A man’s voice yelled out. I walked faster, hoping to get away before they caught up with me. When I reached the only exit from the market, I saw two other men with long beards and guns looking at the crowds.
Act calm. You’ve got this.
The rest of the people around me scattered, leaving me exposed. One of the two men with guns pointed in my direction. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I rushed toward a battered, barely-yellow taxi a few hundred feet away. Go, go, go! I saw one of the men rush forward out of the corner of my eye.
Before I reached my means of escape, a rough hand grabbed my shoulder. I whirled around and kneed the man in the nuts. He cried out, bending over in pain. I rushed forward. The other man grabbed me around the waist from behind and lifted me into the air.
“Let me go!” I screamed. “I’m American!”
Foul smells hit my nose as the man laughed. As I struggled to get out of his grasp, the other man walked over, a serious scowl etched on his face. I thought he would hit me. Another man ran up behind him and threw a bag over my head.
The darkness scared the hell out of me. I screamed again, kicking and wiggling to get away. All the men were yelling, but I had no way to know what about. Were they Taliban or henchman of some local warlord? Not knowing terrified me even more.
I stopped struggling as I realized it wasn’t getting me anywhere. One of the men moved my hands behind my back, tying them tightly. Panic spread through my mind as someone pushed me from behind and yelled.
“I’m going,” I yelled as I took a step forward.
What the hell is going on?
My pulse quickened as I walked blind. The sounds of the market were clearer with my vision cut off. The men who had grabbed me continued talking, but I didn’t understand what they were saying.
This is it. My life is over. I’ll never see my family or friends again. I never even had the chance to say goodbye.!
After hearing stories about how kidnapped women were treated in Afghanistan, I told myself I had to keep fighting until there were no other options.
“Allah Akbar!”
At the familiar cry of martyrdom, I heard gunfire and men screaming in English. This was my chance.
I turned and ran to the left, hoping for a clear getaway and avoiding the fire. The hood over my head made the struggle significantly more difficult, but time was of the essence and I had mere seconds in the midst of chaos.
Gunfire continued ringing out as I ran face first into a wall. Dropping to the ground, I curled up in a fetal position, hoping for the best.
As the shots died down, I heard American soldiers barking orders. I struggled to my feet and screamed at the top of my lungs, “Help! I’m an American!”
“Jade? Is that you?” Cooper, a soldier from FOB Cobra, asked.
“Yes!” I said.
Panic still had control over my body as I shook. My knees buckled beneath me, and I fell to the ground. I was saved by strong arms. The hood came off, and I saw the most amazing man in the world.
Our eyes locked. All the chaos around the market faded into the background for a split second that seemed like an eternity. He smiled, white teeth standing out on his dirt-covered face.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I am now. How did you know I was here?”
“We didn’t know you were here. This was supposed to be a routine check-up on activity at the market.”
“I’m so glad you came.”
“You’re lucky to be alive.”
He lifted me up by my shoulders, making sure I was balanced before releasing his firm grip.
“Let’s get you back,” he said as he untied my hands. “There you go.”
I rubbed my wrists, looking around the market.
“Is anyone…dead?”
He nodded somberly.
“Let’s get out of here before something else hits.”
I grabbed his arm and followed as he led us back to the Humvee convoy on the edge of the market.
TWO
Jade
I sat in back of the Humvee as it roared down the dirt road toward FOB Cobra, one of the few forward operating bases still open in Afghanistan. Cooper sat in the passenger seat up front.
“You snuck out without your escort,” he said, bending his torso to look back at me. “You’re damn lucky. Those guys were about to take you to the desert and turn you into a sex slave.”
I took a deep breath and stared out the side window. My stomach churned.
Why the hell did I come to Afghanistan in the first place? Oh yeah…
“Are you even listening?” he asked, his voice escalated.
“I am, but…”
“No damn buts about it. You made a bad situation worse. If Logan and I hadn’t arrived at just the right time, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
“Thanks, Logan,” I said to the driver.
“Not a problem,” he said, calm as ever.
“It’s foolish for you to even be here,” Cooper added.
“It’s not foolishness, “I responded quickly.
People had such a distorted view of the war. It wasn’t foolish to want to shed light on such a dark situation.
“Whatever,” he said coolly, his assault rifle nestled in his arms as he scanned the horizon.
Ugh. He’s so infuriating!
“Thanks for saving me. I appreciate it.”
“Just doing my job,” he said, shaking his helmet covered head.
I sat back, wishing my head would stop hurting so damn much.
“Were they Taliban?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Damn straight they were,” Logan said.
The Humvee bounced and jostled all of us as he sped down a dirt road toward FOB Cobra. I’d only been embedded with the forward operating base for two days. I wondered if they would send me back.
