KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal

by A. B. McKINLEY

  Chapter 14

  The first few days in Baghdad seemed to go smoothly with no real trouble on the way to or from Britney’s work. She concentrated on her job after she arrived back in Iraq. Scott doubted this quiet, trouble-free spell would last long, but he was determined to make the most of it while it did. It was Thursday evening, when they arrived back at the hotel.

  “So, Scott. It’s been quiet the last couple of days. Are you going to have that drink with me tonight?” she asked, as they walked through the door.

  “It has been quiet, yer reet. Britney, yer have been here long enough by now, yer never know what’s going tae happen in a place like this. Or when! So I’m nae going tae take any chances.”

  “Spoilsport... Come on, just one drink, please. I don’t want to open a bottle just for me.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Great. I’m going to take a shower. Let me know your answer in a little while and I’ll open a bottle.”

  “Aye, okay.”

  Scott was not too worried. Even if he did agree to a small drink it would not be a problem. He was not a big drinker, but could handle a glass of wine. He sat on the couch and checked his laptop for any emails from Katie and any news that regarded local incidents. It seemed to be quiet and nothing arrived from Katie so he started a note to her.

  Half an hour later, Britney emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was wet and she wore only a towel around the middle of her body. Scott glanced at her as she walked to her room. She noticed his look and smiled at him. He hadn’t noticed her smile and returned to his computer. A few minutes later, she called to him from her room.

  “Scott, would you come here for a minute, please?”

  He obliged and entered her room. She was sitting on the edge of her bed applying lotion to her legs and still wearing only the towel.

  “What’s up?”

  “Remember that favor you owe me?”

  “Aye.”

  “I got sunburned over the weekend and really need some lotion on my back. Would you mind, please? I can’t reach.”

  Scott was flustered. It seemed harmless enough. If she really was burned, he knew she couldn’t reach her own back to put lotion on and there was nobody else to do it. But, what would Katie think? He thought she would definitely not like him touching another woman, especially considering what Katie thought of Britney. He was a man who was calm under enemy fire, but was now completely flustered and panic stricken because a woman asked him to rub lotion on her back.

  “Well, will you do it?” she asked again, holding out the lotion bottle towards him.

  “I’m nae sure aboot this. It does nae seem reet.”

  “What doesn’t seem right? It’s just lotion. I won’t tell Katie, I promise.”

  “It’s nae that. I just dinnae think I should be touching another woman, even if it is only tae put lotion on yer. Plus, Katie and I dinnae keep secrets from each other.”

  “Oh, my gosh! It will take you one minute. I just can’t reach my back. Come on Scott, help me,” she said, as she rolled onto her stomach and moved the towel down, which exposed even more of her back.

  Scott grabbed the bottle and squirted a little lotion into his hand and started to rub it in on her back. She felt his hands on her body and it excited her. She wanted him to continue to touch her. She knew he would feel the warmth from the sun on her back and knew he believed her about the sunburn. She had planned this well. He had rubbed for a couple minutes then capped the lotion. She suddenly thought, had he stopped?

  The lotion was all rubbed into her skin, and Scott thought she appeared red. So maybe she told the truth. He placed the lotion on the night stand as he stood up.

  “There yer go, all done,” he said.

  “Thanks,” she said, as she turned over onto her side and exposed her breasts to him. She planned this move and pretended for Scott’s benefit that it was an accident. She quickly tried to cover herself. She succeeded with him seeing exactly what she wanted him to see.

  Scott was very embarrassed and left her room. He sat back on the couch and started typing on his laptop again. A few minutes later, she walked out of her room in very short shorts and a tight fitting white t-shirt. She held a very tall glass of wine in her hand. The way she acted, it appeared it was not her first glass. He had started an email to Katie earlier and finished it up after he had left Britney’s room.

  “Would you like to join me in a glass of wine?”

  “Nae. I’m guid, thanks.”

  “Come on, you said you would.”

  “I said, we’ll see,” he stated.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nae anything. Yer made me very uncomfortable in yer room.”

  “How? Didn’t you like my body?”

  “Yer know how. And yer know, I’m with Katie and we’re very happy together. Yer made me uncomfortable.”

  “Do you find me attractive then?”

  “Like I said, I’m with Katie.”

  She put her hand on the inside of his thigh.

  “She’s not here, Scott. She doesn’t have to know. Come on, let’s have some fun.”

  “Nae, that’s nae something I’d ever do,” he said, as he removed her hand from his leg.

  “Scott, it is okay to admit you want me.”

  “I dinnae want yer, Britney. I’m here tae look after yer and make sure yer stay safe. That is all.”

  “Are you sure about that, Scott? I could make you very happy.”

  “Just go tae bed. Yer had too much tae drink,” he said, as he stood up, went to his room, and closed the door behind him.

  “Damn,” Scott thought, “Katie was right.” He kept telling her that it was her imagination, but he completely misread the situation. He decided he would talk to Britney in the morning. He would let her know if anything like that happened again, he would ensure Tom arranged for another guard to be assigned to her. He wasn’t going to do anything that jeopardized his relationship with Katie, ever!

