Six Minutes to Midnight

by Elle James

  The guy fell to the ground and lay still.

  T-Mac didn’t wait around to see if he revived. He didn’t have time. As soon as the excitement of the explosions waned, the men in the camp would notice one of their vehicles had disappeared and some of their men were down. Someone else might have seen the truck leaving camp and the direction it had gone. T-Mac had to find Kinsley fast and get as far away from the terrorists as they could.

  Once outside the camp, he pressed the accelerator to the floor, sending the truck leaping forward. He couldn’t go far at that speed or he’d be forced to use the brakes without knowing if the brake lights would light up.

  When he got to within range of where he’d left Kinsley, he pulled out his flashlight and hit the on-off switch three times. He scanned the darkness, praying for a red light blinking back at him.

  For the longest moments of his life, he waited. When he didn’t see anything, he repeated the three bursts of light.

  Damn, had he gone out in the wrong direction? Had she been discovered and captured? Where was she? If he didn’t find her soon, he wasn’t sure they’d make it out of there undiscovered. He searched the darkness, desperately looking for the silhouette of a woman and a dog, praying they were all right.

  Just when he considered turning back, a red dot appeared in the darkness.

  Chapter Ten

  Kinsley hated waiting, not knowing what was happening. The first twenty minutes were hell, with every possible bad scenario rolling through her mind.

  With all the terrorists running around the camp, how could T-Mac get in and do the job without being seen? The operation wasn’t like one where they sneaked in while everyone was sleeping. He was going into a stirred-up hornets’ nest to stir it up even more.

  The more she sat waiting, the more she convinced herself this mission was a very bad idea.

  When the first explosion went off, she jumped. She felt an immediate mixture of relief and even more tension.

  T-Mac had managed to get in and set at least one charge.

  Agar whined softly beside her, but stayed in his prone position, head down, resting. He could be up and running at her command.

  The second explosion went off. The corners of Kinsley’s lips quirked upward. Two down, one to go.

  “Come on, T-Mac,” she whispered softly.

  At the third explosion, she wanted to cheer, but the ensuing fireball rising into the air made her heart drop into her belly.

  Had something gone wrong? Had T-Mac been caught up in whatever caused the fireball?

  Her heart pounded so hard, her pulse beat against her eardrums, making it hard for her to hear.

  Men ran around the camp, shouting, their bodies black silhouettes against the bright orange blaze of what Kinsley suspected was burning fuel.

  She didn’t care how T-Mac got out of the camp as long as he got out alive. If he didn’t find a way to commandeer a vehicle, they’d figure out a way to get back to Camp Lemonnier on foot.

  He just needed to hurry.

  The giant flame held Kinsley’s attention, destroying her night vision. She didn’t see the truck racing toward her until it was close enough she could hear the engine.

  She prayed T-Mac was driving. What had he said? He’d give her three flashes from his flashlight?

  Kinsley held her breath, waiting as the dark hulk of the truck grew closer.

  Then a bright white light shone out from the cab.

  Her pulse sped and she laughed out loud. “It’s him, Agar!” she cried.

  Agar jumped up, jerking the lead right out of her hand.

  Afraid the dog would run out in front of the truck, Kinsley gave him the command to sit.

  Agar sat.

  Kinsley patted the ground, searching for the lead. When she found it, she looked up again.

  The truck was much closer, moving slowly but almost to where she lay waiting in the brush. Another three flashes of light blinked into the night.

  Oh, no.

  Kinsley fumbled to unclip her flashlight from her web gear. She was supposed to flash her red-lensed flashlight back to indicate where she was. If she didn’t hurry, he’d pass her. Then she’d be left behind. T-Mac couldn’t shine his bright beam back toward the camp without alerting the terrorists to their location.

  Her hand trembled as she pressed the switch. Nothing happened. Damn. Now wasn’t the time for an equipment malfunction.

  She slapped the device against her palm and the red light came on. Quickly, she held it up, aiming the red orb at the oncoming truck.

  She heard the engine throttle down as if being placed into low gear. It slowed, rolling past her so slowly, she jumped up and ran after it, Agar trotting alongside her.

  The screech of an emergency brake sounded, and the truck stopped with a jerk.

  T-Mac dropped down from the cab, ran back to her and wrapped her in his arms. “I thought I’d come out of the camp on the wrong road.”

  “I thought you’d never get here.” She laughed and stood on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Good idea.” He held the driver’s-side door.

  Agar leaped up into the cab.

  Kinsley climbed in and scooted over.

  T-Mac hopped in, shifted into gear and took off as fast as he could without headlights to guide them. Thankfully, the stars shone bright enough to light their way.

  With Agar in the passenger seat, Kinsley sat in the middle, her thigh pressed against T-Mac’s, the reassuring strength of him warming her all the way through. She could breathe again.

  “GPS?” she quizzed as she removed her helmet.

  “Planted,” he shot back.

  “Thank God.” Kinsley settled back in her seat, hesitant to pull off her armored vest so soon. “How far south are we going?”

  “Not very.” He glanced sideways at her. “We need to find a place to hide and wait for Al-Shabaab to move past, however long that takes.”

