by Karen Foley
The storm had passed during the night, and the morning air was clear. Even at that hour, the sun beat relentlessly down, drying the muddy roads and promising a hot afternoon. Kate packed her bags and went outside to meet Chase. He stood leaning against a Humvee reading his handheld device, while Charity lay at his feet, her tongue lolling. She called his name, feeling inexplicably shy. He looked up and for just an instant she saw the same heat in his eyes that she had seen last night. His gaze raked over her once, before he schooled his expression into one of cool politeness.
“Good morning,” he said, pushing away from the vehicle to walk toward her. “Did you sleep well?”
She gave him a meaningful smile. “Like a baby. But what about you? You didn’t need to leave.”
He paused beside her. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did. What happened last night was amazing, Kate, but it can’t happen again.”
Kate’s smile faltered and something twisted painfully in her chest. “You’re saying it was a mistake.”
Chase’s expression was so intense that for a moment Kate thought he was going to pull her into his arms. “No,” he said fiercely. “Not a mistake. Just not very smart, considering our situation.”
Realistically, she knew he was right. Last night, she’d been convinced that she could have sex with Chase and not have any regrets; that she could have a brief fling without getting emotionally involved. But recalling what it had been like…what he had been like, she knew she’d been kidding herself.
Now she forced herself to nod in agreement. “I understand.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw and he took a step toward her. For an instant, she thought he might actually kiss her. Instead, he made a small sound of frustration and ducked into her tent, reappearing a moment later with one of her duffel bags in either hand.
“You can use this protective gear for the remainder of your visit,” he said gruffly, indicating the bag that contained her flak vest and helmet.
Kate watched as he walked quickly to the Humvee and tossed the equipment into the backseat. She wanted to tell him that he could take the stuff. There wasn’t enough protective gear in the world to keep her heart safe from him.
Drawing a deep breath, Kate walked slowly to the Humvee and climbed into the passenger seat, placing her shoulder bag on the floor at her feet. She reminded herself that she was thirty-one years old and she had wanted Chase in her bed. In fact, he’d given her several opportunities to back off, but she’d been determined to have him. He’d been upfront with her about not being able to make any commitments. It wasn’t as though he’d misled her. She had no reason to expect that he would suddenly treat her as if they were soul mates.
So why did she feel so miserable?
She watched as he opened the back of the Humvee and let the dog jump in before he climbed into the driver’s seat and thrust the vehicle into gear. The roads were thick with mud and washed-out in some places, but the Humvee bounced over the ruts without any problem.
“Here,” he said, handing her a paper bag. “I brought you some breakfast. And a coffee.”
Kate accepted the bag, expecting to find another Pop-Tart pastry. Instead, she found a hot breakfast sandwich and some fruit inside. The unexpected gesture both touched and confused her.
“Thank you. Did you already eat?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I didn’t get any sleep last night after we—” He broke off abruptly. “I was at the dining facility around 4:00 a.m.” He glanced at her as he spoke, and twin patches of color rode high on his cheekbones, the only indication that he was thinking about their interlude, and that he wasn’t as unfeeling about it as he would have her believe. Suddenly, Kate felt much lighter.
“Oh, well, thanks.” She took a bite of the sandwich, realizing for the first time how hungry she was. Then she recalled the helicopter flight from Bagram to Camp Leatherneck, and felt her stomach rebel. “How are we getting to Kandahar?”
A brief smile touched his mouth, but he didn’t look at her. “Not by Black Hawk.”
“Perfect.”
They headed back to the flight line, and Kate looked across the tarmac to one of the biggest aircraft she had ever seen. Stuffing her sandwich in the bag, she turned to Chase.
“That’s a C-17 Globemaster,” he said, nodding toward the plane. “One of the Marine expeditionary units is transferring to Kandahar and bringing three Humvees with them, but they have some extra seats, so we’re hitching a ride with them.”
