by Jaime Lewis
“How’s Afghanistan?” Bowman asked her.
“It’s okay,” she replied, taking a quick glance at Ace, who had moved closer to her.
“Really? So, the rumor I heard this morning about you running into some trouble last night is just that, a rumor?” He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the bandage on her head.
“News does travel fast, but I’m good. Being that you are here and not in North Carolina, something must be up. Not that I’m upset to see you. It’s been a few weeks, and it’s nice to see a familiar face.” She smiled at him, and now Ace was biting the inside of his cheek.
“I was in the area for other reasons, but Mason contacted me the other night, asking if I could do a little research, and, well, I got some info on those hostages’ you guys are looking for. Since I was in the area, I thought I would deliver the news personally.”
“Seriously?” She asked. “Where?”
Bowman frowned as he told her the location, and Alex’s jaw dropped.
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me?” Alex stared at Bowman as if waiting for him to say he was just joking.
“Wish I was sweetie. The informant lives on the outskirts of the village. He said he heard some rumblings from a few villagers who are known to favor terrorists because of the payouts. These men he overheard were talking about a group of men being held in a cave just above the village on the east side.”
“Shit,” Alex muttered and took a seat on the stool next to her. Her face that usually glowed with the suntan she had, had suddenly taken on a greenish-looking tint, and Ace found himself reaching out to her.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked. When she looked up at him, her eyes gave him his answer. She took a few deep breaths, and before long, the color started coming back to her cheeks.
“Alex?” Derek asked, looking concerned just as the rest of the group was.
She reached for a cup of water, and Ace could see her hands shaking.
“It is the same village where my team and I were housed.”
Everyone in the room knew the outcome of that mission and now understood her jaw drop reaction. But once again, she surprised Ace when she stood and started developing a plan based on Bowman’s information. He even supplied some satellite images of the area showing possible infiltration and extraction points, and they were currently debating what their best plans of attack were. Every planned mission had an A, B, C, D, and sometimes, even an E plan.
“Hey Bowman, this informant, his name isn’t by chance Bashir, is it?” Alex called out as her fingers flew across on the keyboard.
Bowman looked surprised and nodded his head. “How’d you know?”
“His name popped up in some Intel last night. I was planning on talking to Bert about him since he’s familiar with him.”
Bowman frowned. “Mason mentioned that asshole was here.” Ace’s eyes widened, and even a few of the other guys snickered. Interesting that Bert didn’t have the best reputation amongst the intelligence community. “I hope you’re not going by yourself.”
“No. I learned my lesson.” She nodded in Potter’s direction. “Potter’s coming along with me.”
“Good.”
Alex glanced at Ace. “Getting back to strategy. As long as Bashir is willing to meet up with you guys, I think it is best to plan the meet up after the sun goes down. I know the area well, and some people live there who are always looking to make a buck, even if it means working for the enemy. If they saw you, it could spell trouble. At least you guys would be able to get the information you need, and that would give you some time to plan for any unforeseen issues. I don’t recommend dropping in; the area is too wide open. I think it would be best if you can snag a vehicle. There is a turn-off from the main road that will take you up the mountain. There are plenty of places to dump the vehicle further out, and then you guys can go on foot the rest of the way.”
Ace was getting ready to agree with her plan until Bowman spoke up with his comments directed at Alex.
“Well, I hope you brought along your gear and hiking boots because you’ll be joining the team on this mission.”
Alex’s head snapped up, and her mouth gaped open. “Excuse me? What do you mean I’ll be joining them?”
Bowman turned toward the group. “Unless one of you guys are fluent in Pashto, then you are going to need a translator.”
Ace could sense Alex’s fear and knew she wasn’t comfortable with this news at all.
Voices started to rise as everyone began to speak at once. Some were questioning Alex’s presence on the mission, and even though it wasn’t meant as a dig to her capabilities, it annoyed Ace. If the mission needed her, then by damn, she would be a part of the team.
Ace brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly, bringing the room to complete silence.
“How about instead of everyone trying to guess what would be best for Alex, that we let her decide. She knows what’s best for herself, and I think we can all trust her to make the right decision without jeopardizing the mission.”
“I think that is fair,” Derek said, then looked at Alex. “Alex…go or no go? Before you answer, know now that nobody in this room or I will think any less of you or your capabilities if your answer is no.” Even though he’d never say it out loud due to Derek’s high respect for Alex and the job she holds, Ace could see the battle his commander was undergoing. On the one hand, he had to treat Alex as the true professional she was. But on the other hand, she was family, more so his “little girl.”
“Thank you, Ace.” She began and gave him a small smile. “While I appreciate all your concerns, I would never place myself or anyone else for that matter in danger. If I know I’m not cut out for something; I’ll be the first to let you know and remove myself from the situation.”
Irish, the smartass cracked a smile. “I think we’d all be more than happy to watch your six, darling.” Ace had to hide his smile when the guys laughed because they all knew that comment was more directed at himself since he was the one caught staring at her ass yesterday.
Alex even laughed but then got serious. “I was called up for this assignment because of my knowledge and skills, and I intend to see it through to the end no matter what, so I’m in.”
