Perfect Soldier: The Complete Story

by Haley Nix

The coast looked to be clear, but as I emerged from the alley another round of fire came from an unknown location. A bullet caught Percy in the bicep and I heard him yell and drop his gun and his opposite hand instinctively went to his arm.

  I rushed out with my head on a swivel.

  “Get under the car,” I yelled at him as I tried to ascertain the location of the gunman.

  There was another round of fire and I could see a head hovering just above the balcony of a building on the far side of the road, just a little ways down the street. I whipped my gun around and sent a flash of fury his way, the bullets chipping away at the stone of the balcony.

  The head ducked back for cover and I ran over to help Percy. When the head emerged again a second later I was ready and sent another round his way. Mostly I hit stone, causing dust and debris to rain down, but this time when the man’s head disappeared I knew it was because I’d hit him fatally.

  I ran to Percy and took a look at the wound on his arm. It was bad, but he’d live. I picked him up by his arm pits and told him to run for the alley as I covered him. I followed closely, my hand on his back as I looked all around me.

  Suddenly another round of fire burst out and I pushed Percy as hard as I could into the alley.

  “Get down!” I yelled, as I spun in the direction of the fire.

  Percy crawled into the alley as I returned fire. After I’d let out a spray of bullets I ran into the alley after him, but right as I dove around the corner I heard shots ring out and felt an acute, shooting pain in the back of my thigh, hot and sharp. I’d never been shot before, but somehow the sensation was unmistakable. This was exactly the type of feeling I would expect from a bullet.

  Inside the alley, I struggled up from the ground. Percy grabbed my arm and slung it over his good shoulder, helping me along. We found a doorway and Percy kicked it in so we could take cover inside.

  I pulled out my radio and called for backup.

  “We just got in a firefight,” I yelled into the receiver. “Three dead on their end. Unknown amount still live, at least one. Two of our men have sustained injuries, one in the leg, one in the arm. We need back-up immediately.”

  Percy and I sat there in the dark against the wall of the building we’d forced our way into. I hoped we should be safe for the time it took for back-up to get here. My leg hurt, but fortunately I could tell that neither of our injuries were fatal.

  Percy looked over at me with a cynical smile on his face.

  “Son of a bitch, man. Son of a bitch.”

  Chapter Nine

  Colton

  Back-up was there within fifteen minutes and once the area had been cleared of threats we were carted out in the backseat of a Humvee. The injuries weren’t fatal, but they were more than the doctors at our small base could handle, so we were put on a helicopter to Kabul where we boarded a plane for a hospital in Dubai.

  As I boarded the plane I found myself mildly troubled as it dawned on me that I’d never mailed Cat the last letter I’d written. Was I crazy to be thinking about that at a time like this? I laughed to myself. Maybe I was crazy.

  Treatment went well. The doctors and the hospital staff were extreme efficient and talented. Both Percy and I were forced to undergo minor surgery. The good news: we’d fully recover. The bad news: we’d be immobile for at least a month.

  Our doctors recommended physical therapy, but said it wasn’t entirely necessary as long as we followed orders not to strain ourselves before we were fully healed. Reluctantly, we obliged.

  All things considered, we were both lucky. I’d caught a bullet in the back of my leg, the fleshy part. Even though it hurt at the time, I knew it could have been much worse. Fortunately, the bullet hadn’t hit any bone or major arteries.

  Percy had been a bit worse off. He’d lost more blood than I had at the time he’d sustained the shot, so he’d been severely weakened by the time we arrived in Dubai. But he’d since recovered remarkably.

  One nice thing was that we’d each be given a short leave of absence because of our injuries. I had planned on taking mine in early October, but given the new opportunity, I decided I should go now. I was useless in the field anyways, so why not go on leave and return later when I could be more useful to the mission?

  Besides, ever since I realized I could take a short leave a thought had entered my mind that was impossible for me to let go of. I wrote a short letter to Cat letting her know that I was OK. Of course, I didn’t mention anything about the firefight, that would have been too much for her troubled mind. And after I sent that letter, I started making special arrangements for my leave of absence.

  ***

  Dear Cat,

  Just wanted to let you know I’m doing well. Congratulations on those grades – I knew you could do it. Things have been interesting here of late. One of our guys was shot recently, but it looks like he’ll make a full recovery.

  All in all, there’s not too much to say. I miss you and hope you’re relaxing a bit now that the semester is over. I’ll write again with more detail sometime soon.

  Love,

  Colt

  ***

  Catherine

  As I sat there looking at the letter in front of me I found myself disappointed. It had been weeks since I’d heard from Colt and all he could write were a few lousy paragraphs? But then I reminded myself not to be so harsh on him. He was away fighting. Being a soldier isn’t some 9-to-5 gig. He was in action all the time. Who was I to blame him for not writing a more detailed letter?

  Yet, I craved contact with him and these letters were all I had. I was relaxed now that the semester was over. I even picked up more shifts at work since I had so much free time. But the free time was also killing me; without school to distract me, I kept thinking about Colt, which ended up making me feel lonelier than ever.