Kate swallowed hard, reminding herself that at least it wasn’t a Black Hawk, and at least they didn’t have to drive overland.
Inside the makeshift terminal, Chase took her body armor out of her duffel bag and handed it to her, and then pulled on his own protective gear. Outside, he snapped a long lead to Charity’s harness and handed the end to Kate, who watched as he threw their duffel bags on a pallet, alongside dozens of other bags and assorted gear. Several soldiers began rearranging the baggage and then strapped it all down with an enormous net.
A military bus drew to a stop by the pallets. “This is our ride to the plane,” Chase said, taking the leash and indicating she should precede him.
“Sir, I’m sorry but the dog isn’t allowed on the flight,” said a military police officer, stepping forward to prevent Chase from boarding.
Kate thought Chase might try to argue with the man, but instead he pulled a small card out of his pocket and showed it to the officer, who saluted smartly and stepped back. “My mistake, sir. Enjoy your flight.”
They managed to get two seats together near the front of the bus, and Charity scooted in under their feet. Kate turned to Chase.
“What was that you showed the soldier?” she asked.
Reaching into his pocket, Chase withdrew an official looking ID card, but this one had a photo of Charity, and beneath it the words Military Working Dog, and what Kate guessed was the number of Chase’s unit.
“Is she really a working dog?” she asked in surprise. “I thought she was a stray that you rescued.”
“She is a stray, but the K-9 unit has been working with her for the past six months.” Chase reached down to rub the dog’s ears. “Her test scores are higher than most of the other dogs, and her conditioning is exceptional. My guess is that she was a military working dog with the Afghan army and somehow got separated from her handler and ended up in that village. She’s not actually part of the K-9 team, but the unit was good enough to give her an ID card so that I can bring her with me when I travel.”
“What about when you return to the States?” Kate asked. “Will you be able to take her home with you?”
He shrugged, but Kate didn’t miss the regret in his eyes. “Probably not. Officially, she’s not on any military roster and there are strict prohibitions about adopting local dogs. I’m fortunate that nobody has objected to my rescuing her, but locally adopted pets aren’t allowed to travel in crates owned by the military, nor are they permitted to fly on military flights back to the States.”
Kate stared at him. “You’re not going to leave her here?”
“I don’t want to, but the logistics of transporting her to a commercial airport and getting her on board are complicated. I can’t accompany her myself so I’ll need to find a sponsor to travel with her and make the right connections. That’s difficult and expensive.”
They fell silent, and Kate considered what would happen to Charity if she were left in Afghanistan. The K-9 unit might continue to look out for her after Chase left, but eventually they would return to the States, too. What would happen to the dog then?
She watched as dozens of soldiers climbed on board and shuffled past them, all wearing helmets and flak vests and carrying heavy backpacks. She drew curious glances from most of them, but one look at Chase’s face and they moved quickly past. When the bus was filled, it rumbled away from the terminal and across the tarmac, and pulled up alongside the enormous plane. Chase stood up, blocking the aisle so that Kate could slip out in front of him and exit the bus. On
the tarmac, she gaped. There was no set of stairs. Instead, the entire back of the aircraft was open and a wide ramp extended onto the runway.
Kate watched as soldiers climbed up the ramp and disappeared into the cavernous interior. She looked questioningly at Chase.
“This way,” he said, and with the dog in the lead, he took her elbow to help her up the ramp. At the top, Kate couldn’t suppress a gasp.
“Are those Humvees?” she asked in astonishment.
Three of the military vehicles were parked end to end down the center of the plane, secured to the floor with chains and enormous nets. Along the walls were dozens of jump seats, and Kate watched as the soldiers quickly sat down with their backpacks on their knees.
“Sit here,” Chase said, and drew Kate down onto a canvas seat with nylon webbing for the back. Chase took the one next to her, and after ensuring that her seatbelt was fastened, tucked her shoulder bag beneath his feet and gave Charity a command to lie down. “Comfortable?”
