by Pinki Parks
I heard the faint sound of a branch breaking and I twisted around to find Xavier holding onto his shoulder. In between his bloody fingertips was a small blade sticking out with the handle broken off.
“It looks like you met some opposition. These are not the military. I can assure you that I have no affiliation with any of them. You can believe that or not.” I did believe him despite my misgivings.
The blood was running down his fingertips and under his sleeve to soak through the material of his shirt.
“It’s nothing that I couldn’t handle. I would say from the look of you that somebody got the drop on you. You should always have eyes in the back of your head. You never know where the next enemy is going to come from. I don’t suppose you noticed the glow in the distance?” He didn’t even bother to look, but he did nod his head in confirmation.
“The forest is dry and any spark is going to light this place up like the 4th of July. We don’t want to be caught in the center of the blaze. On the bright side, I would say this might make those pursuing us think twice. We need to get back to the cabin. I know you don’t care, but the blade in my shoulder didn’t penetrate any vital organs. I can’t pull it out without causing more damage. It’s mostly tissue and muscle damage. It’s localized to my left shoulder. I still have one good arm.” He was amazingly resilient and, in another life, I probably could have admired him.
“We can’t leave until we know they are no longer following us. I’m going to trust Bentley to know when to cut her losses. It kills me to leave her, but I know I have to separate my personal feelings. I can’t always be second guessing my decisions.” This was the second time I had to make this horrible decision. It was my country or my wife. I didn’t have a choice. They were one in the same. Saving this mission meant saving her life and the country. I was looking for him to change my mind, but I knew he already saw a losing battle.
He put his finger up to his mouth and there was a thick amount of smoke covering the area. It hid us from those who were coughing and making their way back to the road.
“No amount of money is going to be worth getting burned alive. That should take care of the Russians for now. We got a little carried away by shooting that grenade into the cabin.” The man was obscured by the smoke and I had to close my eyes from the burning sensation.
I couldn’t see a damn thing in front of my face. I could hear the crackle of dry wood and leaves burning upon contact. The report of the fire would reach the local fire department. They would be ill-equipped to handle the spreading catastrophe. They would have to call for reinforcements from other counties. By the time they responded acres of lush vegetation was going to burn.
I stumbled in the dark until somebody grabbed me by the shoulders and pressed something to my face. There was a puff of clean and pure oxygen in my lungs. I breathed deeply and through the mask, I could see Xavier coming to the rescue. It would have meant more had he been trying to make up for past misdeeds.
“I found these discarded and I thought we could use all the help we could get. The tanks are full and I strapped one over your shoulders. They won’t last for more than a couple of hours, but hopefully, that will be more than enough to drag your wife and Commander Riker out of here.” I was hoping he was right, but I was getting this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The military was the only road I had ever known. In my youth, I was drifting aimlessly from one dead-end job to another. My purpose became clear when a recruitment officer came to my high school with promises of adventure around the world. It was basically a sales pitch and I had fallen for it.
“This doesn’t make up for anything. Nothing you do is ever going to wipe the slate clean between us. One day very soon we are going to finish this. Today isn’t going to be that day.” The wall of flaming trees was closing in on us and we had to navigate around them to the best of our ability.
“I never said anything about making up for anything. I didn’t do anything wrong. You may not see that, but we all have our roles to play. Don’t get caught up in petty grievances. It’s not worth the time or effort. Consider our partnership a limited run. I will disappear after the smoke clears. If we’re lucky, we will never see each other again.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
It was slow going and the long way around meant that we had to make a descent from a high altitude of a mountain. We didn’t have the luxury of a rope. We made the climb using our bare hands white-knuckling our way to the bottom.
The blood loss from his shoulder diminished his energy, but the wound itself stopped bleeding. He slipped, but he did nothing to cry out for assistance. I could’ve left him to fall the last remaining 30-feet. I didn’t want to owe him anything.
“Reach out for me and I promise I won’t let you go.” He looked hesitant, but he played the odds that I wasn’t going to let him fall from my grip.
I grabbed his hand slippery with blood and placed it on the surface of the rock. We were basically each other’s shadow to limit the possibility of a very painful and quick decline.
“Today we are allies. Tomorrow we will be enemies. I have made my peace with that. My allegiance is temporary. I find it amusing that this could have been avoided had I done my job right. Your death would make this moment obsolete. My life was meant to entwine with yours. I do believe that our path has already been written in stone.” He didn’t take me for the sentimental type or somebody that believed in fate.
We made our way down and we were soon firmly on the ground looking up at the trail of blood he had left behind. I checked his shoulder and found that it had opened up. I staunched it with a piece of my shirt torn from the bottom where it was already damaged during the climb.
“I’m doing this under protest. Right now, I need you and I’m brave enough to admit it. Don’t let it go to your head.” His limitation when it came to emotional support was something that I wouldn’t want to wish on my worst enemy.