  Oh well, I told myself. I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next letter.

  But then a few days later I was awoken from my sleep my cell phone ringing. It was 2:17 AM and I almost just turned it off so I could go back to sleep, but I was curious to see who was calling. It was weird number that looked foreign. My heart beat rapidly in my chest and my mind raced. It might be news about Colton. I said a quick prayer that there wouldn’t be bad news greeting me on the other end of the line.

  I slid my finger across the screen and brought the phone up to my ear.

  “Hello?” I said, my voice sounding a bit tired despite my anxiousness.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” said a deep voice on the other end.

  “Oh my – I cannot believe I’m hearing your voice right now,” I said in astonishment.

  “How do I sound? Handsome?”

  “Yes, unbelievably so. I can’t believe this. How are you?”

  There was the slightest pause on the other end of the phone.

  “I’m great,” said Colt. “Listen I have some big news. Sorry to rush the conversation, but it costs a fortune calling from over here.”

  “No problem,” I said. “What’s the news? Are you coming home?”

  “Not exactly, but they’ve given me a short leave. It’s pretty typical. I wasn’t due for one until around October, but they bumped me up so I figured now was as good a time as any.”

  “That’s amazing news, Colt!” I said excitedly. “How long will you be back?”

  “Well, the leave is only six days. If I fly all the way back to Oklahoma, I’ll lose most of my time off to travel. And obviously, you wouldn’t come over here, either.”

  “Oh,” I said, my voice registering a note of disappointment, of high hopes falling anticlimactically to the ground.

  “So, I was thinking… what if we met somewhere in the middle?”

  “What exactly are you suggesting?” I asked, not sure what he was getting at.

  “I don’t know. Paris sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I’m really not. Actually, the airplane tickets have already been purchased. Our hotel r
oom is reserved. We leave in two weeks. I’ll make sure you get all the details.”

  “I still can’t tell whether or not you’re serious,” I said into the phone, slightly flabbergasted.

  “I’m serious.”

  “Colton, that must have cost an insane amount of money. You can’t spend it like this.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s irresponsible.”

  “Several thousand dollars seems like a small price to pay for seeing the woman I love,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “Several thousand? Where are you getting this money from?”

  “The Vegas money, honey,” he said, laughing at his own stupid rhyme.

  “You’re a class act,” I said, laughing to myself on the other end of the phone.

  It was funny how his lame jokes had kind of rubbed off on me.

  “So, you’ll be there?”

  “I guess if you’ve already paid, it’d be a waste not to take advantage of it.”

  “Good. Listen, I gotta run. See you soon.”

  “I’m glad you can say that last part and actually mean it.”

  “Me too.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you.”

  Colt hung up and I stayed there sitting up in bed for a while. There was no way I was going to be getting back to sleep after that conversation. Truthfully, I didn’t know how I’d manage to sleep at all over the course of the next couple weeks. I was brimming with excitement, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

  I pinched myself just to make sure I was awake and this wasn’t just some evanescent dream.

  Chapter Ten

  Catherine

  A few days later my plane tickets arrived in the mail. As it turned out, that late night phone call wasn’t just a dream. In a little more than a week I’d be boarding an international flight and heading to Paris. I’d never been overseas before and the opportunity to see Paris with the man I loved was absolutely mesmerizing. Once again I’d find myself wrapped up in those big arms. More than anything else, that was what I was so excited for.

  When the day of departure finally arrived, I was more than ready to go. My bags had been packed for days and sat waiting by the door. My alarm was set early, but I didn’t need it; there was no sleeping on that final night.

  At the airport I parked and walked through the terminal. I checked one of my bags before getting in line at security. Once I was on the other side, I found my gate with plenty of time to spare, so I decided to stop in one of the small news shops to grab a book for the flight and then at a Starbucks for my morning coffee.

  Then I heard my flight number being called for boarding and hurried back to my gate. This flight was making a connection in Atlanta and from there I’d be headed overseas. As I boarded, I could feel my body nearly tingling with excitement. This is really happening, I told myself.

  ***

  In Atlanta, I had little time to spare in making my connection. That was fine by me, I didn’t care to waste time hanging around in a dingy airport when I was off to Paris of all places.

  This second flight would be much, much longer of course. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that my seat on this flight was in first class. Damn, Colt sure knew how to woo a woman. But I think he also did it because he knew that such a long flight might make me nervous and he wanted me to be comfortable as possible.

  Truthfully, I did have a little pre-flight anxiety, but it was nothing a few glasses of complimentary champagne couldn’t cure. After we launched, I gratefully accepted a glass of bubbly from the flight attendant. And another after that.

  With a drink in hand, I decided to settle into the flight and open the book I’d bought earlier, but I couldn’t help but stare out the window a bit awestruck. We were out over the ocean now and it was blue in all directions with no trace of land in sight. I’d never experience that scene before – it was something pure and absolutely gorgeous that made me thankful to be alive.

  ***

  The flight was about ten hours long, and because Paris was several hours ahead I’d be arriving in the middle of the night. I was pretty tired when the plane finally touched down, but as soon as I walked off the plane and through the terminal, I saw Colt waiting for me on the other side of security.

