A Gentleman and a Soldier

by Cindy Dees

  Mac tapped her foot and pointed forward. She jumped, remembering abruptly that she was supposed to be sticking close behind Tex. She sped up as best she could on her tripod arrangement of limbs and moved back into position behind her brother.

  They crawled down the hallway until the first intersection, where Tex motioned her to stop and stand up. It felt really good to unbend her aching knee.

  “Wait here while I check it out,” Tex murmured. He crouched low and disappeared around the corner.

  Susan glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Mac facing the other direction, pistols at the ready in front of him. Had he heard something?

  She strained to hear anything. The rat-a-tat of distant gunfire was the only noise she picked up.

  A finger tapped her on the shoulder and she whirled around, terrified. Tex. He motioned her to tap Mac on the shoulder and then to follow him. She did as he instructed. They repeated the same drill a half-dozen times, Susan and Mac stopping and waiting while Tex went ahead to scout. But when Tex returned the seventh time, he ducked around the corner fast and uttered a single word.

  “Run!”

  She followed Mac clumsily back in the direction they’d come from with Tex supporting her left elbow. The sound of shouting behind them in Spanish spurred her forward.

  “Hit the deck!” Tex ordered.

  Susan mimicked Mac’s rolling dive as bullets slammed into the wall above her head with a sickening thud. Bits of plaster flew at her, stinging her face. Her knee was screaming bloody murder. Tough. It wasn’t like they could stop and rest it right now.

  “Follow me,” Mac called over his shoulder while Tex returned fire. She hop-skipped after him, and then Mac took a running dive in front of her and landed beside an office door. Somehow he managed to open the thing from his prone position on the floor while he shot a pistol down the hallway. She dived through the opening that appeared behind him. Mac followed right on her heels, and Tex dived in behind him, closing the door fast. Then her brother sped over to a heavy filing cabinet, which he immediately pushed over in front of the outer door.

  She looked around. It was a plainly appointed office, with tall filing cabinets ringing the walls.

  Tex crawled to the window and peeked over the sill using a small periscope thingy. “Good news,” he transmitted over his throat mike. “We’re on the ground floor on the back side of the building. Most of the shooting is around front. We ought to be able to get out of here.”

  “Great,” Mac grunted. “’Bout damn time some luck went our way.”

  Susan’s head swiveled sharply in his direction. He sounded bad. He slumped weakly, sitting against a filing cabinet, one hand holding his side and the other arm cradled awkwardly across his chest. The side of his head was bleeding again, and even through her night-vision goggles, he looked pale. She made out big beads of sweat on his forehead.

  “Good grief, Mac! Are you trying to kill yourself?” she demanded as she hastened to his side. “Why didn’t you tell Tex you needed to rest?”

  Tex materialized at her side. He took one look at Mac and let loose a stream of curses. “Mac, you know better than to press so hard in your condition. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I thought getting out of here alive was a higher priority than my current…discomfort.”

  “Yeah, and what if you went into shock on us or passed out from loss of blood? Then where would we be? I’m calling in a full assault team and we’re yanking you out of here.”

  Mac’s response was immediate and sharp. “No, you’re not. Susan would be put in too much danger.”

  “So what do you suggest, tough guy?” Tex asked irritably.

  Mac was silent for a long time.

  “What’s on your mind, my friend?” Tex asked. “When you’re quiet this long, you’re usually cooking up something diabolical in that twisted mind of yours.”

  Mac frowned. “I was thinking that Ruala is going to keep coming at us until he takes out Susan. He’ll never back off and leave her alone. If he doesn’t kill her tonight, he’ll try tomorrow or the next day or the next until he succeeds.”

  Tex scowled. “That bastard’s not walking out of here alive.”

  Mac replied slowly, “True. But we’ve got another problem. Ruala said tonight that Ferrare wanted film of Susan being killed. And if Ferrare has decided she needs to die, he’s not going to back off until she’s dead, either. He’ll keep sending thugs after her until she’s history.”

