by Becky Harmon
She sighed. Given a choice, this wasn’t what she would have chosen. She couldn’t defend this plan, but she could give Ellie a few seconds to work through her fears. “We have a narrow window. Once the train gains speed, we won’t be able to get on.”
“Then we’ll catch it tomorrow?”
“We would draw even more attention, and I’d rather not spend another night in the desert.”
The wind from the train whipped their hair and the rattle of the cars grew louder as it began to pick up speed. She leaned close to Ellie. “You go first. Grab one of the ladder rungs and keep climbing. I’ll be right behind you. Trust me, okay?”
Taking a deep breath, Ellie nodded. “Let’s do this.”
She stayed on Ellie’s heels as they started to jog. When Ellie reached up and grabbed the rusty orange ladder, she followed, grabbing the rung above her. She pulled her legs up onto the lowest bar and put an arm around Ellie’s waist. Holding on tight, she turned their bodies so they could grab the rungs with both hands.
“Climb,” she yelled into Ellie’s ear.
Ellie tentatively began to move up the railcar. She stayed tight against her, keeping Ellie’s body between her and the car. She hadn’t come this far to let Ellie fall to her death. When they reached the top, she did her best to block the wind while Ellie swung her leg over and into the car.
The ore was piled high, but it sloped down to the sides of the car, leaving barely a foot of metal to block the wind, which was brutal. The ore wasn’t rocky as she had expected, but more like a very bumpy sand. They needed to create more shelter for themselves or they wouldn’t survive the night here.
She grasped Ellie’s arm and pointed to the corner, motioning for her to go first. They crawled slowly, keeping their bodies close to the ore. Angel pulled her scarf up around her face and saw that Ellie had done the same. The ore dust was already coating their bodies and seeping through her clothes. When they reached the corner, she began digging into the ore to make a pocket big enough to hold both of them. Ellie watched long enough to figure out what she was doing and then began helping.
Angel finally had a space large enough to stretch out her legs. Exhausted from digging, she lay on her back with their bags stacked on her stomach, staring up at the beautiful sky as her eyes traced the stars of the Milky Way. Darkness had come up on them fast as the lights from Choum faded behind.
She was surprisingly comfortable tucked into their shallow pit. She pulled two blankets from their bags, handing one to Ellie. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the lack of light, but she could see little more than the outline of Ellie’s face before the blanket covered her. She unfolded her own blanket and burrowed beneath it. Reaching out her hand, she found Ellie’s. She closed her eyes and let the gentle sway of the carriage car rock her to sleep.
* * *
A few hours later, Ellie awoke with a chill deep in her bones. The wind was now an artic breeze and had penetrated her blanket with ease. A shiver rippled through her body and she shifted closer to Angel.
Angel stirred and Ellie rolled over to face her. She pulled the scarf from over her eyes so she could see Angel. In the darkness, Angel’s brown eyes were a deep midnight black. She found herself quickly lost in them. Their faces were inches apart. She wondered what Angel would do if she removed their scarves and kissed her.
“This isn’t the way I imagined getting close to you,” Angel’s voice was soft, almost getting lost in the roar of the wind and the train.
“You imagined getting close to me, huh?” she teased.
“Maybe once or twice.”
Her body shivered again, though more from the closeness of Angel now than the chilling wind.
Angel lifted her blanket to cover both of them, rolling partially on top of Ellie. With Angel’s body blocking the wind, she removed their scarves and snuggled her face into Angel’s neck. Even with the smell of sweat and iron ore, Angel’s scent lingered. It flooded Ellie’s senses. The weight of Angel’s body pressed hard against her like the safety of a cocoon. Beneath their blankets, she wrapped her arms tight around Angel.
Arousal burned through her and her hips, acting on their own, pushed into Angel’s thigh. She felt Angel’s shoulders tense as their eyes met. With only the moon and the stars for light, her night vision had kicked in, and she stared directly into the raging fire in Angel’s eyes. This time was different. Angel wasn’t going to put the brakes on this time, she knew, and her body pulsed in a rush of excitement. She wanted to feel their lips pressed together. She didn’t wait for Angel to make the first move.