The guys all gave a loud Hooyah, and Ace put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her. When she looked up, he grinned, “Let me be the first to welcome you, unofficially, of course, to Alpha Team.”
She gave him a sassy smirk. “Why, thank you, Lt.” She then turned her attention to the screen. “Derek, I promise I won’t let you down.”
“I have no doubt you won’t.”
Chapter Ten
Alex walked in tandem with the team as they descended a small hill leading them to the area where satellite images showed there were three cave entrances along the ridge. The issue at hand was they didn’t know which entrance to breach, and there were a lot of caves in the area that have connecting tunnels. Besides the scarce shrubbery, the mountainside didn’t offer a lot of cover for the team.
Bashir never showed at the meetup spot, sparking some concerns about the status of the mission. When Alex and Potter met with Bert, he had been cooperative and hadn’t balked and made a call right there to Bashir, putting a plan together for him to meet the team a few miles outside of the village.
The moon was half-hidden behind a cluster of clouds, supplying them minimal light. The guys had use of their night vision goggles. On the other hand, Alex was going by her eyesight and what the guys were telling her. She was lucky to find body armor that fit her. The village below them was quiet except for the occasional sound of a goat bellowing. Even though it was a cool night, she still felt the beads of sweat rolling down her back.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little anxious. After all, she hadn’t been part of a field unit in more than two years. She had become comfortable working behind the scenes. The only positive news was they were on the opposite side of the village from where the house she h
ad stayed in had once stood. She wasn’t sure she could stomach seeing that site.
“How are our eyes in the sky?” She heard Ace ask Irish through his com unit. Irish and Dino were in an overwatch position at a high elevation, keeping a lookout on the area below.
“We are a go,” Irish replied just as they approached the first cave entrance. Getting antsy, Alex took to step forward but was shoved back by Ace’s large hand. He glared at her from behind his black face mask, and she took heed of his warning. Seconds later, he gave a hand signal, indicating they were moving in.
Her heart raced as she raised her weapon, preparing to breach. On Ace’s signal, Potter threw a flash grenade inside. Once the device detonated, they all rushed in. Trying to see through the smoke was hard.
Shit! They aren’t here,” Ace said, lowering his weapon as they moved further into the cave. It was dark, but Alex heard Ace say the tunnel connected to one of the other entrances.
“Well, who the hell is this, then?” Frost asked as he pulled a phone out and took a picture of the dead man lying on the floor.
Alex looked at Ace. Even though she could only see his eyes, she could sense his disappointment and frustration. She felt the same.
She stood over the body as Skittles shined a light, so she could see, and as gruesome as it was to look at, she did anyway. “Based on what is left of his face, I think it is our informant, Bashir.”
“Son of a bitch!” Ace exclaimed, and Alex looked at the chains that were still attached to the wall, and she had to agree with him. The fact that Bashir’s body was still warm to the touch, they most likely had just missed them.
“Someone tipped them off and knew Bashir was working with us,” Ace said.
Unfortunately, this scenario occurs more often than people think. Bad guys find out someone is working against them, and they take out the informant and leave his body for the good guys to find. It was an intimidation tactic.
Ace, Frost, and Skittles scoured the tunnel, looking for anything that could be taken for intel purposes. Stitch and Potter went to clear the next entrance. Alex was roaming the opposite side of the tunnel when she noticed a blinking light coming from a crevice in the wall. Taking her flashlight, she directed the lighted to the area in question, and when her brain registered what she saw, she screamed, “BOMB!”
She heard one of the guys curse, but she was too busy sprinting toward the exit to find out who. Just as she cleared the opening and spotted a large boulder, the mountain exploded. She dove toward the boulder but ended up going too far and went over the ridge. The loose rocks made the ground unstable, and she tumbled down the side of the mountain. Her body was out of control as she rolled toward the village below. Her body took a beating as she hit shrubs and rolled over sharp rocks. Her momentum was halted when she collided with another large boulder. The hard impact on her back took her breath away. Suddenly, she was thrust into a flashback from that horrific November evening.
“Yes, Derek, I promise I’ll be home in time for Thanksgiving.”
“You’d better be, your uncle Tink is deep-frying that huge ass turkey just for you,” he said with a chuckle.
“Tell him; it better be extra crispy. Listen, I better go, dinner should be ready.”
“Okay, honey. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Sliding her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, a sudden movement by the edge of the house caught her eye. Someone was standing there, watching her. He was wearing a hat with some sort of emblem on the front. She met his eyes, but who was it? She blinked, and he was gone when suddenly she was blinded by a flash of bright light. The ground beneath her feet disappeared as a scorching heat sensation rolled over her body. Something hard struck her head, and she found herself floating into the darkness.
The sound of gunfire and people shouting jarred Alex back to the present. She looked around, she was still protected from view by the large boulders surrounding her location, but she was all alone. Her thoughts were scattered. Where was the team? Had they survived the blast? Were they hurt? She glanced up toward where the cave was, and all she could see was smoke. Her throat began to tighten as if the devil himself had a hold of her. She desperately tried to draw in air to her depleted lungs. Dammit, this couldn’t be happening. She needed to focus and try and locate the team. But first, she had to get herself away from the danger that was lurking just feet away. Any second, someone could stumble upon her.
