Diamond Soldiers

by Pinki Parks

  I came with my fingers digging into his chest and my eyes practically coming out of my skull. I ground my body in a circle to use the shaft of his equipment to the best of my advantage. The climactic moment grabbed me by the throat and the scream emanating from my mouth was a high-pitched squeal.

  I was still riding the blunt end of my orgasm when he uncorked the bottle of his excitement. It bubbled to the surface and began to gush with one shot after another like warm champagne. It charged forward and continued to fill me with his sweet bliss.

  “The only thing that comes to mind is holy mother of god. You drew inspiration from me. I could feel how you were manipulating my body.” I laid my head on his chest with my hand teasingly flicking his nipples with my fingers.

  He was still inside me and was reluctant to vacate his position. He finally found his escape. I no longer wanted him in my dreams. The real thing overshadowed anything that would be found in my vivid imagination.

  “I wasn’t the only one manipulating somebody’s body. I don’t think I have to tell you how much being with you means to me. I know you still have your doubts.” I was referring to his brush with death.

  He suddenly bolted straight up, lifting me easily off of him and going to the window on his knees. It almost looked like a bolt of lightning had struck him between the eyes with a revelation.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chase

  I felt this moment of clarity where every little piece of the puzzle was falling into place. I couldn’t get over how stupid I was not to see the signs like the back of my hand. He was the only one capable of showing this kind of animosity. His psychological conditioning had become something of a noose around his neck. The last I saw of him was an intense moment where his body was lifted clear into the air.

  He left many signs including the scorpion which I had seen on his shoulder. I couldn’t see how it was possible for him to be alive.

  I saw somebody in the distance with a handheld scope up to his eye. He gave a wave while wearing a white parka to blend into his environment.

  “I don’t know what got into you, but maybe you should share what you know with the class. The one thing that I hate more than anything is people who keep secrets. Don’t you know secrets have a bad habit of raising their ugly head at the most inopportune time?” She had her hand on my shoulder and I was trying to concentrate.

  “I don’t want to say anything. There’s no possible way and to believe it would mean I had done the unforgivable. He was caught behind enemy lines. His death haunts me every waking hour of my life.” I was envisioning his smiling face and the way that he had this ability to make people crack up with one of his dirty jokes.

  “I can’t help you unless you let me in.” Gail deserved to know what I suspected.

  The man in the white parka was carrying a white case and he put it down on the ground kneeling in a praying position. He was using his white gloves to clear an area to set up a tripod. He began to piece together a very powerful weapon at his disposal.

  “There was nothing left of him and his eyes were wide open looking to the angels in heaven. I watched the lights go out of his eyes. His soul was extinguished leaving him an unfortunate casualty of war.” The very name on the tip of my tongue shocked me and had me staring in disbelief at what was conceivably a ghost from my past.

  “You were the only survivor. I know I’m going to regret asking this, but who exactly do you think is coming after you. They have a funny way of showing their loyalty for everything you’ve done for them.” Gail had an inkling of what I was thinking, but could she even dare to wish her brother was alive carrying some kind of vendetta.

  “He’s judging the wind and has set up a flag right beside him to determine the direction to shoot from. It does make sense when you think about how easily he could’ve shot you coming out of the window of the bathroom. He was purposely keeping you out of the line of fire.” Colby was my best friend and leaving him to be tortured mercilessly would have broken him mentally.

  “The coffin was closed and for good reason. They told us that his face was damaged.” I wasn’t there during the main funeral in the church.

  “He had some cuts and bruises to his face, but nothing that would warrant a closed casket. The mission was classified, but I can tell you enough to know there was no trauma to his body.” The bullet had gone through my rib cage and out through the other side.

  “I never knew the details. I tried to find out, but the military shot me down claiming it was for National Security. Is it possible my brother survived?” There wasn’t any way that I could confirm or deny her question.

  “I would love to tell you it’s not possible, but life is full of mysteries. If I did leave him there to be tortured then he really isn’t the brother you remember. His mind has been corrupted by thoughts of revenge.” I had to keep my head down and continue changing position.

  “I thought there was an unwritten rule where nobody is left behind.” I was told the body was recovered, but I never did see it to say with some degree of certainty he had been returned home.

  “The memory of that day was the reason why I hesitated in the field on assignment for Black Net. It was playing out exactly the same, but I stumbled on a rock and bumped into the woman wearing the bomb. The explosion threw me off of my feet and I landed in an awkward position.” The man was preparing to take the shot. The sun was barely peeking through the heavy snow-laden branches of the trees.

  “Tell me what happened to my brother and don’t tell me it’s a matter of National Security. I haven’t been able to live one moment without thinking about him.” I felt like I owed her the truth.

