by Alix Labelle
The newlyweds were due back from their honeymoon a few weeks before, but instead decided to take another month long cruise and it was almost two months before they were back home in the small town of Orson where they met. A lot had changed in the time they had been away. Dante was still there, being granted some time to prepare for the new arrival, as well as bond with the child he had been away from for so long. Their marriage had granted them a month of leave and his superiors had given him longer, only calling on him when it was necessary. Dante had left twice, never being so happy to come home to his family. Even the words in his own mind seemed surreal.
They were both nervous awaiting Carol and Jeffrey, but when they came in, Ana just blurted it out. “Mom, we have some things to tell you.”
“Is it about Christine?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Sweetheart. Look at her. It is pretty obvious who she looks like. How do you think me and Jeffrey met? We met when I went to talk about the situation. We both wanted to let you two handle it. Why do you think the wedding was when he was off on leave? Do you guys really think it was all a coincidence?”
“Mom, I can’t believe you!”
“Oh the time to be upset is over. You guys are together now and married, Jeffrey, did you see this?” She held up Ana’s hand to show off the large diamond on her finger. “Our kids got hitched while we were gone.”
“Aren’t you upset that he’s my brother?”
“No, why would I be? You two brought us together in your own way and it seemed natural that it would work out for you. This is good. Christine already gets along with her pop-pop Jeffrey.”
Ana shrugged. She sat down at the kitchen table to try and stop the room from spinning around her. Why did she feel like everything had been orchestrated? Dante seemed a bit perturbed, his eyes darting at his dad, not believing that he had let him go for that long without knowing. He asked him why. “Because you weren’t ready. You had things to work out first. You were no good to anyone the way you were when you first left for the Navy.”
“Well there is more.”
“Oh?”
Ana was happy to see the sureness leave her face. “We are having another baby.”
“What! Oh my!”
Carol moved forward, kissing her on the cheek and hugging her. “Does Christine know?”
“Yea, she is happy to becoming a big sister.”
“This is great news!”
It was strange the reaction. Ana had expected horror and contempt even, not the joy of a woman about to become a grandmother again. Her reaction settled her and with their family growing ever larger, they soon found their own house in the small town that they both decided was perfect for raising children. Most people in town knew the two’s history, but Dante got used to introducing her as his wife, instead of his stepsister. It was just too confusing for most.
THE END
Saved and Taken by the Alpha US Marine:
Desert of Love
A Military Romance
Saved and Taken by the Alpha US Marine:
Desert of Love
Sheila Hart was full of mixed emotions. She was excited, scared, happy, but most of all she felt honored that her editor had sent her on such an important assignment. After all, she had only been working for CNN for about a year now, and she was typically a local reporter. When one of the regular international reporters suddenly fell ill, Sheila was asked to fill in for her. She said yes without hesitation. She knew it would be a great opportunity. Sheila had no idea what awaited her in Herat.
From the little research she was able to do on the long trip to Herat, she felt a little bit of reassurance when she read that it was one of the safest places in Afghanistan. Her research warned her that it even though it was safer than most, it was still a war zone and was still very dangerous. She hoped that her employer had at least booked her and her cameraman a nice hotel, if that was even still possible. She supposed she would have to wait until they arrived to find out.
Their flights were pretty uneventful, unless you want to count the snoring coming from Tim, her cameraman, exciting. She nudged him more than a few times just so people would stop staring at them. Sheila imagined that attracting attention to yourself was the last thing you wanted to do on a flight to Afghanistan. So she did continue her research on their destination, elbowing Tim every now and then, and kept to herself.
When they finally arrived at the airport, it seemed to take forever to get through customs. She knew that was pretty common, so she kept her cool. Tim, however, was getting annoyed at the delay. The worst part for Sheila was when she was escorted to a room inside the airport. She tried not to show her fear, but with the limited communication, all she could get from the broken English her escort spoke was something about searching.
When she arrived in the room, a female airport employee was waiting. The employee patted Sheila down all the way from her shoulders to her ankles. When the female employee seemed satisfied that Sheila didn’t have any weapons on her, the escort led her back to where Tim was waiting. Sheila felt relief rush through her body when they were waved on. Tim actually looked relieved that she was back, too.
As they made their way outside Sheila confessed to Tim, “I was a little nervous there for a minute. I wasn’t sure where they were taking me! I didn’t know whether to follow them or run for help!”
“Don’t worry, Miss Sheila! I would have saved you if you were in trouble,” Tim replied with a gruff laugh.
“You laugh now, but I hope it never comes down to that. Aren’t you nervous just being here, or do you get used to being in dangerous, unpredictable places like this?” Sheila asked.
“You never get completely used to it. But, I just figure if something is going to happen, it’s going to happen. I can’t stop it. I just try to be aware of my surroundings, act respectful to everyone I come across, and mind my p’s and q’s. It has worked out for me so far,” he answered with a smile.
