by D. K. Hood
“Stay down, we have company.” Dave scanned the building, checking the gaps, and then pushed her toward one. He pulled a box from his backpack, clicked it open, and in seconds had constructed a rifle and set it up, the muzzle fitting neatly between the bricks. He looked down at her and then handed her his sidearm. “If I go down, you might need this. Don’t let them take you alive. These guys don’t negotiate.”
Dragging in deep breaths, she nodded and hunched down. Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t form words. She pulled out a canteen of water, took a sip, and then handed it up to him. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged. “They might drive past. The sedan looks like it’s been there for a while with the dust all over it. It depends if the friendlies give us up or not. You never know. Out here nothing is certain. You can’t trust anyone except me.” He removed his goggles and stowed them in his backpack. “We wait and see.” He pressed his com. “Terabyte, do you copy? We’re in position. I’ll wait here for the convoy to pass. Check in at twenty-four hundred.”
When the sound of trucks rumbled through the night, Annie couldn’t stop shaking. Fear grabbed her and her teeth chattered. She gripped the bag of food and hunkered down, but out in the middle of nowhere with only a few mud bricks for protection, terror had her by the throat. As the trucks moved closer and headlights moved across the landscape, a warm hand closed over her shoulder and squeezed. The hand stayed there, like a shield of protection.
“It’s going to be okay. Take deep breaths, close your eyes. Stay calm.” Dave’s soothing voice had a strange calming effect on her. “They might shoot up the Audi but they don’t know we’re here.”
Annie nodded. And then all hell broke loose. A spotlight swept the countryside back and forth and moved over the ruined house before settling on the car. The convoy stopped and gunfire rang out as automatic weapons sent thousands of rounds into the Audi. Unable to catch her breath, Annie closed her hand over Dave’s and squeezed. She could feel the tension radiating from him, but he remained like a statue watching in silence. The noise went on forever and then loud raucous laughter came from the militia. After what seemed like a lifetime, the trucks rumbled off into the distance.
“Okay, we need to move.” Dave stripped down his rifle and packed it away. “Ready?”
Petrified, Annie couldn’t move. She just stared at him as he peeled her fingers from around the handle of the Glock. Her heart pounded in her ears and her legs refused to obey her. She opened her mouth but no words came out.
“You did good.” Dave slid down to sit beside her. He took her hand and rubbed it between his own. “We all go into shock the first time we come under fire. You’ll be fine.” He stood, pulled on his backpack, and picked up all the bags. “Wait here, I’ll see if the sedan is drivable.”
Shaking like a bowl of Jell-O, Annie watched him move away and almost disappear in the dark, his long flowing robes covered special ops camouflage, which blended in with the sandy landscape. She wondered why he’d come to save her with only a robe covering his uniform. If the militia caught him, they’d torture him for days. She noticed a flashlight and made out Dave under the back of the car. The light flicked over the vehicle for a few seconds before he jumped inside and started it up. When he drove it toward her, she started down the building. Her feet went from under her and the air shot from her lungs as she landed flat on her back. Dazed and trying just to breathe, she stared at a million stars in a black endless sky.
“What part of ‘stay here’ didn’t you understand?” Dave checked her over and stared into her eyes.
The look of concern for her calmed Annie’s nerves. She couldn’t resist touching his arm. “I’m sorry. Don’t get so mad.”
“I’ll do my best.” Dave’s arms went around her as he lifted her and carried her to the car. “The Audi’s toast. The fuel tank is leaking but I stuck a twig in it. We might make it to the next stop but it’s going to be a rough ride. The tires are shredded.” He sat her in the front seat, pulled out the canteen, and handed it to her. “Where’s it hurting?” He pushed her hair back inside the burka and straightened it.
Heart missing a beat at his touch, Annie sipped the water and then handed it back to him. “Only my pride. I was trying to get down so we could get away from this place.”
“Okay.” He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. “Remember what I told you. Obey my orders to the letter. Out here we’re alone. If you’d broken a leg falling from the building, or your back, it would’ve been game over. We had a ten percent chance of making it out alive, and since they damaged the sedan, our odds have dropped. Do you want to see your family again, Annie?”