  “On that fateful day, I stood my ground, but this time the woman with the bomb wasn’t alone. I was able to defuse it with her standing there shaking like a leaf. It was a terrifying moment of my life.” I moved a few feet down with her following me on her hands and knees.

  Colby had zeroed in on his target and was moving the scope of the rifle back and forth to catch sight of an exposed piece of me.

  “I need to know. It has always bothered me the way they swept it under the rug.” She wasn’t angry, but she was persistent not about to take no for an answer.

  “I didn’t see the ambush. There was a contingent of soldiers who appeared out of nowhere camouflaged under the sand. We returned fire, but my platoon was decimated. I threw myself in front of your brother taking the bullet where you saw my scar. My efforts were for nothing. The bullet went right through me and into his chest. It was a direct shot to the heart.” I had tried to save him, but he was already gone before he hit the sand.

  “I don’t mean to alarm you, but it has been remarkably quiet out there.” I was afraid of what that might mean.

  I dared to take a look and found he had vanished from his current position. I moved with one purpose to find where he was going to take the shot from next. Switching positions was a good way to keep an opponent guessing until it was too late. I had never taught Colby how to utilize that tactic.

  “He’s getting closer to take out the guesswork. This doesn’t sound at all like Colby. I have no idea what is going on in his mind. I’m still trying to figure out how he found us. It’s not like we left any breadcrumbs. I made sure to meticulously wipe away our footprints and to leave a set to misdirect him.” I felt like I was missing something important but wasn’t quite grasping what it was.

  “Colby will listen to me. I am the only one that is going to be able to get through to him. He’s my brother and whatever happened couldn’t have changed him that dramatically.” I wanted to believe her, but there were many cases of those disgruntled soldiers looking to exact their pound of flesh.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Gail

  “We both know we can’t stay up here forever. Do you even have a plan?” I couldn’t be objective not with the two people I cared for the most on a collision course.

  “I don’t know what you want from me.” We
did get dressed and it was slightly difficult in a prone position.

  He was tense and was reverting to military mode with only one outcome. Somebody was going to die and the other one was going to be left standing after the dust settled. He went to check to see where the assailant was skulking.

  I took the opportunity to flip open the escape hatch. I made my way down the ladder breathlessly anticipating a family reunion.

  I could hear him yelling at me to come back, but I wasn’t paying him any mind. He attempted to follow me, but a bullet rang out from seemingly nowhere. He wasn’t trying to kill me. I was going to use his family connection to back him down.

  “Colby… come out where I can see you.” I whirled around looking at the blinding snow and how the sun bounced off the surface.

  I scanned the area with my hand up to my eyes to shield them from unnecessary harm. I had to hold onto the pants with one hand or gravity was going to embarrass me. They were two sizes too big and the shirt was baggy on my diminutive frame.

  “I want you to tell me why you are doing this.” I was baiting him to explain what he was doing.

  I was standing in a dominant position with my hands on my hips. I was mimicking what he would do when he found me doing something he didn’t approve of. My mother gave him the untenable task of raising me to be a responsible young adult. He was strict, but he was fair and rewarded me with special little gifts.

  I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye and he was emerging from his hiding spot covered in pure white. The gun was strapped over his shoulder hanging loosely. His face was obscured by the white ski mask. I was somewhat afraid of what I would see once he revealed himself.

  “This isn’t your business.” His voice was muffled, but I was ready to give him a good talking to.

  “I have no idea what you went through, but I would hope there was still an inkling of a good man underneath all the hatred. We haven’t seen each other in years. I did my best to find out the truth, but I was stonewalled by the military.” I was giving him an open forum to say what was on his mind.

  “I’m going to kill him.” His sentences were short and sweet with no wasted motion.

  “He didn’t mean to leave you behind. He was under the mistaken belief your body was recovered. Don’t you think he would have done anything to bring you home? He’s your best friend and someone you relied on to have your back.” I felt like I was talking to a brick wall, silent and unmoved by my plea for forgiveness.

  “Don’t stand in my way.” He retrieved the gun over his shoulder and had it in both hands.

  “I’m your sister and you need to listen to me. This has gone too far. Stop this insanity before you lose what is left of your soul. There’s still a vestige of hope you can recover from whatever torture you have undergone.” I could see the pain in his eyes.

  Those liquid blue pools were dead calm. It dawned on me my brother’s eyes were green.

  “You don’t know the pain I have lived with.” I narrowed my eyes trying to see-through the mask he was wearing literally and figuratively.

  “You’re not my brother. Stop being a coward and take off the mask. My brother has green eyes. You got a little too close for comfort. It’s time to tell me who you are.” He had a moral compass and a code of conduct.

  It prevented him from killing an innocent woman in his quest for vengeance.