By embedding with the U.S. military, I had cut the costs for my Afghanistan trip down considerably. In exchange, I agreed to let the Army approve anything before I published it online. They could not stop me from reporting the truth though.
The regulations and restrictions had turned out to be harsher than I ever imagined once I’d arrived, which is why I had snuck into Samangan on my own. Several sources had given me information about a huge smuggling operation out of Afghanistan that involved members of the U.S. Army.
I suspected everyone at FOB Cobra, including Cooper and Logan. The two were best buddies from what I’d been able to gather. All the military types were usually close-knit groups, but I thought I could get to the bottom of the story. That meant finding out if my sources were lying or not.
“Why do you have to be so damn secretive, anyway?” Cooper asked.
“I’m a journalist. It’s part of my job.”
Outside, I noticed a tall, metal fence surrounding the small military base, one of the few still in operation a decade after the war in Afghanistan had started.
“The CO will want to see you,” Cooper said.
“I can handle him.”
“We’ll see,” He snorted. “You’ve got balls, though, Ms. Hart.”
“Huge!” Logan added, laughing along with him.
The laughter died down as we approached the entrance of the camp, the entry control point or ECP as they called it. I’d been getting myself up to speed on military lingo and jargon for two weeks prior to arriving, but I still had a long way to go.
As we stopped at the outer gate, a fully armed soldier whose name I didn’t remember walked up and glanced into the back.
“What happened?” he asked.
“The Taliban were about to take her from the city forcibly. We had a firefight and saved her.”
I frowned but said nothing to correct his version of the events.
“Damn,” the soldier said then stepped back and waved us on.
When we reached one of the long, metal buildings with a rounded roof, Logan stopped.
“This is you,” he said.
I opened the door and climb
ed out.
“Hey,” Cooper shouted out.
I shielded the sun from my eyes with my hand and stared at him.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t let him give you too much shit, okay? I’m glad you’re safe.”
Despite my best efforts to mask my emotions, I smiled.
“Thanks. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“You better,” he said. “And get that head checked out.”
“I will.”
After Logan drove away, sending up a cloud of smoke, I walked to the entrance of the building that reminded me of a huge metal shipping container.
Captain Jeffries, the Commanding Officer of FOB Cobra, would not be happy with me sneaking out, but if I was investigating claims against the military, I wasn’t able to work too openly with them.
I opened the door and walked inside. While cooler than outside, without air conditioning it wasn’t very comfortable. Tony Roth, His aide-de-camp, sat at a tiny desk.
“Hey,” he said. “You made it back. Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I think so. I came here first. Jeffries wants to speak with me?”
He nodded, his frail facial features so out of place in Afghanistan.
“Yes, he does. You should go see the medic first.”
“No, I want to get this over with,” I said as I walked past his desk.
“Hold on,” he said, standing up.
I kept going, opening a door that divided the two halves of the metal container. Captain Jeffries looked up from his desk. He frowned the moment he saw me.
“You wanted to talk?” I asked, standing near the door.
“Do you know how much trouble you caused today?” he asked.
“I’m simply trying to do my job.”
“And so am I. Sit down.”
He pointed to the plain armless chair in front of his desk.
“I need to go see the medic,” I said, changing my mind.
“You were fine enough to come straight here, you can sit down and talk a minute.”
I sighed, annoyed, then walked over and sat down with my arms crossed over my chest.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked as he shook his head.
“I needed to see Samangan without soldiers with me. You guys frighten people.”
“We save their asses is what we do.”
As he scowled at me, I lifted a hand to my head and gingerly inspected the bandage.
“Go see the damn medic,” he said. “If you sneak out again, you will be shipped back to the States. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” I said as I stood up.
I turned and walked toward the door.
“One more thing.”
I stopped in place.
“How did you sneak out? We’re secure here, so someone must have helped you.”
I swallowed, not turning around.
“Nobody helped me.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “I’ll sort this out.”
When he said nothing else, I continued forward. My headache had gotten worse since we returned. I hoped the medic would give me something to numb the pain.
THREE
Cooper
When I finished my reports about the interactions with the Taliban in Samangan earlier that morning, I left the CO’s office and headed to check on Jade in the metal building that served as our medical center. We hadn’t gotten along well since she arrived, but I admired her fighting spirit.
The other reason was that I hadn’t seen a sexy American woman in over a year, at least not one in person. With no females stationed at FOB Cobra, I spent long stretches of time forgetting what it was like to be around a woman. At least one I’d be interested in.
As I approached the CHU (Containerized Housing Unit) she had all to herself, I cleared my mind of all negative thoughts. Normally I would have nothing to do with a woman like her, a liberal media elitist. But in this case spending time with her couldn’t be all bad.
The door to her CHU opened, and she walked out. The setting sun lit up her face, making her skin glow. She nodded her head when she noticed me. I smiled and stepped faster. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max making a beeline for her too. Fuck.