The metallic taste of iron ore lasted only a second and then the sweetness of Angel’s mouth consumed her. Unlike their first kiss, this one was slow, traveling gently to a place of unrestrained desire. She wanted to rush it, to feel Angel’s tongue in her mouth, but she fought her impatience and let Angel fan the flame. The agony was delicious, and she knew in a second what she had been waiting for her whole life.
This woman. With all her annoying rules. This woman. Willing to risk everything to protect her. This woman. With her softness buried deep beneath layers of strength.
When Angel’s tongue finally traced the edge of her lips and then slipped inside, she couldn’t hold back her moan. She felt like she had been waiting hours instead of seconds to feel Angel’s gentle stroke. Her body was hypersensitive to every ounce of pressure Angel applied. She found enough space between them and slid her hands underneath Angel’s robes. She could feel the pebbles of sand and ore from her dirty hands and she resisted the urge to slide her fingers beneath Angel’s shirt. Slowly she brushed her thumbs across Angel’s taut nipples, feeling them grow harder beneath the layers of clothing. She pressed harder with each stroke.
Angel’s hips shifted, applying pressure to where their bodies connected, causing them both to gasp. She wrapped her arms around Angel, gripping her shoulders.
“Oh,” she moaned, breaking their kiss. “Do that again.”
Angel followed her command immediately with several rapid thrusts.
She couldn’t believe how wonderful Angel made her feel. She felt almost giddy. Like a teenager in the backseat of her parents’ car. The thought almost made her laugh until she looked into Angel’s eyes again. Deep, dark, and devouring. This time she was unable to look away.
Angel rocked against her again, setting a slow, gentle pace, a rhythm that matched the movement of the train and pushed her closer to the impending explosion. Each stroke of Angel’s thigh brought every nerve in her to the surface, even through their layers of clothing.
She embraced the fire coming from Angel’s body. Her eyes locked with Angel’s as their bodies crested together, exploding into oblivion. Angel continued their pace for a few more seconds before relaxing on top of Ellie.
“I want my mouth on every part of your body,” she demanded.
Angel chuckled. Her voice was gravelly when she spoke. “Yeah, that’s probably not the best idea at the moment.”
She squeezed Angel hard, digging her fingers into Angel’s back. She buried her face in Angel’s neck again.
“I want you naked,” she groaned.
“I promise when we get back, I’ll make that wish come true.”
* * *
Angel bent her head and kissed Ellie. Tasting the iron ore on her lips, she realized their blanket was no longer covering them. She pulled it up over their heads before settling beside Ellie.
Her heart was still running on overdrive. She couldn’t believe what had happened between them. Something so different from anything she had ever experienced. She had known when Ellie kissed her neck that she wouldn’t be able to hold back. Not this time.
“That was amazing, you know,” Ellie’s voice was muffled as she snuggled deeper into Angel’s neck.
“You’re amazing.”
Ellie lifted her head and kissed her. It was deep and full of promises.
She answered Ellie’s kiss with a vow of her own. Keeping Ellie safe was more than her j
ob. It was her life. It was in her blood. With no Ellie, there would be no Angel.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Angel awoke with the blazing sun pounding down on her back. In their sleep, the blanket covering them had shifted, leaving them exposed. She turned away from Ellie to grab her sunglasses from her bag.
Ellie groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. “My eyes are being sliced with a paper knife.”
“Are your sunglasses in your bag?” she asked.
“Yes, please. The front pouch, I think.”
She passed Ellie her glasses and considered leaning in for a kiss. Before she could put her thoughts into action, Ellie leaned up on her elbows and kissed her.
“Good morning,” she said, slowly drawing out the syllables and making Ellie laugh.
