“How long were you over there, after…”Devin asked.
“About a year,” Jet said.
Devin nodded.
“Hey…” Skyler said, coming in from the backyard.
A gray and white streak headed towards Jet.
“Benny, sit!” Skyler called.
The big husky’s butt hit the floor immediately, and Jet grinned, looking down at the dog.
“Hi Benny,” Jet said, kneeling to pet the dog.
Benny happily slobbered all over Jet’s hand, shirt, jeans.
“Oh my God, Benny, stop!” Devin said.
“He doesn’t speak English babe,” Skyler said, grinning as she walked over, and put her hand out to Jet to help her up. “Benny, easy!” Skyler said. Benny immediately calmed.
“If I could get women trained that way…” Jet said, grinning.
“Hey!” Devin said, laughing.
Jams joined them a little while later.
“Thought you were bringing the latest…” Skyler said to Jams when he arrived.
“I decided I needed a break,” Jams said, grinning. “Jet, it’s good to see you,” he said, smiling and leaning over to hug her.
“You too,” Jet said, smiling up at him.
She’d always liked Jams. He was a nice guy and he definitely looked out for Skyler and she liked that about him.
They all sat down at the table in the backyard, having drinks and talking.
“So where are you from, Jet?” Devin asked.
“Seattle area,” Jet said.
“Do you have family there?” Devin asked, catching Skyler’s grin even as she did.
“My parents live there,” Jet said, grinning.
“Okay, what?” Devin asked, looking between Skyler and Jet.
“She hates her parents,” Skyler said.
“With the passion of a fiery sun, is the term I heard once, wasn’t it?” Jams added.
Jet laughed, nodding her head. “They probably bugged me that particular day. But yeah, I really don’t get along with them. I stay out of their way, they stay out of mine.”
Devin nodded, thinking that it was no wonder Jet and Skyler had hit it off. Skyler had a hate, hate relationship with her parents too. Which reminded her…
“Sky, didn’t Sebo say he was going to try to stop by?” Devin asked Skyler.
“Yeah, he did, let me text him,” Skyler said.
“The Sebo?” Jet asked, grinning.
Skyler laughed, nodding.
“The thorn in my side, pain in the ass Sebo?” Jet asked then.
“Excuse me,” said a man’s voice from behind them.
“Speak of the devil…” Skyler muttered as she stood up. “Hi baby brother,” she said, grinning as she hugged him.
Then she turned to Jet, who stood up, her eyes on Sebastian Boché, Skyler’s younger brother, who she’d heard a lot about. He looked a lot like Skyler; he was a handsome man.
“Sebo, this is Jet Mathews,” Skyler said.
Sebastian nodded his head. “Good to meet you, how do you know my sister?”
“Right to it, I see,” Jet said, her grin wry.
“Pretend you have manners, Sebo,” Skyler said.
“It’s okay,” Jet said, her eyes staring directly back into Sebastian’s, which were the exact same color as Skyler’s. “She and I were in the Middle East together.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded, satisfied with that answer. He really liked Devin, and didn’t want anyone coming between her and his sister, and this woman was very obviously gay and a stranger to him.
“Jesus, Sebo, relax!” Skyler said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
Sebastian smiled then, moving to grab a beer from the cooler and sitting down next to his sister. He watched Jet, though, as the rest of the group talked.
“So how long after,” Jet said cautiously, referring to the crash, “did you two meet?” she asked looking between Devin and Skyler.
“About a year and a half,” Skyler said, glancing at Jams, who nodded.
Jet nodded. “You two look good together,” she said, grinning.
“Thank you,” Devin said, smiling.
“How much longer did you stay in?” Jams asked, his look mild.
“About a year,” Jet said. “Got out about a year ago.”
Jams nodded. “Heard you were WIA too.” Skyler’s head snapped around looking at Jet stunned. “You were wounded?”
Jet looked back at Jams for a long moment, then looked at Skyler nodding.
“Jesus, when?” Skyler asked, her tone shocked.
