Minefield [Black Ops Brotherhood 5] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Bella Juarez

  “Hush, we will be fine. Shaq is coming,” he whispered as he tried to comfort her.

  Jazaria tightened her grip around Fahran. He remembered the bag of candy that he hadn’t opened yet. He reached inside of his tunic and pulled it out. He would share it with Jazaria to try and calm her down. He opened the corner of the bag slightly and took a couple of pieces out.

  “Jazaria, calm down. We will be all right,” Fahran said, placing the candy pieces in her hand.

  Jazaria looked at her hand and back at her brother and smiled. She knew what a rare treat this was. Sharing his delicacy with her was a very special gesture. She wiped away her tears and ate one of the small pieces. Fahran was putting the small bag back inside his tunic when someone grabbed it.

  “Where did you get this?” the man demanded.

  Fahran was too frightened to speak and Jazaria clung to him. The man took his foot and shoved Jazaria away. He lifted Fahran by his shirt.

  “Where did you get this, Kuchi dog!” the man demanded.

  “I–I—” Fahran started.

  The man struck Fahran before he could answer. He hit the ground and the man kicked him onto his back. Fahran couldn’t breathe and fought back tears of pain and fear. When he opened his eyes he saw the man pointing the gun in his face.

  “I will kill your sister first and then I will kill your mother. I will keep killing your entire family until you tell me where you got the American candy,” the man said.

  * * * *

  Shaq flinched when he saw the solider slap then kick Fahran. He was really pissed when he saw the man point his weapon in the boy’s face. Shaq had a soft spot for kids and he especially liked Fahran. The kid reminded him of himself growing up and being bullied when he was that age. Fahran was small and his cousins liked to make him the butt of their practical jokes.

  “JG, we’re all lined up,” a voice over his comm line said quietly.

  “How many do you count?” Shaq asked quietly.

  “Four tangos,” the voice said.

  “Take it when all of you are ready. Make sure you don’t miss that motherfucker who likes to beat up kids,” Shaq said.

  “Roger that, JG,” the voice acknowledged.

  Four simultaneous shots echoed softly through the ravine and four men dropped to the ground, dead. Shaq cautiously waited. The small tribe was temporarily stunned and no one moved for a moment. Suddenly there was chaos. They realized that their captors had been killed. The families rushed to each other and fled for cover. Shaq and the SEAL shooter team he had with him slowly approached. The entire tribe had been terrorized and could be unpredictable. As he walked, something suddenly wrapped around his leg. His combat reflexes alerted him to danger before he looked to see what had grabbed him. He twitched at the sudden binding and defensively jerked his weapon toward it.

  “Shaq! I knew you would come!” Fahran exclaimed.

  “Are you all right, Fahran?” Shaq asked, relaxing and dropping to his knee.

  The boy wrapped his arms around Shaq’s neck. He picked up Fahran and walked toward the tribal leaders assembled talking to one of his SEALs.

  “I told Jazaria you would come,” Fahran said, gripping Shaq tighter.

  Shaq held the boy and breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the tribesmen talking with some of the other SEALs. He put Fahran down and asked him to take Jazaria to safety. He asked the chieftain to move the herds out of the area for now. He was informed it would take them a couple days to move, but they agreed it was safer to do so. He looked across the ravine. He couldn’t see it yet, but he knew his objective lay just beyond the stream.

  “JG, the tangos were all Iranians,” PO Sanchez said.

  “Why am I not surprised,” Shaq said, looking across the ravine. This will be a long fucking week!

  * * * *

  Alex and Isabel had just returned from a tour of St. Sophia and were talking about all they had seen. He was so glad he was able to talk Izzy into the tour. He had watched her come alive with wonder and discovery once they got started. They were coming to the tail end of his leave and there were two more days in Istanbul before they’d be on their way to Stockholm. Alex had reservations at a really nice restaurant for this evening. Afterward he was taking Isabel to a club. Alex’s phone went off.

  “Lieutenant, you need to come back. We’ve got something that requires your attention,” Commander Corbin informed him.

  “Okay, how am I supposed to get back? Do I go commercial or MAC?” Alex asked.

  “Get to Izmir Air Base. They’ll be expecting you and they’ll know what to do. You need to bring Isabel back because Kashi says we’ll need her, too,” Commander Corbin said.

  Alex didn’t like the sound of that. Isabel would be much safer in Stockholm working nine to five in a lab and not in a war zone, especially with her luck. Alex knew the third time would not be the charm for her. It would be a disaster. He ended the call and went back to the suite, arranging to get them to Izmir within the next couple of days. They’d be taking a commercial flight to the city, get to the base, and leave for Afghanistan around midnight. He told Izzy about the plans to return to Afghanistan.

  “What happened?” Izzy asked.

  “I don’t know and he didn’t say. I imagine it’s pretty big. Otherwise they wouldn’t have interrupted what we’re supposed to be doing,” Alex said.

  Isabel was quiet and Alex was concerned with how she felt about going back.

  “Isabel, if you don’t want to go back, you can go on to Stockholm, it’s okay. You’re a civilian, you don’t have to go back. You can say no,” Alex said.

