“If you two are finished with the playground antics I need to fill you in on the last of the details.” When they all turned back to him he continued, “You’ll fly out at twenty-hundred tonight. What you do until then is your own business. Your pickup after you retrieve the hostage is at eighteen-hundred three days from now. Any questions?”
When they all chorused “No Sir”, Walt continued. “Sam, meet me in my office at the barracks. I want to talk to these guys a moment.”
“That’s not…”
“Please,” Walt interrupted.
Sam gave him a quick glare, then turned and left the tent. She couldn’t believe he was going to lecture them about her. He’d never done that before. She could defend herself. Sam ran with lightning speed back to the barracks, her anger pumping her legs faster. This whole situation was crazy. Hadn’t she proven herself over and over again? Why was she letting this particular man get under her skin? Sam stopped in front of her uncle’s office and bent over to catch her breath. A hot shower, she thought to herself, that’s what she needed. She could use the time to calm herself and think this situation through.
Back at the tent Kong felt Walt’s eyes bore through him. “Sir, I’d like to explain.”
“No need,” Walt replied.
“Yes Sir there is. She’s young, in her twenties as far as I can figure. Surely she hasn’t had the years of training we’ve had and you’re asking us to trust her. I’m sorry Sir, but my trust doesn’t come that easily,” he said, looking at Boomer and Ricochet.
“Is that so? Tell me Lieutenant just what do you know about her?” Walt asked.
“That’s the point. I don’t know anything.” Kong was working hard at keeping his tone low-key.
“Okay, let me enlighten you. She’s twenty-six years old and started her training eighteen years ago.” Walt let that tidbit of information sink in.
“You tellin’ us she started training when she was eight?” Ricochet asked.
“Exactly. By the time she was twelve she’d gone through four martial arts masters, each one teaching her everything he knew. When she was thirteen, she started coming here and training with my men. She watched, listened and learned everything she could. One day I put her out there with some of the guys on an exercise. Twenty minutes into the session she took out four men.
“And if you’re worried about how she’ll handle herself if she’s captured by the Taliban, don’t be. Yesterday she went to Jersey to retrieve a woman who had been kidnapped. Our intelligence told her there were only two men. Imagine her surprise when a third walked in. At this very moment he’s undergoing surgery to repair major damage to his penis and scrotum. Now, she didn’t tell me, but I’m assuming the man thought he’d use her for his entertainment since she had let his intended victim go.”
The men cringed at the thought of what she could have done to him. Kong smiled to himself, these were the answers he needed. She could fight, no doubt about that, his ribs and face would attest to her fighting skills. But now that he knew how she handled herself when she was outnumbered, some of the tension started to ease from his body.
Chapter Five
When Walt finished with the men, they all climbed into the jeep and headed back to base.
Walt knew Sam would be furious with him for talking to them without her being there, but he also knew she’d get over it. One thing he knew about his Sam was that she never held a grudge for very long.
When they pulled up to the building housing Walt’s office he turned to the men and said, “If you want to leave camp for a while you can use this jeep. Just make sure you’re ready to go at twenty hundred.” He climbed the two stairs to the front door and disappeared inside.
Sam was already sitting in his chair showered and changed. The look on her face told him that she wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. That was okay, he deserved it. “Outta my chair.”
She stood and moved to the door. “Did you tell them not to pick on the little girl?”
“No, I gave them reason to fear you if you must know,” he said without looking at her.
“Oh. How’d you do that?”
“I told them about the guy you shot in the balls last night. I don’t think you’ll have any problem with Lieutenant Lowe now,” he said with a smile.
Sam rolled her eyes and left the office. If she’d known that’s all it took to get a man under control she’d have used it lot sooner. She left the building and walked to her red Mustang, which was parked between two buildings. To her surprise, Lieutenant Lowe was looking the car over.
When Sam approached, he looked up at her, then did a double take. His mouth went dry and his throat closed. She was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a white tank top that showed exactly how female she was. Funny he thought to himself, he didn’t remember feeling her breasts brush against him during their sparring match. That was something a man would remember.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “Is this your car?” When she didn’t answer, he said. “Sweet ride.”
Sam tossed her bag into the backseat. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“I just wanted to apologize, that’s all,” he said leaning up against the car and crossing his arms.
“For what?” she asked.
“You knew I was goading you into that fight and you went along with it. Why?”
Sam rubbed her eyes, then placed her hands on her hips. “It was the only way I was going to earn your trust. Well, maybe trust isn’t the right word. You needed to know I was capable of taking care of myself so I showed you. Why apologize for that?”
“I get the feeling you’re not used to people questioning your authority. I didn’t mean any disrespect, honest. It’s just my way of looking out for my men,” he told her.
Sam looked at him. She could see he was being sincere. And she was sure if she thought about it long enough she’d probably do the same thing in his shoes. “You’re right. I’m not used to people questioning me. Look, all we have to do is get through the next four days,” she said opening the car door and sitting inside. “Then we won’t have to see each other ever again.”
Sam started the car, put it in reverse and started backing away. “I’m sure that won’t bother you one bit,” she yelled, then took off toward home.