  “Aren’t you worried we’ll run into more of them coming up from the south to see what the fire is all about?”

  “A little. The sooner we find a place to hide, the better.”

  Kinsley stared out into the darkness, focusing on anything large enough to hide a truck behind. For the first few miles, the land was flat and dry. Only a few bushes and scrubby trees stood out against the desert landscape.

  As they traveled farther south, the road turned west. No headlights shone behind them and no one pulled out in front of them to block their escape. Soon, they passed the rubble of a small deserted village.

  T-Mac drove past quickly.

  Kinsley turned in her seat, looking out behind them. “Why didn’t we stop there?”

  “That was the first place we could hide. If the terrorists figure out we took one of their vehicles and headed south by the only road in this area, that would be the first place they’d look.”

  She nodded. “True.”

  “We should be getting into more hills the farther west we go.”

  “Can’t we pass into Ethiopia? Would it be safer for us to travel back to Camp Lemonnier that way?”

  “Al-Shabaab doesn’t care about borders, but that’s the plan for now. After what I did to them, they’ll be hoppin’ mad and out for blood.”

  “Other than the three explosions, which were bad enough, should I ask what you did that was so bad?”

  He shook his head. “No. But they are three men fewer.”

  Kinsley shrugged out of her heavy body-armor vest and laid it on the floorboard. “Here, let me get your helmet.”

  He lifted his chin, keeping his eyes on the road.

  Kinsley unbuckled the chin strap and slid the helmet off his head, without blocking his view of the road in front of him.

  She would have offered to help him with his vest, but tha
t would require more effort and he’d need to stop to pull it off. He’d have to wear the heavy plates until they came to a full stop long enough to remove it.

  The road grew steeper as they climbed into the hills in northwest Somalia. Soon, they found a turnoff to the north, taking them deeper into rugged terrain, the road turning into more of a path than one used for four-wheeled vehicles.

  T-Mac pulled the truck in behind a giant boulder that had fallen from an overhanging cliff. He checked the gas gauge before turning off the engine. “We have three quarters of a tank left. Whatever we do tomorrow, we might have to find more fuel, or find a way to contact my unit for a pickup. But for tonight, we camp here.”

  Sitting so close to T-Mac for the past two hours, Kinsley had felt a shiver of awareness and anticipation ripple across her skin. Alone in a vehicle with T-Mac was one thing. Alone lying under the stars with the navy SEAL was entirely different.

  She gulped back her sudden nerves and blurted, “Let’s see what we have in the back.” Kinsley started to reach over Agar to open the passenger door.

  T-Mac opened his door first. “Come out this way.”

  Since getting out the other side would be more difficult with Agar in the way, Kinsley followed T-Mac out the driver’s side. Before she could step down from the truck, T-Mac grabbed her around the waist and lifted her out to stand on two feet. Agar jumped down behind her and wandered off to sniff at the rocks and brambles.

  T-Mac didn’t release her immediately, his hands resting on her hips. “You don’t know how crazy it made me when I didn’t see your red light.”

  She laughed. “Trust me. Had you been the one waiting the entire time things were blowing up in that camp, you would have gone off the deep end.” Kinsley cupped his cheek and stared at him in the starlight. “You don’t know how glad I was when I saw those three blinks of your flashlight.”

  “What took you so long to respond?” He brushed a strand of her hair out of her face.

  “Agar and I got excited when he heard the rumble of the truck’s engine. He jerked his lead, and I dropped the handle. I had to grab it before he took off after the oncoming truck. At that point, I didn’t know if you were the driver, or someone else.” She smiled up at him.

  “Well, I was pretty happy to see your red lens shining back at me.” He touched her cheek with his fingers and kissed her forehead. “I almost turned around and headed back into that mess.”

  She pressed her hand over his on her face. “Are you crazy? They would have killed you.”

  “I thought I’d missed you, or gone out of the camp in the wrong direction.”

  She laughed, the sound shaky in the night. “Need help getting out of your body armor?”

  “I can do it myself,” he said.

  She laughed. “And where would the fun be in that?” She reached for the fasteners, unbuckling them one at a time. When she had them free, she shoved the vest over his shoulders.

  He caught it and laid it on the floorboard of the vehicle and then turned to face her, captured her hands in his and lifted them to his lips. “You amaze me.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know why. You’re the one doing all the heavy lifting on this gig.”

  “You hold your own, no matter the situation. Most females I know would fall apart.”

  “Then you don’t know the right females.” She lifted her chin. “I joined the army, not a sorority.”

  He laughed and took one of her hands in his. “Come on—let’s see what they were loading in the back of the truck.”

  Kinsley liked the sound of his laughter and the way his hand felt wrapped around hers. No, she wasn’t a scared little girl needing the protection of a big burly man, but she liked having T-Mac around. And he had a way of making her feel more feminine than she’d felt in a long time. Kinsley knew she was a strong and courageous soldier. Somewhere along the line, she’d had to bury the woman inside in order to fit in in a man’s world. T-Mac brought out the desire and longing she thought she’d never feel again.

