by Susan Stoker
She had no idea how much time had gone by, but when she heard all three girls breathing deeply, indicating that they’d fallen asleep, Piper whispered, “Ace?”
“Yeah?” he answered immediately.
“Thank you.”
“Go to sleep, Piper,” he responded. “I’ll keep you safe. I’ll keep you all safe.”
“I know you will.”
Piper didn’t think she’d be able to sleep. Not with her muscles aching, her stomach cramping from the food she’d eaten that night after not having much for the last three days, and with the thought of the bugs that might still be able to get to her even though she was on top of Ace. But within minutes, the last three days of stress and only sleeping in fits and starts caught up with her, and she was out.
Ace didn’t sleep.
Piper’s weight on his body was heavy, but not overly so, and the small puffs of warm air against his neck were comforting and reassuring.
The feel of little Rani on his right and Sinta’s hand clutching the side of his shirt made him feel ten feet tall. Even Kemala’s body heat to his left made him feel less edgy. She wasn’t cuddled up against him, but she was close enough that he could feel her there. All of his girls were surrounding him. They were safe.
His girls.
The words echoed in his brain.
What was he thinking? They weren’t his.
His girls.
When they reached Dili, it was likely Piper would have to leave Rani, Sinta, and Kemala at an orphanage, and he’d never see them again.
His girls.
After Piper got back to the States, she’d probably want to forget everything about her time in Timor-Leste, including him, and he couldn’t blame her.
His girls.
Yet, everything inside of him was screaming that the four precious humans surrounding him were his. His to protect. His to make happy. His to keep forever.
It was insane. But Ace couldn’t deny he’d never felt this kind of connection with anyone else in his entire life. Once again, he thought back to when he was stuck in that dank cellar in Bahrain with Rocco and Gumby. They’d thought they were going to die. Had expected it. And the one thing he’d regretted was not taking the time to start a family.
He just couldn’t get the thought out of his mind that this was meant to be. That these three orphaned girls needed someone like him to watch out for them. To make sure no boys took advantage of them. To teach them how to stick up for themselves and expect the best life had to offer instead of the worst.
His girls.
And then there was Piper. Her body against his felt good. Felt…inevitable. She shouldn’t have survived the rebels’ raid on the orphanage. The odds that she’d be exactly where she’d needed to be in order to hide undetected under the kitchen floor were astronomical.
Sending a short prayer upward to Kalee, thanking her for having the foresight to hide his girls, Ace stared up at the few stars he could see twinkling between the canopy overhead.
His girls.
He shouldn’t be thinking of them that way. He was setting himself up for heartbreak.
Ace felt Sinta stir against Rani, and she sleepily asked, “Ace?”
“Shhhh, Sinta. I’m here,” Ace whispered.
He felt her little hand grip his shirt tighter, and she simply said, “Okay.”
His heart full to bursting, Ace couldn’t stop the words from leaving his lips if his life depended on it. “Sleep well, girls. You’re safe with me.”
Piper’s hand moved after he spoke, reaching up to wrap around the side of his neck as she wiggled against him and did her best to make herself one with his chest.
Closing his eyes, Ace sighed in contentment…and worry.
His girls.
But for how long?
Chapter Five
The next day was much like the one before it. The group continued walking down the mountain toward Dili. The more distance they covered, the farther away the gunshots sounded, and the likelihood of running into rebels got slimmer and slimmer.
As of now, the rebels were keeping to the small towns and villages in the mountains. Hoping to gather supporters as they went. Of course, “gather supporters” meant forcing men and boys to take up arms for the cause.
The farther they traveled from the orphanage, the safer Ace felt. It didn’t mean they were out of danger, just that it was less likely. But he knew none of his team would let down their guard until they were safely on a plane headed for California.
