by Dale Mayer
The man nodded slowly. “It’s not that easy to find, I don’t think.”
“No, it isn’t. Do you remember where it was?”
The owner nodded. He drew a rough map on the table, pointed where they were and then drew an X on the table a little farther out. His information jogged Erick’s memories. Now if they could use Tesla’s system to make sure where they were going wasn’t full of mines, they’d be golden. When they finished and paid, leaving the man a generous tip, they headed back with an extra serving of food.
As they walked out in the cool evening, Erick asked Talon, “Do we believe him?”
“I think I believe him, but I’m not too sure about the other men in the restaurant. It seemed like they were listening in.”
“I agree. I have to admit, part of the reason for bringing it up was I was hoping to flesh out somebody who might follow us tomorrow.”
“The trouble is, they could be there ahead of us.”
“I wasn’t planning on getting much sleep. I wanted daylight for traveling, but, as soon as Tesla has her system up, I want to hit the road.”
“It’s a good thing we turned back earlier and came to the main road to the village. We’ll have to double back to get to where the accident site is, but I can’t stop thinking about that second antitank land mine. The last thing I want to do is find the partner to the one we blew up.”
“Exactly. But I know that’s what Tesla is working on. We have a laptop that will handle her program, or a little bit of the program. As long as we can get her to scan this area, we’ll be okay.”
Back at the hotel room, Erick handed over the food, and Cade inhaled it. When he looked at the empty packet, he stared at Erick. “You could have brought twice as much, you know.”
Erick nodded and pointed to the second bag. “That’s traveling food for morning.”
“When are we leaving?” Cade asked.
“As soon as Tesla gives us the go-ahead. That should be about six hours. We need to sleep as much as we can and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to head out as early as we can get on the road.”
Cade said, “I’ll sleep first then. I found myself struggling to stay awake as it was while you guys were gone.” He walked to his bed, lay down facing the window and, within minutes, was snoring.
Erick knew he wouldn’t sleep too easily. “I’ll take first watch. You drove all day. Get some rest.”
As Talon lay down, Erick’s phone buzzed. It was Mason. “Hello, Mason. What’s up?”
“Tesla’s got the system up and running. She’s got your location based on your GPS phone coordinates. Now where was the accident site?”
The two of them worked through the map they had while Tesla ran a scanning radar program. “She’s in closer. She can see via satellite, and, so far, isn’t finding anything between you and the accident site.”
“Good. I know a second one was sold. I just don’t know where it is.”
“Did you ever consider that maybe both went off at the same time?”
“It’s possible. But then we should all be dead. The fact is, we drove over the side of it, and it went off, tossed the vehicle over. If we’d been right over it, it would have shattered the vehicle into a million pieces. So I’m expecting there to have been just one. I don’t know that any investigation was ever done to identify if it was more than that.”
In the background he could hear Tesla’s voice.
“Can she check from the accident site through to the next village?”
“She’s working on it right now. She plans on doing the full area, plus making sure you have an escape route. What we’d like to do is make sure you have a couple routes to choose from. When I’ve got it down on paper, I’ll scan it in and send it to you.”
“Sounds good. We need to do everything we can to keep our asses intact this time.”
“We’ll help you do that,” Mason said. “One bad accident was enough for all of us. This is dangerous as it is. Let’s not have a repeat of two years ago.”
On that note Mason ended the call. Erick lay back on the cot and stared up at the ceiling. He knew tonight would be bad. Tomorrow would trigger even more difficult memories. He’d been the one to push to go back to the scene of the accident but always knew it would just as likely trigger tougher memories. He was just hoping, at some point, the answers would stop the nightmares completely.
“Any news?” Talon asked quietly.
“No, not really. Tesla hasn’t found any other land mines. She’ll send us a map as soon as she’s finished her scan. Mason’ll send us several routes to get free and clear of here to make sure we get home in one piece this time.”
“Thank God for that.” Talon rolled over and fell asleep.
But there was no sleep for Erick. Not tonight, not for a long time. Not until this shit was over.
Chapter 5
When Honey woke the next morning, she was surprised to realize she’d slept the night through. She sat up, looked around. Feeling much better, she hopped up and walked into the shower. By the time she was ready for breakfast, she’d used more of her time than she’d expected. The workshop would start in only half an hour. That meant just enough time to grab coffee and a muffin from the coffee shop and take it with her.
She picked up her bag and room key and walked out the door. Finding Laszlo leaning beside the doorway, she gasped. She took several deep breaths to get her heartbeat back under control. “You haven’t been here all night, have you?”
He smiled. “Enough to make sure you were okay.”
“Well, you’re off guard duty now,” she said firmly. “I’m going to have breakfast. I’ll be in the workshop all day.”
He grinned. “Coffee sounds like a good idea.” He walked with her to the elevator.
She looked at him suspiciously. “You’re not staying with me all day, right?”
He shook his head. “No, I won’t. I have work to do too.”
As soon as they hit the lobby, he headed to the front of the hotel. Relieved, she turned and went into the coffee shop.
