“Rose, are you okay? Here, let me help you.” He took her arm, dismissing the driver. Looking at Noori and Daoud. “Do you think she needs some water or something to eat?”
Noori liked the young man. He could size up a situation quickly. “Yes, she’s not eaten all day except some tea.”
Rose looked at her friend with exasperation “Noori I am fine… really I am, just a little dizzy. Nothing a little tea and a chance to sit down won’t cure.”
“Sergeant?” Lance came running up. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, but we need to hurry.” Looking at Noori, “see if you can get her something quick that she can eat on the move. We have to get out of here… we have…” looking at his watch, he saw they had thirty minutes at best before the shit hit the fan.
Rose looked at her companion. “What’s the matter?”
“I haven’t time to explain but things are going to happen and we need to get as many people out of here as quickly as possible.”
Moving her in as fast as he could, he could feel her stiffening up. “Tell me what’s happening or I am going to stand right here and start screaming. Is this the US government’s plan on getting me out of the country? Because if it is I’m not leaving.”
Mike whirled Rose around. Grabbing her by her arms, looking her in the face he could see how tired she was. Dark circles framed her big blue eyes. “I wish it was, because then I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t help them. I’d help you find a safe place to hide until you got Ty out, no it’s the, never mind. You have to trust me on this one and we have to get as many of the journalists out of here as we can or in a safe place before thirty minutes is up.”
Rose studied Sergeant Mitchell. She was a pretty good judge of character and she could tell when someone was lying and he wasn’t.
“Okay, tell me as we get upstairs.’
“That’s a girl. Now what floor you on?”
“Fifteenth.”
Chapter 29
Omar and his son got to the service doorway and started climbing the stairs two at a time. They had a key from a cousin of his wife’s that worked here and they could use a room whenever they wanted. Looking at the key it was on the fourteenth floor. Good, not that many to go.
“Are you all set with the rifle? Does it have a scope so you can see clearly?” Omar asked.
“How many times do I have to tell you I always know what I am doing? This is going to be so easy. That delegation from Afghanistan helping the American woman will be there and I will pick them off. That will then make it right for us to take that American spy because the negotiations will have come to a dead end. No third party to help and we are giving till tomorrow then we take him and get rid of him. Show them we mean business, that we are a group to be reckoned with.”
They reached the fourteenth floor and started to hunt for the room. They found it and opened the room. They noticed it hadn’t been cleaned yet. “Hamid, go look out the balcony, see if you can see our friends.”
Hamid went to the balcony, opened the sliding door and walked out. Shielding his eyes it took him a minute but he finally picked out the truck and the car. Yelling back, “Yeah they are in place.”
Omar glanced at his watch. “Good, ten minutes to go, then we see these Americans squirm. Now you remember, if the Afghan delegation misses getting hit then you take them out.”
“Okay, okay.” Hamid watched the sights below and then he heard the drone of jets. Looking up, he saw a jet pass over. “You know what? Jets are making their way back here.” Then looking down he could see a tank take up position. “Hey look at that, that tank is pointing up here.” Hamid could hear what sounded like Spanish overhead and some oriental, maybe Japanese or Korean yelling. They must see the tank too.
He looked up to see the plane making a closer pass and then he heard the sound, like popping sounds. Somehow he always thought shots from a plane would be louder. It was making a sweep in front of the hotel and he knew he was a target.
He heard a scream from above, a woman’s scream and then the blast from the tank could be heard. Looking down, he saw the flash. So was this what it was like to get killed? He heard all the noise, heard his father’s yell. He hoped his father was out of the way because he saw the shell come and at the same moment he felt a burst of something hot and saw metal come flying so fast it hit him and blood gushed out of his body. He felt so removed from everything that was happening. This was just a dream but he knew deep down it wasn’t and this was the end. So he was going to die the same day as his friends below. He sure hoped the explosion took care of those Afghanis. They deserved it, spies for those pigs.
The whole world was exploding. He heard the crash of glass behind him and he heard his father’s scream. As he started to fall he turned just in time to see his father falling. His eyes rolled back. His hand went to his stomach but there was a hole where his stomach was supposed to be.
Chapter 30
“You know Mike, I don’t know how you found out about this but…” Rose was walking one minute and the next minute she was on the floor. “My God, what was that?” the building shook, dust falling from the ceiling.
Noori was down. He fell behind Rose. He looked up and saw Sergeant Mitchell getting to his feet. “Rose, are you okay?”
Mike turned, saw Rose was getting up. “They have started twenty minutes early. We have to get out of here. They will not stop till they reach their objective. We need to start now, evacuating.”
They were all on their feet when the second hit took place, slamming them against the wall.
Rose fell first against the wall then felt Noori fall into her. “Is this what you were talking about, Mike?” she screamed.
Mike got hold of his radio and was about to call for help when they heard a scream.
