by L.T. Ryan
* * *
We piled into a sand-colored Humvee. Bear and I had the row behind the driver to ourselves. They removed the cuffs from our wrists before slamming the doors shut. The rest of the talk inside the interrogation room was just that, talk. We were free. Abbot and Keller weren’t going to investigate this anymore than I would. Worst case, we’d be reassigned to Afghanistan. At least there we could do some good. Maybe they would keep us in the States and assign us to a new team.
I leaned over and looked between the front seats. Two men I didn’t recognize occupied the front of the Humvee.
“Where are we going?”
Neither man responded.
I lifted my eyes and stared at the driver in the rear-view mirror. His eyes, set behind puffy cheeks, didn’t move to meet mine. I sighed, turned to Bear. “Where you think they’re taking us?”
“They said home,” he said.
“You believe that?”
He shrugged and let out a loud exhale. “Think they’re just going to take us out to the desert and leave us?”
“Thought’s crossed my mind.” I wiped sweat from my brow. “Although, I don’t see them leaving us there alive,” I added.
Bear laughed. “These guys can’t take us.”
The driver looked up and met my stare in the rear-view mirror. I smiled and winked as I watched to see what kind of reaction Bear had gotten with his remarks.
The driver shook his head. “We’re not leaving you in the middle of the desert. Just sit back and relax. You’ll be on a plane soon enough.”
“Back to the States?” I asked.
The driver shook his head. “No clue, man. I’m just driving you.”
I looked at Bear and shrugged.
“They tell you about the family?”
“Yeah.” Bear paused while rubbing his beard. “You think it was Martinez?”
“Makes sense. I showed him up. He had itchy fingers to begin with.”
“Pretty brazen of him, if he did.”
“Yeah. Maybe he figured he could pin it on us and get away with it.” I stared at the tattered canvas ceiling. “You know you’re going to have to shave that beard when we get back on base.”
“You too, Jack. You too.”
I nodded and scratched at the growth of hair on my face. Leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. The only thing I could think of was getting the hell out of Iraq. Back home. It didn’t matter where. Any place in the U.S. would be fine with me. My thoughts slowed and I drifted off to sleep.
The car jerked to a stop. I woke up, opened my eyes. The side of my face ached from the cheap shots in the interrogation room. I saw Bear sit up straight and yawn. He’d fallen asleep too. He cocked his head, side to side. His neck popped and he grunted.
I turned my head to look out the window. We were parked next to what looked like a single landing strip tucked between hills of sand on all four sides. At one end sat a small commuter jet.
“We’re here,” the driver said.
“No shit, Sherlock,” I said.
“Get out of my ride,” he said.
“Gladly.”
I opened the door and slid out.
Bear appeared from behind the Humvee and took position next to me.
The Humvee roared into gear and drove away. We stood alone in the empty parking lot with nowhere to run to if things got out of hand. And lately, if there was one thing you could count on, it was things getting out of hand.
Four men waited next to the plane, all dressed in khaki cargo pants, plain t-shirts, and tan windbreakers. They had holsters strapped to their thighs. Two of them held assault rifles.
One stepped forward and motioned for us to come over.
I looked at Bear. He shrugged. We didn’t have any other options. If they were going to kill us, it would be now. And if that was the case, I’d just as soon get it over with. We crossed the narrow strip of gravel to the area next to the plane.
The man continued forward and met us halfway and introduced himself as Colwell. He had short brown hair and brown eyes.
“We’ll be taking you to Germany, Frankfurt International,” Colwell said. “Pulled some strings. You’ll bypass the terminal and customs. You’ll be escorted onto a flight that will take you back to the U.S.”
“Where to?” I asked.
Colwell shrugged and held out his arms. “My job is to get you to Germany.” He turned and extended one arm out toward the plane. “Let’s get on board and get out of here.”
I passed the other men without making eye contact. I had no interest in getting to know them, and I was sure they felt the same way about me. I climbed the stairs into the small jet and made my way to the back. Found a seat and collapsed into it. I closed my eyes for a second and massaged the area around my cheek. When I opened my eyes Colwell stood in front of me.
“Up front.”
“Screw you. I’m not moving.”
He pulled his pistol from the thigh holster. The gun dangled at his side. “Jack, move.”
I sighed and stood up. “I’m unarmed,” I said, holding my arms up as I passed him. His dark eyes met mine and his lips thinned. His head followed me. I could tell he didn’t like being that close to me in a confined space.
“Don’t care,” he said. “I know all about you, Noble.” He nodded toward Bear. “Him too.”
“Yeah, well,” I said, “I don’t know jack about you.”
“And we’re going to keep it that way,” Colwell said. “Don’t want you showing up at my door one night.”
“No,” I looked back over my shoulder, “you don’t.”
Colwell said nothing.
I took my seat. Bear sat down across the aisle. He smiled and shook his head.
Ten minutes of silence passed before they taxied the plane in a tight circle. Then the small plane barreled down the runway, cut through the air and turned to the northwest, toward Germany.