“Good morning back,” Ellie said still laughing. “I’m going to visit the bathroom. Can you make the coffee?”
She was glad to see Ellie could find humor in their situation. “I would love to make the coffee, but would you settle for some date and hibiscus jam without bread and maybe a little unidentifiable meat jerky?”
“That sounds yummy, but what are you going to do about my need for a bathroom?”
She sighed. “That’s a bit tougher. The train won’t stop again until we reach Nouadhibou, but I’ve felt it slow occasionally. I’m not sure why, maybe a small town that’s not on the map. If it happens again and we’re ready, we’ll have a few minutes on the ground. You’ll have to be really quick.”
“I can do it,” Ellie said, sitting up.
She wrapped her scarf around her head as she raised up to check their surroundings. Several robed figures sat at the edge of the car, their attention focused on buildings in the distance.
“You might get your wish faster than I thought.”
Ellie crawled to her side. “Finding a bush is going to be hard. I wish we could go off the other side. Do you think it’s true that the ground north of the tracks is filled with mines?”
“I’m not sure, but we’re not going to risk it.”
Ellie laughed. “Somehow I knew you would say that. You’d rather these men be blinded by my moon.”
She laughed too. “I will protect your moon as much as I can, but I’m afraid I have my own agenda on this mission.” She grabbed her pack and handed Ellie hers. “Let’s take these and we’ll catch a car farther back.”
She was already thinking ahead to their arrival in Nouadhibou. Two hundred cars would be a lot for Farook’s men to watch, so the farther away they were from the station the better the chance they might have to avoid detection. She put her arm around Ellie as they crawled closer to the edge. One of the men looked at them and a flicker of surprise passed over the exposed portions of his face. He began quickly talking to the men around him.
“What’s he saying?” she asked Ellie softly.
“He knows we’re women.”
She watched the man and his friends crawl away from the ladder, motioning for them to go first.
“Shukran.” Ellie said “thank you” in Arabic.
As the train started to slow, she swung a leg over the side and braced herself on the ladder. She opened her arms and Ellie slid between her and the side of the train. They slowly made their way down the car. When her feet were on the last rung, she noticed men from other carriage cars already jumping. She took a deep breath.
“Here we go,” she called, giving Ellie one last squeeze.
She jumped, collapsing her knees as soon as her feet hit the ground. She rolled into a standing position ready to assist Ellie, but she didn’t need it. Ellie executed a perfect PLF or parachute landing fall, something that was taught at all parachute jump schools to prevent broken legs or other injuries. She’d have to ask her about how she acquired that skill later.
She grabbed Ellie’s hand and they ran toward the side of a mudbrick building. The few pieces of vegetation were low standing and provided no protection. She dropped her pack and quickly unwrapped her mulafa, holding it completely opened in front of her body. She positioned Ellie between her and the building.
“That’s the best I can do, Madam Ambassador,” she said.
“I’ll take it.”
She watched the train continue to crawl along. Hot chills ran across her bare arms as she thought about the movement of their bodies last night. The way they had fit together without any effort. The kisses that had left her breathless and a little lost.
Ellie grabbed the blanket from her as they traded places. She moved quickly and was grabbing the mulafa back from Ellie before the last cars were even in sight. She wrapped it around her body and grabbed her pack as Ellie did the same. They raced toward the slow-moving train.
Following the pattern they had used previously, she protected Ellie’s body from the wind and a potential fall. When they swung their legs over the top, she stopped to look around. The car wasn’t very crowded, but all the corners were already filled with other travelers. She began digging beside the ladder. It wasn’t ideal, but it would give them a faster departure when the train reached Nouadhibou.
Ellie helped her move the iron ore until they had a little depression to drop into. Laying down was the only way to block the wind so she lay on her side, leaving a space for Ellie beneath her. Ellie held up her toothbrush.
