BlackSmoke

by Robin Leigh Miller

  “I guess I heal fast,” she muttered. Bumps and bruises had always healed fast for Sam, but these weren’t simple bruises. These were flesh tearing wounds and she was healing at record speed. “I don’t understand.”

  Kong pulled her pack from under the bed and handed it to her. “We’ll talk when there aren’t so many ears around. I think you should know a few things.” She had no idea how she healed so quickly and he felt she had the right to know.

  “What things?” she asked curiously.

  “Later.” Kong stepped through the curtain and stood with Ricochet and Boomer. “God I’ll be glad to get outta here,” he said.

  “What happens when we get back to Cannon’s base?” Boomer asked in low voice.

  Kong hadn’t really given it much thought. Normally when they completed an op they returned to their base and helped train rookies until they were called again. The idea of leaving when they got to Cannon’s made him uneasy. He wasn’t ready to leave Sam yet. He wanted a few days with her, to get to know the woman behind the black mask better.

  “I don’t know. I’d like to stick around for a few days, make sure Sam’s healing okay.” It was a lie, he saw she was healing fast. Then the words echoed in his head. “‘Her journey isn’t over yet, protect her.” Those words lay under the surface of his skin like an itch he couldn’t scratch. Ricochet glanced at Boomer. They knew Sam was healing incredibly fast, almost miraculously and had discussed it. Something was different about her, something they couldn’t put their finger on. They knew Kong was aware of it as well but he seemed to have a better grasp on what was happening than they did. The only question was, would Kong cut and run, or would he stick around? Each had their own opinion on the subject. Ricochet thought Kong would want to leave as soon as possible. Boomer felt he would stay a few days.

  “I could stand a few days of R and R,” Ricochet said nodding his head and grinning.

  “Me too. See what Pennsylvania has to offer,” Boomer agreed.

  It seemed it was settled, no arguments, no hounding. Just agreement. Kong couldn’t have been more surprised.

  “Okay boys, I’m dressed,” Sam said from behind the curtain.

  The three of them filed back into the small cubicle. Sam stood in her trademark black pants, and black shirt. “I’ll need your spare uniform Ricochet. Don’t wanna look out of place when we walk to the plane.”

  “I hate the thought of ridin’ in that plane for hours again,” Ricochet grumbled as he pulled his clothes from his pack.

  “So do I,” Sam agreed.

  “I have an idea,” said Boomer stepping outside. He was gone for ten minutes and when he returned he was smiling. “Anyone for a game of poker on the way home?” he asked holding out a deck of cards.

  “Nice job man,” Ricochet said as he grabbed the cards from him. “Who’d ya steal these from?”

  “There’s this pretty little nurse that kept watching me,” Boomer told them with a slight blush in his cheeks. “So I just stopped and asked her if she knew where I could pick up some playing cards. She gave me hers.”

  “You dawg! And exactly what did ya give her for them?” Ricochet asked.

  “Nothing. She just gave them to me.” Crimson crept from his cheeks until it covered his entire face. Boomer wasn’t used to having admirers. “You know how to play poker Sam?” he asked trying to take the attention away from himself.

  Sam gave a confused look. “Well, I’m not sure. You guys might have to show me,” she said. It wasn’t nice to play them like that, but Sam knew they wouldn’t be mad when she cleaned their clocks. How many times had she beaten her Uncle Walt at poker? He finally quit playing with her.

  The four hung out in the cubicle until the plane was almost due to arrive. When they were ready to leave, Sam pulled a piece of paper from her pack and wrote a quick note to the doctor and nurses. It thanked them for their help and their kindness and explained that she had to leave. It wasn’t her nature to walk out without giving her thanks when something was done for her.

  “Ready?” Kong asked as he watched her prop the note on the pillow.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said smiling at them.

  There weren’t many people in the halls of the hospital at three forty-five in the morning so they were able to slip out practically unnoticed. When they got to the front doors Kong held Sam back and looked around outside. When he didn’t see anyone lurking in the shadows, he motioned for her to follow.

