of voices she could hear. The sound of heavy boots thumping on the concrete floor echoed in her ears. But it was the deep resounding voice right next to her that had her blinking her eyes open and meeting the hardened expression of the Colonel.
“Is she okay?”
She wondered what he meant by that and went to sit up to ask when a blinding pain shot through her skull, forcing her to lie back down. “Ow!” She went to touch the spot that hurt but was stopped when a large hand grasped hers. When she looked up, she was met with Ace’s concerned expression.
“What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” He asked.
Fighting the cloudiness, she tried thinking back.
“I remember hearing a gunshot and dropping to the ground.”
“You hit your head,” Ace said as he gently caressed her hair.
“Damn…” She tried to touch her head again but was met with a stern warning from Stitch. “Don’t touch that. You’re going to need a couple of stitches.”
“Do we know who it was? Did anyone see anything?” She questioned as she tried to get her bearings.
The Colonel stood there with his arms across his chest, looking mighty pissed off. “No, and we probably never will. My guess, based on where you were standing, is the shooter fired from an area west of the base. We’ve got patrols out there scouring the area, but it is doubtful we’ll find anyone. Now and then, we get local people from nearby villages who like to take target practice. It isn’t uncommon to see a stray bullet venture onto the base, and it usually happens during the night. However, nobody had ever been injured. Alex could see the strain on the Colonel’s face and rightfully so as every person on the base was his responsibility.
While waiting for the base medic to show up with a suture kit, she thought about what the Colonel said, and as much as she wanted to believe it could have been an accident, something told her the bullet was intended for her as a warning.
Once the medic arrived and stitched her up, he left with the Colonel but not before leaving her with strict instructions, which she was none too thrilled about. She didn’t balk at the acetaminophen he left for her or when he cautioned her to take it easy for the next few days. What caused a tizzy was his insistence that she not stay alone for the night. Hell, she was so wound up right now she couldn’t sleep if she wanted to.
She was arguing with Stitch about needing a babysitter when he said, “You leave me no choice,” and he grabbed her arm and stuck her with a needle.
“Ow!” She rubbed the red dot on her upper arm. “What did you just give me?” She demanded to know. She stood up, ready to battle it out with him when suddenly she felt lightheaded and began to sway on her feet. She tried to hold steady, but her body had other plans. Before she fell on her ass, Ace caught her.
Stitch gave her a stern look. “I see your stubbornness hasn’t changed any. I gave you something to help you sleep.”
She went to say something but shut her mouth, remembering a phrase Derek used to say to her. Pick your battles wisely. So, why waste her energy fighting a battle she wasn’t going to win?
“Fine,” she said and relaxed, feeling the drugs start to take effect. She looked up at Ace. “I can walk next door, ya know?”
“I’m sure you can, but no need to have you falling on your face and make matters worse.” And with that, he started for the door.
Once back in her barracks, Ace let her down. She was all dirty and decided a shower now would be good before she felt the full effect of whatever Stitch gave her. As she grabbed her PJs from her bag, Stitch called out to her.
“Be a good patient and don’t give Ace a hard time.”
She gave him the middle finger over her shoulder as she walked to the bathroom and shut the door. She could hear Stitch laughing as he left.
As she was able to score some hot water, she took her time in the shower, being careful to avoid getting the stitches wet. Her brain was so jumbled with all that was happening. Could it have been just a stray bullet? Do they even know where the bullet hit? How close had it been to her or Ace?
God, and then there was Ace. She really had enjoyed spending time with him tonight, but she still had some reservations about pursuing anything with him. They both had to think about their careers–careers that took both them all over the world at any given time. How could a relationship built on those foundations alone really thrive?
When the water started to run cold, she turned it off and dried off before getting into her PJs. When she exited the bathroom, Ace was sitting in the chair. The look on his face was void of expression.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
She walked towards him, and he stood up. His eyes kept going to the stitches.
“I’ll be fine, Ace.” She knew he was worried. It was written all over his face. “This little cut isn’t enough to keep me down.” She smiled.
He shook his head and looked away like he didn’t believe her.
She placed her hand on his arm. “Ace, what’s wrong?”