Great idea, but she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task. The air around them was filled with floating ore and sand. She pulled her brush and a small tube of toothpaste from an outer pouch in her pack. Sharing her paste, she watched as Ellie slid the toothbrush under her mulafa. She did the same and began scrubbing her teeth.
When Ellie leaned near the edge, she quickly stopped her. Demonstrating, she dropped her head beneath the rim of the car and spit where the ore met the wall of the train car. Ellie did the same.
She packed everything away and then lay back down. Ellie slid into the spot beside her. She leaned close and whispered into Ellie’s ear. “Spitting into the wind would have brought it back on us or someone else.”
Ellie laughed. “Guess that’s why everyone gets off the train to use the bathroom.”
“Right.”
She took a drink and then passed the bottle of water to Ellie. They shared a protein bar dipped in homemade jam and a piece of unidentifiable meat jerky. Food wouldn’t be an issue when they reached Nouadhibou, but she saved her last protein bar anyway. Ellie still had two bottles of water left and she had one. They would drink most of it during the remaining ride. The raging sun would dehydrate them quickly.
She pulled off her sunglasses and tucked them into the pack she was lying against. She studied Ellie’s face. The small amount of exposed skin around her eyes was black with iron ore; she looked like a raccoon. She had to imagine she looked the same. She pulled her mulafa down and removed Ellie’s, kissing her gently. In a few hours, she would be the security agent again and be forced to block out the way Ellie made her feel. She would take advantage of this private time with Ellie now while there was nothing else they could do to advance their escape.
Ellie’s lips responded to her touch and the kiss deepened as their tongues touched. She rested her hand on Ellie’s stomach. She could feel the warmth from her body even through her clothing or maybe it was only her imagination. Either way it set her mind at ease and she relaxed against Ellie. They kissed and joked, letting the time pass around them. Long before she was ready to break their contact, she felt the train begin to slow. She slid on her sunglasses and raised up to look ahead. The sandy desert stretched all around them, but in the distance, she could see a growing town.
“Time to go,” she said with a final kiss.
She glanced at her watch. It was almost noon. She pulled her phone from her bag and turned it on. It still had a small amount of power and a single bar of reception. She quickly texted Eric.
Both okay. In Nouadhibou. Contact again in hour.
Hopefully by then she would have access to power and be able to talk instead of text. She waited for the text to
send and then turned the phone off. She looked up to find Ellie watching her.
“I have a small amount of reception.”
“How much power?”
“Some.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes. “How much?”
She knew she had to be honest with her if she wanted them to work together.
“Just a little. I told him I would turn the phone on again in an hour. If we’re lucky, we’ll find somewhere to charge. If not, we have enough to send him one or two short texts.”
Ellie nodded. “This close to the border there are a lot of people traveling back and forth. I think we’ll be able to find somewhere.”
Finding it was one thing. Staying out of sight would be their challenge. The train had slowed considerably, and she wanted to get off sooner rather than later.
“Let’s go,” she said as she swung her leg over the side of the train.
Ellie didn’t argue.
* * *
Ellie followed Angel and hugged the metal ladder rung. The feel of Angel’s body wrapped around hers was wonderful, and if they weren’t being chased by men who wanted to kill them, she would be content to stay in this position. Much too soon Angel began her descent and she had no choice but to move with her. After so many hours with the movement of the train beneath her, she was a little relieved when her feet hit solid ground.
She knew Angel had a plan to get them back to the embassy and she trusted her to recognize when they needed a new plan. With their scarves completely wrapped around their faces, they followed the crowd toward the small whitewashed train depot in the distance. The sounds of traffic and people were surprisingly loud after the many hours with only the hum of the train and the wind in her ears.
She squared her shoulders and prepared to face the reality of people wanting to kill her. Anger boiled inside her again. It was hard not to take it personally, but she knew it wasn’t her fault. They weren’t actually fighting against her but against what she represented and what she could do. Maybe Farook’s men wouldn’t be here. Maybe they could catch a cab back to the embassy and everything would be over.