  The four stayed out of sight until they saw the landing lights of a small plane approaching. As it landed, they all jogged toward the runway. Once it stopped the door opened and they boarded. Ricochet whistled as he entered. This wasn’t like the cargo plane they arrived on. This was a jet, with plush seats that lay back. A small refrigerator was in the back, along with a coffee pot. Sam opened the small cupboards and found that her Uncle Walt had them well stocked.

  “Make yourselves comfortable boys. The cupboards are stocked and the fridge is full. Take what you want,” she said sitting down. Her leg had started to throb a little after not being used for a time. So she propped it up on the seat in front of her.

  “Buckle up. We’re outta here,” the pilot said over the intercom. It had taken a lot of favors being called in, but Walt Cannon wanted his niece out of that country as fast as possible. He used every marker he’d accumulated over his career, the biggest being his White House connections. It would take years to collect any more markers, but at this point he didn’t care, Sam’s safety was more important.

  When they were clear to unbuckle, Ricochet stood. “Who wants something to eat?”

  “Grab me a beer would you?” Sam asked.

  Ricochet returned with his arms loaded. “A beer for the lady and one for you guys.” He tossed them their beers, then turned a seat and dumped the bags of chips and cookies into it.

  “I say we have the makin’s for a poker game.”

  “Don’t worry Sam. We’ll take it easy on you,” Boomer said as he opened the bag of cookies.

  “Promise?” she asked in a tone that had Kong thinking they were about to be taught by a master.

  Sam let them win the first couple of hands. Then she decided it was time to let them feel her wrath. “Okay, I think I have the hang of it now. How about we make this interesting?”

  “You mean a wager?” Ricochet beamed.

  “Sure, just a friendly little wager. Isn’t that what poker’s all about?” she asked innocently.

  Kong had the sinking feeling they were about to be had. “What kind of wager?” he asked.

  “If any of you guys win, I cook you your favorite meal. If I win, you guys take me out to the most expensive restaurant in town. Simple enough?”

  “I could use a home cooked meal. Haven’t had one in a year. I’m in,” Ricochet said.

  “I’m in,” Boomer responded.

  Kong looked at her. She continued to surprise him. Bubble baths, fancy restaurants and cooking. This woman was more complex than he thought. “You cook?” he asked.

  “Well, kind of. I make a mean spaghetti.” It didn’t matter that she couldn’t cook because she wasn’t planning on losing.

  Four hours into the flight home, Sam had a date at the most exclusive restaurant in town, a one-on-one explosives lesson, a day at an amusement park and enough IOUs to last her a lifetime. They had to quit playing because the three men were afraid she’d have them going shopping next.

  “Hustler,” Ricochet grumbled at her.

  “You’re just a good teacher Ricochet and I’m a fast learner,” she told him.

  “Humph,” he grunted as he laid his seat back and closed his eyes.

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it wasn’t polite to hustle people?” Boomer said hiding a smile.

  “Don’t worry guys. I’ll still feed you.”

  “So I guess we have to hang around a few days to pay you off,” Kong said as he cleaned up the empty cookie and chip bags.

  Sam rose to clear away the empty
bottles. “Yeah, I guess you will. Is that a problem?”

  Kong stuffed the bags into the waste can. It was almost like she knew what she was doing, like it was her plan to keep them around all along. He turned and cupped her chin. “Not for me. But you didn’t need to hustle us. We were gonna stay a few days anyway,” he told her.

  Surprise crossed her face. “You were?” Her heart began to race, whether from his hand touching her or from the fact that they were going to stay anyway she wasn’t sure.

  “Yep,” he replied still holding her chin.

  Snoring came from the front of the plane where Boomer and Ricochet were seated. They both laughed and Kong dropped his hand. Sam missed his warm skin touching hers. Kong took her hand and led her back to the seats. When they sat next to each other, he put his arm around her and pulled her next to him.