  Susan frowned. If he was right, then she was never going to be free of this mess!

  Tex nodded slowly at Mac. “Yeah, you’re right about Ferrare. He must have figured out she’s my sister. He can get even with me for stealing the RITA rifle from him if he kills her.” He frowned. “What else were you thinking about?”

  “Killing Susan.”

  “What?” she squeaked.

  Mac sent her a pained smile. “Faking it. Making Ferrare think you’re dead.”

  Tex nodded slowly. “It would back him off.”

  Mac frowned. “She’d have to stay dead until we kill Ruala and his pals outside. And we’d need to stage a funeral—maybe send Ferrare word that we’re coming after him to get even with him for killing your sister.”

  Tex nodded slowly. And turned to look at her.

  “I’ll do it if you guys think it’s best,” she said bravely.

  Mac reached out a bruised hand to squeeze her fingers. There wasn’t anywhere near enough strength in his grasp. “Think this through before you decide, Suzie. If we don’t manage to kill Ruala tonight, you’ll have to completely disappear, sweetheart. You’ll have to cut off your family, your friends, everyone you’ve ever known. You’ll have to quit your job. Give up your entire life.”

  It wasn’t like her life or her job was anything to write home about. And if it would stop Mac from flinging himself into danger… She stared at him for a moment and then asked, “If I pretend to die, could you stop putting your neck on the line for me?”

  He frowned. “I suppose so.”

  “Then I’ll do it,” she answered emphatically.

  “You sure?” he whispered weakly.

  “Mac, you were willing to give your life for me tonight. I’m certainly willing to give up a job and a few friends for you. Besides, Tex will know I’m alive. And you will.”

  His battered fingers touched her cheek lightly.

  Tex cleared his throat. “Look. Whatever we decide, we need to get on with it. The guys who chased us in here will no doubt be back with reinforcements soon.”

  Mac’s voice was fading badly. “Give me a second to rest. And then we’ll figure out how to kill Susan.”

  Tex dug in a pouch at his belt and held out a small packet in his palm. “Can I interest you in a spot of morphine?”

  Mac smiled lopsidedly. “I thought you’d never ask.” He tore open the packet and popped the pills in his mouth, dry.

  Tex went over to the window and peered outside cautiously.

  “How’s it look?” Mac asked.

  “Real quiet. Too quiet if you ask me.”

  Mac nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”

  Susan frowned. “What are you guys talking about?”

  “Mac and I are guessing that most of Ruala’s men are out front putting on a big show, while he and maybe a couple of his best men cover the back of the building,” Tex explained.

  “You mean there’s an ambush waiting for us out there?” she asked, dismayed.

  Mac answered, “In a nutshell, yeah.”

  She gasped. “What are we going to do about it?”

  Mac actually grinned. “We’re going to sit tight and let Tex watch out the window. In case you didn’t know it, your brother has the best eyesight of anyone I’ve ever met. Give him a few minutes and he’ll know the position of every shooter out there.”

  Susan looked over at her brother who was standing beside the window, staring outside with total concentration. “Really?”

  “Y
up,” was Tex’s absent reply. “I’ve already spotted two men. But the way they’re positioned, there should be one more guy out there.”

  About two minutes later Tex stepped away from the window and shook out his shoulders. “Got ’em all,” he announced casually. “Whenever you’re ready, Mac, we can blow this joint.”

  Susan jumped. “You’re not literally going to blow it up, are you?”

  Mac and Tex looked at her sharply.

  Tex commented slowly, “You know. That’s not a bad idea…”

  “The timing would be tight,” Mac answered.

  “Hell of a diversion, though. Great way to kill her.”

  Mac grinned at Tex. “Great way to flush out Ruala and his men, too. How much go-bang have you got on you?”

  “A couple pounds of C-4.”

  Mac nodded. “That’s a little shy of what I’d need to drop the building, but I could start a nice fire with it. That way, if any of Ruala’s men get away, word will get back to Ruala that she was waxed here.”