“If you say so, Tim. You’re the expert traveler,” she teased.
A driver from their hotel, The Nazary, picked them up shortly after they walked outside. He spoke much better English than the airport employees. He told them about the security at their hotel, and made them hungry talking about the dinner buffet they would arrive just in time to taste. They thanked and tipped him as he walked them into the hotel and made sure their reservations were settled.
The hotel was surprisingly nice. Sheila couldn’t help but have pictures in her head of cracked walls and broken light fixtures. But, The Nazary was just the opposite. It seemed very well taken care of and the few people they had come into contact with had been friendly and helpful. She hoped the room was just as nice.
As they entered the room, they were both relieved to see two double beds near the windows. On the flight, Tim had told her a horror story of the time he and another male reporter were stuck in a room with a single bed. They took turns sleeping on the floor during their three week stay. He said the worst part about the floor was waking up to a cockroach crawling up his face. Thank goodness this hotel seemed to be a far cry from that terrible experience.
They were in such a hurry, they didn’t even take time to freshen up. As soon as they threw their suitcases down, they were back out the door to check out the buffet. They were both famished! Sheila chose her food carefully, checking each item out before deciding on just a few things. Tim was just the opposite, piling everything he could fit onto his plate. As they sat down to enjoy their dinners, they had no idea what was going on just ten miles down the road.
***
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Alan Davidson and his crew of 25 soldiers, traveling in four separate M3 Bradley tanks, were stationed just outside of Herat. They were in the middle of a mission that included securing an old schoolhouse in which members of the Taliban were using as a hideout. These types of missions generally always had the same outcome- The men inside were given a chance to surrender, which usually didn’t happen.
That chance was only offered once. When they didn’t give up, that is when all hell would break loose.
Two soldiers would remain in each tank controlled by three other soldiers, and the rest of the crew would ambush the unlucky men who refused to evacuate the building. This is exactly how things went this night. Luckily none of the M3 Bradleys needed to be used as weapons. The men were able to take care of the enemies by hand, and safely secure the schoolhouse.
To ensure the safety of the building and to prevent another takeover, the crew stayed there for the night. They took turns resting and watching over the building and each other’s backs. By nightfall, everything had settled down and the town was eerily quiet. On those kind of nights, Davidson found it harder to sleep. So he usually didn’t.
He was proud of his crew and the outstanding job they had done in the short amount of time he had been over them. They had conducted over ten takeovers similar to the most current one, some taking much longer than just one night. Each time, they had all come out unscathed, except for some minor cuts and bruises. So far, the worst injury to date had been a broken finger. His most important goal was for all of them to eventually return home safely.
It was a long night for all the exhausted men, and when the sun came up Lieutenant Davidson radioed to his lieutenant that all had been clear through the night. He and the men were refueling with water and energy bars when he heard his lieutenant radio back to him, "It looks like more of our enemies have already found a new nesting place. I need you and your team to lay low until dusk. By nightfall you need to be at the old, red brick warehouse two and a half miles east of your current location. I want that warehouse cleared out and secured! And Davidson?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, sir?"
"There is talk of possible American hostages in there with them. Get them out alive," the lieutenant spoke in his most serious voice.
"Yes, sir!" answered Robinson.
Lieutenant Robinson immediately gathered his crew and they started working on a plan. Hostages always threw in a new danger to everyone involved is these types of missions. The enemies had no regard for human life, especially Americans. If there were indeed hostages in the abandoned building, this would be the first time Robinson and his crew had dealt with such a mission. He knew it would take some careful planning, but he also know he had a great crew and they would come out on top.
***
A few hours earlier, at the Nazary Hotel, Sheila and Tim were getting prepared for the day. Sheila was making some adjustments to her hair, while Tim double checked his camera and microphones. When they were ready to head out the door, a feeling of panic washed over Sheila. She tried to brush it off as nerves. Tim must have noticed her sudden quietness, because he asked her what was wrong.
"Oh nothing. I'm fine," Sheila answered trying to steady her voice.
"Listen, I know you're nervous. It's no big deal. This place is a whole different world than what we're used to. But we'll make it. Plus, when we make it out alive, it will look great on your resume, "Tim laughed, always the jokester.
Sheila forced out a laugh and said back to him, "I know you're right. Everything is going to be fine. I know I will feel much better once we are out there and I can focus on doing my job.” She sounded like she meant it, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.
Finally having left the room, they both grabbed a complimentary apple from the front desk as they headed out the double entry doors. They were almost at the bottom of the stairs, just a few feet from the hotel transportation, and Sheila saw something move quickly out of the corner of her eye. When she turned her head to look, there were suddenly three men rushing at them. Before Sheila or Tim could say or do anything, the bigger man had grabbed Sheila and the other two reached for Tim.
Sheila was too scared to even cry out. When she felt the large gun poking into her side, she knew better than to try and get away. She bit her lip as she was forcefully pushed into the hotel taxi. As she sat in the seat, her captor roughly tied a piece of cloth around her head, covering her mouth. It was then that she felt the tears streaming down her face.