“Just before I got out.” Jet said, shrugging her eyes looking away.
Skyler narrowed her eyes, she knew Jet well enough to know that she was downplaying the incident and Skyler knew better than anyone how dangerous that could be.
“What happened?” Skyler asked.
Jet didn’t answer for a long moment, then shrugged. “IED,” she said simply.
“Jesus…” Skyler breathed.
An improvised explosive device was responsible for many deaths in the military, especially in the Middle East. Hearing about one happening to someone you cared about was terrifying.
Jet said nothing, really not wanting to discuss the matter.
“How bad were you hit?” Skyler asked, her eyes scanning Jet as if she could see it for herself.
Jet’s light green eyes met hers. “I’m still here, aren’t I?” she said, her tone light.
Skyler narrowed her eyes, she’d had no idea that Jet had been wounded, she’d never heard anything. She looked over at Jams then, and he held up his hands. Then she looked back at Jet again.
“We’re not done talking about this,” she told the younger woman.
Jet lit another cigarette, narrowing her eyes, but not saying anything. They moved on to other topics then, but Jet could feel Skyler gazing at her a number of times.
Later after everyone left, Devin looked over at Skyler as they cleared the table in the back yard.
“How bad do you think she was hurt?” Devin asked, concerned.
Skyler looked over at her fiancée, smiling. Of course Devin wouldn’t be jealous, that wasn’t her style and Skyler loved that about her.
“I think she’s making light of it on purpose,” Skyler said.
Devin nodded. “She needs you,” she said simply.
Skyler looked back at her, reaching over to touch her cheek. “Are you okay with me being there for her?”
“Of course, Sky,” Devin said.
“You’re pretty awesome, you know,” Skyler said, pressing her lips against the side of Devin’s head.
“I can’t know what it was like for you guys over there,” Devin said, looking up at Skyler, “but I do know that you are close to the people you were over there with and if you can help her, I want you to.”
“And it doesn’t bother you that she and I were a thing?” Skyler asked, her eyes searching Devin’s.
Devin looked back into Skyler’s eyes. “I love you,” she said, “and I trust you.”
Skyler smiled, nodding. “Good.”
Pinning Jet down to a time to talk was nearly impossible. She was busy all the time. Skyler kept asking, bound and determined to get together with the girl, even if it took time.
Jet was splitting her time between spending time with Ashley and work, though recently, work had kicked up significantly.
One night, a few nights after that night at the bar, Jet got in late. She took a shower and dropped into bed and was asleep minutes later.
Ashley knocked lightly, and then saw Jet lying on the bed naked but partially covered by the bed sheet. Jet stirred, opening her eyes.
“Hey,” Jet said, grinning.
“Hey,” Ashley said, smiling.
“Come here,” Jet said, holding out her arm.
Ashley moved to lie down next to Jet, putting her head in the hollow of her shoulder. Jet’s arm immediately encircled her shoulders, pulling her close and le
aning up to kiss her lips softly.
“How was your raid?” Ashley asked her.
“It was okay, ups and downs,” Jet replied, as she reached up to rub her eyes tiredly.
Ashley caught side of a freshly-stitched gash on her forearm.
“Would one of the downs be that gash?” Ashley asked.
Jet lifted her arm looking at it. “Yeah, razor wire sucks.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to go over fences with that stuff on it,” Ashley said, grinning.
“Yeah, well, your suspect goes over, you go over,” Jet said, her tone matter-of-fact.
“Ouch,” Ashley said, wrinkling up her nose.
“Yep,” Jet said, grinning again. “So how was writing?” she asked. Ashley had been working on her story about Jericho for the past few days.
“It was good,” Ashley said.
“Good,” Jet repeatedly tiredly, closing her eyes and turning her head to the side.
Ashley looked down at Jet, trying to ignore the stab of disappointment. She sighed.
Jet opened her eyes, turning her head to look at Ashley.
“What?” she asked.