“I’ve never needed anybody. My lone wolf routine gets old quickly. I’ve never been able to depend on anybody but myself. It’s refreshing to know that somebody has my back. I hope I don’t get spoiled.” He was mocking me and twisting the metaphorical knife a little deeper in my back.
“It looks like the fire hasn’t reached this far, but we’re still going to have to walk into the breach with our eyes wide open. We have avoided the main blaze by going around. The wind is blowing north forcing the fire to follow in its path. We might be able to get to the cabin and get out quickly, but I’m not holding my breath.” I didn’t have to worry about him keeping up and it was a testament to his tenacious character to continue even while being injured.
I saw the flicker of the flames getting closer with each step. The mask hanging over my back was once again over my face. We didn’t have to worry about the fire from this direction, but the smoke was lingering like a black cloud over everything.
“I hope you are prepared for what you might find. She is a survivor, but nobody really knows when their time is up.” I didn’t want to hear it, but Xavier was only telling me what I needed to know.
“I don’t even want to think about the possibility of losing her. Her death would send me into a tailspin and nobody would be safe from me. It’s far better that she’s alive for both of our sake.” I would turn my wrath on the first person I saw and release that pent-up rage by extreme means.
The cabin was revealed through the trees and we came around to the other side to see two figures with a shotgun between them and the muzzle in the air. I wanted to intervene, but to do so was only going to make matters worse. The muzzle lowered until it was between them and then there was this deafening shot that froze me in my path.
Chapter 25
Bentley
I saw him over Commander Riker’s shoulder. The look in his eyes was of shocked denial. I was staring at my adversary trying to separate the betrayal he had perpetrated against me from the man I had known to be my teacher and confidant.
His camouflage was marred by the soaking blood from a wound to his thigh. He wasn’t gun shy about retrieving the weapon and leveling his aim at me.
“I don’t need this. I can still get a fair amount of money for what I know without this hassle. I have my fair share of military secrets. You’re making a mistake by not joining me in this endeavor.” I stared at him defiantly with my head throbbing and my mind overcome with visions of my own death.
“The only mistake I made was ever working for you. I thought you were one of the good ones. I promise you that I’m not going to die here at your hands. I can’t let the information you have hurt those with no idea the Damocles sword is above their head. Are you really the kind of man to kill me in cold blood? You can’t be that far gone. Look at yourself and tell me if you recognize the man you have become.” I had my hand wrapped around some pebbles on the ground.
“It’s either you or me. I can’t take the chance of you tracking me down. I don’t see you letting sleeping dogs lie. It’s built in you to do the right thing whatever the hell that means these days. It’s a fine line and you don’t realize the gray areas. It’s either black or white with you.” I heard something whistling and then Commander Riker screamed in pain while dropping the gun at his feet.
There was a blade sticking out of his hand and he looked down stupefied to see that it was making him less likely to pull the trigger of any weapon. The nerve damage alone was going to cause him considerable concern in the near future.
I glanced to my side to see my benefactor had turned out to be the one person that I didn’t want it to be. Xavier exhibited a selfless act that didn’t benefit him in any way. Saving me was a great sacrifice to himself. It was making me see him in a different light.
“It looks like the only way out for me is through the fire. I spent my youth up here during my summer vacations. My grandfather showed me every trick in the book. Survival was one of his greatest strengths and he passed that onto his grandson. I know this land better than anybody living.” His final words were followed by him walking backward with his hands outstretched like he was going to part the fire like Moses did with the red sea.
He disappeared into the thick smoke and I didn’t hear him scream.
I got up with my head on fire. I was holding the back of my head a little woozy and feeling like my legs were going to collapse out from underneath me.
“That was a foolish thing to do, but I grudgingly thank you.” Pride wasn’t happy by Xavier coming to my rescue and I couldn’t blame him.
“I was hired to keep her safe. I have never failed and I’m not going to start now.” Xavier was expressing no emotion, but his duty did not extend to protecting my husband.
“We’re going to have to go back the same way we came. I don’t like how your complexion has paled. The blood loss has been quite significant and can’t be ignored. I know you’re tough, but the human body is only capable of doing so much. The one thing you’re not is a hero, but you might have a god complex.” Pride was using his Brazilian upbringing to get past their differences.
I loved him even more for making the effort.
“I don’t need your compassion. You’ve already made your feelings quite clear. This is a one-shot deal. I won’t be so generous in the future. You saved me and I saved you for no other reason than not to be beholden to you for anything.” I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I wasn’t in any position to argue the point.
The fire was spreading fast with the flames shooting into the sky. I had looked down the barrel of the gun and survived. I’d almost gone over a vast incline driving at a speed that wasn’t safe for the passengers inside and survived. I’d gone down in a plane and escaped narrowly by the skin of my teeth. I didn’t know how many lives I had left, but I had used up a fair amount of them in the last few days.