Kate couldn’t imagine anything more uncomfortable, but understood that this was a military flight, designed for efficiency, not comfort. “It’s fine,” she assured him.
Within fifteen minutes, the rear of the aircraft closed and it began taxiing down the runway. There were no windows in the plane, and the interior was simply an enormous cavern of wiring, buttons and electrical equipment. The three Humvees were so close that if she stretched out her legs, her feet would touch the wheels, and it was impossible to see anything in the rest of the plane because their sheer size blocked her view. With a sigh, she put her head back and closed her eyes. But she was acutely conscious of the man who sat so close beside her that she could feel his pant leg brush against her own, hear his breathing, and smell the unique scent that she had come to associate with him.
“We’ll be at Kandahar in about ninety minutes,” Chase said, as the big plane lifted into the air.
She nodded. The roar of the engines effectively prevented any conversation, so she simply closed her eyes again. The throb of the engines lulled her into a state of relaxation, and she passed the time by recalling the events of the previous night in minute detail. It seemed no time had passed, when suddenly the big plane banked steeply and began to descend.
Kate glanced beside her, but Chase had his head tipped back against the seat and his eyes closed. Even in sleep, he was mouthwatering, and she allowed herself the luxury of studying his features. The soldiers closest to her were alert, but not alarmed, so she wasn’t worried. The plane continued to bank and descend, though, as if it were riding an invisible roller-coaster track.
“Why is it doing that?” she asked Chase. “It feels like we’re spiraling downward.”
“We are actually,” he said. “The pilot is making what’s called a combat landing, descending in a tight spiral to make us less vulnerable to attack.”
At the last minute, the plane leveled out and the wheels bounced against the runway. They had landed, and Kate watched as the soldiers began gathering their gear. Tenley and her band would arrive here in just two days, and Kate would be fully occupied with ensuring her sister had everything she needed. Suddenly, Kate wasn’t ready for Tenley to intrude. She wasn’t ready to slip back into her role of provider, counselor and surrogate parent to her sister. Most importantly, she wasn’t ready to give up Chase. She wasn’t naive enough to think that once Tenley arrived, she would have any time with him. She knew his focus would shift from escorting her to protecting the entire group of performers. She would have no more opportunity to be alone with him.
Less than a week ago, she never would have thought she’d meet someone in Afghanistan who aroused her enough to sleep with him, knowing that the likelihood of having any kind of meaningful relationship was next to nil. She’d had one-night stands and brief flings before, and they always left her feeling empty and lonely. She’d decided a long time ago that she wouldn’t do that to herself again. She deserved better. She wanted the whole package, including the house, the white picket fence and the happy-ever-after. But she also knew that she’d never meet a man like Chase again, and even if she’d never have a repeat of their night together, she had no regrets.
The plane taxied to the terminal, and the rear ramp lowered. With Charity’s lead in one hand, Chase carried Kate’s bag over his shoulder and took her elbow as they disembarked and waited while the pallets of baggage were removed and placed along the flight line.
Fifteen minutes later, they were in the backseat of another Humvee, with two soldiers up front. Chase helped Kate remove her protective gear and stowed it away in the duffel bag, before removing his own.
“We won’t need to wear this unless the sirens go off,” he said. “Let’s get you settled and go get something to eat, and then I’ll bring you over to the concert site. This is an enormous base, and you’ll have semi-private housing here.”
“How many troops are here?” Kate asked, but just looking out the window of the Humvee told her that this was no forward operating base.
“There are more than twenty thousand coalition troops stationed here, and hundreds of civilian contractors.” He slanted her an amused look. “There’s even a boardwalk with some American fast-food restaurants and a bazaar of sorts where vendors sell local goods. We could walk over there and grab a bite.”
Looking out the window, she noticed that the air was hazy and had a yellowish tinge to it.
“Is this smog of some kind?” she asked, having seen something similar in California.
