by Tamika Brown
Bryce shook his head. “I guess I will.”
“I mean, Bryce, this is our mission laid out word for word. Where we were going to be, who our target was, and who was supposed to take the kill shot.”
“You said it detailed out our next training mission as well.” The wheels turned in Bryce’s mind, formulating a plan. “I’ve got to call Calen.”
He jumped on the phone and dialed Calen’s cell.
It rang four times before Calen picked up with a voice full of sleep. “Yeah, Calen.”
“It’s me, Bryce. We hit pay dirt,” he said.
“I’ll be there in ten.” Calen hung up.
Bryce printed out another copy of the email along with the name of the holder of the email account.
“Print me out another too,” Hodge said. “I need to translate this to English. Hopefully, their next step will take them down.”
He got to work.
True to his word, Calen was there in record time. “Where’s Page? He should be here by now,” his boisterous voice boomed throughout the small office.
“I’m here. I was just finishing up an interview.” Both men grabbed the sheets offered to them and read in silence.
Calen asked Hodge, “Is this translation legit, no mistakes?”
For a second, Hodge gleamed a look of hurt feelings but shook his head no, no mistakes. Calen only questioned him because of the name on the account. He was too close to this one.
It was Bryce’s turn to speak cautiously. “Calen, you do see the name on the account, right? Who it belongs to?”
“I saw.” It was all they were getting out of him.
Bryce let the matter drop without another word, but he knew what this was doing to Calen inside. He’d always been good at hiding his real feelings.
Calen pulled his cell out, put it on speaker, and called Russell. “Hey, we got something. How long will it take you to get here?”
“I can be there in fifteen minutes.” The line went dead.
Fifteen minutes later, Russell stood at the table, reading and asking the same questions Calen had asked Hodge earlier. “Is this correct? The translation?”
Hodge nodded.
Russell glared at Calen. “The targeted team is yours. What do you want to do?”
Calen stared one-by-one at the men who stood in the room with him. Men we trusted and protected with his life. “We go with the training mission as planned.”
“Yeah, as planned,” Bryce agreed. “But, we’ll be ready. I’ve been playing with a way to take advantage.”
11
Calen
TRAINING DAY
Calen gathered his men, along with Russell, for the briefing of their training mission, which were mapped out to simulate real missions. They went through briefing, charts, maps, procedures, the whole nine yards. This one wouldn’t be any different from the hundreds they had gone on before, except for one fact.
There was someone out to get his team.
Even though the information of who that someone was had come as a surprise to Calen, he couldn’t let the feelings and emotions cloud what he had to do. What he must do.
They were going to pay.
Calen and his men listened intently as Russell laid out their instructions for the training mission. “Listen up guys, regular mission, but as you all know recently, this unit was the target of an ambush. It has come to our attention there is a plan to try to cut down this team at the training mission you’re about to embark on. It was with rigorous investigation that we uncovered this information. We plan to take them down today. I’ll turn it over to Calen for further orders.”
Some of the men who were not privy to the information found murmured at the sudden change.
Calen took Russell’s place at the front of the room. “We only have one thing to do. Take them all down. Page, Hodge, and Bryce, you’re the shooters. Expect heavy fire. The rest of you will be their eyes and ears. Have their backs no matter what. As soon as we touch down, fan out. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Calen and his men ran through the plan once more. He allowed for any questions the men might have, but as he expected, there were none. His men were well-trained and knew their roles no matter the circumstances.
He gave an approving nod. “Let’s gear up.”
SHAYLA
Shayla packed the last suitcase into her rental. She had a wonderful last day on the beach and decided to go in, pack, and take a long well deserved nap before she hit the road.
Two hours later, she phoned Tela to let her know she was leaving the Banks. She had to catch her flight in Raleigh to Atlanta and fly from Atlanta to Colorado. There was no direct flight out of Raleigh.
Four hours to do nothing but daydream about her vacation and how she didn’t want it to end. She watched the miles and miles of fields roll by as she made her way to the airport.
Raleigh was fast-paced; it reminded her of a mini Atlanta, without all the old money. She made a mental note to stay a little longer in Raleigh the next time she came this way.
She saw the city skyline from the highway before she veered off right before the downtown area. With the many businesses and companies in the downtown, someone could really carve out a nice productive career.
To her, Raleigh seemed to be the perfect mixture of city and rural life.
She pulled into the airport parking lot area designated for the return of rentals. She arrived early for her flight with plenty of time to get through airport security and check in her bags.
She pulled her bags from the trunk and made her way to the rental counter.
Thankful for the efficiency of the rental business, there was a line for checking in the keys and one for picking up or renting. She went straight for the check-in counter.
She waited as Reese, according to the nametag she wore, finished tapping the keys on the computer before she spoke.
Reese glanced up. “May I help you, ma’am?”