By the end of the day, her mind was overwhelmed with so much information. She had made such great connections too that she was satisfied on both an emotional and a mental level. She’d made the best decision to come. It had been expensive and hard to organize on such short notice, but it had been perfect. David had been kind and friendly and that had also helped. She hated to think he had expectations about her visit beyond the conference. She’d gotten the impression he was hoping for more. Even just for these few days.
It had been a while since she’d had a man interested in her that way. She’d lived a hermit’s life this last year. And, while flattering, she wasn’t interested in him that way. Especially not after meeting Erick again. The gunman was correct about that. Although it gave her the willies to consider someone else, a dangerous stranger at that, had noticed.
Still, she had another full day of the conference, which was essentially a wrap-up with questions for a few guest speakers after that.
Last night’s encounter with the gunman had weighed on her mood heavily. Not just his presence in her hotel room and pointing his gun at her but the threats against Erick, the threat against her if she told anyone about him. And that he was on the loose. What kind of a citizen was she if she didn’t let local law enforcement know a gunman was in the area?
The trouble was, she wasn’t in a Western country. And, as a woman, she wouldn’t be given the same validation for her statement as a native male would. And, since nobody else had seen this guy or been disturbed by him or had their hotel room broken into because of him—that she knew of—she wasn’t sure she could do a whole lot to change the situation. Laszlo had stuck close all night, making sure she wouldn’t be alone if the gunman did return. And she appreciated that. She didn’t know how she felt about his arrival. Or the fact that he was a friend of Erick’s. She presumed Erick had given him these instructions. Or maybe it was just Laszlo’s innate gentlemanly behavior. But, given the l
ook of him too, she figured he was military along with Erick and his friends. She hoped that serve-and-defend motto passed on to a helpless woman too.
“Hey, Honey. You got any plans for dinner?”
She turned to glance at David—her gaze steady yet searching for something other than friendship. He smiled expansively but not leeringly. “Not yet. You have any suggestions?” She hated to not make the most of her time here; she just didn’t want to be alone with David, hoping to avoid any unpleasant rejection of his advances that may be needed later in the evening. She’d tried to keep her relationship with him today friendly, but less than on the previous day. It was with relief that she heard his suggestion.
“A large group of us are heading out. Just going to a restaurant across the street, a block down. Somewhere close we can walk to.”
She smiled. “Sounds perfect. Are we leaving now?” She pulled out her cell phone and glanced at the time. “It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”
“It is. We’ll meet here in two hours, if that works for you.”
Her smile remained. “Perfect.”
As soon as she turned away, her smile fell. She’d had her phone off so as not to disturb anyone at the workshop. But she’d missed several texts. And one phone call too. She found three from Erick; two were from Kat. She returned to her room, approaching her door with trepidation. The last time she’d entered, somebody had been waiting for her. She didn’t want a repeat of that.
Also she didn’t want anybody hearing her phone call or reading her texts. She used her key and pushed open the door but stood in the hall. She heard a chuckle and realized Laszlo had opened his door to lean against the doorjamb, looking at her. She smiled. “Does that mean it’s safe to enter my room?”
“Absolutely.” He crossed the hall. “But just in case,” he stepped into her room and walked all the way through, calling back, “it’s clear.”
Relieved, she walked inside. “I wasn’t sure if you would be keeping an eye on the hall all day or not. I figured a big guy like you would have better things to do.”
He grinned and winked. “I do have better things to do, but not at the moment and not while I’m here.”
She understood. Either this was a job or he had a specific reason for doing this. He wouldn’t leave his post, unless to walk her to the lobby. She walked through her hotel room, dropped her purse on her bed and smiled at him. “I appreciate you keeping an eye out.”
He shrugged. “I was watching the hall anyway.”
She nodded. “And I presume you saw nothing?”
“Nothing,” he said cheerfully. “It’s all been quiet.”
“And Erick?”
“What about Erick?” But his voice was smooth, his tone even, too even.
She held up her cell phone and said, “I’ve missed several texts and two calls from Kat. Something’s up.”
“Maybe you should check on them.”
She eyed him sideways. “That’s why I came to my room. I don’t want anybody else seeing or hearing me.”
“Not a bad idea considering somebody is obviously trying to get ahold of you.”
She flicked through the texts. Essentially Erick was checking to make sure that her day had gone well, that her night had been okay, that everything was trouble-free and that she’d seen no signs of the gunman. She sent back an affirmative on all counts, saying she was just out of the workshop for the day. So far, the day had been easy and clear.
The phone call, however, was next. She hit Redial and waited until her friend picked up. “Hey,” she said, dropping down on the bed.
Laszlo stood by the double glass doors and made no move to leave. She wasn’t sure if she should ask him to for personal reasons or if, because Kat was part of their group also, maybe he wanted to ensure all was well there too.
“There you are,” Kat cried.
“I was in a workshop all day,” she said. “And it’s been a busy one.”
“You learning much?”
