by Cindy Dees
“Are you kidding? I know every inch of this miserable shithole—excuse me, ma’am—of this town.”
Annie noticed that Tom looked a little pale around the gills and was beginning to wobble. “Tom, why don’t you get dressed, and I’ll pour some iced tea for all of us.”
Tex’s eyebrows went up, but he made no comment as Tom nodded and retreated to the bedroom. He emerged a few moments later, bare-chested and wearing green camouflage pants.
Annie groaned mentally. He probably couldn’t get a shirt on by himself over his cast and wasn’t going to ask for help in front of one of his guys. But how was she ever going to sit calmly in the same room with him shirtless?
Tex dragged a chair over from the kitchen table and plunked down on it while Tom eased onto one end of the sofa. Annie had no choice but to sit beside him.
“Where are the others?” Tom asked.
“Mac’s working in a government warehouse across town. Dutch is posing as an American journalist because he’d never pass for a local. Doc’s got himself a sweet job working as a medic for the rebels, and Howdy and I hang out here and there. I keep an eye on things and stay in contact with the other guys.”
“What’s the situation?”
“The rebels are fixin’ to bust out and attack any second now. They’ve got most of the roads sewed up and they control the airport. Nothing’s moving in or out of the city without their say-so. There’s a major player out there backing them hard. They’ve got more equipment than they can possibly use, and somebody’s trained them on it.”
“What’s the government doing?”
“Sitting around with its thumbs up its—” he threw an apologetic glance at Annie “—nose. The army’s got tanks rolling around for show, but it lacks the manpower to fight an urban guerrilla war. Desertion numbers are climbing fast. Government troops have lousy weapons, rotten training, and their morale’s the pits. Not to mention their leadership sucks. They outnumber the rebels about two to one, but that’ll be good for squat when it comes to a shootin’ war.”
“So the government’s going down?”
Tex nodded succinctly. Underneath his homespun vocabulary, Annie sensed a sharp mind at work.
“Timetable?” Tom asked.
“Like I said. Any second. There’s been some house-to-house fighting on the east side of town the last couple nights. Mostly drunks brawling, but tension is high.”
“So what have you guys been doing while I was out of play?”
Tex leaned back with an engaging grin and stretched his legs out in front of him. “Mostly whorin’ and drinkin’ and gamblin’ all night long.”
Annie was intrigued when Tom merely raised an eyebrow and Tex sat upright abruptly, the grin wiped from his face.
“We’ve been waiting for you to get out of the hospital so we can bug out of this damn country and leave it to its revolution. And we’ve been prayin’ for you.”
“Thanks.”
Annie watched the silent look that passed between the two men. Yup, these guys had been to Hell and back together. A few times.
Tom asked casually, “Have you given any thought to how we go about leaving Gavarone?”
“Actually, we were waiting to see how mobile you were before we finalized a plan.”
Annie suspected that if they had to carry him out on their backs, they’d do it.
“Any idea how soon you want to move out?”
Tom answered quickly. “ASAP.”
Annie interjected. “Not so fast, Tom. I want the embassy doctor to have a look at you before you go running off into the middle of a war. And you still need to get your strength back.”
He shot one of those saber-sharp looks of his at her, but she glared right back at him.
“Tex, I don’t believe I’ve introduced you to my nurse-maid and resident watchdog, Annie O’Donnell. She’s attached to the American Embassy and has been helping me out since the accident.”
“We sort of met in the hospital. But it’s a pleasure to officially meet you, ma’am. Doc and Dutch said you took real good care of our guy.”
She smiled. “I did my best. But you know what a cranky patient he can be.”
“I can imagine, ma’am.”
She sighed, calculating her chances at getting him to stop ma’aming her every other sentence. The odds weren’t very good, but it was worth a shot. “You can cool it on the ma’aming, Tex. It makes me feel like an old lady.”
“Yes, ma’am. I mean, all right.”
