by Cat Johnson
The room filled quickly, if not quietly, and soon Grant had signaled for attention. Silence—save for the scrape of a chair or the shuffle of a boot against the floor—fell upon the group.
Grant began, “At zero-three-hundred hours, Kabul time, insurgents attacked a compound run by a Swedish aid group. They beheaded the Afghan guard and proceeded to the second floor where they shot and killed one German female. A second female, an American citizen residing with her husband in Finland, was at the compound and has been reported missing.”
As Thom sat and listened to Grant, the reason for the recall and the urgency became apparent. There was nothing they could do for the two victims who’d been killed, but they could hope to find the American woman who’d been taken.
The stress was clear on Grant’s face as he spoke and Thom could guess why. It was only recently that the team had gone in to rescue a female US aid worker being held for ransom in Somalia.
That had been a tough one. After months of captivity, the American woman had been underweight, dehydrated and in imminent danger from a raging fever and infection left untreated. Not to mention the emotional damage done to her in addition to the physical.
Thom suspected that it was memories of that mission that had Grant wearing such a grave expression now. Because though the commander was a private man and had kept it surprisingly quiet, the team knew Grant was now in a romantic relationship with the woman they’d rescued.
How would Thom feel if Ginny was ever taken or in danger? He could only imagine. Actually, he didn’t want to even do that. He’d lose his mind.
“At this time, no group has claimed responsibility, however, we have our suspicions.”
Next to Thom, Brody said under his breath, “Me too.”
“Mm, hm,” Thom agreed.
The Afghan Taliban wasn’t typically known for beheadings but ISIS, aka Daesh, sure was. This event had all the markers of the Islamic State.
“Officials in country are working on some leads. They should have more by the time we land. We go wheels up in an hour.”
The general noise in the room increased exponentially after Grant dismissed them to get ready for departure.
“Looks like our talk about that,” Brody glanced down at Thom’s pocket where the ring still resided, “is gonna have to wait.”
Thom’s thoughts exactly as they walked toward the cages to grab their shit. Given he wouldn’t be proposing because he was about to fly off to Afghanistan to chase after a group of jihadists who’d gladly kill or die for their cause he wasn’t sure if he felt grateful or terrified over the delay.
CHAPTER 3
Ginny balled her hand into a fist to keep from screaming or tearing out her own hair.
Yoga breathing, Ginny. Deep breath in. Slow and steady, big breath out.
She calmed herself enough to not blow up at her mother’s comment as she said, “Mom, it’s just easier for me to go down to visit Thom than it is for him to come up here.”
Her mother’s sniff of disagreement or disapproval—probably both—was audible through the phone.
“So you’re just going to miss every holiday with your family and spend it down there with him?”
She took another deep breath to temper her rising annoyance. “I was with you for Christmas and for Mother’s Day.”
Ginny considered those the two biggest holidays each year for a daughter to be with her mother. But if her mother had her way, they’d be celebrating every holiday on the calendar, right down to Groundhog’s Day.
This latest rant had been brought on by her mother’s hissy fit about Ginny’s plans to be with Thom in Virginia for the long Memorial Day weekend at the end of this month.
“It’s fine. You do whatever you’d like.” Now there was hurt as well as anger in her mother’s tone.
Ginny let out a sigh trying to remember this attitude stemmed from her mother’s love and desire to see her. If she didn’t keep that in mind, she’d lose her temper for sure. There’d be no coming back from what would no doubt be one hell of a ugly fight.
“There’s a chance I might not even be going,” she assured her mom.
Given what Thom did for a living, that was the complete truth. He could—and had—gotten called away on next to no notice.
She’d learned long ago to not book a flight in advance. Paying one airline change fee had taught her that lesson early on in their relationship. Dealing with Thom’s guilt and apologies because he had been the cause of the cancellation of her visit was worse than the exorbitant airline fee.
Now she usually hopped on the Amtrak and enjoyed the scenic ride from Connecticut to Virginia. And honestly, she really did enjoy it. With the peace and quiet and nothing but time and her laptop on those long train rides she’d even gotten quite a bit of work done.
The literary romance of the rails, like in the grand old days of travel a hundred years ago, inspired her. It was as if she’d stepped back to the time of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway, but without all the boozing. Or as if she was Harry Potter, embarking on a great adventure from Platform 9 ¾.
But neither her mother nor her best friend Molly understood all that. They both thought Thom should come to her. Or pay for her to fly to him. Apparently, his being off saving the world didn’t help her friend’s and family’s opinion of him.
At Ginny’s comment that the trip might be canceled anyway, her mother let out a humph that spoke volumes. All was definitely not forgiven.
Thom might have the daunting duty of combatting bad guys all over the globe, but Ginny had a battle of her own closer to home to deal with. Unlike terrorists, who favored bombs and bullets, her mother’s weapon of choice was guilt.
Luckily Ginny had been fighting this war her entire adult life. She was getting pretty good at it. Tired of it, but proficient in diffusing the situation nonetheless.