Ashley looked back at her. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You sighed,” Jet said, her look searching. “Why?”
Ashley shrugged, shaking her head. “Nothing.”
Jet narrowed her eyes slightly. “Tell me,” she said simply.
“It’s nothing,” Ashley said, her tone placating.
“Don’t… do… that,” Jet said, her words measured, her eyes pinning Ashley with a look. “Tell me,” she said, her tone stronger.
Ashley took a deep breath, blowing it out as she shook her head. “I just missed you the last couple of nights and…” She let her voice trail off as she looked away.
Jet’s hand brought her face back to hers. “If you want something,” she said, her tone even, “you take it, you don’t ask for it.”
Ashley stared back at her, knowing that Jet was trying to get her to be more assertive.
“What do you want?” Jet asked her then.
“You,” Ashley said simply.
“Show me,” Jet said, her eyes still staring directly into Ashley’s.
Ashley lowered her head, kissing Jet’s lips, Jet responded, but didn’t move to touch her. Drawing her courage, Ashley slid her hand over the sheet covering Jet’s chest, touching a nipple through the sheet. Jet jumped slightly in reaction, her breath quickening. Emboldened, Ashley deepened the kiss, moving to press her body closer to Jet’s. Jet’s arm on her shoulder moved down, her hand pressing at the small of Ashley’s back, caressing and grasping at the nightgown she wore. Ashley reached up, pulling the nightgown off and pulled the sheet aside she could get to Jet’s skin.
They were making love heatedly a few minutes later. Afterwards they lay together. Ashley was gasping for breath, and she realized that Jet hadn’t had an orgasm.
She looked up at Jet, who lay with her eyes closed, looking perfectly relaxed.
“You didn’t…” Ashley said, her voice trailing off.
Jet’s lips quirked in a grin, but her eyes stayed closed. “Say it,” she said.
Ashley grinned, Jet was forever trying to get her to say words she wasn’t comfortable saying. To Jet’s way of thinking, you had to be able to use the words you needed to use to ask for what you wanted.
“You didn’t come,” Ashley said.
Jet opened her eyes, looking down at Ashley. “Sometimes I don’t, it doesn’t matter.”
“How can it not matter?” Ashley asked.
“Another major difference between butches and men,” she said. “We don’t always care if we have an orgasm, as long as our lady does.”
“Really?” Ashley asked.
Jet chuckled, closing her eyes again, and nodding.
Ashley shook her head, she wasn’t sure if she was ever going to understand everything about the lesbian world. What she did understand was that Jet excited her beyond all experiences that she’d ever had, and that was what mattered right then and there.
Moving to sit up, she pulled the hair tie out of her hair, since it was all askew anyway, and that’s when she saw the tattoo on Jet’s chest. She hadn’t seen it before and it surprised her. It was a fairly good sized tattoo, at least five inches in diameter. It was a dark green medallion, with a tiny detailed border around the outer edges and with odd characters and symbols in the middle.
“What’s this?” Ashley asked, touching the tattoo lightly with her fingertips.
Jet sighed audibly. “It’s a Shia symbol.”
“Which is what?” Ashley asked.
“Shia is a religion in the Middle East,” Jet said, her tone not inviting any more questions, but Ashley didn’t catch that tone.
“Wait, you’re religious?” Ashley asked, looking confused.
“No,” Jet said. “That’s not what it’s about.”
Ashley was running her hand over the tattoo, and felt the rough texture in parts. “Wait, this is scarring…” she said, her voice trailing off as she looked down at Jet. “What happened?”
Jet looked back at her, her face completely closed off at that point.
“You don’t want to talk about this, do you?”
“Not really, no,” Jet said, her tone cool.
Ashley nodded, finally noticing the ice in Jet’s eyes. She moved to lie down, putting her head back on Jet’s shoulder. She had a hard time sleeping that night. It had been the first time Jet had been chilly to her and it worried her. She hadn’t meant to upset her, but the tattoo had been a shock. Thinking about it, she realized that Jet rarely let her see her naked. It hadn’t seemed deliberate, but now Ashley was wondering if it had been. She was really curious about the scars, but she wasn’t sure she was brave enough to ask Jet again.