“It’s coming from that room.” Rose said as she tried to get herself into a standing position, but her legs felt like rubber. She fell back down. She was trying to shake her head to clear it, but nothing felt right. Everything sounded strange too.
Noori took Rose’s hand. “You stay here.” He started for the door where the scream came from.
Rose steadied herself, looking at the door where dust was pouring out.
“Oh no, that’s the Reuter’s headquarters.” She tried to make a dash past the men but fell.
“Rose!” Noori was after her, followed by Mike and Lance.
Rose stood in the door of the room where the Reuter’s journalists were embedded. All they could see was dust and rubble. Rose started to pick her way through the room when a scream rent the air.
“My God, Kim.” Rose ran in the direction of the scream when all of a sudden an explosion that made the last one feel like a fire cracker shook the whole hotel. Everyone was on the floor. Silence. Then she could hear movement in the next room and Kim let out a scream again. She knew it was Kim because she was the only woman, at the moment, with Reuter’s that was embedded at the Palestine. Rose tried to get up but as she did she felt glass in her hands and her face. Looking down, she saw it was just from where she fell. She had fallen into a pile of broken glass from one of the blasts.
Noori knew they had to get out of the building. He knew, whatever that last blast was, was not what initially hit the building.
“Mike, that last blast was a suicide bomber, it was too strong to be anything else.” He got up and over to Rose. Pulling her up to a sitting position and then he and Mike headed for the next room. What he saw would stay with him forever. Destruction. The room no longer resembled a hotel room but a page out of a war story. Why not, this was a war, but why the Palestine Hotel? The woman Rose said was Kim sat in a pile of glass and blood, rocking back and forth, crying hysterically. One man was obviously dead. Then he saw a man who looked like most of his insides had been blown out, his legs torn open. Noori jumped at the sound of Rose and Mike behind him, heard Rose gasp and, when he turned, saw her face going whiter by the second, if that was possible. Her hand was over her mouth. “O
h my God, that’s—”
At that instant the building was rocked again. This time closer. All hell broke loose as the men who were trying to staunch the flow of blood were thrown to the floor.
It seemed like that blast woke Rose from her daze. As the dust swirled around her head she saw the Spanish reporter who she had talked to a few times. He was talking, trying to stay awake and not die. He was telling them what he saw before he was hit. Asking questions. “Why did the tank shoot at me? Why did they do that? I don’t understand.” Then he would switch and try to look down at his legs and was saying, “Why am I like this? I was just outside on the balcony.” All the while the men worked on him to get him on a makeshift stretcher.
Rose got up and made it over to her friend Kim. “Kim, you need to get up. I should check you for injuries.”
Kim looked up at Rose, her eyes vacant. “I need to do a story, don’t you think?” Rose could feel a hand on her arm, looking up she saw Mike at her elbow. “We need to get them and you out. I have sent Lance to get the Humvee to get the wounded to the hospital.”
Mike knew now just getting Rose and the wounded out was priority. He would bring her to the base.
Chapter 31
They moved like a band of ghosts, trying to be careful with the wounded, but knowing the makeshift stretcher wasn’t the best and each movement and turn must be murder, though the man never complained. He said he had to stay awake, up his chances for survival. Then he would say “This is just like a movie, just like a movie.” The rest just moved, one foot in front of the other.
Rose had been counting the floors when they got to the bottom floor. They were about to open the door to the lobby when Lance came through and then a blast that if it was being measured would have been like something a B52 dropped. Rose was standing and then all went black.
**********
He looked up at the sound of the door opening. The captor stood there, just staring at him, his hands holding onto the door jam, white knuckled. Ty’s thoughts swam. This was it or something has happened to Rose. That would be the only reason for the strange look and expression on the captor’s face. He had so much as told him that he, too, loved Rose. Who couldn’t, who wouldn’t love Rose once you came in contact with her? She was so full of life, love. She showed compassion for all she came in contact with. His Rose, the one who had been like a quiet mouse. She had turned into a stormy tempest when he had been captured. The insurgents called her The Lioness trying to get back what belonged to her. They admired but hated her in the circles of those who held Ty. She had been bullying people from the Ambassador to the leaders and clerics of the country, trying in vain to win his release. Then she went to the very President of the United States. She left no one out in her campaign to win his release. When all else failed in the proper channels, he heard she started moving in circles that were too dangerous. He hadn’t slept in what seemed weeks but in reality it had only been days. Wondering, worrying what she would do, how far she would go.
She had admitted she’d go to any lengths, short of selling her body or soul. Then she said, on second thought, she’d sell her own soul if she could get him back.
Ty put his head down in his hands. Whatever his captor had to tell him, he would tell him in his own good time. He felt sick. If it was of his impending death then he would go, at least knowing Rose had tried
If by some miracle he ever got released he would then ask her how she had done everything but from the looks of things, well it didn’t look good.