  Susan couldn’t stand it anymore. “What are you two talking about?”

  Mac smiled. “You’d be a natural at special ops, Suzie. We’re going to do what you suggested and blow up the building.”

  “The building we’re sitting in?” she asked, incredulous.

  “The very same.”

  “With us still in it?”

  “Well, with you still in it. Tex and I will bail out just as it blows up. The blast will mess up the night vision of the snipers out there and cover our movements. They won’t know if you’re still inside or not.”

  “Pardon me, but won’t the blast mess me up, too?”

  Tex grinned. “Ahh, sister mine. Allow me to introduce you to one of the best explosives men in the United States Armed Forces. He’s a veritable artist with C-4. He’ll set the charges to blow away from our position. You’ll be in a dead zone right in the middle of the blast.”

  Susan glanced at Mac. “Dead being the operative word. Sounds awfully dangerous to me.”

  He flashed a wolf-like grin at her. “Trust me, baby. The place will go up in flames around you, and you’ll be able to stroll out of here as pretty as you please.”

  “Mac, you’re terribly hurt. I don’t want you roaming around the hallways trying to set charges with Ruala’s men out there, too.”

  “That’s my job. I know how to do it.”

  “Mac, you can hardly move. You show Tex and me where to set the charges and we’ll do the work.”

  “She does have a point, Mac.”

  Mac glared at Tex. “I don’t like it.”

  “Well, buddy, I’ve got the C-4 and you’re outnumbered by Monroes, two to one.”

  Mac’s swollen eyes still managed to narrow menacingly. “If anything happens to Susan, I’ll break your neck.”

  Her brother laughed at Mac. “If anything happens to Susan, we’ll see who breaks whose neck first. You ready to go?”

  Mac drew in a slow, careful breath. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

  The next ten minutes were a nightmare. Susan rapidly thought better of her earlier bravado. Every little noise made her jump, and Mac was in no shape to be moving at all, let alone crawling around messing with explosives and detonators. Tex shot at something behind them once, but when Susan turned around to see what it was, he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her in the other direction.

  “Don’t look back,” he bit out.

  He must have killed someone. Although she was getting pretty immune to that idea at this point. Nevertheless, she spared herself the sight and followed Mac into the next stairwell. They high-tailed it back to the office they’d come from as soon as the wiring job was done.

  Mac rested while Tex manhandled a half-dozen heavy filing cabinets onto their sides and created a bunker for her beneath their metal frames. Mac explained that the paper-filled cabinets would protect her from the dynamic over-pressure of the blast—the air recoiling back into the space where the explosion had just blown outward. It was mostly a precaution. When the C-4 blew, it would create a ring of fire well away from this office and give her plenty of time to get out.

  Susan watched as Tex followed Mac’s directions in laying a line of thin, rope-like explosive he called det cord around the window. Tex pulled a grenade off his belt and passed another one to Mac. “My last two flash-bangs,” he announced.

  Mac nodded.

  “What’s a flash-bang?” she asked.

  Mac replied, “A grenade with very little explosives in it. It makes a bright flash and then a loud noise, but does practically no damage. Wrecks night vision like a charm.”

  “All set,” Tex announced.

  Mac helped Susan into her makeshift foxhole. His hand trembled on her back. Clearly, he was at the very end of his formidable strength. She paused to look up at him.

  “Are you sure about this, baby?” he asked.

  She nodded firmly at him. “I’m sure, Mac.”

  He leaned down and kissed her briefly, gently. His lips were swollen against hers, and she tasted blood. As much as she wanted to fling her arms around him and never let go, she refrained. He was in too much pain already.

  “Stay flat against the floor, Susan,” Mac directed. “Heat and pressure from the explosion are going to be bouncing around over your head and will scramble your brain if they hit you.”

  “Lovely,” she remarked dryly.

  Mac flashed her a smile, but it was weak. Far too weak. “Just sit tight after the blast, and I’ll come back for you as soon as the coast is clear.”

  She nodded her understanding.