  The following morning Scott had long since been up when Britney came out of her room. He was interested to see if she’d have anything to say to him. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Scott’s phone rang.

  “Scott, this is Tom.”

  “Hi, Tom.”

  “Listen, we need your help. One of my guards just called me. He’s been attacked. They ambushed his car and he’s on foot with his client and under fire from a militant group. Can you bring Britney to our office? We can have someone watch her here and then we can go and find them. I have another guard bringing his client here, so there’ll be three of us to help out.

  “We’re on our way, Tom.” Scott hung up the phone and turned to Britney.

  “Yer need tae get ready tae leave. Now! There’s an emergency. Yer have two minutes.”

  “Okay. I need to get dressed.”

  Within minutes, they were driving to the PCPS office.

  “So what happened?” she asked, from the back seat.

  “A guard is under attack. I was asked tae go help oot. I’m taking yer tae my office so someone can keep yer safe there.”

  “Can’t I come with you? I’m not sure I’d feel safe with anyone else.”

  “Nae chance. It’s too dangerous and yer will be safe at the office.”

  “Okay. Be careful, Scott.”

  He pulled up in front of the building, they hurried out of the car and into the office. Tom waited just inside with the other guard. The businessman he guarded was to wait there with Britney. Tom brought in another guard to watch them. Despite the protests, there was not much Britney could do. They wasted no time and the three were quickly on their way. Scott had met Dan the other guard, before and spoke with him frequently on the phone, sharing information. He was a former U.S. Marine. He and Scott respected one another and got along quite well.

  “So, what happened, Tom?” Scott asked.

  “One of my newer guards must have taken a wrong turn. He ended up in the Sadr City district. It’s a Sunni s
tronghold and a breeding ground for terrorists. He called to say his car was targeted and shot up pretty bad. He took off on foot with his client, an American businessman. The last time I spoke with him, they were being chased and shot at. He managed to give me his location, so hopefully we can get there in time to help him.”

  “Okay. I’m nae too familiar with that area,” said Scott.

  “None of us are. I don’t know what he was doing there. Only thing I can think of is he got lost. The most important thing is getting them out of there.”

  When they got closer to the last known coordinates, Tom tried to call Bill; to obtain his exact location. If the three men could find them, maybe there was a place they could jump into the car as they drove by. That would be ideal. After Tom talked with Bill, he discovered they were trapped in a back alley and under heavy fire. The client was unhurt, but was hysterical and he believed in shock. Tom knew they needed to leave the car and go on foot which almost certainly meant being involved in a firefight. Within half a mile or so, from where they believed the guard called, they parked the car. Tom arranged a meeting place and time, in case they got separated. Prepared as well as they could be, they set off towards the trouble.

  They moved in the direction of a considerable amount of gunfire. Tom was on the phone with Bill again to get an updated position on him. It sounded like they were completely trapped, but not totally surrounded, so if they calculated correctly, they could reach them. It was imperative that they hasten their pace and get them out of there as soon as possible. Insurgents could flood the area and completely out-number them at any time. Plus, an unattended car in that neighborhood would not go unnoticed for long either. They needed to act quickly. The men moved silently, navigating through the maze of back alleys until they found their colleague. Tom located Bill with the information he supplied him. They moved quickly down the alley towards him. Bill was shot in the lower leg, it was just a flesh wound, but it slowed him down. His client was unharmed, but scared stiff and in shock. As usual, it was an extremely hot day and both were suffering from heat exhaustion. They had taken cover behind a low wall and Bill occasionally fired off a few rounds to keep the insurgents occupied. Scott and Dan took positions behind a wall and returned fire. This shocked the bad guys. They thought they had outnumbered and trapped their quarry, but now the odds were a little more even. Tom helped Bill limp back down the alley, towards the car. Scott signaled Dan to escort the scared client out of there. The big, burly Texan obliged and took the businessman, dragging him by the arm as they followed closely behind Tom. Scott stayed in place to lay down cover fire.

  When his colleagues were far enough out of imminent danger, Scott fired a few more rounds and backed slowly down the alley. He fired until he reached the next corner. With less than half a mile to the car, it was slow going as Bill’s leg prevented him from moving too fast. Scott was still bringing up the rear as they drew closer to the vehicle. The small group of militants fired automatic weapons and followed closely behind them. Scott kept them back and picked them off when they presented themselves as targets. When they arrived at the car, they found they were lucky. No one tampered with it and it hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention, so they were good to go. Tom helped Bill into the car. Soon, Dan arrived, virtually carrying the dazed man. Bullets had started to rain down where Scott was. The commotion attracted more militants, exactly the scenario they wanted to avoid as it would leave them heavily outnumbered. Scott knew he must get out of there quickly or he was going to be in more trouble. If they had to leave without him, he’d have no chance. He needed to make his move and now!

  He was less than a hundred yards from the car and Tom started the engine and was ready to go. He blasted them with additional rounds of fire from his M16 and quickly made his move towards the vehicle. Literally, seconds after he moved from his position, the exact spot he stood was hit by a grenade. Scott felt its heat on the back of his neck, but he didn’t stop or turn around. He didn’t have time. Within seconds, he dove into the car and Tom raced out of the area. They were not out of the woods yet. It was almost certain that they would be seen by their pursuers and followed. Scott and Dan readied their weapons.