Shayla sat her bags down by her feet and wrestled the keys to the rental out of her pocket. “Yes, I’d like to turn these in, please.” She handed the keys to Reese, then picked up her bags once more.
More typing. Then Reese grabbed the paperwork from the printer and brought it over to Shayla with a smile. “Sign at the X, and you can be on your way.”
Paper signed, Shayla moved to the counter to check in her bags. She had about twenty minutes before her flight was scheduled to leave, just enough time to grab her ticket and have a little sit-down.
She had been so busy packing before she left for the airport that she forgot to text Calen. She would get to it later. She wanted to make sure he still knew she at least wanted to keep in touch.
Shayla settled her carry on next to her, making sure everyone’s souvenirs were nice and safe, then pulled out her phone, thinking of him and texted Calen her information while waiting for her flight to be called.
Shayla hesitated for a couple of seconds before touching the send message button on her touch screen. She chastised herself for that brief moment of doubt; maybe she should leave well enough alone.
Soon, she made her way to the gate. She had a layover in Atlanta before she would fly to Denver. However, Shayla knew her flight to Atlanta would be one full of plans for the next trip she would take to North Carolina and a certain gorgeous man she had spent, perhaps what was, the best few days of her life with.
12
Calen
The chopper touched down at a remote section of the Rockies.
This location was chosen because of its similarity to the rocky terrain of Orahm and the isolation. No worries about unexpected hikers tracking through. They’d trained there for years.
As soon as the chopper lifted off, each man quietly and quickly fanned out, using his eyes and hand signals, both essential to a well-oiled unit. Each man would stick to their positions, knowing which targets they needed to take out, for both the training and the primary mission.
For this training session, there would be no blanks.
Calen and his men were ready. They knew they were to move deeper into the rocks before the trap would be sprung on them, yet they were ready for anything.
James Cameron would have been happy with the Oscar-winning performance Calen and his men were pulling off. The sleepers didn’t know what hit them. As soon as Calen and his men hit the designated clearing, gunfire started, as they knew it would.
If not for the inside information, they would have been sitting ducks.
Ten of them.
His sharpshooters ran for cover to set up their shots. Each one had a particular man to take out. Calen and the others provided the cover, giving them time to get into position.
Every man on his elite team found their positions and waited for Calen to give the order. The air was still, like the eye of a tornado. The worst winds were yet to come.
The cell made the first move, coming out from the protection of the boulders and rocks for a better position. The targets steadily moved their way.
Calen whispered into the radio, “Hold, but if you have the shot, take it.”
After an intense few seconds, Bryce broke the radio silence. “I’ve got eyes. I’m taking the shot.”
A single shot rang out. Dead before he could even return fire. Calen watched intently as the others held their positions. In the confusion that ensued, it was hard to say if it was Bryce’s shot or if one of the targets shot first. They wouldn’t need long to find out.
Strings of Arabic mixed with English, cursing ranged throughout the area.
“Be ready. They found him and are about to come out blazing,” Calen warned.
Each man radioed in the ready.
An influx of bullets and yells bombarded Calen and his team. The cell’s anger was their mistake. They broke their cover and headed right into range of all of Calen’s sharpshooters.
One-by-one, what was ten, dwindled to nothing. Once again, everything was silent. Calen only gave the word for his men to move once he was completely sure of the kills.
“Let’s go home,” he said and gave the command for the men to move into the open.
Calen radioed the chopper. The training and kill missions complete. The chopper would call for clean-up at the specified coordinates.
Returning to Fort Bragg was a triumphant, but somber moment for Calen. He watched as his men congratulated one another on their success and was extremely proud of the way they handled themselves.
As soon as they landed and the equipment and gear were stored, he turned to Bryce. “Can you bring the traitor in and put her in the briefing room? And call Russell too, so we can finally get to the bottom of this. I want to know why in the hell we were targeted, and she can answer it.”
SHAYLA
An Atlanta layover, it would be a day or so before anything was ready to go out to Colorado from Atlanta. Shayla changed her ticket to a later flight and got a hotel room. She tried to ignore the deafening silence of her non-ringing cell phone. She really wanted to hear from Calen.
Instead, she called Tela.
“Hey, girl, what’s up?”
“Hey, nothing much. Just wanted to let you know I’m in Atlanta. A layover,” she said.
“For how long? Will it put you behind?” she inquired.
“Maybe a day or so.” She sighed into the receiver as she wondered about Calen.
And like a true friend, Tela knew something was wrong. “What’s up then? What’s going on with Calen?”
“Just haven’t heard from him is all. I texted him my information before I got on the plane. I was hoping he would have called or texted or something by now.” She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
“Smart decision, Shay. Leave it in his hand. So, if this goes nowhere, you’ll know at least it wasn’t on your part. Right?”
“But what if he doesn’t contact me? The least he could do is let me know he got my text. I absolutely refuse to call him, I won’t do that to myself. Break my promise,” she said.