“After I had you on the ground and then you wouldn’t answer me, and I
saw the blood…I’m not gonna lie, I was scared.”
She didn’t know what to say, but something came over her and had her reaching for him. She wrapped her arms around his thick waist and hugged him. His body was tense, but seconds later, she felt him relax, and those strong muscular arms of his hugged her back. They stayed just like that for a few moments longer. Her cheek was pressed against the soft material of his t-shirt. Even though her heart was divided, they both needed this. Tomorrow when she could think straight, she would process it all.
Ace ran his hand up her back just before he released her, and she took a step back.
“You should get some sleep.”
Just before she climbed into bed, she turned back toward him.
“Thank you, Ace.”
With a nod of his head, she crawled into bed, and she pulled her blanket up over her. Just as she snuggled into her pillow and got comfortable, there was a knock at the door, and she groaned. Without opening her eyes, she told Ace, “Tell whoever that is, there is no more vacancy here.” She couldn’t help the small smile on her lips when she heard Ace chuckle. She heard the door open and managed to muster up enough energy to open an eye just enough to see Potter standing in the doorway. He and some of the others went along with the guys from the base to have a look around. As much as she was curious if they’d found anything out, her body and mind were just too tired. Whatever concoction Stitch stuck her with was pulling her under. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
◆◆◆
Ace shut the door behind him, not wanting to disturb Alex. He knew by the time he got back inside; she would be asleep. Stitch told him he gave her enough pain medicine to make her sleep for a few hours. She was practically asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. On the other hand, he was still amped up from the incident, and he hoped Potter had news, but judging from the look on Potter’s face, it wasn’t going to be good news.
“All we got was a description of a beat-up truck speeding away from the base perimeter.”
Ace ran his fingers through his hair. “Fuck! That bullet could’ve been for any one of us.”
Potter agreed, then asked how Alex was doing.
“She’ll be okay, though probably a little sore when she wakes up. She was almost asleep when you showed up. Between the base medic and Stitch, they convinced her to have someone stay with her tonight.”
Potter laughed. “Let me guess; you raised your hand first.”
The amusement in Potter’s eyes and tone of voice didn’t escape him. Who in the hell was he trying to fool?
“Uh, huh…I’m sure you’ll keep a real good eye on her, buddy.”
Ace threw a punch at Potter’s shoulder, knowing his friend was trying to rile him up. Potter chuckled again, “Hey, man. Good for you.”
Potter smiled, “There aren’t many women out there who understand all the fundamentals of our job. The danger involved, not knowing where we go, and not asking questions. Most women can’t deal with that shit, but she gets it all.”
Ace didn’t get to the position where he was today by being stupid. He knew a good thing when he saw one. And Alex Hardesty was better than just good. She was the whole kit and caboodle.
As soon as their conversation wrapped up, he made his way back inside. He walked over to where Alex lay sleeping and made sure she was okay before taking a seat at the desk. He closed his eyes, wondering how in the hell he was going to get through the night being in the same room as her and not touch her. He chuckled to himself; Stitch was right, he’d never taken an interest in a woman as he had with Alex; there was no denying the attraction. She was curled up under her blanket, and he was so tempted to lie next to her and curl himself around her.
Even though it seemed progress had been made tonight before all hell had broken loose, he had a suspicion come tomorrow morning that she would slide back into the professional role and try to shrug off the connection they were building. But he was going to do his best to make her see they could be good for each other.
Chapter Nine
The next morning, Alex and Ace found themselves rushed for time as they hurried into base command to meet up with the team. Alex was beyond frustrated, and the day was just getting started.
They were running a little behind schedule, which neither of them was happy about. They had gotten held up when Alex couldn’t find one of her work binders that she kept some notes in. They turned her entire room upside down looking for it, but it never surfaced. Then Ace had to help her change the bandage covering her stitches, leaving her feeling a little on guard and slightly aroused. He was both gentle and thorough, and it had her wondering if his hands would feel that good against the rest of her body. She got shivers now just thinking about it.
As soon as they entered the room, she saw Derek was already on the video feed, and she cringed, knowing punctuality was a pet peeve of his. But it was Irish’s comment that set off her ability to change gears and put that professional wall in place.