“Her hotel was attacked.” Ty’s head shot up. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard right or if it was a dream.
“What did you say?”
His captor came in and sank to the floor, his head low. “Her hotel was attacked by multiple bombs, from what it looks like then an air strike or a tank. Reports are confusing. We still don’t know and we don’t know about Rose. She was just dropped off. She didn’t look good. The driver said when she got out, she stumbled. He said he would have helped but too many army personnel were around. They got through the barrier. She got out and stumbled. A soldier came up and escorted her in, took her arm. They went straightaway into the hotel. He said it wasn’t long, maybe ten minutes when the first explosion happened and then.”
Ty stood up. He walked to the door, then back, forgetting himself. Looking down at the captor, he saw only sadness. “What do you know? Is she among the dead? Tell me, you have to tell me. Or better yet, let me go, let me go search.” He sank to his knees and faced his captor. “Please for the love of Rose that we share, and I know you love her, let me go. I can’t live not knowing.”
He was met by empty eyes. “My life is nothing if I let you go and it’s nothing if she dies. I would never have a future with her. She’s from another world, I would be imprisoned. She deserves better, much better.” He brought his hand up to Ty’s shoulder. “She deserves so much more.”
Chapter 32
Rose awoke and she was surrounded by faces. They were in a vehicle, moving at a great speed from what she could judge. She saw Noori, Daoud and Mike. All were concerned but relief spread on their features when they saw her eyes flutter open.
Rose licked her lips and felt and tasted dust. She then licked again and tasted blood. She tried to sit up, but Noori pushed her down. “Not so quick, you got a bad hit to the head. I asked Allah to help you, that we needed you. Afghanistan needs you, the world needs you.”
Rose felt so confused. “Ty?”
“We don’t know. We have to get you safe then see if we can contact the captors…” Noori wanted to get his hands on his cousin. He would kill him himself. “When we get to the base we will try to get a hold of Samid. All our phones were broken in the final blast.”
Rose tried to move, but felt the restraining hand of Noori on her shoulder. “Don’t move, that’s an order.”
“But Samid and the men they were supposed to be at the hotel.”
“We didn’t see their Land Cruiser in any of the wreckage of the cars around so we assume they are fine. Now don’t worry. We will take care of everything. You just rest.”
Rose closed her eyes. What if because of all this something happened to Ty? She couldn’t bear the thought. She felt a tear coursing down her cheek.
Noori saw the tear coming down and knew her thoughts. “It will be okay, I promise.”
Mike looked ahead and saw they were at the gate of the base. “We’re here.”
**********
Dawn was going to be in about half an hour. He felt like he hadn’t walked in years, felt like his body would take a long time to get accustomed to any activity again. He could see the gate to the base up ahead. If anyone knew what happened to Rose, the army would. From what Abdul could find out, an army solider had been with her. Maybe they had been coming to get his stubborn Rose out of the hotel.
He had heard first an airstrike and a shot from a tank had been the first to hit the hotel. What he didn’t know was why the Palestine Hotel, which was a home away from home for the foreign journalists, would be hit by an air strike and a tank. Then a well-coordinated suicide attack from three different vehicles further destroyed the Palestine.
Ty walked up to the gate and was met by two guards. Getting out his ID and passport that Abdul had given back, he handed them over. They looked at the identification and then at him and then the biggest smiles broke out on their faces. “Are we glad to see you. We have someone here who will be even happier. Even though she’s hurt she’s raising a ruckus.”
“Ty heard the first part, even though she’s hurt. Then he heard the next part and knew his Rose would be okay. “Can you take me to her?”
“Yes sir, right now.”
Rose was sitting up in the bed, a bandage on her head. The nurse trying to make her take some medicine. “I am fine, just give me a few minutes and then I will, but I have to talk to my friends here and….” She looked up at her friends Noori, Daoud and Samid. The men had gone looking for tea for Rose. She could hear them outside an
d boy, what a noise they were making. Next thing she knew men were pouring in and then she saw one who stood out from the rest. Tall, dark and very handsome, even in his days’ growth on his face.
She was up and out of the bed, the nurse protesting, but she didn’t care. Her Ty was back, safe and sound. Everything would be okay. “Oh my God Ty, you’re free, how?”
Ty couldn’t take his eyes off Rose. The men were all around them. This wasn’t the way he pictured seeing her for the first time after his freedom, but he would get over it and they would get through it and then later they would have the time alone they needed. For now they would all celebrate his freedom and her being safe.
Rose looked up into Ty’s eyes. “Sorry we have a crew here, you know, our extended family.”
Ty brushed a tear away from her face and then looked around at all the men who were here because of him and Rose. “It’s okay, we have the rest of our lives, if you will have me?”
Rose felt the tears coming. “There should be no question… I love you Ty, now and forever.”
The End
The Lioness Page 17