  “Can I ask you something?” she asked as she snuggled next to him.

  “Sure.” It felt so right, having her pressed against his side. Like something had been missing and now the gap was filled.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?” he asked.

  “Why were you going to stay?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer. It was too much to ask that he wanted to stay for her, but hope bloomed inside her chest.

  “I guess because…” Kong didn’t know what to say. Should he tell her it was because he couldn’t leave her yet? If he did, would she read too much into it? Deciding to take the safe way, he answered, “We wanted to take a few days off and figured why not there.”

  Sam’s heart dropped into her stomach. “Oh.” She was new to these feelings. The few times she was with a man, it was only for companionship, nothing more. But with him, she wanted more. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself she didn’t, she did. The disappointment in her voice bothered Kong. He knew she wanted to hear it was because of her they were staying, that he was staying. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it. It would be like opening himself up too much to her. And that was something he couldn’t do.

  “So, this restaurant we’re taking you to, do we have to dress up fancy?” He wanted to change the subject, get away from his feelings.

  “Hunh? Oh, yeah.” Suddenly it didn’t seem like as much fun. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold you to it. I was just having fun with you guys.”

  “We made a bet, you won. We’ll take you.” He pulled her closer to him. Even though she was next to him, he felt her putting distance between them.

  “It’s your vacation, you should do things you want to do. There’s some great hiking in the mountains and fishing. If you don’t mind the ride, you could visit Gettysburg.”

  “Sam, it’s not…”

  “I’m sure Uncle Walt will have something else lined up for me anyway,” she interrupted.

  “He better not!” The outburst surprised even him. “I mean, you need to heal first.”

  “I’ll be fine. That reminds me. You said you wanted to tell me something. What is it?”

  Now didn’t seem to be the time to talk about her healing methods. “We’ll talk about that later. I want you to understand that it is my vacation and I want to spend it with you.”

  “You feel obligated, don’t you?” That’s what it was, she was sure of it now. He didn’t have real feelings for her, he felt like he had to spend time with her. “It’s okay. You don’t owe me anything. I’m a big girl Mark. I know that kiss didn’t mean anything.”

  Now his temper was up. “It sure as hell did to me!” How could she sit there and say that it meant nothing? “I meant what I said, as soon as we’re alone, I’m picking up where we left off.”

  So it was just sex he wanted. Well, she shouldn’t feel so bad. She’d done the same to other men. If this was the only way she could have him, even for just a few days, then she’d take it and be thankful for the time she had.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sam snuggled closer to Kong. She buried her nose close to his chest and took in deep a breath then closed her eyes. His body was warm and comforting, like something she’d been missing her entire life. It didn’t take long for her to drift off into a deep sleep.

  Kong felt her sink into his body and mentally sighed. She felt so small and good. He cursed himself for being such a coward when it came to her. But the emotions she stirred inside him were foreign. He didn’t know how to deal with them or even if he should. A day or two with her would probably cure him of his lust. He was sure that was all it was. He’d never loved anyone so he doubted it was that.

  When the plane landed Boomer and Ricochet gathered their packs and got ready to disembark. Kong shook Sam gently to wake her up. When her eyes opened, the sun was shining and light, fluffy clouds floated across the bright blue sky. Rich green mountains sprang from the earth.

  “Home,” she said to herself.

  “Yeah, home. Green grass, no sand,” Kong agreed.

  Sam looked out the window and saw her Uncle Walt waiting for them. His jaw was set and his eyes were hard. She knew that look, it meant trouble.

  “Uncle Walt doesn’t look happy,” she told Kong.

  “He’s not. I have to give him a detailed report on the mission and why you were shot,” he told her sliding his pack onto his back.

  “What?” He wanted a report as to why she was shot? What was that about?

  “Don’t worry Sam, I can handle it,” he said grabbing her pack.