  It took everything ounce of self-control he had not to order her to Stockholm, immediately. He fought every natural instinct inside him not to lock her in her room and keep her there until he could get her on a flight to Stockholm and strap her into the seat himself. He reminded himself she wasn’t his property and he couldn’t tell her what to do.

  “No, it doesn’t bother me to go back. I’m just wondering what the rush is to get back and not move on to what we were supposed to do,” Isabel said.

  “It bothers me, angel,” Alex said quietly.

  “Going back?”

  “You going back. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I would feel better about you going on to Stockholm and meeting you there when I’m done in Afghanistan.”

  “How do you know you’ll be meeting me there? You don’t even know why you’re going back. For you all you know, they might be cancelling Stockholm altogether,” Isabel said.

  Damn it, she’s right! Alex didn’t know the answer, but he could guess. They had probably found the lab and were in the process of figuring out what the hell was in it and how dangerous it was to transport. Isabel wasn’t trained in operational security and she didn’t have the kind of commitment he had. He didn’t have the facts anyway, so it was best not to speculate until they arrived back at Camp Echo. And Cobra had said to bring her back. Maybe she was right and maybe the trip to Stockholm was off.

  “Are we still going out to dinner, or do we need leave now?” Isabel asked, drawing Alex out of his thoughts.

  “No, angel, we’ve got at least a day. Our flight back doesn’t leave until tomorrow night,” Alex said.

  * * * *

  Alex stared at Isabel’s closed door and smiled. She’d insisted on closing her door while she dressed.

  “Go downstairs and I’ll meet you in the bar,” Izzy called through the door.

  “Why?” Alex asked with a slight frown because she was being silly now.

  “Just do it!” she ordered through the closed door.

  “Isabel, I don’t want to screw around downstairs. Come on out,” Alex called.

  “I want to surprise you. Will you please go downstairs?”

  “All right, Izzy, I’ll meet you downstairs,” Alex said, rolling his eyes and sighing in frustration.

  Alex left the room and went downstairs to the hotel bar. He ordered his favorite, whiskey sour, and waited for Is
abel to decide to surprise him. He got into a conversation with the bartender as he waited. They talked about the local nightlife and Alex changed his plans slightly. The bartender told him about a nicer club in town. It was a little more high-end than the one he’d been planning on and required a reservation. The bartender called and made arrangements for him to get inside.

  As they were talking, the bartender glanced at the door and went speechless. Alex turned around and looked because he sensed Izzy had just walked in. She took his breath away. She looked like she’d just stepped out of the pages of a Vogue magazine. She was in a gold sequined cocktail dress that hit midthigh on her long legs. The jeweled straps flowed to a fitted tank dress that highlighted her slim, athletic body perfectly. Her legs looked like they went on forever in the four-inch heels she wore. The only jewelry she had on was a set of large hooped earrings. Her long black hair was loose and cascaded down her back. Alex marveled at how the gold sequins made her mocha skin glow. She was holding a scarf and a light jacket.

  Izzy was a naturally beautiful woman, but she was heart-stopping when she dressed up. If she were his, she would be dressed like that every day! He quickly scratched the thought because he would never get a damn thing done with her looking like that. Alex prayed he didn’t get into a fight tonight, just knowing some asshole would try and come on to her because looking like that he would have tried. No wonder she didn’t come out of her room. We wouldn’t have left! Isabel walked to Alex and kissed him. From the corner of his eye he could see bartender’s mouth fall open.

  “You look stunning, angel,” Alex said softly, kissing her cheek. “I’m a very lucky man.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  * * * *

  Isabel and Alex were quietly talking at their table as they waited for the second course of their dinner to arrive. They were sitting outside on the terrace of the restaurant. She’d guessed, right. Five-star restaurants were second nature to him. He handled the food, the wine, and people as if he did it every day. She looked to her left and watched the ships pass along the Bosporus Straight. A warm, gentle breeze blew, making her close her eyes and think of her dad and home in Miami. She turned back to Alex when she heard her glass clink softly. He was pouring her another glass of champagne.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Isabel asked with a smile.

  “I would never do that, angel. I want you fully aware of everything I’m doing to you,” Alex said, lifting her hand and kissing it.

  Butterflies started to swarm inside her at the sensation of his lips on her hand and his words. She knew it was true. Alex was all about the feelings. The way he moved slowly and deliberately, taking his time with every delicious nip and kiss. She lost every ounce of willpower and every shred of dignity by the time he finally got around to fucking her. Is every man like this?

  They went through the meal discussing what Alex wanted to do for his fellowship. He sought out her opinion and asked what she thought he should do. Isabel tried to encourage him to stay in trauma medicine. Even though he hadn’t been trained, he was a really good assistant when he helped her in the OR. He’d make an outstanding trauma surgeon. He told her about leaning toward another specialty, pediatric surgery. The revelation surprised her because she never guessed a player like Alex would like kids. She recalled the work they had done in Kush. He really was drawn to children and was very good with them.

  Several times during dinner, Isabel felt like Alex wanted to know how she would feel about moving around with him and if she would tolerate a military life. He told her about San Antonio and all the things there were to do in the area. He told her the city had three trauma hospitals and she wouldn’t have a problem getting a job. She almost got the impression that he wanted her to stay with him when he returned to States after his overseas tour.