“How about I come over this weekend and cook you and Dad dinner?” she offered.
“We’re busy Saturday night.”
“All right, what about Sunday? I could come over early and spend the day.”
“I guess that would be okay.” In spite of herself, her mother was softening. Ginny heard it in her tone.
“It’s settled then. I’ll see you Sunday. And I’ll touch base with you before then to plan the menu.”
“Okay. I’ll go tell your father.” Much brighter now, her mother sounded genuinely happy.
“Good. You do that and I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”
The moment her mother said goodbye Ginny punched the cell’s screen to disconnect the call. She dropped the phone to the sofa.
She’d traded all day Sunday for a moment’s peace today. She only hoped the truce lasted for a while because she still had every intention of spending the long weekend with Thom in Virginia.
An alert had her glancing down at the cell on the cushion next to her. One glimpse of the display had her sighing as she read the text from Thom.
Don’t buy your train ticket yet.
Crap. Maybe she wouldn’t be away for Memorial Day after all.
Drawing in a deep breath she grabbed for the phone and dialed his number. He never could tell her much, but she hoped she’d be able to get some information from him.
More than that, if he’d been called in, who knew when she’d be able to talk to him again?
The phone rang once before he picked up. “Hey, baby. I’m so sorry.”
The level of background noise told her he was busy doing something and surrounded by others probably doing the same thing. Experience had her guessing he was getting ready to leave.
Over the couple of years they’d been dating she’d learned to read the signs. The low drone of other male voices nearby. The rustle and clink of equipment being loaded into packs. The clanging of the metal doors where they kept their stuff locked up. Thom breathing heavier than usual as he rushed to do what he needed to while speaking to her.
Yup. She could kiss this visit goodbye.
They’d be go
ing on three months since she’d seen him. Saddened by that realization, she still tried to sound upbeat as she said, “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I was looking forward to seeing you.”
That made her smile through the mist forming in her eyes. “Me too. We’ll make new plans.”
“Well, I’m not writing this trip off as dead in the water quite yet. I’m gonna do everything I can to be able to see you soon. I just . . . don’t know right now.”
“I know. I’ll be here waiting whenever you find out.” It wasn’t like she had anything else to do.
“I know you will be.”
Thank God as a freelance editor she could work from anywhere and could set her own schedule. If she had a job with regular office hours and scheduled vacation days, they’d really be screwed.
“Hey. Have I told you how much I love you?” he asked for probably the hundredth time since they’d been dating.
“Nope. Never.” She smiled because no matter how corny their little private joke was, and no matter how many times he’d told her how much he loved her, she’d gladly hear it a thousand times more.
“Well, I do. Look, I’m gonna have to go.”
“I love you. So much.” She rushed to say it as the panic set in.
After he said goodbye she wouldn’t know when he’d be back or when she’d hear from him again. She wouldn’t let her mind go to that place where she thought about how he might not return. If she let herself obsess about that reality every time he left she’d drive herself crazy.
“And I love you. So much. I don’t know when it will be but I’ll call you as soon as I can,” he said.
“Okay.”
“Bye, baby.”
Swallowing hard she said, “Bye.”
The silence on the line after he’d hung up had her eyes stinging from the tears trying to spill out.
Being in love wasn’t supposed to hurt so much. Was it?
Ginny gave herself a mental slap. She was stronger than this. They’d been making this long distance relationship work for years. It was worth it. Thom was worth it.
It would all work out. She’d see him soon enough and it would be even more special when she did because of the time they’d been apart.
But damn she missed him so much it physically hurt. She rubbed a hand over the place in her chest where her heart ached.
Then a thought hit her that made it all feel even worse. She wasn’t going to Virginia to see Thom but she’d still have to spend all day Sunday at her parents’ house.
Crap.
CHAPTER 4
After landing at Bagram Airfield at zero-dark-thirty the platoon had gone directly into an emergency briefing on base, followed by the drive to where they were now, at the German Embassy in Kabul.
Good thing Thom had drugged himself with a sleeping pill for the flight so he arrived rested, because even though it could seem at times that command moved at a sloth’s pace on missions, this time it appeared as if they were ready to rock and roll.
Time was of the essence if they were going to find this woman alive.
While the dozen SEALs had been in transit, representatives from the usual three-letter US governmental organizations, along with the local Afghan officials and the German authorities, had been busy combining efforts and information.
Between drone and satellite surveillance, chatter on the wires and rumors among the locals, they’d been able to determine a probable location for the group holding the American woman. The same group who had killed the German worker and beheaded the local Afghan guard, which was probably the reason there was far more sharing of resources between the three countries’ authorities than usual.
Of course, without hard intel nothing was a definite. More, what was an accurate location today could be useless tomorrow if the group chose to move to another hideout.
It was a delicate dance between taking the time to prepare properly for the highest chance of success, while also moving fast enough to get to her before she was moved or worse, killed.
