by Aliyah Burke
“As much as can be expected. What can I do?”
αβ
Coffee. That’s what the alluring and intoxicating smell was. Albany struggled to lift her lids, only to find Tate crouched beside her with a steaming cup in hand, waving it beneath her nose.
“Oh, you’re a devil tempting me like this,” she murmured, reaching for the drink.
His smile kicked her low in the gut, and she leaned forward until she realized what she was doing. Beckoning with her fingers, she gratefully took the mug when he relinquished it.
“You have no idea,” he stated, voice low and raspy. “James is here.” He rose with a singular smooth action.
She rubbed the back of her neck and drank up. I’ll sleep on my way to the hospital.
“I’ve already put your bag in his van.” His tone was confident and his gaze direct as it warmed her.
“How long have I been sleeping here?”
“Only about an hour. The boy is resting comfortably, and Sarki said to let you sleep.”
“Christ.” She rose on unsteady feet. “I have to check on my patient. Find James and tell him I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Just need to make sure he’s okay for me to leave, right now. Once you do that, come find me, and I’ll brief you on what has to happen to keep him safe.”
She pressed her fingers against her eyes and groaned. This is going to be a long week. Bracing both hands on her desk, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Tate remained in the doorway.
“Go on, I’m supposed to be going soon and have too much to do for you to be lollying about.”
He quirked a brow and raked her with his gaze, setting off more butterflies in her belly, then left. One more deep breath, and she was on her way back to her patient. Sarki met her by the bed, the other women at her side.
“You look exhausted, Albany.” A wicked grin lifted her lips. “Although, not too tired to keep from bossing Tate around.”
She lifted her head. “Huh? Oh, damn, I did, didn’t I. didn’t mean to, just need to have things done.”
Sarki laughed. “I know you. Bossing people around is as natural as breathing.” She sobered. “Get going to check on him. I’ll get you another coffee for the road.”
She headed for the door and paused on her way out. “I’m not the only bossy one.” Her friend waved her off. “That’s what I thought,” she muttered, heading to check on the boy.
After assuring he was stable, she checked on his mother and aunt. They both slumbered, exhausted from the seven days it took them to walk here.
“Here you go.” She accepted the cup of coffee from Sarki.
“Thanks, Sarki. Hi, James. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Take your time, Albany. I hear you had a surgery here last night.”
“Yes, poor boy. Lost his leg, but he’ll survive, so I’ll take it as a win.” It tore at her gut she’d been unable to save his leg, but given all the days it had taken them to reach her, it had been too far gone for her to save. The level of sepsis he had, she was lucky the boy still lived.
“Tate,” she called out, turning.
“Yes?” He was right there, taking up his and her personal space.
Damn, he just made her want to take anatomy all over again. So long as he was the one she got to touch and explore. “Just one chance to touch you.”
He stepped closer and dipped slightly to maintain eye contact. “You can have all the chances you want.”
Christ, she’d said it aloud. Heat flushed up her skin. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She drank her coffee and walked away before she did something foolish like kiss him. Although the desire hadn’t lessened, at least she was in a bit more control
“Okay, I’ve filled out the chart on Richard.” His eyebrows rose. “The boy I operated on.” He nodded. “And, as promised, I went through my records for names and other situations that resembled the polonium case. Since I don’t want anyone to see the information and figure out whatever it is you’re doing here, I put everything in my safe.”
His grin was wicked. “What’s the combination?”
She leaned closer, flicked her gaze to his lips and back to his eyes. “Seventeen. Forty-two. Three.” A few blinks. “What, thought I would make you guess just by saying it was my measurements?”
“That would be fine. I already know what your measurements are. Knew them that first time I saw you.”
Her gut clenched, and she nearly shifted on the chair. “It’s not them, and I don’t even want to know how you think you know my measurements.”
There went that damn grin of his. “I can prove it to you.”
Her heart thundered in her chest, sweat coated her palms, and her throat went drier than the sands of the desert. “No. No. that’s fine. At least you now have the combination.”
“Thanks.”
Damn smugness. “Don’t get killed while I’m gone.”
“I don’t plan on it.” His lips came even closer. “Would you miss me?”
“I don’t wish death on anyone.”
His grin was lazy, slow, and full of sexual promise. “That’s not an answer.”
“And I’m not going to give you one. I’ll see you in a week.” She moved by him and walked out of her office. Only stealing two final deep breaths to allow the powerful and heady aroma he had, she pressed on.
Sarki watched her, a secret smile on her face. Albany shook her head and waved her off. James was waiting for her by his van. Yawning, she climbed in. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be much in the way of company, this trip up.”
“I heard. You rest, Doc. I’ll get you there fine.”
“Drive on, then.” She buckled her belt and tipped the chair back, stretching out to get some sleep. The sun had lowered when she opened her eyes, again. Music played low as air rushed through the bouncing van.
“You hungry?”
She clicked the seat back upright. “I could eat. Have something in the back?”
“Between the seats. I packed some things. Well, your man Tate packed them for us.”