At the moment, all three of the girls were happily walking, even skipping as they made their way down the trail. Rocco felt confident that once they got to the small city at the base of the mountain, they’d be able to find a ride into Dili. It was a little disconcerting not to have talked to the commander yet, but they were used to making the best out of any given situation. They would most likely all have to squish into the back of a pickup truck or something, but even that small discomfort would be better than going all the way to the capital on foot.
He was hopeful they only had one more day of walking, as Piper was limping pretty badly. Ace frowned as he watched her. She’d claimed she was just sore, and that was why she was limping, but he wasn’t so sure.
He’d slept in spurts the night before, as he’d been trained. He’d been aware every time one of the other guys got up and moved around, checking out the area. Every time Kemala changed position next to him, he awoke. But it was the comfortable weight of the woman on his chest that had been his main focus. She’d felt good on top of him.
She was also dirty, tired, and about as far out of her element as someone could get, yet other than during her momentary and private breakdown, when she’d blurted to him all her worries and discomforts, she’d gone out of her way to be as cooperative as possible.
The girls had woken up early, and Ace had urged them to get up and go find Rocco for their breakfast. Once alone with Piper, he’d closed his eyes for a second, imagining they were back at his house, lazily sleeping in while their kids giggled and playfully argued in the other room.
He’d run his hands over Piper’s back, soothed by the way she’d snuggled into him. She’d moved in the night, shifted upward, so her nose brushed against his neck. He could feel every warm breath against his skin…
And a sudden urge to claim her had overtaken him, swift and urgent.
He’d felt her stir, but she hadn’t moved. Didn’t rush to get off him. He’d prayed that maybe she felt the same connection he did.
“Ace?” she’d whispered after she’d been awake for a short while.
“Yeah, Piper?”
“I don’t suppose any of you have coffee in your magical pockets, do you?”
He’d chuckled. “’Fraid not.”
She sighed. “Maybe this is a good time to give up caffeine for good. Considering it’s been almost a week since I’ve had it.”
“When we get to Dili, I’ll find you a nice big cup of Joe, how about that?”
“Sounds divine.”
“How are you this morning?”
“Good.”
“No,” he’d semi-scolded. “Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. I need honesty. We’ve got a good distance still to go, and I need to know how you’re holding up.”
Piper had sighed. Once again, her warm breath made goose bumps rise on his arms under his shirt. “I don’t know. I don’t want to move from here. I’m sure I’m sore. I was sore yesterday, and the second day is always worse. But I can do this. The alternative is to sit here in the dirt, and that’s not acceptable.”
“You want to get up and see how you feel?”
“No.”
He’d chuckled. That was it. Just no. “Come on. I’ll help you.” Ace sat up slowly, holding Piper to him until he was sitting and she was straddling his lap. They were eye to eye, and Ace would swear something intense had passed between them in that moment. But she’d quickly blinked and looked away.
He helped her to her feet, catchi
ng her arm when she swayed.
“Piper?”
“Give me a second,” she begged.
He did, and when she had herself under control, she took a few wobbly steps, then gave him a crooked smile. “I’m just sore. I’ll be okay once we get started.”
They’d been walking for about three hours now, and Ace knew without a doubt Piper wasn’t okay. Whatever was going on with her wasn’t just sore muscles.
He gestured to Rocco and lifted his chin toward Piper. He tapped his foot and Rocco nodded.
It took another ten minutes to find a good place to take a break, and as soon as everyone was settled and nibbling on a few crackers from the MRE packets, Ace went over to Piper. He knelt in front of her and put his hand on her knee. “I’m going to check your feet.”
Her eyes got big and, as he expected, she tried to pull them closer to her body. Ace palmed one of her calves and simply stared at her.
Piper glanced around quickly. Ace didn’t know if she was looking for help from one of the girls or if she was embarrassed about something.
“Piper? Talk to me. What’s really going on?”
Her shoulders sagged, and she stared down at her fingers in her lap. “A team is only as good as its weakest member. And I don’t want that to be me. I want to get off this mountain, and right now, my only option to be able to do that is to keep walking. One foot in front of the other. I can do this.”