  I took a few tentative steps forward and he flinched with his finger on the trigger of the weapon. I took a deep breath and I soldiered forward by putting my hand out to grasp the edge of the mask.

  “Don’t… he didn’t want you to know.” I yanked it clear of his face and tossed it unceremoniously into the snow.

  “Henry… what the hell is this about? I always thought you couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. I took you out to the shooting range and you could barely stomach picking up the gun let alone firing it.” There was something cold and impersonal about his expression.

  “I was there… with him during his final moments. He went against orders and had his phone turned on. I listened to how he pleaded with Chase not to interfere. Had he listened the outcome could have been vastly different. I… I…loved your brother and we planned to spend the rest of our lives together.” Colby was mysterious about his love life.

  “Is this really what he would want you to do in his name? I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to be happy.” I always thought Henry was hiding behind the smile. It was obvious he was using Kevin as a personal crutch.

  His lighthearted attitude was some kind of shield to protect him from his feelings. He was letting his grief fester inside of him until it grew into something he couldn’t ignore.

  “I don’t care what he would want. He died because Chase was arrogant. I purposely set you up with him knowing that you wouldn’t be able to resist a man in uniform. Do you recall the gift I gave you on your birthday?” My hand immediately clasped onto the silver locket around my neck.

  “Is there’s some kind of locator beacon embedded into the locket? That’s how you were able to stay two steps ahead this entire time. I could have died in the fire, Henry!” He turned his head unable to make eye contact.

  “Look at what Chase has made me become. I have been training for one year diligently. I had this taste for revenge. Chase took away my one chance at happiness. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted him to pay the ultimate price.” He was pretty far gone, but I still believed I could reach him.

  “I want you to take a cold hard look at yourself. Colby would never condone these actions. You need help. I will be there every step of the way holding your hand to get you through this. Without you, I don’t know if I could’ve made it after Colby died. You were my rock. All that time you were grieving without saying a word.” His cold stare was broken by a lone tear in his right eye.

  “He was my world and when he died I lost a piece of myself. I became bitter and uncaring. I can’t believe I used you and put you in danger. I don’t even know the person looking back at me in the mirror.” He broke down into hysterical tears. I held him until he collapsed to his knees.

  We made our way back to where his truck was located. Chase didn’t say one word and was most likely worried how his attempt to explain what happened was going to be perceived.

  “Why did you try to set up Mason?” Henry looked at me with disgust for himself. “I don’t know. I just needed to do whatever I could to get revenge for Colby.”

  Chase drove while I consoled Henry and came to terms with my brother keeping a part of his life a secret from me. I would have never judged him. He was my family and I would have accepted him without restrictions. “I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me about the two of you.”

  “Your brother wasn’t ready to come out of the closet. He was afraid to being seen in a different light. When he died, I promised I would be there for you. I became your best friend, not because of him but because I really do love you, Gail. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too, Henry.” He put his head on my shoulder and I held him the rest of the way.

  I made a few phone calls and found an institution willing to give Henry the therapy he was looking for.

  I was there for him during the initial period of settling in. I gave the doctors all the information they would need to give him some peace of mind. It was classified under Dr. and patient confidentiality.

  “I will come back every day. This is your chance to get well. I don’t know what’s going to happen. It depends on what Chase wants to do. I will have a talk with him.” He was sitting in his room staring at the window where a hummingbird was flapping its wings.

  “I wouldn’t blame him for holding a grudge.” I patted his back in a comforting gesture of friendship. I gave him my deep and abiding affection.

  Chase agreed not to press charges and felt it was necessary to stop the cycle of violence. He held my hand outside of the institution and I cried on his shoulder. The evidence against
Mason was proven to be planted. There was nothing to incriminate him.

  “There’s no reason to be sad. He’s going to get the help he needs to deal with his loss.” I shuddered with his arms around me.

  “These are not tears of sadness. They are tears of joy.”

  My best friend was hurting, but the professionals on staff told me he was a good candidate to make a quick recovery. He still had a long road ahead of him, but he wasn’t going to do it alone.

  “I never thought I would want to have children. This world is fucked up. I will give them the tools to survive what this world is going to throw at them. I haven’t even asked what you think of the idea.” I envisioned my baby being born and immediately swaddled in camouflage diapers.

  “I want to have your child. It could take a few tries. Practice makes perfect.”

  “Gail, this is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.” He smiled and I shared his sentiment with a deep passionate kiss.

  We drove through the town with the decorations on display. Christmas was definitely in the air. I could see the smiling children. The festive songs from each store front were escaping into the streets.

  I was ready for my first Christmas with the man I loved. I was in the mood to celebrate for the first time in a long time.

  THE END

  *****

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