“Yeah,” Kong said to himself. Yet he couldn’t explain the sinking feeling that gave him.
He was half tempted to jump in the jeep and follow her. Why, he couldn’t say, but he fought the feeling and went to join his friends in the barracks.
When he walked in, the two men stopped talking and quietly went about packing their packs.
Kong went to his bunk and sat, placing his face in his hands. This was supposed to be just another op, but somehow it had gotten out of hand.
“Let’s hear it. You two have something to say to me so say it,” he said into his hands.
When they didn’t answer he stood. “You want to know why I didn’t just instinctively trust her? Well, my question is, why did you?”
“It just felt right,” Boomer explained.
“Look, where I come from, you tick a woman off bad enough and she’ll kick your ass up and down the street without taking a breath. It’s normal to me,” Ricochet explained with a shrug of his shoulders.
“It doesn’t come that easy for me,” Kong said. “I wish it did but it doesn’t.”
“It’s cool. Just don’t bust her ass too much,” Ricochet said as he grabbed a towel from his locker. “Something tells me we may need her in a bad way before this is over.” Then he walked to the back of the barracks for a shower before they left.
“What did you mean it just felt right Boomer?”
“I don’t know. I get these feelings about people, ya know, like whether they’re trustworthy or not. She gives me good feelings,” he said looking up at Kong. “It doesn’t hurt that she’s hot too.”
Kong felt an instinctive surge of jealousy serge through him. Confused by this he banked it down for later scrutiny. He
wished he could feel as sure about this as his buddies, but he couldn’t and this was something he didn’t need before leaving for an op.
Sam drove home thinking about Kong and her sparring match with him. That little match didn’t bother her. What bothered her was how turned on she was by the whole thing. When she was sitting on his chest, she could feel herself getting moist between her legs. That was something she’d never experienced before, especially during a fight. He wasn’t even her type of guy. His ego was bigger than he was and he was big. His attitude toward working with a woman just plain sucked and she hadn’t seen much of a personality yet.
So why did this guy turn her on so much? Had it been so long since she’d had a romantic relationship that she was desperate? She started thinking how long it had been since she’d been with a man. Six, no seven months ago. Her last affair had been a dud. Sean was his name. He was a computer geek, nice enough looking, but he lacked fire when it came to the bedroom. And if he couldn’t talk about programs and viruses he wouldn’t talk at all.
That was it, she was horny. It had been months since she’d had sex and even longer since she’d had good sex. Kong was built like a Greek god and her body was responding to him.
Satisfied with that reasoning she continued her drive home listening to the radio, keeping her thoughts clear of him. It would be hard enough working with him the next four days without her mind concentrating on that excellent body.
After another hot bubble bath and rubbing herself down with lotion, Sam started to carefully pack her supplies. Her pack was specially made for her. There were small pockets hidden everywhere inside and out. She didn’t really need too many clothes, but she always made sure she had an extra shirt, mask and underwear.
Next came the Meals Ready to Eat she’d need on the trip. Along with those she packed granola bars, candy bars and trail mix. Then came the essentials. Waterproof matches, a lighter, her pen light, compass, radio. Eight bottles of water, a first-aid kit and a black box that contained tranquilizer darts. Once the inside was full, she started filling up the outside pockets.
She slid her tranq gun into its special pocket then her sidearm into its pocket. She didn’t use it very often, but she never traveled without it. She never knew when a moment would come where she found herself trapped and had to defend herself by taking a life. That was something she didn’t like to think about.
No matter how bad a person, she felt she didn’t have the right to take a life. It had only happened once and it took her months to deal with it.
Once her packing was complete, she looked at the clock and saw she had an hour before she needed to leave. Lying back on the bed she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that all would go well and that they would all return home unharmed. That done, she lay quietly for a few moments more then spoke.
“Why does this feel so different from all my other missions?” she asked aloud.
Because it is, came the reply in the soft whisper.
Why? Sam questioned.
You will bring home much more than you expect this time.
I don’t understand, Sam said inside her head.
I cannot tell you more than that. If I do, I will be taking away your free will. You must make your own decisions from here on. It is only my place to direct you to the proper people.
Will you still help me on the mission? Help me keep my team safe? Sam questioned.
Of course Samantha, I will always guide you away from harm.
Thank you, she said, then relaxed into a light sleep. There were many nights when she was growing up that she lay in bed and talked with her whisper. It had taught her about free will and what it meant. Everyone was free to make their own decisions in life, whether they were good or bad decisions. Even though her guide directed her on missions it was ultimately Sam’s choice to take a life or not. The one time she did her whisper consoled her nightly, telling her that on some rare occasions a life had to be taken to save another.
Sam didn’t care. It still tore at her soul that she had done such a horrible thing. But every time she ran through it in her mind she saw no way of getting around it. Once Sam asked how God felt about soldiers who took lives. She was told not to worry about it, that those she had worked with and who took a life were judged based on their own decisions. Sam understood what she was being told, but still could not justify her own actions.