  “The hell you will. I’ll handle it. It was my fault I was shot, not yours. He wants a fight, I’ll give him one.” Sam stood at the door and waited for the pilot to open it. When he did, Sam bounded down the steps toward her uncle.

  Walt watched with amazement as Sam jogged toward him. From what Lowe had reported, she had taken a bullet in the thigh and underwent surgery almost twenty-four hours ago. But how could that be? She was jogging for Christ’s sake. No one jogged after surgery. As she grew closer, he could see the fire in her eyes. Obviously, she knew he was ready to rip Lowe limb from limb.

  “There she goes, protecting people again,” Ricochet snorted.

  “She knows it was her fault she took a bullet. She doesn’t want anyone else taking the fall for it. That’s just who she is,” Kong remarked as he walked down the steps.

  “Sam. Are you all right? I thought you had surgery on your leg?” Walt asked holding out his arms to her.

  Sam slid in between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. She may have been mad at him, but she still loved him. “I did.” Then she looked up into his face. “It was my fault Uncle Walt. I let my emotions take over. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself and barged right in. They tried to stop me, they really did. It was like I was in my own world. All I could hear was the woman moaning in pain.”

  Walt hugged her tighter. He knew what she heard and it wasn’t the woman, it was her mother.

  “Okay Sam. I understand.” Walt looked up as the three men approached. They looked haggard and beat. Nothing a hot shower and a good meal wouldn’t fix. When his eyes met Kong’s they were still hard. He wasn’t quite ready to forgive him yet.

  “Sir,” Kong said as they eyed each other.

  “Lieutenant.” He reached out and shook the man’s hand, then shook the hands of the other two. “You can grab a shower in the barracks and a hot meal in the mess hall. When you’re ready, let me know and I’ll have you flown home.”

  Kong smiled. “That won’t be necessary Sir. We’re gonna grab a hotel room in town for a few days.” Satisfaction filled Kong’s chest as he watched Cannon’s face. There was no mistake he didn’t like the idea of them hanging around.

  Sam saw the look her uncle gave Kong. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the building that housed his office. “We need to talk Uncle Walt. You guys can use the jeep while you’re here. There’s a hotel about five miles out on the main road. It’s called the Regal Inn. I’ll call you there later.”

  The three men watched as she pulled her uncle away from them. “He don’t like you man
,” Ricochet chuckled. “He thinks you’re bangin’ his niece.”

  “No skin off my nose. It’s not him I’m interested in. You guys go ahead, I’m gonna wait for Sam,” he said walking toward her little red Mustang.

  When Sam got Walt inside the building, she pointed her finger at him and started lecturing. “You promised to stay out of my private life if I stayed out of yours. No comments, no snide remarks, nothing. I love you Uncle Walt, but my life is my life.”

  Walt walked to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle. He didn’t even bother to pour the clear liquid into a glass—he just drank straight from the bottle. He waited for the fire in his throat to pass before he spoke. “I thought you were seriously hurt. Lowe called and said you were shot, that you walked right in and confronted two of the Taliban. My God Sam. I was scared to death. I was sure I was going to lose you,” he said slamming the bottle on the desk. “I was ready to kill Lowe for allowing you to walk in there. Why didn’t he stop you?”

  “In the first place, no one allows me to do anything. I do what needs to be done. I don’t answer to anyone. Not when I’m working. They couldn’t have stopped me without shooting me themselves.” Sam saw the distress in his face and hated herself for putting it there. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand how I work. I heard nothing inside my head. I couldn’t be reached. I was so far gone that all I saw was mom on the floor. The man I killed wasn’t part of the Taliban. He was one of the murderers.” Sam’s voice broke. “Don’t you see? I wasn’t rescuing a kidnap victim, I was rescuing mom.”

  Walt walked to her and slipped his arms around her. “I’m sorry Sam. If I had known there was a woman there, I wouldn’t have told you about the job.” The kiss he placed on the top of her head made her smile.