Embarrassed, Annie nodded. “Yes, of course I do.”
“Then do as I tell you.”
Chapter Eight
Texas
The front door to Shane Wolfe’s house banged shut and his daughters Emily and Julie came hurtling down the passageway. He often wondered if his three, petite platinum-blonde daughters were related to elephants as they thundered through the house dropping bags and heading for the kitchen. He turned to the refrigerator and took out the milk. He looked at Anna, the baby of the family at two, sitting at the table with crayons spread all over, her little face screwed up with concentration. He sighed, wondering how he would cope raising three very strong-willed daughters alone. He pushed the thought aside and smiled as the girls tumbled into the kitchen, and headed to the sink to wash up. “How was school?”
“Well, I finish my work and sit staring at the wall most times.” Emily took a jar of cookies from the bench and sat at the table. “It’s boring. Can I be moved up a year? I know all this stuff.”
Wolfe poured three glasses of milk and handed them around. “They put you up a year already. I can ask, but are you sure you want to be in with the older kids? They might bully you.”
“Trust me, since the moment you walked into the science fair with me in uniform, no one would dare.” Emily dug into the cookie jar. “My brain needs stimulation, Dad. I’ll go crazy if I have to go through everything I already know for another entire year.”
“Maybe if you didn’t read all the books ahead of time, you might not get so bored.” Julie shrugged. “I finish early too but just get out my homework and do it when everyone else is working on whatever. You should do the same.”
“I do.” Emily pulled a tragic face. “Can you do something? Please, Dad.”
Wolfe blew out a sigh. “I’ll see what I can do.” He looked at Julie. “Watch Anna for a while for me. I have work to do.” He turned to Emily. “Maybe go sit with your mom and tell her about your day. She’s awake.”
“She’s not going to get better, is she?” Emily’s eyes shone with tears. “What will we do without her?”
Wolfe pushed a hand through his hair. This was his Emily, brutally honest, straight down the line and there was no sugarcoating the truth with her. He’d explained Angela’s illness in simple language a year earlier and just this morning had told his girls before they’d left for school that he’d be working from home from now on. Emily wasn’t stupid and she already knew the answer. He could see her sadness growing every day. “No, she won’t recover, and it’s going to be difficult enough for her without us moping around. She knows the prognosis and she’s worried we won’t be able to cope. We need to let her know we’ll all pitch in and get things done.”
“I feel guilty I’m okay and she’s so sick.” Emily stared up at him and her lip quivered. “How long?”
The kids deserved honesty, preparing them for the inevitability would make it less of a shock. He shrugged. “Only God knows the answer, but not long.”
“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To be with her.” Emily had gone sheet white. “She is so sick and I never know what to say to her. I’m frightened of saying the wrong thing.”
Heart breaking, Wolfe sat down beside her and held her hand. “Tell her about your plans for the future. Ask her opinion. She’d like to be in your
future, so paint a picture for her. Tell her all your plans and dreams, through school and beyond, like how you’d like to be a doctor.”
“Okay, are you sure it won’t make her sad?” Emily gripped his hand like a life preserver. “Should I tell her I’ll take care of you?” She met his gaze. “I will. I’ll help look after the girls. I’ll cook and clean.”
“I don’t need looking after.” Julie frowned at her. “I’ll help as well. We all will, Dad. You know that, right?”
Wolfe cleared his throat. “What y’all need to do is finish school and go to college, but what you’re doing now to help is all I need.”
“What happens—after, when you have to go back to work. We’ll be alone?” Emily dropped her hand. “Will you be okay, Dad?”
Wolfe stood, his hands trembled and he’d need to be the strong one. “We’ll take it one day at a time. If needs be, I’ll get a nanny for Anna. Maybe one who lives in and can be a housekeeper as well. It will make life easier. I can’t expect your grandma to come by every day, even if she says she doesn’t mind. She’s not getting any younger.” He pushed his hands in his pockets. “I have to get back to work. I’ll be downstairs.”
