Black Smoke (12 page)

The urgency in her guide’s voice disturbed her. This was wrong, she should be up front. Without a second thought she pulled her mask from a side pocket on her pack and slid it on. Once it was in place, she sprinted toward Ricochet.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kong shouted in the radio.

“Ricochet, drop now.”

Just as he did, a shot rang out through the dry air. Boomer dropped instantly, along with Kong. His heart jumped into his throat. “Ricochet, report.”

“I’m okay, but where the hell did that come from?” His voice was breathy and tight.

“Where’s Smoke?” Boomer asked.

“Hell if I know?” Ricochet answered.

“Move forward toward Ricochet, stay low Boomer.”

“Roger that,” Boomer replied.

When they got closer to him, Kong saw a rifle peek up out of the sand and point toward Ricochet. In an instant Kong knew his buddy was about to take a deadly bullet. Then out of nowhere, a black gloved hand snaked out of the sand and grabbed the barrel of the rifle shoving it toward the sky. Sam’s upper body burst from the sand as she wrenched the rifle out of the man’s hand. In one smooth, fluid motion she swung the butt of the rifle around and connected with the man’s face as he rose from the ground.

While Sam dealt with this man, another shot cracked through the desert. All three men looked around trying to figure out where it came from, but saw only open desert, barren sand. Sam finally dispensed with the first gunman, then seemed to vanish again.

“Where the hell did she go?” Ricochet shouted into his microphone.

While they lay in the sand looking for their attackers Sam was crawling just under the surface of the sand toward where the other shot came from. Again, like flash, she burst from the ground behind their attacker, reached into the sand and pulled a second man to his feet.

“You three gonna lie around all day, or what?” she said as she jabbed the man with her fist. When he doubled over she brought her knee up into his face. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose as he dropped to the ground.

When she turned around, she saw her teammates standing behind her. “Two more. They’ve got foxholes dug in the sand, covered with burlap. Watch where you walk.”

The three of them looked at her with awe. They’d never seen anything like her—the way she moved, the way she buried herself in the sand. It was amazing. It was a tactic they all had been trained to utilize, but had never seen done so efficiently and with such ease.

Samantha.

“Drop!” she shouted to them.

Without hesitation they did, just as another shot split the dry, hot air. Boomer looked over at her and watched as she dug herself into the soft ground. In seconds she was gone. This time Kong, could tell the direction of the shooter, so he began to belly crawl toward that area. Within moments he’d crawled up to a foxhole, covered with burlap just as Sam said.

Before Kong could lift the burlap, the man hiding beneath raised his gun to fire. Kong rolled to the side and avoided the bullet. Now that the man had exposed himself, Kong jumped in the hole with him, easily disarming the man and proceeded to beat him into submission.

Satisfied that man would no longer give them trouble Kong crawled from the hole on his stomach then looked for his teammates. Ricochet was crawling north, Boomer south, but he still didn’t see Sam anywhere. As his eyes scanned the area, he noticed sunlight gleaming off something behind Boomer. When he squinted against the sun, he could make out a rifle barrel.

Kong no sooner saw it, than Sam appeared again. Like before, she burst from the sand with the speed of a lightning bolt. Kong watched as she stomped on the barrel, forcing it back under the sand. In a split second she was swallowed by the earth. Kong saw her hands fly into the air as she lost her balance and disappeared.

“Smoke’s in trouble,” he shouted scrambling toward the area where she went under.

The three men dug in the sand, furiously trying to find her. When the muffled gunshot sounded, Kong’s heart stopped. “No, no,” he thought to himself. She’d saved their asses, she couldn’t be dead. All three dug with fierce speed. When they reached what once was a foxhole, they saw a dark crimson color in the sand.

“Smoke,” Kong growled. She couldn’t be dead, not like this.

Boomer fell backward as a black gloved hand pierced through the sand. The three men pulled her up to the surface and laid her out on her back. Kong checked her over for a bullet wound. When he saw blood oozing from her left arm, he ripped her shirt only to find she’d been grazed, not shot. The relief he felt was nearly overwhelming. His hand shook as he brushed sand from her wound and his heart was firmly lodged in his throat.

Sam was spitting gritty sand out of her mouth and brushing it from her eyes. The burning she felt in her arm was nothing more than a minor annoyance at the moment. She was more concerned that everyone was all right. When she had the majority of the sand out of her eyes, she looked at the faces that surrounded her. Boomer, Ricochet, Kong. They were all there.

While she oriented herself, Kong ripped part of her sleeve from her shirt and wrapped it around the bullet graze. It didn’t look that serious, but it could become infected in record time. He’d seen it before, along with the consequences. He was determined not to let her lose her arm.

Samantha, you must move.

“We have to clear out, fast,” she said as she jerked her arm from Kong’s hands.

“She’s right. If they had friends in the area, they heard the gunshots,” Boomer said in his slow manner.

Kong looked at Sam, then nodded. “Let’s move.”

It only took a few minutes to hide any evidence that they’d been there. All the men were buried in the sand. Those that were still alive were left room around their noses so they could breathe. Sam saw to it herself. The one that grazed her with a bullet was dead. Something she regretted—but unfortunately it was unavoidable.