Ace’s heart broke for her. “Of course you can,” he soothed. “But you don’t have to be in pain while you do it, either. Can I take a look at your feet?”
She didn’t answer his question. “I should be fine. I’m wearing sneakers, and the girls are only in flip-flops.”
“They’ve been wearing those kinds of shoes their entire life. Their feet are tough and used to this sort of exertion. I’m guessing yours aren’t.”
She snorted. “Not hardly.”
Ace grinned at her, then sobered. “Let me at least take a look. We’ve got a few Band-Aids and moleskin we can put on any blisters you might have. Trust me, a little TLC right now will go a long way and will make you feel a lot better.”
She stared at him for a long moment before saying, “I hate feeling like the weakest link.”
“We all have our weaknesses,” Ace replied, not rushing her. “It doesn’t make us better or worse than someone else.”
“What’s yours?” she challenged, eyes narrowed.
“Small spaces,” he told her without shame.
Piper stared at him, gaping.
“He’s not kidding,” Bubba said from behind him. “I’m not the best swimmer.”
“And heights aren’t my thing,” Rex called out from a little ways away.
“We all know what our weaknesses are, and we help each other get through them when needed,” Ace told her. “We’re humans, not machines. And it’s important that we understand that and work together. You’re right, a team is only as good as the weakest member, but, Piper, you aren’t weak. Not even close. Look at what’s happened to you in the last five days. I’d say you’re pretty damn strong. Now…can I please look at your feet?”
Sinta wandered over to where they were sitting and leaned against Piper. She put her arms around her neck and asked, “Me hold your hand?”
That did it. Piper took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, please. I’d feel a lot better if you held my hand.”
Rani, not wanting to be left out, ran over and stood on Piper’s other side and grabbed hold of her free hand.
Looking around, Ace saw Kemala standing next to Bubba, watching quietly. She did that a lot. Simply listened and watched, taking everything in.
“We’re making good time,” Rocco said from behind Ace as he began to unlace Piper’s shoe. “I was able to get through to the commander, and he says our best bet is to get to the nearest town and barter for a ride into the capital.”
Ace didn’t look up from what he was doing. Everyone already knew the plan, and he knew his friend was just talking to try to take Piper’s mind off her feet.
He tuned out Rocco’s commentary and concentrated on gently peeling Piper’s sock down her ankle and off.
The sight of her bare foot made him want to swear and hit something, but he kept that reaction to himself. Her feet were pink and shriveled, as if she’d been soaking them in water for hours. There were a few blotchy white patches, and she had a couple of blisters to boot. It was no wonder she’d been limping.
It was obvious at some point her socks had gotten wet. Probably when they’d crossed a small stream the day before. Because she wasn’t wearing combat boots, like he and his team, the water had soaked through her shoes and socks, and neither’d had time to dry. Ace hadn’t even thought about it, which was stupid. So stupid.
They all knew how important it was to keep their feet dry, especially since they were walking so far.
“Are you gonna have to cut ’em off?” Piper joked.
Ace looked up. She was teasing, but it was obvious she was worried. Forcing himself to smile, he shook his head. “Nah, you’re okay. We just need to let them breathe for a bit and dry out. When’s the last time you took off your shoes and socks?”
Piper shrugged. “I don’t know what day it is anymore, but I haven’t taken them off since the morning Kalee and I went to visit the orphanage.”
Ace nodded. That’s what he assumed. He heard someone moving around behind him, but didn’t turn to look. He figured it was one of his teammates, digging in their pack to get what he needed to treat Piper’s feet. “It’s okay, Piper. This isn’t a big deal. Do they hurt?”
She shrugged. “A little. They feel more heavy than anything else. And they’re tingling and a little itchy.”