He turned away, switching from family man to Ninety-eight H’s handler in a split second. While his children slept, he’d been working overnight organizing friendlies to assist in the extraction of Annie Parkes from a band of rogue militia. He hadn’t been surprised at Ninety-eight H’s ability to find cash and supplies, but the way he just up and walked into an enemy camp made him wonder if the man had the fear gene. Or maybe he had nothing to lose? He had no intel on his charge at all. He knew about his missions but his name, rank, and any other information were classified. After using the retinal scanner to enter his office, he sat down before the wall of screens and checked Ninety-eight H’s progress. His instructions to keep moving toward the next contact point had been met with an affirmative. He’d sent them on a hazardous journey but he’d trust his own daughters with Ninety-eight H in the same circumstances. If anyone could get through enemy territory without being seen, it would be him. The red bleep on the screen was moving slowly. That couldn’t be good. He rubbed his chin and checked the time. It was a little after four in Texas on Friday, which meant it was just after midnight in Syria on Sunday. Time for Ninety-eight H to check in. He pulled on his headset. “Ninety-eight H, do you copy?”
“Yeah. Man, I can tell time by you.” Ninety-eight H sounded calm as usual but then he was always calm.
Wolfe checked the maps and messages. “You’re a little off course. I’ll give you a new set of coordinates.”
“Negative. I know where I’m going.” Ninety-eight H cleared his throat. “Laying low to avoid hostiles. What’s on the radar?”
Wolfe checked the satellite feed. “The convoy on the highway west of your position is moving north. They won’t be a problem. There’s a single militia vehicle, military with a full load, heading in your direction. ETA twenty minutes. If you take cover behind the mound of rocks one hundred yards west, they’ll roll right past you as they move through the valley.”
“Copy. Yeah, well they’ll be searching for us. They know we’re in the Audi. We took fire when we left the last stopover. The old sedan limped here. It’s toast. We’re on foot and moving slow.”
Wolfe dashed a hand through his hair. “Did the package come through in good condition?”
“Yeah, it’s good. The wrapping is a bit messed up but it’s okay.” Ninety-eight H chuckled. “Man, I could write a book about this mission. I’ve gotta go. I need to locate a more suitable vehicle. I’ll check in at zero two hundred. Out.”
Wolfe shook his head. He’d watch the satellite feed. It would be difficult knowing exactly what was happening in infrared, but he’d know if Ninety-eight H and Annie had gotten themselves captured. He didn’t want to imagine the consequences. No one walked away from a band of hostile militia twice.
Chapter Nine
Syria
Dave squeezed Annie’s hand as they plodded on through the night. Her need for encouragement was his excuse, but he’d felt a connection with her the moment their eyes had met. He swallowed hard. Relationships in his line of work were off limits, so he’d enjoy her company and keep the memory for the bad times ahead. Traveling over rough ground by moonlight wasn’t easy for her and he wished he had another set of night-vision goggles to give her. The woman had grit. He’d give her that. Yeah, she’d been terrified under fire but that was a normal reaction. She’d recovered faster than expected, but after the sedan died, she’d kept pace with him and she hadn’t complained, not once. He’d noticed her trying to disguise a limp and no doubt she’d be covered in bruises come morning, but maybe keeping her moving had been a blessing in disguise. His night-vision goggles picked out the rocky mound high on one side of a valley. From Terabyte’s report, the way ahead was clear but a military truck was heading in their direction. He needed to get into position and pulled Annie along a little faster. “There’s a truck coming this way. We need to make it up the side of the hill behind those rocks.” He stopped walking and turned to her. “I’ll leave something here to slow the truck down. There are grenades in the right-side pocket of my backpack. Pull one out for me.”
“Me?” Annie looked at him wide-eyed. “What if I do something stupid and it explodes?”
Biting back a grin, Dave squeezed her hand before releasing it. “You have to pull the pin before it explodes and then we have two seconds to throw it. Just don’t pull the pin.”