“Then don’t. Look, so you had a great time, you caught feelin’s, and you let him know. That’s all you can do girl, stop worrying.”
“You’re right. I can say that I’ve done my part,” she resigned.
“Look, if he doesn’t call or text you, call him. It could be he’s on a mission. Didn’t you say he was special ops or something? He may not be able to call you right now. Give him some time.”
“Oh, I hadn’t even thought of that. He left in a hurry, and I could tell whatever it was, it was important. But, Tela, I don’t know. His shoulder wasn’t healed, and he just left…” she trailed off.
“It will work out in the end. Don’t worry about it. And if he doesn’t call you or contact you, hey, well, it’s his loss. Any man would be grateful to have you,” she decided.
“Thanks, Te. I love you.”
“Love you too, chic. Get some rest.”
Tela always knew what to say. She’d been encouraging Shayla her whole life it seemed. Her friend had gotten her through some tough ordeals in her life, especially those high school years. They talked for a few more minutes before the jet lag caught up to her. As soon as they hung up, Shayla was sound asleep.
CALEN
When Calen entered the briefing room, Sergeant Major Russel and Corporal Bonnie Rush waited for him.
When Bonnie saw Calen, a scowl immediately came upon her face, still angry even though they hadn’t been together for almost a year. He wanted to remember how her laugh would resonate in a room and cause others to laugh, too. How her hair fell in waves down her back. Her smooth olive skin and dark lashes that feathered over the apples of her cheeks when she slept. Bonnie had been a beautiful woman. Contrast to the one before him right now.
She had wanted more than he was willing to give her: a child and marriage. Because he couldn’t give her those things, she got angry and did something stupid. Calen never cared who she cheated on him with. She called him every name in the book in both Arabic and English, threw some things at him, too. She stormed out of the house they shared and yelled for him to make sure he wasn’t there when she got back.
Calen wasn’t.
And that was the end of their two-year relationship.
He couldn’t get Shayla or the weeks they spent together out of his head. Although they had just met, he couldn’t deny the hold she had on him. Shayla was nothing like Bonnie. He knew that even in the little time he had known her. He just hoped there was still a chance with her when all this mess was said and done.
Bonnie should have been over their failed relationship. It was such a long time ago, especially because of the way it all ended. It was clear she wasn’t. All they once were faded out of his mind. He hadn’t thought about Bonnie in all the time they were apart. He wouldn’t dwell on her now. She was their traitor. He had to figure out how to play this.
He sat across from Bonnie. Russell asked about the mission; Calen let him know it was successful, no survivors.
“No survivors?” Bonnie asked with a look of despair on her face and a wail that would rival a baby’s cry when it was hungry and ready to eat.
Calen didn’t expect this kind of outpouring of emotion. He eyed her. “You were close to someone in the cell?”
“My husband,” she spit, anger flaring within her eyes.
“Why?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“It’s simple really when you think about us and our pitiful relationship. I hate you. I hate everything you stand for.” Her fists clenched. “You believe you’re some sort of hero, when the truth is, you’re a coward.”
Calen grew impatient, his anger getting the best of him. “Why?”
“You ruined me! I loved you. I risked who I was for you! My family shunned me because you weren’t Muslim. Do you have any idea what that’s like?” she managed to choke out through tears. “Not to have your family to go to when you need help?”
Calen could only shake his head. No, he didn’t know what it was like. He and his family parted ways a long time
ago. He had only had Bryce, the streets and, now, his unit which she had tried to destroy. “So, you resort to this? You let it fester instead of letting it go. You had what you wanted. A husband you loved. And now look.”
She continued as if his words didn’t faze her. “I believed you were my reason to get out of the sleeper cell. I was supposed to assimilate myself into American culture, to become military. I did what I was supposed to do. The deeper I got into our relationship, the more reservations I had about what I was doing, so I came up with a plan. I was prepared to take the cell out myself. I had all the information I needed. Names, addresses, telephone numbers… everything. But, when we fell apart, I was so angry. Angry with you. Angry with myself for believing in a fairytale. I activated the cell that very day.”
The more she explained her reasoning, the more Calen watched as she became detached. Whatever existed between them then, that made her turn, wasn’t there now. It was written on her face, in her eyes. Unemotional and unremorseful about what she did.
“Bonnie, whatever happened between us all those years ago, I apologize,” Calen said with as much sincerity as he could muster. Then, he stilled himself. “But you are a traitor to your country, and to yourself.”
“I’m going to call the higher-ups and let them know the situation so they can contact whoever they need to, and they can handle the situation,” Russel told Calen who continued to snarl in disgust with the turn of events as he stood at the window looking out. Russell turned to Bonnie. “I need you to write a statement. Everything you just told Calen needs to be in it.” He put just the right amount of steel in his voice. “Your involvement and every mission you participated in involving the U.S. Marine Corps.”
Russell marched over to the door and wrenched it open, then he ordered two guards to watch over Bonnie.