As the clocked ticked off the time, Sam rested peacefully. While she slept, a bright white light came down through the ceiling in her room and washed over her body. It lingered for a few moments covering her from head to toe. When it was time for her to wake the light rose back to the ceiling and disappeared. Sam opened her eyes feeling a sense of warmth and love deep inside. Her body felt renewed and ready for the task that lay ahead of her.
With this renewed energy she dressed in her black clothes and left the house. Somehow she knew things would be okay. No matter what happened over the next few days, everything would be just fine. She climbed into her Mustang with a smile and headed off to work.
Ricochet, Boomer and Kong were standing with her Uncle Walt when she arrived at the air strip. One look at Kong made her tranquil feelings dissipate into the early evening air. She scolded herself for letting this man affect her the way he did. With her head held high she marched directly toward the group.
“Sam,” Walt said smiling at her. “Is there anything else you need before you take off?”
“No, I have everything. Thanks,” she replied.
Kong watched the two of them, there was true affection between them. Was he her father, brother, or lover? Kong figured by the time the op was over, he’d find out. The sound of the plane landing drew his attention away from them.
Once it landed Walt shook the hands of the three men and wished them luck. When he was sure they were aboard the plane, he turned to Sam and brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “Be careful honey and come home to me.”
“I will Uncle Walt. I love you,” Sam said, then reached up and hugged him hard.
Kong peered around the open door and watched as Sam hugged him. That feeling of jealousy washed through him again. Aggravated with himself both for spying and for his feelings, he marched back into the plane, tossed his pack onto the floor and flopped in a seat. Boomer and Ricochet looked at him, then at each other. Kong’s actions since finding out who their temporary teammate was baffled them.
Sam entered the plane, stowed her pack and took a seat by Boomer and Ricochet. She glanced over at Kong and saw he had his eyes pinned directly to the seat in front of him. Nothing was said for the first two hours of the flight. It seemed they all needed the time to mentally prepare themselves for what lay ahead.
When the plane landed they were escorted to a cargo plane that would take them the rest of the way to Afghanistan. This ride would be noisy and incredibly uncomfortable. Once they were all aboard it only took moments until the plane took off. Sam sat between Ricochet and Boomer, while Kong sat across from her on a crate. He had yet to say anything to her at all.
“Hey Ricochet,” she shouted over the noise of the plane. “I’ve always been fascinated with how you guys get your nicknames, how’d you get yours?”
Ricochet laughed, “Well I’ll tell ya. When I first started in special ops I went on a ‘job’ in a country that if I told you about, I’d have to kill you.”
Sam laughed, she knew what he was telling her and it was fine with her if he didn’t tell her the details.
“Anyway, we needed to take out a target that had been doing his own version of genocide. I was hunkered down on my belly in this little gully and had him in my sights, fired and the damn bullet ricocheted off his car and came right back at me. Little did I know that right behind me, on his knees, was one of his own men pointing a gun directly at the back my lovely black head. Now, didn’t that bullet come straight back and nail him right between the eyes.” Ricochet let out a loud ha ha laugh and shook his head. “Guess it was my lucky day.”
> Sam couldn’t help but smile, she knew luck had nothing to do with it. His own guide had saved his life that day. And someday, he’d realize it. “Did you get your target?” she asked.
“Sure did. I managed to fire another round when I saw what was happening. Been called Ricochet ever since.”
“How about you Boomer, how’d you get your name?” She asked.
Boomer smiled, his face lighting up that she asked. “I like explosives. Even when I was a kid I ran around with firecrackers, strapping them to plastic rockets and cars and blowing them up. It was only natural that I got into it in the Army. My parents started calling me Boomer when I was a kid, it just stuck.”
Sam didn’t know whether to be charmed or scared. If he had taken a different path in life, she could possibly be hunting him instead of working with him. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to his guide that he’d chosen his path wisely.
When Sam looked over at Kong, he was looking right at her. He had no intention of telling how he got his nickname, she could read it in his face. So she turned to Ricochet and asked him.
Ricochet snickered, “In our early days in special ops we had this tradition of going out and getting shit-faced after we returned from a ‘job’. One night we were all at a bar, loaded, when a bunch of groupies came strolling in.”
“That’s enough Ricochet,” Kong grumbled.
Ricochet wasn’t deterred, he continued. “Our boy here took a shine to one. Spent the next hour getting her liquored up. Next thing we know the two of em are headed out the door. Guess they couldn’t wait to get to a hotel cuz the next thing we hear is her screaming at the top of her lungs, ‘King Kong, King Kong.’ The rest of us nearly peed our pants laughing.”
Kong threw a rolled-up piece of paper at him then called him a nasty name. Ricochet took it in his stride. “He don’t like that story.”
“Tell me,” Sam asked. “Does that refer to your stature, or the size of your package?”
Boomer and Ricochet busted out laughing, Sam joined in. She could picture a younger version of the lieutenant getting it on with a dim-witted woman screaming at the top of her lungs. From the strained look on Kong’s face, he was trying very hard not to laugh with them.
Black Smoke Page 5