Her hand trembled so much he could feel it as she tugged at the Velcro to lift the flap on the pocket, and lifted out a grenade between finger and thumb. He took it from her and sat it beside a small bush alongside the road. He’d use the bush as a marker, the landscape looked like the moon through his night-vision goggles, and the vegetation was sparce and dry. He took her hand again, her fingers cold against his palm. After the long walk she should be sweating. He glanced at her. “You’re freezing. What are you wearing under the abayah?” He took in her blank expression. “The dress.”
“Are you joking?” She pulled her hand away and glared at him. “I mean… really? We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with people trying to kill us and you’re hitting on me?”
Dave snorted with laughter, unable to stop the wide grin spreading over his face. “Hitting on you? Nope, I wouldn’t dare even if I wanted to.” He held up both hands in mock surrender and then glanced back along the road, watching for any approaching headlights in the distance. “We’re going to engage the enemy in about ten minutes and, trust me, the last thing on my mind right now is jumping your bones.” He heaved in a breath and headed toward the hillside shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m concerned for your welfare; you shouldn’t be so cold. Most women in these parts wear thick undergarments, from neck to knee in winter. I’m assuming you’re not, as you’re so frigid.”
“Frigid?” Annie pulled on his arm. “Oh boy, you’re good at double meanings. I’m not at all frigid. I might be freezing my butt off, but if you took the time to get to know me, you’d find that I’m a loyal and loving person.” She stood staring at him, hands on hips. “They gave me undergarments but I figured if I was going to die, I’d die like an American, wearing a bra and panties. I did pull on the long black socks though, so I looked respectable in their eyes.”
Admiring her fierce patriotism, Dave held out his hand. “I meant cold, Annie. I wasn’t being sexist. I haven’t got a sexist bone in my body.”
“You’re so hard to read.” Annie stared into his eyes. “You have this look about you like a predator.”
Dave shook his head. “Your instinct is right about me. I’m a highly skilled assassin, Annie. That’s why your dad sent me to save you. Those guys out there are trying to kill us. Right now, it’s kill or be killed. We could die in the next hour, so let’s call a truce and be friends. For as sure as hell, I don’t want to spend my last hours on earth arguing.”
“I’d like that.” She to
ok his hand. “You certainly have a way with words, Dave.”
Her hand was cold against his flesh as he started walking. “There’s a town fifty clicks away. If we survive the next hour or so, I’ll buy you some extra clothes. In the meantime, there’s a blanket in the bag with the food. When we stop, wrap it around you and try to keep warm while I’m busy.”
“Okay.” Annie squeezed his hand and shuddered. “Jeez, it’s hard talking to a man with green glowing eyes. I feel like I’m walking on the moon with an alien.” She lifted her chin. “I’m sorry. I know you’d probably prefer to be home rather than risking your life for me.”
“I’m following orders.” Dave quickened the pace. “Stay close. The ground gets steep just ahead. We’ll have to climb up to the top of the hill. There’s cover up there.”
“We can’t possibly walk all the way to the border. I gather that’s where we’re heading, to Turkey? It’s a little safer there, right?” Annie looked up at him, a determined look on her face.
Dave glanced down at her. “That’s the plan. I’m hoping they’ll send a bird to evac us from there if it’s safe to land.” He glanced behind him, checking for headlights in the distance. “I’m planning on commandeering the militia truck. It would be perfect. No one will stop us until they discover their men are missing. We’ll have a few hours’ start at least.”
“Oh, yeah?” Annie snorted. “Like they’ll just give it up to you without a fight.”
Dave shrugged and pulled her up the hillside. “Oh, I expect a fight, but they won’t be needing it when they’re dead.”
“Dead, huh?” Annie puffed along behind him. “Are you out of your mind? You won’t be able to take on a truckload of militia alone.”
Biting back a grin, he stopped and turned to her. “I’ve taken on more than a truckload of militia in my time. That’s what I’m trained to do, Annie. One or twenty enemy soldiers, it makes no difference. I’ll take them down. I never miss.”