  And he was a navy SEAL and she was an army soldier. In no scenario could they be together for the long haul. Being with him on a dangerous mission in middle-of-nowhere Africa brought it home to her that they might not be in it for the long run. They might not make it to morning. Every minute they were together now was a gift that should not be squandered.

  So she reveled in the touch of his hand. They couldn’t hold hands on Camp Lemonnier. Someone would see and report them for fraternization. But out in the hills of Somalia, where every day could be their last, no one was watching. No one would know.

  Feeling only a little guilty, Kinsley was also titillated and anxious to see what would happen next. Especially since they would be alone all night.

  Chapter Eleven

  At the back of the vehicle, T-Mac hit the switch on his flashlight and shone it up into the back of the large utility truck. He reluctantly released Kinsley’s hand and passed the flashlight to her to hold while he lowered the tailgate.

  The back of the truck contained crates and boxes.

  T-Mac climbed up into the truck bed and picked through, opening boxes, moving some and setting others to the side.

  “These cardboard boxes are full of food and rations marked WHO.”

  “World Health Organization,” Kinsley said. “They must be stealing food and medical supplies destined for refugee camps.”

  “The wooden crates aren’t marked WHO and they weren’t destined for refugee camps.” His gut knotted as he lifted out a brand new M4A1 rifle and held it up for her to see. “We definitely found the opposite end of the snake, selling illegal arms to the enemy.”

  Kinsley shone the flashlight away from the boxes for a moment and then back into the bed of the truck. “Holy crap, T-Mac. You need to see this.” She pointed to the rear bumper of the truck.

  T-Mac dropped down out of the vehicle and stood beside Kinsley as she pointed the flashlight at a smear of black spray paint half covering numbers and letters stenciled onto the desert-tan paint.

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” T-Mac rubbed at the paint covering the numbers. “That’s one of ours from the motor pool.”

  Kinsley nodded. “And those M4 rifles?”

  “The armory isn’t missing any, that we’ve heard of, but they’re the same style and military grade as what is issued to our soldiers. Plus, they have the bullets to go with them. I saw someone drop a case in the middle of the camp.”

  “Great. Someone is arming Al-Shabaab with our own weapons.” Kinsley rubbed her arms, as if trying to chase away the chilly night air. “I get that people would be able to sell weapons directly to our enemies, but how would Al-Shabaab get their hands on one of our vehicles without us hearing about it?”

  “All the more reason for us to get back to Camp Lemonnier...with the evidence.”

  “Right.” Kinsley tilted her head toward the back of the truck. “I don’t suppose you found any blankets or immediately edible food in that truck, did you?”

  T-Mac shook his head. “Sorry. Only guns, rice and medical supplies on this truck.”

  Kinsley dug into the pockets on her uniform pants and in her jacket. “Fortunately, I brought some protein bars and some snacks for Agar.”

  He took one of the protein bars and held it up to the flashlight. “Are you always this prepared?”

  “I’ve learned to be.” She reached into another pocket for a ziplock bag of food for Agar. “I know myself and Agar. We work better when we’re not hungry.”

  “Good to know,” T-Mac said. “We should get a little sleep before dawn. We might be out here for a day if the terrorists take their time moving from their previous location.”

  Kinsley glanced around at the rock outcroppings nearby. “I can stay awake and stand guard for the first shift.”

  “There’s not much of the night left.”

&
nbsp; “You’ve been driving and did all of the work setting off those charges. I’m sure you’re exhausted. You need to recharge.”

  “I’m fine,” T-Mac assured her. “I’ve gotten by on a lot less sleep. You sleep first.”

  She frowned. “Only if you wake me in a couple hours so that I can pull guard duty while you get a little rest.” She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her brows, waiting.

  He sighed. “Okay. But for now you need to find a place to sleep.”

  “How about in the cab of the truck?” she suggested. “The bench seat is the softest thing around, and if we need to make a quick escape, we don’t have to make a dash for it.”

  “Good thinking.” He held the passenger door for her.

  “I’ll sleep behind the wheel,” Kinsley insisted. “That way you can stretch out beside me without any obstructions.”

  “You mean, if we have to beat a hasty retreat, you’ll do the driving?” He grinned and let her get in first.

  “If I have to, I will.” Kinsley slid across the seat to the driver’s side. When he didn’t get in, she stared out at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just figured Agar needed a warm place to sleep. He needs some rest, too.” He patted the dog’s head and then leaned the seat forward, opening up the back seat for a passenger. “He worked hard tonight.”

  Kinsley smiled at how easily Agar got along with T-Mac. She gave the dog the command to climb up into the vehicle.

  Agar leaped up and settled on the floorboard between the driver’s and passenger’s side.

  Kinsley reached back to pat the animal’s head.

  When T-Mac still hesitated with his hand on the door, Kinsley frowned. “Aren’t you getting in?”

  “I think I’d be better off standing guard in the open where I can see someone coming.”

  Kinsley’s frown deepened. “Would it make any difference if I said I need you with me?”

  His lips turned upward on the corners. “It might.”

  She shook her head. “Then please, stay.”

  “For the record, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”