by Lee Stephen
“A child,” she scoffed, looking away.
“—instead of acting like an operative. We don’t need this drama, Esther. Our lives are dramatic enough.”
Glaring at him, she said, “I have one question for you: did you tell Svetlana?”
Veck. What was he supposed to say here? Was he just supposed to lie?
She’d already detected it. “Un-bloody-believable.”
“What I tell Svetlana is my business.”
“You cretin.”
“Esther, listen—”
She waved his words away. “There’s nothing more you need to say.” Turning from him, she walked away only to stop a moment later and aboutface. “You know, I could have bought that Boris thing. That sounded so wonderful and noble. But you had no good reason to tell Svetlana except to humiliate me.”
“She knew something was up. I told her. I’m sorry.” This was spiraling out of control.
Pointing her finger definitively at the floor, Esther said, “I cannot wait to finish this mission. So I can get the hell away from you.” Turning away from him, she walked out the door.
Scott couldn’t hold it in. As soon as she was gone, he picked up a pillow from his bed and body-slammed it into the floor. It was the most harmless way to expel his rage.
Two days ago, Esther and I were a perfect team. Now we’re mortal enemies. I’m supposed to trust You, God, but I’m not feeling any plan here. What’s going on?
As was the case far too often, no discernable answer came to him—only the silence of a room that felt hotter than it had minutes before. He was so sick of Esther, he was almost sick of Svetlana. Thankfully, his excursion later that night into the city wasn’t with either of them. Just focus on Natalie.
He was fairly sure that would be a joy.
Outside in the hall, Esther was halfway to her room when a voice called behind her. “Esther!” Turning around, the dagger-eyed Briton located Jayden as he approached. As soon as he saw her expression, he stopped and tilted his head. “Hey, you all right?”
Her irritation poured out. “Really? You have to ask? What’s the matter, weren’t you properly briefed?” Turning away from him, she resumed her angered march.
“Hey,” he called out, running to catch up to her, “you wanna talk about it?”
“Didn’t you leave with Boris? Don’t you have something to do?”
Stopping in the hallway behind her, Jayden quietly answered, “Actually, I was kinda in his way.”
Esther slowed her march until she too had stopped completely. She turned to face him, her pointed expression settling on his good eye. When it became clear that there was no animosity emanating from him, she relaxed tiredly.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. “I saw you leave outta Scott’s room. He say somethin’ to upset you?”
Brushing back her hair and glancing away, she said, “Jay, I appreciate you asking, I genuinely do, but I really don’t feel like rehashing it right now.”
“I didn’t mean I wanted you to rehash anything. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
Faintly, Esther smiled. “I’m all right, Jay. I’m not mad at you.”
Still a good five meters apart, the Texan crouched on the floor. “Yeah, I know. I guess I just don’t want anyone to be mad at anyone.”
Sighing quietly, she said, “Jay...it’s complicated.”
“Naw,” he said, shaking his head, “it ain’t.” When she canted her head curiously, he went on. “You loved someone and they rejected you. I know how it is.”
It took several seconds for a reaction to show on Esther’s face, but one did as her brown eyes subtly settled at the Texan’s feet. Her defensiveness disarmed, she smiled sadly—just enough to indicate that she’d heard what he’d said. Silence fell between them.
Pushing up the brim of his cowboy hat, the Texan finally looked back up. “You doin’ anything right now?”
“Actually, no,” she answered resignedly. “Not until Scott clears me with Captain Rockwell.”
“Wanna go get a beer?”
A genuine chuckle escaped from her lips. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” He rose up from the floor. “We passed one of the food courts while we were walkin’. Looked like they had a couple bars.”
Despite her lack of an immediate response, a grin slowly crept across Esther’s face. Resting her hands on her hips, the Briton conceded. “Jayden, I would love to go get a beer with you.”
Snapping his fingers into a backwards-aimed thumbs up, Jayden said, “Pick ’em up.”
“What?”
“I mean, c’mon.”