She repositioned the bag between her feet and shined her penlight in the bag. It took her a moment to swallow. Her man. Shit on a shingle, even hearing the worlds set off a wealth of visions she needed to expunge from her memory banks or she’d be nothing more than a wet puddle. A small smile pushed free as she noticed her weakness in the bag, her favorite type of nut. He must have been paying attention. Not sure why that should surprise me. He’s ex-military. And, I’m assuming if they sent him over, damn good at the job he’s here to do.
His doing that type of black ops work didn’t bother her. It should, but it didn’t. She didn’t judge. People were good at things. She was at being a doctor. If this was his shining star ability, then good for him.
Didn’t mean she wanted to be around what usually happened in that type of situation, because she wasn’t a fan of death and violence. Her passion was helping people heal. She shifted on the seat and opened a bag of nuts. Head against the frame, she popped some while the night air rushed by.
Maybe I should tell him more about who I am. I could help him find the polonium faster if we worked together. Then, he could get out of here, and maybe my clinic would be all the safer for it. Then again, with Mykelti and his brother around, safe is a word I probably can’t ever use, again.
Gaze to the horizon, she took a deep breath. No, I don’t need to engage him, no matter how much I want to on some level. Best to keep it professional.
Which explained why they’d been bantering about her measurements. She’d longed to challenge him, just to see if he could get them right. He’d responded so quickly and hadn’t been lacking in any sort of confidence when he’d done so either.
As usual, James got her to the hospital without incident, and she waved him off as she shouldered her bag. Every inch of her was exhausted. Some days, being out here felt akin to working two residencies at the same time.
Walking in, she yawned and met the head doctor. His smile
was wide and true. “Albany, it’s so good to see you.”
“Hi, Mark. How are things here?”
“Busy.” A frown. “Always so busy.” He smoothed two fingers along his salt and pepper mustache.
“Hospitals usually are. Just let me drop my stuff off in a room, and I’ll be ready to jump in wherever.”
“James called us, told us about your surgery before coming here. Will the boy be okay?”
“Lost his leg. But at least he’ll live. Recovering nicely; given how bad the sepsis was, I’m very happy about that.”
“Who’s watching him? Sarki?”
“She’s still there, but I have another person out, now, helping out. Tate is his name.”
“A man is staying out there with you?”
She chuckled. “It’s not like it’s just the two of us under a romantic moon. Sarki is there, some of the others are near in other huts, plus the new village that started nearby is right there.”
Mark frowned, his bushy eyebrows converging. “I don’t know about this. Could be dangerous. Is he another doctor?”
“No, but he’s medically trained. Possibly a medic from the military at one time or started going to school to be a doctor. He’s good, which is all I care about. Before you ask, no, I didn’t ask more than that. I’m just grateful for the help, and I’ll accept it as long as he’s here.”
Hands up in silent apology, Mark shrugged. “I only worry about you, you know this. This isn’t necessarily a place for a single woman.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I’ll be okay. Now, let me go check on my work for the week.” Albany walked away before he could say anything more. She went to her room, calling out greetings as she passed familiar faces.
Chapter Three
Thank God it’s a moonless night. Tate had been creeping around searching for clues to this polonium which may or may not be near. Albany had given him a very comprehensive stack of files. He was amazed by the detail she kept and the number of patients she saw. A few more possible symptomatic patients. Using another map, he’d marked the locations the patients, where they lived and where they worked, if she’d listed it.
All of which brought him to his current location. The brick building was larger than most places he’d passed. And guarded. The smell of cigarettes filled the air. He saw four red glowing embers.
Timing their passes, he snuck into the building. Fishing the tracking device out of his pocket, he turned it on. Zane said it was silent, and he sure as hell hoped that was true. A dark blue light filled the screen, not screaming a warning that any illumination had occurred. He stared at the screen. A faint indication hit, and he made his way around the perimeter of the interior.
A nearing conversation between two men who wandered through the halls had Tate easing back into the room he’d just cleared. They continued by without any hint of concern.
I’m missing something. I have to be. The signal—while weak—indicated strongest around this room. There had to be a secret wall or panel he wasn’t seeing in the darkness.
Unless this is where they processed it, and I’m hitting on trace amounts left behind. From all his research, it wasn’t how it was done. But, hey, people figured out new ways to do things all of the time.
Regardless, he needed to get in here during daylight hours or when the guys surrounding the area were gone. Lights flooded the yard, and he dropped flat, out of sight.
What the fuck?
Men—and boys—yelled and ran by the room, heavy footfalls moving away from him and to the door. Peering out the window, he watched them jump into jeeps and speed off into the night.
Shit. Here he was trapped with the floodlights surrounding the building on and no cover of darkness to assist in his escape. On the plus side, I can see better in this room, now. He slid back down to the floor and took another look around the room, paying closer attention to the walls.
Three bookcases and a bed took up most of the space. A small desk and chair were pretty much the rest of what existed in the room. His gaze drifted back to the bookcases. The shelves were filed with trinkets, mostly, but one was lined with books.