“No, ma’am,” replied the driver. “What you’re seeing is dust. The air is always full of it, even indoors.”
They drove in silence for several more minutes, and Kate was astonished at the sheer size of the base. “I expect the USO brings a lot of entertainers here, given how big the place is,” she commented.
“I expect so,” said Chase. “You’re the first celebrity assignment I’ve had, and I spend so much time in the field or at the remote operating bases that I don’t usually catch any performances. At any rate, the local USO is accustomed to providing accommodations for visiting celebrities and dignitaries, so I think you’ll find the conditions here are much better than at Bagram or Camp Leatherneck.”
In other words, there was no chance that she would end up alone in a tent where she would need to rely on Chase to watch over her. Even if she did, there was little likelihood that she would get a repeat performance of the previous night.
Leaning forward, Chase spoke quietly to the driver, directing him. Kate was amazed at the number of soldiers, military vehicles and buildings that they passed. They had been driving for fifteen minutes and still had not reached their destination. The Humvee pulled up in front of a long row of modified trailers, each reinforced with sandbags. They were housing units, Kate realized, nearly identical to Chase’s CHU back on Bagram.
“Is this it?” she asked, as Chase pulled her luggage out of the back and commanded Charity to stay.
“This is where you’ll be housed with Tenley,” Chase confirmed. “This entire row is reserved by the USO. They don’t have any empty units at the moment, but there are two female actors in one of the trailers, and they have an extra bunk bed that the USO said you and your sister can use.”
“That’s great,” Kate said, meaning it. She had no desire to sleep in a tent by herself, especially now that Chase wouldn’t be spending the night with her. “Do you know who the women are?”
Chase shrugged. “I don’t, sorry.”
Inside the unit, Chase dropped her bags on the floor by the nearest set of bunk beds. Kate looked around curiously. There was one large bedroom in the front, with a bunk bed against either wall and a sofa under the front window. The two bottom bunks were obviously occupied, with overnight bags sitting on top of the blankets, and a pair of shoes under each bed. The interior of the unit was unpainted plywood, and someone had tried to make the place more cheerful by hanging posters on the wall.
Kate turned to Chase. “How long will the other two women b
e here?”
Chase leaned against the open door frame. “They’re leaving tomorrow on the return flight that your sister and the other performers are arriving on. Why? Would it be a problem if they were staying?”
“No,” she assured him. “This will work out beautifully. Where will you be?”
He paused, halfway to the door. “In a barracks hut. You have my beeper. I’ll be close by.”
Kate chewed her bottom lip, understanding that there would be no opportunity for them to be together tonight. Still, she couldn’t just let him walk away, at least not without trying to convince him that last night meant something to her, and that if he was willing, they could have some kind of relationship. She knew that Chase would be here in Afghanistan for another six months, but that didn’t matter to her. She’d been alone for a long time. Waiting six months for someone like Chase would be no hardship—if he agreed.
“Chase,” she called softly, before he could leave. “Wait.”
He turned in the doorway, and for an instant she saw an expression in his eyes—a combination of agony and hope—that gave her courage. “What is it?” he asked, glancing toward the Humvee, where the two soldiers sat waiting for them.
“Chase…about last night…I know you think it was a mistake, but you’re wrong.”
Something twisted in his face as he looked back at her. “Kate. Last night was…well, it was incredible. Would I like a repeat performance? Damned straight.” He muttered a curse beneath his breath and raked a hand over his hair. “But Jesus, Kate, there’s no future in it, and I can’t—I can’t—” He broke off and turned to stare out the door toward the street, where vehicles drove past and several soldiers walked by.
Kate stared at his rigid back, and then took a step toward him, but didn’t dare touch him. “What?” she asked softly. “What can’t you do, Chase?”
He turned around and Kate took an involuntary step backwards at the expression on his face. “I can’t be around you without wanting you. It took all my strength to leave you last night, but it can’t happen again, Kate. It’s not fair to you. Or to me.”