  After a few minutes, they realized they finally were in the clear and started to relax. Tom called the office and informed them they were all safe, that they successfully extracted the missing men and were headed to the hospital as both men needed treatment. Bill was losing a lot of blood and his client; who had still not spoken; was going to need to be checked out as well. Scott talked to him reassuring him everything was fine, but he hadn’t responded. He felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t a soldier. He was definitely not used to this kind of thing. From what Tom and Bill said, it sounded like he arrived a few days ago and Scott was pretty sure he would be headed home soon. Scott was jealous. He wanted to go home to his new family.

  Later, after they dropped Bill and his client off at the hospital, the others returned to the PCPS office. Tom would return later to the hospital to sort everything out, but right now he needed to reunite his guards with their clients. When they arrived inside, Tom thanked Scott and Dan for their help. He shook their hands and everyone continued with their business. Within minutes, Britney and Scott were in the car and on their way back to the hotel.

  “So what happened?” she asked.

  “It was nae anything really. Just a wee bit of trouble, but it’s all fine now.”

  “I’m not stupid. What really happened?”

  “I never said yer were. A guard was attacked and we had tae go rescue him! It’s nae big deal and it’s over now.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure there’s more to this story than you’re going to tell me, but I suppose there’s not much I can do.”

  “There’s nae anything fer yer tae worry aboot.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m heading back tae the hotel fer a rest. I’m thinking we probably will nae go in tae work today, unless yer really need tae fer a couple of hoors.”

  “No, it’s fine. I can do a little work on the laptop and can catch up tomorrow.”

  “Okay, guid.”

  When they walked back into the suite, Scott turned to Britney.

  “I’m going tae take a quick lie doon. Yer have work tae do, but I do need tae talk tae yer later.”

  “Okay. I think I know what you’re going to say.”

  “Aye, I’m sure yer do. Get on with yer work and I’ll see yer later,” he said, as he went inside his room and shut the door.

  A couple of hours later, Scott stepped out of his room, walked to the couch and sat down next to Britney. She was working on her computer. As he sat down, she finished what she was doing and turned towards him.

  “So, what was all that aboot last night?” he asked her.

  “I don’t know what to say. I think I had too much to drink.”

  “Aye. I’ll give yer that. But, yer had nae been drinking earlier in the evening when yer asked me put lotion on yer back.”

  “Okay, you got me. I like you and I wanted you to notice me.”

  “But yer know I’m with Katie.”

  “Yes, I do, I’m sorry. I’m attracted to you and I’m just lonely at the moment. I just thought we could have some fun and see where it might lead.”

  “I love Katie. We’re getting married, I could nae do that tae her.”

  “If you were single, do you think you might want me?”

  “I cannae answer that, Britney. I’m nae single.”

  “She’ll never know Scott. Let’s just see how it goes. I want you and I know you want me.”

  “Sorry, but I would know.”

  “Just tell me. What is it you see in her? I’ve seen the pictures you have of her, so I know she’s pretty, but I’m pretty too. What is it exactly about her that you love so much?”

  “Nae sure how tae explain. I guess yer just know when yer meet the reet person. It will happen fer yer one day, too.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “It will, but l
isten, this is important. I’m happy tae keep looking after yer and I need tae finish this job here tae collect my money. But, if anything like last night ever happens again, I’ll have tae talk tae Tom aboot getting another guard assigned tae take care of yer. Do yer understand?”

  “Yes, I understand. I just don’t see why we can’t at least have some fun. It is pretty boring here.”

  “I know, but there’s some things I cannae do. I do like yer, but I would never do that.”

  “Okay. I’m going to get on with some more work in my room.”

  “Reet. See yer later.”

  As she walked into her room, her mind was still scheming. She was thinking about how to change his mind. She thought all she needed was for him to be with her once and he’d see how good it could be. She heard and understood everything he said, but she was sure she could still have him. Surely, even he could have a moment of weakness and when he did, she would be ready to take advantage. It wasn’t over yet.

  Chapter 15

  It was mid-September and Scott kept very busy with additional security checks. As each day progressed, the news in the city became worse every day. There were increased numbers of kidnappings and assassinations of Westerners, local politicians and police officers. Everyone living within the confines of Baghdad was on edge. Scott felt stressed. He checked and rechecked, performed extra security checks, intelligence work and nightly surveillance. He felt on edge. A feeling he was completely, unaccustomed to. The last few days he felt a presence. He believed they were being followed and it concerned him. He made a few sharp turns hiding them from sight and managed to lose the car that tailed them, on both occasions. The uncertainty of not knowing if they were truly being followed ate away at him. He mentioned nothing about it to Britney.

  As the month progressed, the violence increased. They continued to witness more roadside bombs and other violent incidents every day. The sound of gunfire and explosions were heard every night. It was something that surprised them, but had become part of every day or night life.