Tom grinned and Tex scowled at his boss.
Another knock sounded on the door, and Annie gaped at the instantaneous transformation of the two smiling men into deadly serious hunters. One second they were sitting in their seats, and the next, Tex was plastered against the wall by the door while Tom melted into the shadows of the bedroom doorway. A series of hand signals flashed back and forth between the two men, and weapons appeared in their hands.
Tom gestured Annie to get the door.
Scared to death, Annie walked over to it. “What’s your handle?”
“Mac.”
She opened the door to a black-haired, blue-eyed Irishman with killer dimples. He took a quick look down the stairwell, then leaped into the apartment, shoving Annie out of the way in the process. He closed the door fast, slowing at the last second to ease the latch shut silently.
“I was followed,” Mac bit out. “I had to get in here before they saw where I went.”
Tex raced silently across the room, a pair of binoculars coming out of somewhere on his person as he moved. Annie lost sight of him in the darkened bedroom until she made out his silhouette half-hidden behind her freshly hung curtains.
As fast as Tex moved into the bedroom, Tom moved out of it and closed the door behind him.
Annie asked nervously, “What’s going on?”
Tom answered, “Tex is trying to spot whoever followed Mac. I closed the door so he wouldn’t be backlit from the light in here. Don’t worry. Tex has the damnedest eyesight I’ve ever seen. He’s the best.”
She let out the breath she realized she’d been holding. On wobbly legs, she made her way to the sofa and sat down. Tom’s transformation into a Special Forces commander had been instantaneous and complete. Gone was the smiling, relaxed man from the bathroom. In his place was this cold, hard stranger who knew his way around guns and shadows.
When he spoke again, Tom’s voice was perfectly normal. It showed no signs of strain over the last few tense moments.
“Hey, Mac. Glad you could make it. Any reason you felt obliged to bring company to the party?”
“A government guy picked up my tail, and a rebel guy picked up his tail. I couldn’t dump them both without being obvious about it, so I had to wait till the last second to get rid of them. I think they’re following each other right now.”
The door from the bedroom opened. Tex strolled out, as unconcerned as Tom, as if this kind of thing happened every day. “All clear. Your tails are running around in circles trying to figure out who’s chasing who. Nice misdirect, Mac. Not bad for a dumb, Irish kid.”
Mac flashed a fast hand signal at Tex, and all three men chuckled. She had to get Tom to teach her that sign language.
“Macready Angus Conlon, this is Annie O’Donnell. I gather you’ve met already.”
He nodded politely at her. “We met at the embassy and again at the hospital. Thanks for your help with our commander.”
“My pleasure.” She really wished they would all quit thanking her as if she wasn’t the pilot who’d nearly killed Tom in the first place.
Tom wasted no more time on pleasantries. “Tex has given me a quick overview of the situation, Mac. We were just starting to discuss egressing Gavarone. Any thoughts?”
“I’ve been working in a government supply depot the last month or so, and I pick up juicy tidbits now and again. In fact, we spent all day today issuing ammunition to the troops. Word has it the rebels are planning an all-out attack on the coast highway tonight.”
Annie gasped. According to her situation briefing at the embassy yesterday, that was the last major road into or out of St. George that the government still controlled. If it fell to the rebels, the city would be surrounded and effectively under siege.
Mac glanced at her and continued. “If you were a little stronger, boss, I’d suggest we leave this minute and head for the ocean.”
“If we’ve got to go now, I’ll manage.”
The Irishman frowned and his brogue abruptly disappeared. “Major Foley, sir. With all due respect, don’t bullshit me. I’ve been in this business nearly as long as you have. You can’t handle the trip, and you sure as hell can’t swim twelve miles out into the ocean to get to international waters for a Navy pickup.”
Annie piped up. “I second that. I’ve been at your side for seven weeks, Tom, and you’re in no condition to move, yet. You’ve only been conscious a couple days, and walking for less than one.”