Extension bouncing behind her head, Esther trotted to Jayden. Together, they trekked for the food court.
Despite the obvious venting pretense of their journey, much of the walk to their destination was filled with marveling at the sights of the Anthill. Esther spent most of that time attempting to answer Jayden’s numerous “what do you think that’s for?” questions about everything from terminals, to seemingly pointless troughs of flowing water, to the various other aesthetically-curious intricacies of Cairo. By the time they reached the food court—after a brief detour during which the Texan insisted he wasn’t lost—it was nearing one o’clock.
As Jayden had claimed, there were several bars scattered throughout the almost city-block sized food court. One in particular caught the Texan’s eye immediately—a dark-hued, smokey establishment called Route 66. The authenticity of not only that particular bar, but of the various restaurants and dives across the food court, was more than somewhat impressive. Authentic Japanese sushi bars, Mexican grills with Mexican staffs, Danish coffee shops—it was like a showcase of global sustenance. Cairo might have been a Class-2 base, but it was five-star luxury for those fortunate enough to reside inside its mural-laden walls.
Route 66 was among the least populated stops in the food court, indicative of the plethora of better lunchtime options available. Just the same, the atmosphere was as Midwestern U.S.A. as it could have been, and as soon as Jayden stepped through its doors, his good pupil dilated with exuberance. From the country music playing on the jukebox to the pair of pool tables at the back of the room, it was as American as the road it was named for. Ordering a pair of Amber Grain classics and a bowl of nachos, he and Esther claimed their seats.
Jayden seemed to take an almost owner-like pride in the bar and made it a point to identify every image of Americana on the walls, from Old Era soda signs to vintage car grills. Though the conversation was destined for something serious, at the onset both were contented to simply small talk. The bombshell of the opening chat came when Esther confessed that she’d never drank an American beer before—a fact made more than apparent by the bitter face she exhibited upon her first sip. Recanting memories of his teenage years, drinking with high school friends out the bed of a pickup, Jayden assured her that her taste buds would acclimate. She took his word for it and drank on.
By the time the jukebox took a turn for the reflective, their small talk had effectively died down. With a countenance as somber as the lighting, Esther propped her elbows on the table and rested her cheeks atop her open palms. Leaning back with a beer in one hand, Jayden watched her from the brim of his hat. “Let’s talk about it.”
“Ugh.” She closed her eyes. “I’m just so tired, Jay. I’m tired of trying.”
“I hear ya.”
“It’s like,” she paused to gather her thoughts, “you can do everything right, you can do everything you’d think someone would want you to, and it’s just pfff.” She extended her fingers as if to signify an explosion in the wind.
Smirking faintly, Jayden said, “You wanna hear the truth?”
“Sure. Hit me.”
“Ain’t none of us done everything right.”
Her expression made it obvious she concurred.
The Texan shook his head and looked off. “I thought I did everything right with Varya. I opened the door for ’er, I let her walk ahead of me.�
�� A breath of sweet laughter escaped Esther’s lips. “What?”
“Those things are so simple, Jay.” When he sat up to defend himself, she assuredly waved him back. “No, no. I mean that to say they’re wonderful. What girl wouldn’t want that?”
“Apparently Varya.”
Closing her eyes, she raised her eyebrows. “Well, what can we say? Some people can’t see a good thing in front of their face.”
“Yeah, I’ll drink to that.” Tapping their glasses, they took another drink. “What sucked so bad was that Viktor saved my life. Then he stole my girlfriend.”
“Can I tell you something?” Dipping her head forward, she eyed him sincerely. “You deserve so much better than Varvara. Don’t think of her as being stolen. Think of yourself as being freed.”
He scoffed gently. “Free with one eye and the body of a wuss.”
“Hey, don’t say that.”
“I’m serious. Look at me, Esther. Do I look like I’m ready for a fight? I don’t even know why they let me stay.” He slid his glass out as the bartender passed by to refill it. “I’m tryin’ hard. I’m workin’ out. I want to be as good as I was, it’s just...man. Months of layin’ down just kill ya.”
