by Geri Foster
When he woke up, Rye became completely awake. And darkness surrounded him. He raised his head and looked out at the village. Everything had settled down. All the cars were gone, and they’d removed Karzi’s body.
The village looked prepared to go to bed. Still he waited. He couldn’t give away his position. He had turned off his mic a long time ago, for fear someone would be walking past him and hear the crackle.
He clicked it back on. “Bravo One, calling Bravo Two.”
Silence.
“Bravo One calling Bravo Two. Come in, Bravo Two?”
“Rye?” Harper whispered. “Is that you? Are you all right?”
“It’s me.” He heard her let out a deep breath. “I’m okay I’ll be heading back to the base soon.”
“When you do, be ready for a flight. Sully is not happy with you and has called Sac Pac. He wants you removed immediately.”
“I’ll leave when I’m damn good and ready. He’s not my commanding officer, and he doesn’t outrank me. I’m going to start heading back to the pickup point. You think you can get me a ride at say 0530?”
“I have one standing by.”
“Out,” Rye said, sounding so final, so empty. He crawled several klicks before coming to his feet and making a run for it. The helicopter arrived and he’d just made it in time. He jumped in the copter and it took off. He had to admit getting back to base felt wonderful. Damn, he had to go to the bathroom and get something in his stomach.
He entered the station, set down his rifle and came eyeball to eyeball with a red-faced Sully.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Rye? You didn’t have orders to get those hostages or take out Karzi. Crash is not happy with you right now.”
Rye shoved past him and headed for the chow hall. “I don’t care. It’s no skin off my ass.”
Sully ran up behind him and grabbed him by the arm and spun him around. Instinctively, Rye clutched his fist.
“Why didn’t you leave everything alone? We had everything planned out. Nobody had to die.”
Rye moved closer, he and Sully close enough to exchange breaths. “You know, I’m beginning to wonder about you, Sully. You act like I shot your best friend. I took out one of the most notorious terrorists in this region. You and everybody in Washington should be jumping up and down with joy.”
Sully thumped his chest. “We follow orders. We do what we’re told. And we’re not allowed to go off the reservation, Rye. You follow orders just like everybody else.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t take orders from anybody. My time in the United States Navy is over. Right now, I’m here doing a guy a favor. I don’t have a team, I don’t have a rank, and I don’t have a commanding officer.”
“You’re ruining Crash’s whole program.”
“I’ll deal with Crash when I get back stateside.” He turned to walk away. “For right now I’m going to eat, take a shower, and then I’m going to sleep. All in that order. And anyone who bothers me…” He took out his P320 Sig and held it up in the air. “…I’m gonna blow their fucking head off.”
Harper had never been so glad to see someone as when Rye walked through the door. Dirty, sweaty, and exhausted, she thought he was the most handsome man in the world. Then, before she could approach him, he disappeared around the corner toward the chow hall.
The question of if he should have taken out Karzi fell way above her pay grade. But she did believe, anyone given the opportunity should eliminate a threat as big and dangerous as the terrorist. There were no perks for keeping him alive.
Intel had informed her they suspected him of being up to something but had no idea what. The word out was that he and another target they couldn’t identify, were planning another attack. The US didn’t need that. So if Rye had saved them from another terroristic threat, she felt grateful and Sully would have to get over himself. She couldn’t say she blamed him for being angry at Rye for taking his assignment out from under him. But at the same time, Harper wondered if Sully had the nerve, the courage and the physical ability to do what Rye had done.
Could he have stayed out there all day, taken that deadly shot, and made it back to base? Through the years he’d been a good Navy SEAL no doubt about that, but he never stepped out and took unnecessary gambles. No chances, no estimations. Throughout his career he’d been a cautious man and everyone who worked with him would agree with the description.
Roper came over to her and sat beside her at the Conn Center station. “So,” he said, staring at the screen. “How much trouble is our brother in? Do you think the higher-ups are going to fry his ass?”
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t know the agreement he has with Crash, but I do know the government has boundaries, and they don’t like them crossed.”
“But they can’t put him in the brig or anything like that, right?”
She shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. Do I think Karzi should’ve been taken out? Definitely. And if I’m asked, that’s exactly what I’m going to say.”
She let out a tired breath and looked at the Navy SEAL beside her. She’d checked out his past. He had left his Team because his wife and two young children had been killed in a car accident, and his Team had to move on. He had a choice to follow, but he passed. She had the feeling when this ended, he’d find something else to do.
“So,” Roper said. “I guess the best thing for us to do is get the hell out of here. Back to the States, face whatever we have to, get our reward and move on with our lives.” He grinned. “Don’t you agree?”
“I think that’s the best option for now. But let’s see what Rye decides to do.”
Sully came in with his gear and dropped it on the floor beside him. “I’m leaving. The least I can do is escort the hostages back to the states. I’m not covering for him, Harper. If they decide to reprimand him, it’s all good with me.”
“I think you need to do what you need to do,” Roper said. “We all do. I think Rye is a hero, and I’d like to think if I’d been given the opportunity he had, I’d have taken that bastard out, too. And that’s what I’ll tell an inquiry.”