She felt the taxi heave and heard a grunt. When she looked over, a wide-eyed Tim was sitting next to her with the same make-shift gag around his mouth. One of the kidnappers got in beside Tim, holding a gun in his lap and the other two got in the front seat. They drove off quickly before anyone from the hotel could even come outside to see what was going on.
At first, all Sheila could think was We’re going to die here. No one knows we’re missing, so no one will come looking for us. We’re going to die. Then she started shaking her head and mumbling through the gag, “No. No. No.”
“Shut up!” came a gruff voice from the front seat. It was the first time she had heard one of them speak in English since they had been kidnapped. His words did the trick to snap her out of her panic mode. He yelled something else at her that she didn’t understand. She stopped mumbling and put her head down. Feeling a bit more rational now, she started trying to think of how they were going to escape.
There was no way to safely get out of the vehicle, as they seemed to be moving at a very high rate of speed. They would have to wait until they got to wherever it is that they were going. She was thinking that it would be a lot easier to plan if she could talk to Tim. Maybe he was thinking the same thing, because just then she looked up and noticed he was watching her. He gave her a sad look, almost as if apologizing. She tried to smile at him through the gag as if to tell him that it wasn’t his fault.
When the taxi finally jolted to a stop, Sheila quickly turned her head to look out the window. She saw a small, red brick building that sat all by itself. There was no landscaping, no lawn, no signs. Just a lonely abandoned warehouse. She wondered what they were doing there. If only she could understand what they were saying.
Just as roughly as the captors put them in the car, they pulled them out. With guns held to them, Sheila and Tim were taken into the building where there were about ten more men waiting. The inside was as dilapidated as the outside. Upon entering, Sheila noticed a large open space, filled with not only the other men, but foods, guns, and other supplies.
Before she could take in anymore of the scene, the kidnappers pushed her and Tim into a small room with a single window that was covered with metal bars. The door was slammed shut and locked before either of them could say a word. The each hurriedly took of their gags and both started talking at the same time. Tim went silent to let Sheila speak, “We have to get out of here! What are we going to do? Are they going to kill us?” she almost yelled.
“Shhhhhhh! Calm down, Sheila. We need to think. And talk quietly. We don’t want them to hear us. The last thing we need right now is for them to separate us,” Tim whispered.
“Ok. Ok, you’re right. What do we do now? I’m so scared, Tim,” Sheila said, trying to keep her voice calm and quiet.
“Now, that’s better. We have to keep our wits about us if we are going to get out of here alive. Maybe someone from the hotel saw us and called for help. The longer we can stay alive, the more chance we have of someone coming to look for us. We just need to cooperate until we can figure out a plan or someone comes to help. Ok, Sheila?” he asked
“Yes. Ok. I can stay calm. We are going to get out of here,” Sheila said, trying to convince herself more than Tim.
The room was totally bare, except for a single, medium sized tin pot. Sheila and Tim could only assume that the pot was their make-shift bathroom. This made Sheila start questioning how long they were going to be there, and if others had been there before them. Just as quickly as she started to panic, she calmed herself down again. She knew that losing her mind wasn’t going to help anything at all. So, she sat down on the dirty cement floor and put her head in her hands. The next thing she knew, Tim was sitting quietly beside her.
Neither of them knew how long they had been sitting on the cold floor when the door suddenly opened. The man who opened the door was
talking loudly, almost yelling to the man standing beside him. He was motioning at Sheila and Tim as the other man listened and shook his head. They yelled at each other as if arguing for a minute and then the door was slammed shut and locked yet again.
For a minute, Sheila actually let herself hope that the kidnappers were going to just let them go when that door opened. Now she was mad at herself for thinking something so stupid. She felt herself slide down the wall back onto the floor. She wasn’t sure what else to do. They were running out of time.
***
At the start of dusk, Lieutenant Robinson and his crew started on their mission. By this time, it had been confirmed that there were two American hostages that had been taken by the Taliban. Informants had let them know that they were spotted hiding out in the abandoned brick building. No one was certain why they had chosen this spot or what they were waiting for. They just knew that the hostages were in serious danger. And the longer it took for them to be rescued, the less chance that they were coming out alive.
Robinson had said to his men right before they left, “These hostages will not die on our watch! Our most important goal right now is to get them out alive. After we know they are safe, then we can focus on securing the building. Let’s do this!”
The team looked up to their lieutenant, and they knew he would always have their backs. Between their loyalty to him and their rigorous training for situation like this, they started heading to their destination with confidence that this mission would be completed successfully.
They had to leave the tanks about a mile away from their intended destination so the enemies wouldn’t hear them coming. They parked the M3 Bradleys in the middle of a half collapsed temple. The broken stone and dark shadows helped to hide the tanks. A few of the operators stayed behind to wait for orders.