  I dropped my bags impulsively and ran towards him, jumping up into his arms. He caught me and wrapped himself around me, squeezing me in so tight. I pulled my head off of his shoulder and kissed him.

  How many minutes had been building up to this moment? Too many, way too many. I parted his lips and gently flitted my tongue, then kissed him deeply as our tongues swirled in their own private dance. It was bliss just tasting him again, our wetness mingling in each other’s mouths, forging that essential physical connection. And those arms around me felt even bigger, stronger, and more secure than before.

  Colt put me down as our kiss broke and then went to pick up the bags I’d dropped. Then he took me by the hand and we walked down to baggage claim together. I couldn’t help but lean into his shoulder as we walked, closing my eyes occasionally and just breathing deeply in satisfaction.

  While we waited for my bag to come around the carousel it was hard not to have our hands all over each other, making out in public like a couple of frisky teenagers. But I didn’t care if anyone judged us. We were two people in love. The fact that we were together again, safe and sound, was all that mattered to me in the world at this moment.

  Chapter Eleven

  Colton

  After grabbing Cat’s bag we walked out of the airport and hailed a cab. The cabbie took a roundabout route to get back to our hotel; I figured he was driving up the fare, not an uncommon practice with foreign passengers. I didn’t mind though, this gave Cat a chance to see a bit of the beautiful city in which we found ourselves.

  She nestled up next to me as we drove along and I put my right arm around her to draw her closer to me. I felt her running her hand flirtatiously up my leg, then massaging my crotch, making my cock get hard.

  “You’re such a tease,” I said with a laugh.

  “I just want you so bad, that’s all. I can’t help it.”

  “I know. It’s all I can do to stop myself from ripping your clothes of right now.”

  “You think the driver will mind?” Cat said jokingly.

  Sure, she was joking, but she continued rubbing my crotch and turning me on. Then she leaned her head in and kissed my rod through the jeans I was wearing.

  “You’ve gotten even feistier since I’ve been gone,” I said, reaching my hand down over her should and into her blouse, fondling her breast gently.

  “I’ve just been waiting for it for so long. It’s hard to hold myself back now that we’re together.”

  “Well, as long as you can wait for the length of the elevator ride, we should be good,” I said, pointing out the window to a tall, ornate stone building. “This is our hotel.”

  We got out of the cab and I tipped the cabbie. Then one of the bellboys came out to greet us.

  “Good evening, Monsieur. Please allow me to take those for you.”

  “No, it’s fine, we’re in a bit of a rush,” I said. “But here, thanks anyway.”

  I handed him a few euros as a tip (tip for what?) and we walked past. He stood outside watching us enter the hotel looking confused.

  “Thank you?” he called after us.

  “No problem,” I yelled back with a laugh as we walked into the marble-floored and gilded-ceilinged lobby.

  We walked over to the elevator bank and soon we were being whisked up to our room on the top floor. I felt my heart beating rapidly. I could barely believe that she was finally here with me, reunited in the city of love.

  ***

  Catherine

  The room Colt had booked was absolutely beautiful, with panoramic views of the city around us. I sighed as I leaned up against the cold glass of the window.

  “Colt, this is too much,” I said.

  I turned to look at him and he was handing
me a glass of wine.

  “I think it’s just right.”

  I pulled his head in with my free hand and gave him a kiss. Then I took a sip of the wine and looked back out the window. Absolutely stunning.

  Colt came up behind me and put his arm around me, pulling me into him. I could feel his big cock pressed up against me, already half hard just from touching me. I knew what he wanted and I was ready to give it to him. Suddenly, I wasn’t too thirsty for my wine anymore.

  I put my glass down on a table by the window and turned around in his arms to face him, looking up and puckering my lips to meet his. He squeezed my ass and pulled me against him, pressing my curves into his muscular body as we kissed.

  Now I could feel that cock absolutely throbbing in his jeans. I kissed him on the cheek then started unbuttoning his shirt, kissing his chest twice, then down over his abs as I unbuckled his belt and got down on my knees.

  I unbuttoned his jeans and started to slide them off of him, then pulled down his boxers, letting his cock spring out large and pulsing. I gave his ass a squeeze and giggled; I’d always thought he had such a cute butt. Then I let my hands drift down the backs of his legs as I kissed the spot right above his cock.

  I was about to put his cock in my mouth when I stopped short. I could feel scarring on the back of his leg. I ran my fingers back over it and looked up at Colt. He looked at me like a deer in the headlights. Pulling his leg, I looked around at the back of his thigh to see a large, very recently healed wound.

  “Colt, what happened?” I asked, my voice touched with concern.

  “Nothing. It’s not a big deal.”

  “I’m serious, Colt. What is this from?”

  “Well, I was out on patrol about a month ago and there was this explosion. We ended up getting into a small shootout with a group of militants and…”

  “A ‘small shootout’? It’s still a shootout. I can’t believe this. Were you shot!? Why didn’t you tell me?”