She reached to use her comm unit and realized it was gone. Shit! Peering over the boulder, she could see people starting to walk toward her location. There was no way she could just walk out into the middle of the melee, but she needed to move. She belly crawled about thirty feet until she reached the back of a nearby house.
Once she was out of view, she painstakingly got to her feet. Stepping out into the open, she began to jog down the dirt and rocky pathway until she came to another cluster of homes. Her sense of direction was all mixed up. The only positive was she at least still had her weapon.
She had almost made it to the last house when a shot was fired and missed her head by mere inches. Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she saw two men running toward her. Recognizing they were not friendlies, she took off in a sprint, zigzagging through the village streets. She turned to the left and quickly realized it was the wrong turn as it led her out into the open with no cover. Her only choices were to go back into the village maze, which wasn’t the best idea considering everyone and their brother were now up and outside, wondering if hell had just erupted from the mountain. Or she could just make a run for it and hope she could outrun them. As the voices grew louder, she made her decision.
She took the gamble and started sprinting. She ducked and weaved as bullets flew around her. Just ahead was another cluster of buildings, and she pumped her legs faster. She came to a narrow alley on the right and turned down it. Then she made a sharp turn to the left and ran into a dead end. Her only escape was to climb a steep hill. If she attempted to scale it, she would be a sitting duck. Frantically, she looked around for an alternative knowing the two men could come around that corner at any second. Spotting a hole dug out just below one of the houses, she got onto her stomach and wiggled her body feet first into it. It was a tight fit, and she prayed to god that there were no living animals, insects, or reptiles inside. Her anxiety picked up as the walls of the hole began to close around her. She could hear her breathing echoing off the walls and tried to relax her breaths. She listened for any indication the men were close by.
◆◆◆
Once the smoke cleared enough to see, Ace started to retrace his steps back toward the caves. They were all lucky to be alive. He and the rest of the team were able to take cover before the bomb had detonated. Thankfully, they had been near the entrance and were able to make a quick exit. Now his focus shifted to Alex. She had been on the other side, and he had no idea if she had been able to make it out in time.
Now he was in a panic because he’d lost all communication with her. He didn’t know what to think as different scenarios crossed his mind.
“Irish, do you have a visual on Alex? I’ve lost contact with her.”
Seconds ticked by. “Negative.”
“Fuck!”
A few moments later, Irish spoke again, “Hang on, I’ve got some movement, stand-by.”
“Copy”
His heart was racing, and it wasn’t from running. It was fear.
“I got her.” Thank fucking god! “Shit, somehow she got herself down in the middle of the village. She’s about one hundred fifty yards due west of your current location. She has company. Two men are on her tail.”
Ace took off, followed by Frost and Skittles. They made their way down the mountain, making sure to stay out of view of the audience that had gathered to see what triggered the explosion. Once they were at the edge of the village, Ace listened as Irish guided him to her whereabouts.
“Shit! She ran into a dead-end. She is taking cover. If you tak
e a left at the next alley, then a right and head straight, you’ll run into her. I’ll handle the two assailants.”
They followed Irish’s directions. Just as they made the right turn, he heard the two swoosh sounds and watched the two men ahead of him crumple to the ground.
He looked around for her. “Irish, where is she? I don’t see her.”
“Look to your eight o’clock. She crawled into a hole just below that house with the window facing you.”
Frost spotted it, and they made their way over. As he got closer, he wondered how in the hell she even got herself in there. It was tiny.
Knowing she was armed, he didn’t want to get his head blown off, so as they approached the hole, Ace called out.
“Alex,” he said and waited with bated breath.
“Ace? I’m here, but I think I’m stuck.”
“I got Frost and Skittles with me. Do me a favor and put the safety on your weapon.”
“How do I know it isn’t a trap, and someone has a gun to your head, making you say things?”
Ace grinned. Smart woman. He looked over at Frost, looking for a little help, but Frost just chuckled.
“What can I say? She was taught well.”
He and Frost both got down on their hands and knees while Skittles shined a light into the hole. When the light hit her face, he wasn’t expecting for her to grin at him.
“Is everyone okay?” She asked, shocking him.
“All good, but let’s get you out of there.”
He and Frost each took a hand and pulled her out. Once she was on her feet, they both looked her over. Besides covered in dirt, she looked to be okay.
He placed his hand on her shoulder. “You good?” She looked up at him and nodded. He spoke into his mic. “Alpha One, Three, Eight, and Nine are heading to rendezvous.”
“Copy that,” Potter’s voice came back.
Without saying a word, he took Alex’s hand in a firm grip and led her up the steep incline. It was difficult to maneuver because of loose rocks and holes. She slipped a few times when the ground gave way under her feet, but he never let go. As they cleared the hill, a pick-up truck skidded to a stop, and Frost and Skittles jumped into the back. Ace flung open the passenger door, gesturing for Alex to get in. Once she was in, he slid in beside her. As it was a tight fit for the three of them in the tiny truck cab, Ace ended up pulling Alex on his lap, giving Potter room to shift gears.