“He’s a loose cannon,” Sully said, his lips snarled. “No SEAL should ever work with him again. He’s too dangerous to be around. He took a chance of getting all of us killed. One wrong move and Karzi could have had his soldiers all over us. And they’re a hell of a lot bigger than the small village where they held the hostages. Karzi ruled this area. The whole area. What Rye did was stupid.”
“There you go with that word again,” Harper said, coming to her feet. “Rye isn’t stupid. He’s smart, cunning, instinctively intelligent, and brave.” She gritted her teeth. “I’ll take that any time. Twenty-four, seven.”
She turned and walked away. She didn’t intend to let him trash Rye anymore. She went into the backup room and picked up the phone. She dialed Silas’s number. He answered on the first ring. “I hear our boy went and stepped in again.”
She chuckled, always liking Silas and his sense of humor. “I thought you’d be madder. Ready to hang him up by his thumbs. Have a room in the brig already assigned.”
It grew silent for a few seconds. “It took a little talking, I won’t lie, Harper. There were a few people here who didn’t like Karzi eliminated without operational input. You know how they want to control everything.”
“Yeah I do. I just hate that Rye is caught in the middle of this. Please don’t tell me there’s going to be another hearing.”
“You really care for him, don’t you?” Silas’s voice softened. “He means something to you, doesn’t he?”
“I’d be lying if I said no. But what I feel doesn’t mean we have a future, or anything else. We’ve known each other for years, but we’ve done nothing except fight a war together. I can only think of one time we shared a drink during our off time. So how can I say how much I care?”
“There won’t be a hearing. I talked to the higher-ups and once I brought to their attention that Karzi was
planning an attack on Washington state, and was able to pull a tremendous amount of intel, thanks to you, they came to their senses. They didn’t like it, but at the end of the day, I was able to wear them down.”
“I hope this, and your new Homeland position, works out for you. You’re great at what you do, Silas. Something like that is right up your alley. You’re going to do great.”
“I still have a little juice in the old tank, let’s see how far it takes me.”
“Sully is on his way home. He’s pouting like a two-year-old, but you know him, he always does.”
“When Rye is available, tell him to call me. I need to have all the facts straight as quick as possible.”
“I’ll see to it, Silas.” She nibbled her bottom lip, then said, “You knew when you asked him to come here what kind of SEAL he was.”
“I did. And Habib Karzi being dead is a good thing for all of humanity. I admire Rye for being able, after hundreds of failed attempts, to pull it off. That’s all I’m saying to you about the matter.”
“Sully left, but the money for the hostages came before he departed. He counted it and signed for it. What should I do with it? Send it back to the State Department?”
“Yes. Secure it and make sure it gets on the next transport out.”
“I’ll take care of it today.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rye woke to an extremely loud explosion and his body free flying through the air. In a matter of seconds, his back and head slammed against a hard wall. The loud ringing in his ears had him on his hands and knees shaking his head. Smoke, dust, and debris floated in the air, along with the odor of gasoline.
Stunned, he tried to get his bearings. His vision was obstructed by the black powder from the explosion circle around him. Coughing, he struggled to get to his feet. Standing, he glanced at the destruction just as another explosion rocked the Quonset hut and knocked him forward until he hit the opposite wall.
He rolled under his bed and stayed there trying to get his bearings and his breath. “Is everyone okay in here?” he called out. “Roll call.”
“Comrade here.”
“Roper here.”
“Rebel here.”
Choking and sputtering, Rye managed to get to his feet when he noticed the roof had been blown off. “Men, get to your weapons.”
Since they slept with them next to their bodies, finding their guns took a few minutes. Once they were all armed, they struggled to find their way out of the sleeping quarters, but debris made moving almost impossible. Plus, they’d been sleeping so they were barefoot and glass and other sharp items covered the floor.
“Find your boots and let’s get to the common area,” Rye shouted. “We have to check on Harper and the Marines.”
“I can’t see a damn thing, Bravo.” Comrade bumped into the back of him. “Damn, is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Rye looked back to find Comrade covered in soot. “You have your boots?”
“Yeah.”
“Everyone line up behind me, weapons drawn.”
After stomping into their footwear, they carefully made their way to the Comm Center, then halted. The place had been completely wrecked and the back wall blown completely away. Millions of dollars worth of intel equipment was scattered around — destroyed. Three Marines laid on the ground.
In the middle of the floor stood Harper, the man behind her had his arm around her neck.
“What’s going on here?” Rye asked in Arabic. “What do you want?”
The tall dark man with black, scary eyes replied. “Drop your weapons or she dies quickly.”
Rye and his men complied immediately.
“We want the money. We’ve come for the money and we will not leave without it.”
“Okay, you can have all of the money, but let the woman go.”
“No, she is worth a lot of money. She’s CIA and knows everything going on in this region. And she knows where the money is.”
Rye looked around at the five other natives pointing weapons at them. He wiped his eyes, licked his dry lips then squinted at the man holding Harper.