A cat always landed on its feet. I had feline grace, but also the metaphorical claws to come out swinging in defense.
There were no words spoken unless it was absolutely necessary. I was exhausted and living on the edge had taxed me to the very limit. It didn’t seem to affect Xavier. His wound was opened up when he removed the blade to fling it with malice at my friend turned enemy. The one person we didn’t think we could trust had come through in a big way. It was almost enough to renew my faith in mankind.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but this isn’t over. Commander Riker, by your own admission, is the one wholly responsible for all of this. It must be a poison pill to swallow. I’m trying to show an emotion I don’t feel. Empathy has never been my strong suit. It’s usually a good thing, but there are those rare times that I would like to feel something. He’s going to come after you or somebody else is going to do his dirty work for him. Take away his ammunition and he won’t be able to use you against each other.” I knew he was trying to say something, but his words made no sense.
“What do you suggest that I do about this information I have in my head? I memorized the numbers and I will never be able to forget.” I was going to have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life.
“Hypnotherapy has had a varied degree of success over the years. I have this card you might find useful. Tabitha Green is the best in her field. Her specialty is memory extraction. The military has been known to use her regarding special cases.” I began to think about what Xavier was proposing.
“You can’t possibly be thinking about going through with the procedure. I know it might be the only way, but I don’t have to feel very good about it. It won’t stop them from coming after you.” Pride was worried but I knew the risk better than anybody.
We stood at the bottom of the cliff face. I was going to have to trust them. Pride wasn’t in question. Our co-conspirator was remarkably calm despite going through hell and emerging on the other side.
They helped me to climb the huge obstacle that looked insurmountable. The top of the cliff looked like 1,000,000 miles away. They worked together in a tireless approach to protect me from harm. I was busy with thoughts of Commander Riker getting the upper hand. I cringed to think how he was going to get what he wanted from me.
They pulled me up and my opinion of Xavier was higher than I believed that it was ever going to be. Life had turned out to be hard with many obstacles to test our love.
It was a long journey, but we finally came out to the sound of sirens and fire trucks coming around the bend. It didn’t surprise me to turn and find Xavier gone but not forgotten. He was a ghost and he was living up to his reputation.
It wasn’t long before the military intervened screaming onto the scene to take over. The local police threw up their hands in defeat knowing that they were fighting their shadows. They wanted answers, but they weren’t going to get any from us.
The fire department found five bodies charred to a crisp. One of them was the man that vowed revenge on my husband. Going into the fire was a foolish act that got them all killed.
An ambulance was called from the military base in Washington and we were admitted for an evaluation for the next 12 hours.
Chapter 26
Pride
I held her hand and she seemed a little confused. I thought she deserved something for everything that she had gone through. I arranged for some privacy in a four-star hotel room. I broke out all the old favorites including littering the bed with rose petals and lighting candles in the room to give off this romantic glow.
“My beautiful bride.” I stood behind her, both staring out at the night sky from our balcony. She tilted her head back slightly to meet my chin and said grabbed my arm. She said nothing.
“This might not be the right time, but I don’t care. You’ve been there through everything and haven’t complained. I kept things from you and still, you continued to show me your s
upport. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you these last few days.” She had on this off the shoulder red dress with her showing off her voluptuous body. The kind of figure that makes men bark and holla.
My hands came around embraced those lovely curves of hers. They responded in kind by swaying side to side to give me a better feel of her merchandise.
“I will always stand by your side. It doesn’t matter how I feel about certain things you have done. The one thing you can always count on is me. Death and taxes are the other two things, but we don’t have to talk about them.” I was doing my best to insert some levity and her little giggle confirmed that I was doing all the right things.
“I’ve only done what I thought was right. It might not seem like it, but I usually know what I’m doing.” I lowered the dress with the silky feel of the material grazing my fingertips.
“It may seem that way, but sometimes I wonder. I don’t agree with your methods, but I can’t disagree with the results. I’ve never wanted another woman as bad as I do right now. You only have to whisper and I will promise you the heavens and the stars. This is what I’ve always wanted. You only get one chance to consummate with a honeymoon. We didn’t get the chance to celebrate. Are you sure that you’re okay with all of this? The doctors did give us a clean bill of health, but I want to make sure that you’re still with me for the right reasons.” She was the woman I had always wanted and never thought I could have.
“You worry too much. Everything has been taken care of. The worst is over. It’s about time we get this honeymoon going. The feeling you give me is stronger with every breath I take.” I continued to move the dress down one inch at a time exposing her naked back and the way that her body was shaped in a familiar and pleasing form.
“I feel the same way. Your skin is baby soft against my fingertips. The nape of your neck is crying out for my teeth. I’ve been waiting for this from the moment we said our nuptials. Our family is safe and they have no fear of being used against us. We have this time and I say that we make the most out of it.” I kissed her soft silky skin with the tip of my tongue circling to make her throw her head back in absolute bliss.