Tex dived in. “Well, then. We’ll hunker down and wait this thing out until you’re ready to go, Hoss.”
Annie looked at Tom. “Hoss?”
“My handle. And don’t ask.”
Tex and Mac grinned widely, but said nothing. Annie knew a challenge when she saw one. Sooner or later she’d get one of them to tell her where “Hoss” came from.
The conversation drifted into small talk. A few war stories were swapped, and Tex updated Tom on how the other members of the team were fairing.
Annie went to the refrigerator to get refills on drinks and was surprised when Mac joined her in the kitchenette. “How much morphine is the major taking, Miss O’Donnell?”
“Call me Annie, and he’s down to two pills every twelve hours.” She skipped telling him about her rank as an Air Force captain. Spec Ops types were known not to give a damn for rank and to judge people on their skill, instead.
“Do you happen to know the status of his injuries?” Mac asked.
“His ribs and the left forearm aren’t fully healed yet, and he complained about his right collarbone a little while ago. But beyond that, he seems to be mostly mended. His legs hurt when he walked on them for the first time yesterday, but he handled the pain.”
“Hallelujah. We may just make it out of here alive, then.”
“You mean that’s in any doubt?”
He gave her a long look and then answered, his voice candid. “You were holed up in that hospital a long time. The situation has gotten very bad in St. George the last few weeks. There’s going to be bloodshed and lots of it before this is over, and the rebels are fanatically anti-American.”
“What about the government? Will they help the Americans get out?”
“They’re trying to gain support from the population and have taken up a new anti-American stance. Besides, they’re too busy covering their own behinds to worry about ours. We’re on our own.”
Dread burst forth inside Annie. “We’ve got to get out of here before the lid blows, Mac. How much time do you think we have?”
“Hopefully a few days, maybe no more than hours. If this rumored rebel attack on the coast highway pans out, it’s probably going to draw an all-out response from the government.”
Annie stared, wide-eyed, at him. “I had no idea war was so close. What are we going to do?”
He shrugged and gave her a grim look.
“Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?”
Annie turned away. Hastily she poured a glass of iced tea and carried it to Tom. “Mac was just telling me the rebels don’t like Americans.”
Tom nodded slowly. “That’s a fact. They certainly tried their best to kill us in the jungle.”
Tex commented, “You’d have thunk there was a big ol’ reward for our scalps, the way they came after us. ’Coon hounds couldn’t have chased us harder. Speaking of such things, I hear the American Embassy’s pulling out all its folks day after tomorrow, including the ambassador. You gonna be leaving us, ma’am…I mean, Annie?”
Even the ambassador was being pulled out? The gravity of her situation hit her so hard it knocked the breath out of her.
Tom answered for her. “She can’t leave with the embassy personnel. Annie gave up her diplomatic immunity when she yanked me out of the hospital illegally. She’s coming out with us.”
Tom’s men were silent, but a dismayed look passed between them.
She cleared her throat. “Look, guys. I don’t want to be a burden to you. Tom’s going to be enough for you to handle when you leave. I can make my own way out of town. I know the area pretty well, and I have some contacts. I’ll work something out.”
Tom was on his feet in front of her in the blink of an eye. He grabbed her by her upper arms and glared down at her. “That’s enough of that. Don’t you even think about trying to leave on your own. Got it?”
“But…”
“That’s a direct order, Annie, with all the authority of the Uniform Code of Military Justice behind it. Do you understand me?”
Sheesh. He didn’t have to get so worked up about it. “Yes. Fine. I understand.”
“You’re with us, and this team doesn’t leave anybody behind. It’s why my guys didn’t get out seven weeks ago, and it’s why I’m not even bothering to ask them to leave without me now. We live or die together. Like it or not, Annie, you’re part of that deal, now.”
Tex and Mac murmured their agreement.