Still working on her second glass, Esther smiled at him. “You’ll get there. Everything takes time.” Tracing her fingers along the top of her glass, she eyed him sidelong. “Do you remember anything from that mission after you got shot?”
“Naw.”
She looked into the drink. “I was the first one to get there after Viktor. Medics must just be wired differently, because he was totally calm. But I was scared.” Her gaze lifted to him again. “I thought you were going to die. That scared all of us.”
Faintly, Jayden smiled.
“That you’re standing here today is a miracle. You got shot in the back, you fell out of a tower, and you had a broken visor sliced in your face.” She shook her head. “You may be weakened, Jay, but you’re the toughest man I know. We’re a unit full of broken spirits, but only one of us had their body broken, too. Yet here you are. There’s something to be said for that.”
“Aw’right, aw’right,” Jayden said, tinging red. “Let’s talk about you now.”
She stuck out her tongue. “I’d rather not. I’m a proper train wreck.” As the bartender passed by again, she finished her beer in time for a second refill. Eying Jayden, she waited for him to speak. When he didn’t, she laughed. “Okay, what? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I’m just listenin’,” he answered. “Lettin’ you talk.”
Smirking flatly, she took a drink, then leaned back and propped her fingers into her hair. “I am what I am, Jay. What can I say?”
“Why do you like Scott so much?”
The question’s bluntness caught her off guard, but after giving it a moment’s pause, she tried her best to respond. “I think it’s how he does things. I think he’s so driven, so efficient. The first time I saw him and I realized he was the Golden Lion, I was just blown away. The way he commands, the way he can do things that no one else can do, like what happened in Chicago, and then Chernobyl and that rescue of Pelican Squad...” As she stopped talking, a funny look came over her. Leaning back in contemplation, and then realization, she made a stupid face and huffed laughter. “Wow, Jay. These reasons are awful.”
The Texan chuckled loudly. “Yeah, those reasons kinda suck.”
“Good God.” Rubbing a hand across her face, she looked at him through the cracks between her fingers. “There must be more to it than that. I think he looks good. Does that count?”
“Well that’s just lust.”
“Of course it’s lust,” she said, “but love starts with lust, right? If you’re not lusting for someone...” As the statement hung, she motioned for him to finish it. “Help me out, here.”
He shook his head and grinned. “You’re on your own with this one.”
“But seriously!” she said. “You have to have a little lust, right? Like, the smallest iota of lust. There’s got to be an attraction. Then you’ve got to have chemistry.” She took another drink. “And we most certainly had chemistry.” Once again, an odd look struck her. Her mouth fell in humiliated horror. “Oh my God, we didn’t even have chemistry, did we?”
Holding his hands open, he implored her to keep on.
“We fight well together, we can coordinate and move in like no one else on the battlefield. We can read each other’s body language, we trust each other completely. In combat, obviously.”
Finishing his third beer, Jayden said, “Everything you’re talkin’ about is things y’all can do. But why do you love him?”
Esther’s brow furrowed intently; her narrowed eyes stared at the wall in heavy thought. She shook her head momentarily before looking back at him. “Jay, I’ve got nothing.”
“I mean, you killed a man for him. There must be somethin’.”
The look on her face was total disgust. “I cannot think of a single damn reason why I love that man beyond just what he is and how he looks.” Her eyes began to shimmer. “Seriously, Esther? Was that sodding it?”
“Hey, c’mon,” he said, reaching his hand across the table. “Don’t start killin’ yourself now.”
“I’m serious! I don’t think he’s funny. He’s nice, but Boris is nice. He’s charming, but so are you. What the hell do I like about him that makes him so special?” She ran her hand through her hair as her emotions boiled over. “Oh my God. This has been a bloody joke!”
Good eye widening, Jayden thought frantically, then removed his cowboy hat and handed it to her. “Put this on!”
Eyes shimmering, she gave him a look of total ridiculousness. She placed the hat atop her head. “What the hell, Jay? Why am I wearing this?”