Light and sound exploded all around her. She heard her men yelling, someone screamed, was it her? She felt intense heat, the Humvee was on fire. She moved to get out but something to her right distracted her. She turned and that’s when the blast threw her off her feet. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.
The next time she woke, she could feel a thin mattress under her, there were smells and sounds, but all she could focus on was the extreme pain in her chest and the fact that she couldn’t breathe. Was this how she died? The thought slammed around in her head. Opening her eyes, needing to know where she was she jumped at the black completely veiled form that hovered over her.
“It is okay,” said a woman’s voice.
“Who are you?” Jet demanded, her tone commanding.
“I am called Fadiyah,” the woman said.
Jet shook her head, her pain overriding her ability to process anything else. She could feel blood trickling down her side. Glancing down she saw that her chest was bloody; she couldn’t even tell where it was coming from. The woman was trying to dab at the blood with a rag.
“Tawaqqaf 'urjuk,” Jet said in Arabic, asking the woman to please stop. Every touch of the rag was sending shockwaves of pain through her body.
“You speak Arabic?” the woman asked, surprised.
“Some,” Jet gasped out, starting to feel light-headed.
Closing her eyes, she started seeing stars, moments later she lost consciousness.
Fadiyah Antar’s hands shook as she did her best to clean the wounds on the soldier’s chest. She could see that the woman had fainted and was grateful for that. She didn’t want to cause the woman pain, but she wanted to help in any way she could. Her father had brought the woman in. There had been blood everywhere. He’d told her that he’d found her on the road and that her fellow soldiers were dead.
He had told her, “I do not know if we can save her, but we have to try.”
Fadiyah knew that her father was doing what her mother would have done and that he liked the soldiers because they had been kind to her mother and to her brother as well.
As she looked at the woman’s face, Fadiyah recognized her. She had been the w
oman that had played soccer with her brother Abdul in the streets a few days earlier. She remembered the woman laughing and calling to the kids who were playing. She had very kind eyes, such a beautiful green color, like a very light jade. Now, looking at the woman who was lying bleeding on her bed, Fadiyah knew she had to use the few skills she’d acquired to try and save her.
Jet came to again, the same pain screaming in her lungs as she tried to breathe. Trying to breathe and not being able to caused her to panic, but that made it harder to breathe.
“You have to breathe slow…” said Fadiyah.
Jet shook her head, trying to get up.
“No please!” Fadiyah cried, putting her hands on Jet’s shoulders. “You must not, you will bleed again!”
“Can’t, can’t,” Jet repeated over and over, shaking her head.
“Please lie back,” the woman said, sounding frantic.
In truth Fadiyah could not believe this woman was so strong, and she was terrified that she would overpower her and try to leave.
Jet used her hands to try and push herself up off the bed. “I need to go, I need to get back…” Jet was saying. “Can’t die here, not here…”
“Please!” Fadiyah exclaimed again. “Please do not… please…”
Something in Jet’s mind heard the pleading in the woman’s voice and she yielded. She was still panting heavily, her breath coming in gasps. She fainted again.
She woke again, this time it was just getting light outside. Turning her head sideways she saw the woman was kneeling, doing prayers. That’s when she saw it. The woman’s hands were flat on her thighs and her arms were extended … It was the difference in the way the Shiites prayed versus the Sunni way and Jet recognized it immediately. This family was obviously Shiite. Also known as Shia.
“Oh Jesus…” Jet breathed, starting to lever herself up again, crying out with the pain it caused.
“No!” Fadiyah cried, seeing blood again immediately. She jumped to her feet and did her best to push the soldier back down.
“I can’t stay here,” Jet said. “I can’t stay here… You have to let me go…” she said her tone desperate. “I can’t stay here…”
Jet Blue (WeHo Book 5) Page 7