Lifting up to peer out the window again to check his surroundings, he began to fully rise when the area went black. All light, completely shut down. He froze, listening, the weight of his gun in hand. Nothing, not a peep. That concerned him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he moved. Trusted the instinct that had kept him alive on missions. The instinct that yelled for him to get out. Get out, now. So, he listened.
Not chancing the hallway, he nudged the window open and climbed through, dropping to the hard-packed earth then closing the glass behind him. Staying low, he headed for safety farther from the area. Off to his right, short staccato bursts of gunfire split the night air. Followed by an explosion, the orange ball briefly illuminating part of the sky.
He humped it back to the clinic, checked the perimeter once more, and then snuck into the building. In Albany’s office, he hid the radiation counter in her safe and had just lay out on the bed she had in there when the door—the one he’d installed to replace the curtain for her office—flew open.
“Mr. Tate? Mr. Tate, are you in here?”
“I’m here, Sarki,” he said, sitting back up as she turned up the lantern. “What’s wrong?”
“We looked for you in your hut and couldn’t find you.”
He rubbed his eyes and forced a yawn. “Crashed here. What’s going on?”
“Trouble is coming.”
“Mykelti on his way back?”
She shook her head. “Worse. His brother.” She ran her gaze over him. “Other side.”
He groaned and got to his feet. Tate shoved them back into the shoes he’d just removed. “Other side. Right. Anything special I should know?”
“He’s mean as a mamba. He will try to scare you and provoke you.” She looked him over, again.
“You think he’s going to kill me.”
“He doesn’t like outsiders. And you are white.”
Tate grinned. “Thank you for noticing.”
Her smile was shaky in return. He gestured for her to go on ahead, followed her out only to stop.
“I’ll be right there. I forgot something.”
Back in the office, he put his weapon in the safe, as well. He couldn’t be caught with one or they’d surely execute him on the spot. Mussing up his hair even more, he walked out to the front where an extremely nervous Sarki waited as headlights pulled up into the yard.
“How do you know this isn’t Mykelti?”
“The engines are different. Mykelti has Jeeps and Land Rovers. His brother has trucks. Older models.”
“You know what they are from the rumble?”
“I worked at a garage to help put my way through school. Picked up a few things.”
“Where’d you go to school?”
“I did most of my schooling in the States, but my final year I did abroad in London. That’s where I met Albany. She was with her cousin on vacation. We hit it off and have been friends ever since.”
Albany did have family. He made note to ask her more about that. And to find out a bit more about what degree Sarki had gone for and where. A large figure swaggered in front of the headlights and approached the building.
“Thanks for taking my mind off this,” she muttered before falling silent once more.
The man oozed contempt and rage. Bigger than Mykelti, he had scars on his face and was missing his left eye. The weapons he bore weren’t new and fancy like Mykelti’s but older, well worn. And the man has complete knowledge on how to use them. This wasn’t a man playing solider but one who lived and breathed it every day. He was harder than Mykelti.
Standing before them, Tate took in the men who had fanned out behind their leader, hands ready on their weapons. The leader, who no one mentioned the name of, had his thumbs in his gun belt. A black beret sat at a jaunted angle on his head. His goatee was nicely trimmed, and Tate noticed he was missing part of his
fingers on his right hand.
“Who are you? Where is Albany?”
The voice matched the dark gaze. Cold. Soulless.
Sarki began to step forward, but Tate stopped her with a touch then moved himself. “She’s down in Lomié doing work at the hospital there.”
The man approached, not going for any of his weapons. It didn’t fool him, anyway; the man was lethal. Tate was circled twice before he once again faced the warlord.
“Who are you? You are a bit out of your element here. A little light to be hanging out in Cameroon.”
“I’m here helping out Albany for a short time.”
“You have touched her?”
His protective instincts raged again but he remained calm. “We’re just colleagues.”
“You aren’t asking me not to kill you. Why is that?”
“If you wanted me dead, I’d already be there.”
A grin flashed across his face. Brief, but there it was. “True. I have need of a doctor at my camp. You will come with me.”
“I’ll go, but I’m not a doctor. Albany is the doctor. I’m medically trained, however, not a doctor.”
“You’ll do.”
Sarki stepped up. “Albany needs him here to take care of some patients.”
“I could burn the clinic down then there would be no need for any worry.” Warning laced his comment. “I will bring him back, Sarki. Unharmed. We go, now.”
Tate gave the frightened woman a smile and squeezed her arm. “Okay.” I hope this man keeps his word.
He climbed into the front of an old dented truck. The engines of all turned over, and moments later, they were off speeding across the country. It took them an hour to reach a different compound. This one was surrounded by a high fence, guarded with men who maintained that same soulless look about them. However, once they were inside the compound, that’s where the differences ended.
It was like a mansion. Three stories high, it was way out of place. The vehicles screeched to a halt, and he climbed out once the driver did. They didn’t speak, and Tate allowed himself to be ushered along. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d allowed himself to be captured in order to get behind the enemy’s line.