Qamar.
“She doesn’t do anything except support this unit. She doesn’t know about your activities. She’s not that kind of CIA Asset,” he lied, hoping to save her life.
The fear in Harper’s eyes reached out and squeezed his heart. Rye wondered if they’d get out of this alive. She’d obviously been up and dressed, now panic gnawed at her features. God knows she had to be frightened out of her mind and she had every right to be. Qamar had always been a dangerous man. Given the choice, he’d kill everyone, take the money, and never look back.
Rye had to find a way to stop him. “If you want the money, you have to let the girl go.”
Qamar released Harper with a hard shove right into Rye’s arms. Catching her, he pulled her tight against the left side of his body. Leaving his right hand free.
“I can still kill all of you before I leave, and I will if I don’t get the money.”
“What money?” Harper asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about”
Qamar growled. “We know you have five million American dollars hidden in your safe. We also know you have another ten million for the hostages.”
Harper held up her hands. “I don’t have millions of dollars. That was sent back to the States years ago.” She walked over to the safe, twisted the combination and slung the door open. “There’s very little money in there.” She took it out and handed it to the guy. “Take it. Take it and get out.”
Disappointment tightened Qamar’s face. That little amount of money didn’t satisfy his greed. “I want the hostage money as well.” He waved the gun around dangerously as his five cohorts kept their weapons on each man. “I know for a fact you did not use that money.” Qamar pointed to Rye. “He stole those hostages right out from under Karzi and then murdered him.” Qamar gritted his teeth. “He will pay for that.”
Rye kept calm. Qamar spoke the truth. Rye knew their chances were slim, but he had to get Harper to safety, and he didn’t know exactly how. As soon as the base had been attacked, Kandahar Airbase must’ve sent troops to help. He had to stall until the Marines got here. That could be another hour or so, depending on if they were expecting an attack.
With his hand up and his weapon on the ground, Rye looked at Qamar. “In this country a few million dollars is a lot, take the money and leave. Leave the way you came in. And no one gets hurt.”
Qamar gritted his teeth and shoved Rye to the ground. Refusing to look up at the terrorist, Rye rose to his feet quivering with indignation.
“I don’t care who gets hurt, I want all of the money and I want it now, or we will kill everyone and then my men will tear this place apart.”
“The money from the poppies was sent back to the United States years ago,” Harper repeated. “And since we didn’t need the money for the hostages, I had to turn it over to a courier. It’s on a flight back to the United States now.”
Qamar slapped Harper to the ground. It took every ounce of strength Rye had to keep from strangling the terrorist. How dare he put his hands on Harper. For that alone, he would die.
Rye looked around searching the entire area for something, anything he could use as a diversion or as a weapon. He glanced at his men and realized they were doing the same thing. SEALs didn’t like to be in a position like this. Stealth had always been their middle name. And when you push them, they could be extremely ingenious.
Harper rose and moved to stand next to him. He looked at her. “Are you all right?” He shoved her hair out of her face and saw a bruise beginning to form on her cheek. Son of a bitch. Her eyes moved to the left where the credenza had been. The Comm area belonged to Harper because it held all their intel. She’d never shared her job with anyone.
Still, the way she kept looking at the piece of furniture made him wonder if she had lied. Could the millions of dollars still be here? And should they give it up?
No
t yet.
Things hadn’t gotten to that point yet. They’d hold off as long as possible. Maybe the Marines would show up and save the day.
Rye wore only his skivvies and a green T-shirt along with his boots, as did his men. They had shut down for the day, hoping to catch up on sleep from the night before. So, he had no hidden weapon. Nothing that he could go after them with.
Only his wits.
“Okay, Qamar,” Rye said. “You need to take the money and get out of here, because you know the Marines are on the way. I can already hear the helicopters. And when they get here they’ll retake the base and you’ll die.”
“I know we have an hour. In that time, I can kill all of you and find what I want.”
“The Marine Corps and the other military in Kandahar are keeping close tabs on us right now.” He looked over at the cameras. “You kill any of us, they’ll pull out their hellfire missiles and send you straight to hell. You’re not going to get out of here alive.”
Qamar nodded toward Harper. “I could take her. They are not going to hurt her. She’s too valuable to them.”
Harper wiped her mouth. “The days of having valuable intel are over, Qamar. Nothing’s going to happen. There are no top secrets here for you to find. The mission was to retrieve the hostages. That’s done.” She looked around and waved her arm. “This will probably be destroyed. There’s no longer any use for it. I suggest you do what he said, take the money and go. Save yourself.”
Qamar continued to search the place, coming up with nothing. Rye moved to where he and his men lined up against the credenza. If, as he suspected, the money was behind those doors, there was no way this gang of wild dogs would get their hands on it. He also knew they’d use it to kill Americans. Rye couldn’t let that happen.
As they stood there, Rye moved his left hand and began to search for a weapon behind him. He found the credenza covered with dust, plaster, and pieces of metal. Nothing he could use as a weapon. Somehow he had to get control of this before Qamar grew frustrated and killed them and then left.