“Learning tons. Unfortunately it’s technology that won’t happen in the US for a long time. But I knew that going in. I wanted to know what was coming down the pipeline, not just what I could deal with today.”
Kat’s laughter rolled free through the phone. “That’s the thing about you. You’re always looking for bigger and better.”
“And you aren’t?” Honey mocked her friend. “In fact, the two of us are very much alike that way.”
“We are very much alike,” Kat agreed.
“Did you have a reason for calling?”
“Outside of making sure you’re safe,” her friend said with a laugh, “no. I’m just hoping you stay out of trouble and catch your flight home without any problem.”
“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be able to?”
“Well, I told you a little about what happened to my place recently, and I certainly wouldn’t wish that on anyone. And, if you’ve had a gunman in your hotel room, that’s double ugly.”
“Badger told you about the gunman, did he?”
“Yeah, he and Laszlo have been talking back and forth all morning. Badger is waiting for the okay on surgery right now.”
“And Erick? I presume he’s off doing whatever he came for.”
“We haven’t heard from him in several hours. I’m a little worried about it but not too much. I know communication is spotty over there.”
“How many hours?”
“About four. But they had quite a drive too. And not just one place to check out, so I’m not really bothered yet.”
“Well, when you are bothered, can you let me know? I hate to think of something happening to him over here.”
“Nothing you can do about it,” Kat said calmly. “Those men are well trained. I’m not sure there’s anything they can’t handle.”
“Everybody will die one day. Whether it’s old age, cancer or a slug from a gun, none of us escape death.”
“True, but, if anybody has nine lives, it’s these guys. Anyway, now that I know you’re okay, I’ll head off and get to my day.”
The two women exchanged goodbyes, and, when she was done, Honey threw her phone on the bed and turned toward Laszlo. “Is Erick okay? Apparently he’s gone into radio silence for at least four hours.”
Laszlo raised one eyebrow ever-so-slightly at her phrase. “We aren’t in the military, you know.”
“You’re no longer in the normal military. Whatever you were in before versus what you’re in now, your boss may have changed, but I don’t think the work itself has.”
“This is personal.”
She studied him for a long moment. “That actually sounds worse.”
Laszlo deliberately stayed quiet.
She nodded. “Okay, so I’m on a need-to-know basis, and I don’t need to know. Apparently gunmen can come into my room after seeing me talk to Erick for all of five minutes and decide I have some connection to him, and yet I don’t get to know what this is all about.”
“Betrayal.”
She frowned, not quite understanding. “How about a few more words to go along with that?”
“We’re trying to figure out if the truck we were in while on a military mission was blown up deliberately. We were all badly injured, and one of our men was killed.”
“This isn’t about revenge, is it?” she asked cautiously. Her stomach clawed and rolled around at the concept. “And how could you possibly find out after so long?”
“That’s the problem. That’s why we’re here now.”
She nodded. “It happened here? In Afghanistan?”
“Yes, and getting to the bottom of something two years old is difficult in itself. But we no longer have access to the military information we had back then.”
She studied him for a long moment; then she understood. “You think one of your own did this to you, don’t you?”
He gave a quick nod. “Yes.”
Erick watched the never-ending, unforgiving rocky terrain around them. The three of them had been in mo
stly sand and dirt so far, with the odd bit of scrub brush. But almost nothing to break the terrain. And then they hit a patch of rock. It was odd enough that they’d stopped the vehicle and had gotten out to take a look. But it appeared to be natural, not man made.
Erick stood at the top of the tallest rock and surveyed the ground below. Nothing looked familiar. And that bothered him. He hadn’t told anybody but his doctors how a lot of that long-ago trip was a huge blank. The doctors, of course, said the amnesia was likely due to the trauma. Not to mention the fact it was a coping mechanism. But considering he still had so many nightmares about the accident itself, he didn’t understand why he wouldn’t remember the events leading up to it. Something had to be lodged there in his brain.
He remembered being in the vehicle, and he remembered them driving for hours. They’d stopped, checked on a few things, called in to the base, done a recon on their location and other landmarks close by. And then it was a blank up until the accident. In fact, he didn’t remember the accident even happening.
“Anybody else not remember a whole lot about what happened back then?” Talon asked, his words mirroring Erick’s concern.
“Yeah, me,” he confessed. “My nightmares are about being blown apart by the land mine. The details vividly clear. But not time and distance. I don’t remember how many miles after our last stop, what direction we were heading. All of that is just a big blur. Last thing I remember was the peaks. And we now know that was hours away.”
“I’m sure the doctors told you it was totally normal.” Cade’s tone was mocking.
Making Erick realize that Cade and Talon had probably heard the same thing time and time again.
“Absolutely. You?”
Talon nodded. “Yeah. They told me that.”
Cade said, “They told me that too. And honestly I did remember a lot of it eventually. But I think the details of the accident are gone forever. If I ever had them. The blast came out of nowhere. We didn’t have time to prepare, so the memories are more emotional than anything.”