Ace knew those were typical symptoms of trench foot. Even though the jungle wasn’t cold, her feet hadn’t had a chance to dry in several days. And all the walking hadn’t done her any favors either. She had one particular blister on the back of her heel that looked pretty harsh.
Phantom kneeled next to him and got to work opening a few sterile cleaning cloths and arranging some medical wipes and Band-Aids. He had two washcloths, which they would use to dry her feet as best they could. A clean, dry pair of socks was also in the pile of supplies.
Piper didn’t say a word, just eyed Phantom with a worried expression.
Ace knew Piper was a bit reluctant to be around his teammate, but while he knew his friend was a bit gruff, he would never do anything to hurt Piper on purpose. Even if he felt the mission was a failure because they hadn’t been able to rescue Kalee, as they’d been tasked, he was as invested in making sure Piper and the girls were as safe as the rest of them.
Nodding at his friend, Ace shifted onto his ass and took Piper’s poor, abused right foot in his lap, then got to work drying it. Phantom did the same with her left.
No one said anything for a few minutes, until Piper blurted, “If I’d known you guys gave such good foot massages, I’d have said something earlier.”
Ace saw Phantom’s lips twitch but he didn’t look up from her foot.
“And I wish I had some nail polish. I’d let you give me a pedicure and paint my toenails while you’re down there,” she continued to tease.
Ace had a feeling she was using humor to cover her unease and worry, so he smiled up at her. “Next time,” he said breezily.
“Ped-i-cure?” Sinta asked, her little forehead scrunched in confusion.
The question was enough to distract Piper as she tried to explain the English word, and allow Ace and Phantom to take care of the worst of her blisters with a minimal amount of fuss.
Ace wished they could take a long break and let her feet air out and rest, but they needed to keep going. If they were going to get out of the mountains as quickly as possible, they couldn’t take any extra breaks. He eased a dry sock over Piper’s bandaged foot as gently as he could, then worked her shoe back on. Phantom did the same thing with her other foot, and before long she was standing.
“How
do they feel?” Ace asked, kneeling in front of her once more.
“Good,” Piper confirmed.
“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear,” Ace reminded her. “I need the truth. Take a few steps. Does anything rub in the wrong place? How do those blisters feel?”
Piper took a deep breath and walked in a small circle around the rock she’d been sitting on. “They’re good. Promise,” she told Ace. Then she turned to Phantom. “Thanks,” she said quietly.
“You’re welcome,” Phantom said with a short nod before he gathered up the trash from the bandages and headed over to his pack.
“Come on, girls. Help me clean up this mess and we’ll get ready to go again,” Rocco called. Sinta and Rani ran toward him to help, leaving Piper and Ace alone.
Ace stood and forced himself to remain still in front of her and not take her into his arms. She looked up at him and bit her lip. “Sorry for not telling you my feet hurt. I didn’t know they were that bad.”
He took a deep breath. “I know you didn’t. Tonight, when we bed down, you’ll need to take off your shoes and socks and let your feet breathe.”
She wrinkled her nose.
He wanted to laugh, but didn’t. Instead, he caved in to his need to touch her and ran a hand down the side of her head. Even mussed and dirty, her hair still felt soft under his hand. “I know, but it’s the best thing you can do for them.”
“Okay. But if some creepy-crawly bites off my toes, I’m blaming you.”
Ace did chuckle at that. “Sounds fair. You’re doing a good job, Piper.”
“I bet you say that to all the women you rescue,” she joked, glancing down at her feet.
Putting a finger under her chin, Ace lifted her face until he could see her eyes once more. “I don’t. Yes, I’m encouraging, but I’m more likely to say things like ‘hang in there’ or ‘almost there’ to people who aren’t pulling their own weight. Any one of us could carry you if we had to, but it’s difficult and makes extraction much harder. We’re making good time. The fact that you haven’t complained makes it easier on everyone else. And you’re setting a great example for the kids. You’re doing amazingly well, Piper.”