Staring down at the plans laid out on the conference table, drawings that showed the layout of the compound where they suspected the terrorists to be, Thom shook his head. “I don’t like how no one’s demanded a ransom. It could mean she’s already dead.”
Next to him, Brody shot Thom a sideways glance. “I don’t like how we haven’t discussed what we’d planned to discuss before we got recalled. You okay? You got your head in the game?”
“Of course, I do.” Thom frowned at Brody.
Brody lifted a brow. “You sure?”
Thom glanced around. They were on a break so the room that had been packed with SEALs for the past hour was nearly empty now as most of the platoon had gone to hit the head or grab sustenance. Even so, Thom kept his voice low as he said, “Yeah, I’m sure.”
He’d managed to concentrate on the mission and keep his mind off the ring he’d left locked away with his stuff back on base in Virginia until Brody had brought it up again.
He leveled a glare at his skeptical friend. “I know the plan backward and forward. I could probably draw the layout of the location to scale from memory if I had to.”
Brody nodded. “Just checking.”
Scowling, Thom was sorry he’d ever showed Brody that ring. “Well, no need. Just because I bought the damn thing doesn’t mean I have to decide right away. Hell, I can wait another year if I want.”
Dipping his head, Brody said, “Yup. You sure can.”
“Or I can go home and ask her right away.” Thom lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
“Mm, hm. You could.” Brody tipped his head again.
For some reason Brody’s easy agreement with everything Thom said was pissing him off. Thom huffed out a breath. “The point is I don’t have to think about it at all and definitely not right now while prepping for a raid.”
“Yup, I can see you’re not thinking about it. Not one bit.” Brody’s lips twitched.
In questioning him about being distracted, all Brody had done was raise the issue and cause Thom to become distracted.
He drew his brows low, hating that his supposed friend had planted a seed of doubt in his brain. “Fuck you, Brody.”
At that, Brody broke into a wide smile. “Love you too, bro. Hey, where’d they say that cafeteria was?” Brody asked, changing subjects like they weren’t in the middle of a serious discussion.
Thom had just been about to further lay into Brody for bringing up the subject of the engagement in the first place, but he had to admit, he could eat.
If command decided it was time to move out, decent food might not come again for many hours. “First floor. But I saw a food place across the street when we came in. Maybe we can check that out too.”
“Sounds good to me.” Brody took a single step to come around to Thom’s side of the table, which was closer to the door, when a blast rocked the embassy.
Knocked off balance, Thom braced his palms on the table.
The building shook but this was no earthquake. He’d been close to enough explosions during his career that he recognized the sound and the feel of one.
Brody’s eyes widened as he too grabbed for the table. “What the fuck?”
Thom strode toward the door, Brody in his wake.
Across the hall, more of the platoon stacked up on either side of the windows facing the front of the building. From that vantage point—pressed up against the wall—they’d be able to see out into the street while having some cover.
“What was it?” Thom asked the group in general.
“Looks like a vehicle-born IED,” Rocky Mangiano answered without turning.
“A big one. A tanker truck, judging by the wreckage. What’s left of it.” Craig Dawson, formerly the new guy and more recently the kid, shook his head and glanced at Thom over his shoulder. “It’s bad.”
Inching closer, Brody glanced out the window. “Damn.”
To plan an attack in the city’s most highly protected area was a b
allsy move on the part of the bomber and he’d succeeded, proving that, obviously, the Afghan Security Forces security wasn’t secure enough.
Another blast sounded, not as loud. It was smaller or far enough away that it didn’t shake the building, but it was a blast nonetheless.
“Shit. Another one.” Thom edged toward the window to see for himself.
“It’s on the other side of the city.” Dawson tipped his chin toward a plume of smoke, barely visible, rising into the air.
The US embassy was only about half a mile away from where they stood in the German embassy, but in the opposite direction from the last explosion.
They should stay completely clear of the windows, but Thom dared to lean in and got a good look at the carnage below.
There were a lot of casualties. Some not moving. Others, bloodied and obviously hurt, attempted to walk or crawl to get away from the area.
They’d been warned to expect attacks on Western cities during the Muslim holy month. But this was Kabul. Muslims attacking Muslims during their holiest time of the year was the kind of insanity that pointed to the Islamic State. Although the Taliban was always a possibility.
There were ninety-eight recognized terrorist organizations worldwide. Twenty of them known to be in Afghanistan. Until someone took responsibility, it was all an educated guess and at this point it didn’t really matter.
Who was responsible was something to be considered after they’d dealt with trying to save as many lives as possible.
It was hard to get a clear view of the area but Thom visually searched for more threats. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the bomb to be only part one of the attack.
Two blasts indicated this was a coordinated effort, not the actions of a lone wolf. There could be more terrorists out there, armed and ready to attack. Snipers lying in wait to pick off the first responders one by one.
Normally, he’d pay close attention to the rooftops and upper level windows of any surrounding buildings but the explosives had done a hell of a lot of damage to all the structures nearby. And it was nearly impossible to see the buildings still standing farther away through the smoke and dust in the air.