  His voice was starting to falter. “The filing cabinets are…dense enough to absorb…most of the shock. Just stay down, cover your ears, and…you’ll be fine.”

  He had to get out of here. Now. She was not going to stand around twiddling her thumbs while his life slipped away.

  “This better work, Mac,” she declared. “Because if it doesn’t, I’m taking your gun, shooting all those snipers and calling you an ambulance. That’s all there is to it.”

  Mac nodded at Tex. “You heard the lady. Let’s do it.”

  The two men took off their night-vision goggles and put their hands over their ears. Tex nodded at Mac. Susan watched his finger depress the button on the small remote control in his hand. There was a bright flash as the det cord blew a door-size hole in the wall. Tex jumped through it, tossing his flash-bang out in front of him as he went.

  Mac paused just long enough in the gap to glance over his shoulder at her. He mouthed the words, “I love you.”

  And then he was gone.

  There was another bright flash outside, and then she ducked down way back underneath the filing cabinets. She slapped her hands over her ears and screwed her eyes tightly shut.

  First there was a jolt as the floor jumped beneath her. Then came a blindingly bright light through her eyelids, followed instantly by a deafening blast so loud it made her whole body ache. A ferocious wall of heat struck her, slamming her flat against the floor.

  Chunks of plaster and concrete rained down on the cabinets above her, and the opening in front of her filled with dust and debris. She felt buried alive.

  Mac knew she was here. He said he’d come back for her. He and Tex wouldn’t let her burn alive. They’d be back. She repeated the words over and over in her head, a frenzied litany that kept her from losing her mind with fear. Barely.

  The minutes ticked by and smoke began to creep through tiny openings in her shelter. “Oh, God.” She was going to die in here, and Mac would never know how very much she loved him.

  And then she heard a noise. Someone was tearing at the pile of debris in front of the opening. She scrambled forward and shoved on it with all her might. Her knee protested violently, but she ignored it. Wrecking the joint completely was preferable to burning up.

  Slowly, with a reluctant cracking of wood, the pile in front of her gave way.

  “Susan, are you okay?” came Mac’s ragged voice.

>   She sobbed aloud in her relief. “I’m here,” she cried.

  A piece of drywall lifted away, and Mac’s hand was there, reaching in for her. She grabbed it and held on for dear life as he dragged her clear of the mess. He wrapped his arms around her and held on like he was never going to let go. The gunfire and destruction around her were eerily reminiscent of that night ten years ago. She looped her arms around Mac’s neck and buried her face against his chest. He’d come back for her. Saved her. Again.

  “Let’s go!” Mac shouted over the growing noise of the fire.

  Susan jumped through the hole in the exterior wall and fell to the ground in an unceremonious heap. Mac landed beside her with a grunt of pain.

  Tex spoke fast over her headset. “I got two of the snipers for sure, Mac. Had to try twice for the third. I hit him but I don’t know if he’s down or not.”

  “Roger,” Mac replied tersely. “His last position?”

  “Your two o’clock, one hundred yards. In that stand of trees.”

  “Got it. Stay down flat, Susan, while we look for this guy.”

  She didn’t have to be told twice. She plastered herself against the ground. Within a few seconds, heat from the burning building blistered her back. She ventured a glance back behind her. “Uh, Mac, I think we’d better get out of here. The fire’s about to come out the window.”

  Mac swore beside her. “There were more flammable materials in the construction than there should have been. We’ve got to move, Tex. We need about a hundred feet more to clear the secondary blast.”

  “Secondary blast?” Susan squeaked.

  Mac nodded. “Yeah. The rest of the flammables in the building, like gasoline or cleaning solvents, are gonna blow soon the way this building’s going up. That’s why I came back for you before we took out the last sniper.”

  Great. Susan mimicked Mac as he inched forward on his belly, propelling himself with his elbows and toes. It was slow and painful going at best. But each yard put them farther away from the inferno blazing behind them. How Mac managed to keep moving with his injuries eluded Susan.