“Nice of you two to join us,” he said with a smirk.
Even though Alex knew he was kidding, the funny jab pissed her off, making her mood even worse. Instead of giving him a comeback, she chose to take the high road and ignore him.
She looked at the screen as she got her computer and other materials from her bag. “Sorry, we’re late, but I seemed to have misplaced one of my binders, and we were looking for it.”
She heard a couple of snickers and mentally rolled her eyes, knowing they probably thought her and Ace had some wild sexcapades last night. It was times like this that served as a reminder as to why she needed to keep her relationship with Ace strictly professional.
Someone cleared their throat, and when she looked up, Derek was looking at her. Well, through the TV, it looked like he was looking directly at her. She didn’t get the chance to talk to him after the incident last night, and with how flustered she felt right now, she could use a big hug from him. Lately, it wasn’t often she got to spend actual time in person with him, but when she did, she always made sure she got her hugs in.
“How are you feeling?” Derek probed, and the last thing she wanted to do was show weakness here on the job.
“Fine,” she replied as she powered up her computer, hoping he would get the hint to move along the conversation. Apparently, he missed it.
“Just fine?” He pressed with an eyebrow raised, most likely because of her snappiness.
“What do you want me to say?”
Ace cleared his throat next to her. When she looked up at him, he was giving her a look as if telling her to be nice.
She looked around the room, and they were all looking at her now. She set down the cables she had in her hands. “Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. Despite a slight headache and a little tenderness, I’m good.” She looked at each one, daring any of them to say something.
After giving her another once over, Derek continued, “Okay, then let’s get started.”
Just like that, she was once again back in her element and started with the information on the informant.
“A long-time and credible informant has come forward, claiming to have a lead on our missing contractors.” She pulled up a map, then shined a laser pointer on a rocky area. “We believe they could be in this vicinity, which is interesting because the last time I was here, this particular area had been a hotbed for activity. We had suspected Ashraf would use this to his advantage. Various abandoned Taliban and ISIS hideouts are inconspicuous if you don’t know where to look and would make a great makeshift armory, let alone a place to stash a couple of hostages. The problem is that it is a very wide area, containing a lot of hidey-holes.”
“Is this informant the same one you wanted to speak to Bert about?” Ace asked, and she nodded.
“The informant goes by the name Bashir. When I was here last, we had been introduced to several NSA-civilian informants. They helped our population-integration specialists blend into the community and make the important connectio
ns that needed to happen. Unfortunately, Bashir prefers to stay out of the spotlight, so I don’t have a rapport with him. But Bert does. This could be our first big lead.”
“When can you talk to Bert?” Derek asked her.
“Right after we finish up here, Potter and I are going to go see him.”
“Before we move on, I also wanted to mention that Intel also picked up some chatter regarding another man who goes by the name Reynolds. He travels around quite often and has been flagged as a person of interest in many terrorist activities, including recent incidents connected to Ashraf. Information collected says Reynolds is an explosives expert. But what troubles me even more is that witnesses have described him as possibly an American trying to mask his identity with the culture of the region.”
“An American?” Derek asked, looking shocked.
“Afraid so.”
“Son of a bitch!”
Before she could go on, there was a knock on the door, and Staff Sergeant Hill stuck his head in.
“Excuse me, ma’am, there is a gentleman by the name of Bowman here to see you.”
A wide smile spread across her face. Bowman was a colleague of hers from the agency, who was also recruited by Mason the same time she was. But more so, he was a really good friend. A friend who helped her tremendously maneuver through the turbulent times when she last returned home from Afghanistan. He had been her sounding board and saving grace at times.
“Thank you; you can send him in.”
◆◆◆
Ace stood by watching as the newcomer walked in, went straight to Alex, and pulled her into a hug. The body language between the two indicated Alex and this guy knew each other well, and he couldn’t help but wonder how well. He scolded himself. He wasn’t dating her, so who gave a shit if they were an item. But it wasn’t that easy to let go. In just the short time he’d known her, she had gotten under his skin. He wanted her, and he didn’t like the jealousy feeling inside him.
When the guy finally released her, she took a step back and introduced him to the group. Once the round of introductions were made, he turned his attention back onto Alex.