“Hey,” I said. “Your bandage is off. How are you feeling?”
I stopped in front of her, hoping Max went away.
“Better, thanks. The CO yelled at me. How pissed is he?”
“I’ve been avoiding him all day,” I said with a sheepish grin.
“I don’t blame you. That guy has issues.”
“He’s kept us safe.”
“Hello, beautiful,” Max Ericson said as he walked up.
Jade turned her head to the huge, burly man everyone hated.
“Hey yourself.”
“I heard you got in some trouble today,” Max continued, ignoring me.
“Yeah, and I took care of it,” I said. “We were on our way to eat.”
“We were?” Jade asked.
“Yeah, we were.” I held my hand out. “You ready?”
“I’ll come with you,” Max said.
“No, that’s okay.”
I stared into his eyes. He didn’t flinch.
“Now, boys,” Jade said. “No fighting over me.”
She stepped in between us and walked toward the chow building.
“Hold on a minute,” Max mumbled, grabbing my arm.
I looked down at his hand then up to his face.
“What?”
“About the secret operation.”
“Yeah? What about it? I said I’m getting out.”
He laughed, his bulky body shaking.
“There’s no getting out once you’re in, stupid.”
“We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“You gonna hit that?”
He nodded at Jade as she walked away.
“A gentleman never tells.”
“You ain’t no fucking gentleman, Cooper. We both know that.”
“Whatever, man. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I jogged toward Jade before he went on about our illicit activities in Afghanistan.
“Hey,” I called out. “Hold up.”
“You can’t keep up with a wounded woman? How the hell are we going to win this war?”
“Funny,” I said, not laughing as I slowed down beside her. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Did your CO send you to babysit me?” she asked.
“No, of course not. Although if he did, I would never tell.”
She kept up her pace. Outside the mess hall, she stopped and turned to face me.
“What?” I asked when she said nothing.
“Exactly. What do you want?”
“I thought we would dine together. If you’re wanting to go into the villages without soldiers, I can see about going with you undercover in local garb.”
“You would do that for me?”
“I might,” I said, not ready to commit fully yet.
“Fine. We can eat and talk if you’ll help me get what I need for my story.”
“What paper do you work for again?” I asked.
“I don’t work for a newspaper. They’re all dying. I write online for an audience around the world.”
“Uh huh,” I said, uninterested.
I couldn’t think clearly with her sizable breasts pressing against an Army-issued green tee-shirt at least two sizes too small. Her hard nipples were clearly visible through the cloth.
“Come on,” she said. “I’m starving.”
Behind us, Max called out, “Cooper! Come here!”
I sighed then said, “I have to go.”
“Wow. He’s got that kind of control over you?”
“You don’t understand,” I said.
“You’ll have to tell me sometime.”
“Maybe I will,” I said, not breaking eye contact.
“Come on, Cooper! Now!” Max bellowed.
“I’ll take you on a date tomorrow or
later this week.”
She tilted her head to the left and peered at me.
“A date?”
I grinned.
“A working date. I’ll get you into a nearby village friendly to our side. They might answer your questions and help with your story.”
“That would be wonderful,” she said. “Thanks again. For everything”
“No problem. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Tomorrow.”
“Come on, Cooper, you shithead!”
I rolled my eyes. She laughed then turned and went inside the mess hall.
What the fuck does he want now? I wondered as I turned and walked back toward Max. I regretted having ever gotten involved with him.
FOUR
Cooper
The next day, I convinced Jeffries to let me take her to a nearby village so small it wasn’t on the maps. I told him it would keep her under control and happy. He agreed, to my surprise. After I had permission, I went to tell Jade the good news.
Part of my attraction to her was the fact she was the only American woman for miles around, but more than that, I found her interesting. For one, she had traveled thousands of miles from her home to one of the most dangerous places in the world. That took guts.
As I walked toward her sleeping quarters, I wondered where she lived back in the States. Did she leave a boyfriend behind? The closer I got, the more questions floated through my brain. Getting answers would not be a bad way to spend the day with her.
I stopped in front of her CHU and knocked on the door. It opened right away. She stood in the doorway, dressed in camouflage pants with another ill-fitting and revealing tee-shirt.
“Yeah?” she asked. “I’m busy right now.”
“You don’t want to go to the village?”
“Oh, you were being serious?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. I got permission from the CO. He doesn’t want me in civilian garb, but I know the village elders here. They’ll talk to you.”
She stared into my eyes. I swore I saw the gears turning in her head.
“Okay,” she said after a few tense and silent moments.
“Great. You ready now or you got something else to do?”
“Max wanted me to come see him about something. I was on my way there.”
“Screw Max,” I said. “You should be careful around him.”
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