She looked at the grim faces of the three men. It obviously wouldn’t do any good to argue with them, but she was troubled by the arrangement. Their leader was already hurt, and she would be yet another liability to them. But she had enough experience with stubborn men to know these three had dug in their heels and wouldn’t be budged on this one.
She sighed. “I guess that’s settled, then. I’m going with you guys. But for the record, there’s no way on God’s green earth I can swim twelve miles to get to a ship.”
Tom grinned down at her. “Wimp. I guess we’ll have to get you a boat and the rest of us will swim behind it and push you.”
“Gimme a break.”
Tex shrugged. “We’ve done worse.”
The smile faded from Annie’s face. Holy crap. Tom wasn’t kidding. What kind of maniacs were these guys?
ANNIE WOKE up abruptly sometime after midnight, unsure of what had startled her out of her sleep.
There it was again. A faint noise, like rain hitting a metal roof. Except it sounded like it was coming from far away. She lay on the couch for several minutes, staring at the ceiling. The refrigerator rattled and then settled down to humming quietly. She didn’t hear the noise again. Restless, she rolled over a couple times, trying to get comfortable in her uncomfortable bed on the sofa.
A sharp noise jerked her upright. It was much closer this time. Much louder. And it sounded like…
That was gunfire! Right down the street.
And then another sound, one that caused her to leap to her feet. Tom groaned as if he were in pain.
Ohmigod. Was he hit?
She raced into the bedroom and found him tossing on the bed, fast asleep. She sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to soothe his forehead.
This time she wasn’t quite as startled when he jerked her down beside him and whispered, “Get down, for chrissake, Jackie. They’ll shoot you.”
“Tom. Tom, it’s Annie. Wake up.”
Slowly he roused from his dream. His eyes opened, and his gaze locked on to her face. Gradually his eyes focused on her. “Annie. What are you doing here?”
“You were having a bad--” She broke off as a burst of gunfire sounded practically outside the window.
He rolled completely on top of her, crushing her. “Stay down,” he ordered.
She replied dryly. “I had that one figured out, thanks. Besides, I couldn’t move if I wanted to with you crushing me like this.”
He rolled off her and on to the floor before Annie could stop him. She watched him…slither was the only word for it…to the window. He eased himself u
p under the curtain and peered cautiously outside.
He slithered back to the bed. “Get on the floor on the far side of the bed.”
She rolled off the bed, doing her best to imitate his liquid movements. It was harder than it looked. He started to drag the mattress toward the living room. As soon as she realized what he was up to, she crawled over and pushed the clumsy mattress from behind.
Once they’d horsed the thing into the living room, they stretched out side by side on the narrow double mattress, each lying very still in their mutual awkwardness. In the silence following another volley of shots, Tom pulled down her pillow and blankets from the sofa.
“We may as well get comfortable. Those snipers are going to be out there a while.”
“There are snipers out there?”
“Welcome to the Gavronese revolution, Annie.”
“What?” Her mind refused to grasp the implication of his words.
“Congratulations. You’ve just entered a war zone.”
“Maybe it’s just some of those drunks Tex was talking about.”
Tom fluffed the lone pillow and drew her close so they could share it. He pulled the blanket over them and tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder. “Sorry. Those are government and rebel soldiers down there firing at each other.”
“You’re sure?”
“I chased a bunch of rebels through the jungle not too long ago, and I don’t believe the government has changed its uniforms recently. I’m sure.”
“Good Lord.” So. War had come. The realization was beyond sobering. It was chilling. Absolutely terrifying.
“Welcome to my world, angel.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity of finding herself in the middle of a war zone, or to cry at the tragedy of Tom living in this bizarre, dangerous world.
“What do we do now?”
“We rest, and we wait for morning. The shooting will stop when it gets light out. You may as well get comfortable. We’re gonna be here the rest of the night.”
“And you live like this voluntarily?”
He shrugged under her ear. “Somebody’s got to do this job, and I’ve got the skills to do it.”