  They finished at the restaurant and Alex had them taken to a club that was located inside a mansion. Izzy smiled at her earlier estimations of him passing by club bouncers without a second glance because this club had a line to get inside. The guard eyed Alex as he approached him.

  “Alex Richards.”

  Without hesitating or glancing at his clipboard, the man unfastened the rope that secured the entrance.

  “Yes, Mr. Richards, we’ve been expecting you,” the bouncer said.

  So those are the magic words? Alex Richards? They waltzed right in. Isabel’s mouth fell open and she couldn’t help but notice the pissed-off glares they got from the people waiting in line. Alex never looked back and Isabel wanted to shake her head. I knew it! Does everyone bow at the Richards name? They walked inside and Alex led her to the top floor where the club was located. She almost wanted to turn around because the club was hectic and noisy.

  Izzy was a little uncomfortable and should’ve told him that clubs were not her scene. Alex glanced at her a few times and seemed to be attuned to her discomfort. He continued, leading her outside to a terrace on the upper level where there was a small jazz band playing with tables littered all around. There was a small dance floor with a few people moving around. She had another view of the Bosporus from the table he acquired for them.

  “Better, angel?” Alex asked as he put his arm around her, resting it on her chair.

  “I like being outside,” Isabel said.

  “Me, too,” Alex said with a smile.

  They sat and listened to the music for a while. Alex finally pulled Izzy to her feet and out to the small dance floor. They had managed to almost finish two bottles of champagne so far, one at dinner and they were halfway through one at the club. The champagne seemed to heighten her awareness and relax her. Alex lightly ran his hand over her lower back and she shivered slightly. He pulled her closer and softly swayed her to the gentle rhythm of the music playing in the background.

  “Are you cold, angel?” Alex asked as he pulled her a little closer.

  “A little,” Izzy said. It was getting a little cool.

  Alex wrapped his arms around her. Izzy slid her arms under his jacket at his waist, feeling his warm body through his shirt. She recalled another time when she had shared his body heat and smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and gave in to the music and Alex’s embrace. He kissed her affectionately and rubbed his cheek against hers.

  “That feels good,” Izzy whispered.

  The dance ended way too soon because Isabel wanted to stay like they were, holding each other. Holding on to him never seemed to last long enough. Alex took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders as he led Izzy back to their table.

  “Are you enjoying yourself, Izzy?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, I’ve never really done anything like this.”

  “No? Did you go to your prom?”

  “Prom? No, I had to work that night.”

  “Seriously, Izzy?” Alex asked with a frown.

  “I didn’t have time for all that stuff. I still don’t,” she said, taking a sip from her glass.

  “You need to learn how to relax, angel,” Alex said, brushing her hair off her shoulder. He petted her back as he stared at her.

  “I know how to relax. I sit in front of the TV and watch a movie. I sleep late when I can and I read. I don’t party to relax,” Izzy said.

  “This isn’t partying, Izzy. This is a quiet evening out,” Alex informed her.

  “I guess you would know,” Izzy said shortly, looking away.

  “Why don’t you go out?” Alex asked, rubbing her back.

  Isabel was getting a little defensive at this line of questioning because she didn’t like to go out. Usually by the time she got off work, she’d had enough of people in general. Someone was always clamoring for her attention and she was done by the end of her sixteen-hour day. She also didn’t trust men because most of the dates she went on ended with some guy all over her, pawing and groping her. Alex was the first man she really didn’t mind touching her.

  “Because I’m sick of people by the end of the day,” Izzy said.

&n
bsp; Isabel wanted to take back the way she’d said her last statement and the bitchy way it sounded. It was starting to bother her that she was so short with him at times for no reason at all. Alex seldom seemed to get offended. He would just ask another question or change the subject, easing her into something else.

  Izzy realized how different the situation with her and Alex was compared to those other few dates. She was alone, so far from home, and he’d put his life on the line to rescue her on more than one occasion. Alex kissed her softly and she wanted that sweet touch to go on forever. She knew he cared about her just by the way he took his time with her, talked to her, and tried to reassure her. Izzy watched as he sat back and took a long drink of his champagne.

  “I understand how you feel, Izzy. A lot of days I like to go home and just vegetate, too. But I also like getting out once in a while. Wouldn’t you like to do something like that with me?” Alex asked.

  Alex was planting images in her head she didn’t want to envision, a life with him. To keep her distance, she needed to believe that this was just a fling with lots of great sex and it would be over as soon as they got back home. Alex wasn’t cooperating because he kept patiently chipping away at the stone wall she’d built around her heart.

  “Where do you go?” Isabel asked, looking away.

  “I go to concerts, the movies, plays, or dinner, whatever grabs me that week,” Alex said with a shrug.

  “What’s home like for you, Alex?”

  “It’s an apartment in Schertz, Texas, right near where I work. I go home, I make myself some dinner, and I sit in front of the TV and usually watch the Discovery or History channels. Sometimes I watch SyFy or the news. Or I’ll listen to some music and read,” Alex said, taking a drink of his champagne.