“Because cowgirls don’t cry.”
The most unsettling, deafening silence fell between them, as for several full seconds, Esther just stared at him. Then suddenly, and blatantly, she convulsed with hilarity. Hand raising to hold the hat in place, she leaned her head back and guffawed. “Jayden!” The words choked out through her tears. “That was the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”
He laughed, too. “Yeah, but you’re not cryin’ anymore!”
“I’m still crying, you noodle,” she said, wiping her eyes, “I’m just laughing in disbelief!”
“Yeah, but it was funny, right?”
Plopping back in the chair, she gazed at him contentedly. “Yes, Jay. That was utterly hilarious.”
“Aw’right, now you’re bein’ sarcastic.”
“Cowgirls don’t cry,” she mused mockingly. “That was priceless.” Tilting her head, she leered and set her hand atop the hat. “How do I look in this?”
Chuckling, he answered, “Hell of a lot better than Varya.”
“Oh really?” she asked incredulously.
“You look like you’re ready for a line dance.”
She cackled. “I’ll probably need a couple more beers before that.”
“Well get drinkin’.”
Lifting her glass, Esther swallowed a gulp. Making a face, she shook her head as if taken aback. She looked at the glass curiously. “These do start to taste better.”
Angling his head half-humorously, half-concernedly, Jayden said, “They aren’t supposed to start tasting better that fast.”
“It’s okay.” She waved him off. “I’m not even buzzed. I’m fine.” When he opened his mouth, she said, “I’m fine, cowboy.”
“Aw’right...”
Eyeing him smugly, she leaned back and looked around. “We’re like, the only customers in this bar.”
His brow furrowed, Jayden asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yep. Hey,” she said, leaning forward, “so here’s the plan. I am going to completely forget about Scott Remington.” Her arms swayed with emphasis. “And you are going to forget about Varvara Yudina. We are moving on. It is over. Yee-haw!” Raising the hat, she leaned back and laughed hysterically.
/> “Okay, lightweight,” he said, grabbing her beer. “You’re done.”
Her hand grabbed the glass. “No! I’m not even buzzed. I’m having fun, Jayden. I haven’t had fun in so long.” Pulling the drink back to her, she asked, “What did you do for fun back in Texas?”
Finishing off his third glass, he made brief eye contact with the bartender. “You mean when I was a kid?”
“Yes. Or a young adult. Or whatever your preference.”
“Well I mean, we did lots of things.” As soon as the glass was refilled, he took another swig. “Mud ridin’, playin’ football—”
She cut him off. “Mud riding! That sounds fun. Let’s do it.”
“Uhh, what?”
“Let’s do it,” she said, nodding emphatically. “Let’s go mud riding. Do you do it on a horse?”
Snorting his beer mid-drink, he laughed and wiped his nose. “You don’t go mud ridin’ on a horse! You go on a three-wheeler or a four-wheeler.”
“Oh. So do you get real dirty?”
“Aw, yeah,” he said, “you get covered. By the time you’re finished everyone looks like a bunch’a—” He bit his tongue. “You know. Muddy people.”
Esther took another drink, nodding mid-gulp, then lowering the glass. “We’re doing it. We’re going to find some mud, and we’re going to do it. And Scott Remington and Varvara Yudina will rue the day they passed up such fun people.”
The whole while she spoke, Jayden watched her hold her beer. “You’re drinkin’ that way too fast.”
“I am drinking this fast because it tastes good.”
“But...it kinda doesn’t.”
She put her fist on the table, then pointed at him. “You, Mister Timmons, are a very suspicious fellow. You and your little suspicions.” She moved her finger in circles. “I say, enough!” Chortling brazenly, she went for the beer again.
The Texan snagged it. “You’re done.”
“Jay!”
“Nuh-uh. Your new limit’s one beer.”
Plopping back in her chair, she threw her hands out, looking at him much in the way a daughter would whine at her disciplinary father. “I’m not even buzzed!”