Ricochet took point again and Kong stayed even closer to Sam. While watching for trouble, he pondered how she knew those men were there. Ricochet was on point, he should have seen them, but he didn’t. Sam was in the back with him and he didn’t see them. Who the hell could see them buried underground? More secrets he thought, secrets that he had a right to know. And he’d damn well find out what they were.

Sam felt numb as she walked beneath the hot sun. She ignored the wound on her arm. Over the years she’d learned how to push pain away and deal with it later. Her heart was still thundering in her chest from the action. Ricochet came so close to losing his life it shook her.

Not only Ricochet, but Boomer as well. God, if Kong hadn’t been so stubborn, so egotistical, they would never would had been in danger.

All worked out well.

Yeah, but it almost didn’t,
she replied to her guide.

Have you not learned to accept what is given?

Sam thought a moment. She’d learned a lot over the years, but in this area, she’d refused to accept things so willingly. How was she supposed to accept her parents’ brutal murder, or the fact that someone would stab a child three times?

You refuse to accept, because you refuse to share.

Share what? How painful it all is? No one wants to hear my sob story, no one cares.
Sam scolded, then immediately regretted it. The events had made her edgy and she had no right to take her frustrations out on the one being that helped.
I’m sorry,
she said inside her head.

Do you feel better now that you have released some anger?

Sam smiled to herself.
Yes.
She did feel a little better. A gentle breeze whisked across her face. With it came the soft scent of freesia. Sam closed her eyes and breathed it in. It was her guide’s way of letting her know she wasn’t alone.

“Hey, what’s that smell?” Kong said over the radio.

Sam turned and looked at him with surprise. She was supposed to be the only one to smell it.

How in the world was he smelling it?

“It smells good,” he said. When he saw Sam looking at him, he stood straighter and replaced his expression with one of indignation. What, he wasn’t allowed to like pleasant odors?

“What’s the plan Kong? We’re on the outskirts of town,” Ricochet told the team.

“I think we should find a place to hole up for a while.” Kong replied. “We could all use a little breather.”

“I think we should let Smoke find the spot.” Ricochet said. “She did pretty well last night.”

Kong hated to admit it, but he agreed. “Are you up for it Smoke?”

The flutter in her heart made her voice sound a little breathy. Was he beginning to trust her?

“I’m up for it.”

“Move ahead.” Kong instructed.

She didn’t have to be told twice. Before he could change his mind, Sam sprinted up toward Ricochet. The poor man looked whipped, sweat beaded on the top of his bald head and his face was shade lighter than it had been this morning. Her heart went out to him. It wasn’t everyday you have ground moles shooting at you.

Is there someplace out of the way that has water and shade where we can hole up?
she silently asked her guide.

After a few brief moments of silence, her answer came.
Half a mile behind you.

Sam took off in a southward direction. Ricochet watched her silently until his two buddies caught up with him. They all waited patiently until Sam gave the word to move.

What she found was a grouping of trees that had once been used to water animals. There was a small, shallow pond with fresh water trickling into it in another small grouping of trees off to the left.

Is it safe?
she asked.

Yes.

Thank you. You’ve outdone yourself again,
she told her guide.

Once she radioed the men and gave them the coordinates of the oasis, she dropped down in the shade of the trees. Suddenly she was very tired. The throbbing pain in her arm was catching up with her now. She’d have to clean the wound while they were here. With the water supply close, it would make it a lot easier.

Sam removed her pack and lay down on her back for a few moments. It would probably take the men a good twenty minutes to reach her, so a break wouldn’t hurt. As she lay in the shade, the sores she had on her skin began to burn as well. A good dose of doctoring would have to be done so she didn’t get any infection. That was last thing she needed out here in the desert, especially in a country where being an American was a death warrant.

At the moment she was just too tired to do much of anything but close her eyes. She never used to get so worn down after a fight. Nowadays she seemed to need a nap after such a great burst of energy. Just another reason to consider retiring in another few years.

Your teammates are approaching.

It took all her energy to sit up. When she did the throbbing in her arm worsened. Her head and her stomach turned. No more wasting time, she thought to herself. She needed to attend to her wounds.

When the men approached, Sam was pouring a bottle of peroxide over her arm. She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming, but the look of pain on her face was clear. When the wound finished bubbling, she began spreading an antibiotic ointment over it.

Kong saw her working on her arm, saw the pain in her face. He knew it hurt, he’d heard some of his friends scream when they were being cleaned. But Sam sat there like an old pro, enduring the pain and continuing to administer first aid to herself.

“Well, you did it again,” Ricochet said looking around the trees. “Any water?”

Sam jerked her head toward the other grouping of trees. “Over there,” she said in a tight voice.

“Why don’t you let me help you with that?” Kong said as he squatted down next to her.

“That’s okay. I have it under control,” she snapped.

“Damn it Sam, I know it hurts!” he snapped back. “Let’s not play who has the bigger balls, okay. Just shut up and let me help you.”

More stunned then angry, Sam just nodded. She watched him carefully as he checked to see how deep the graze was. When he grunted and reached for his pack, she panicked.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s deeper than I thought.” Pulling a small package from his first-aid kit he asked, “How did you travel all that way in so much pain?”

“My pain threshold is higher than most,” she said as he closed the wound with small strips of surgical tape.

When he was finished, he wiped down the surrounding skin with a moist wipe. He didn’t like the fact that she was hurt. It could possibly put a kink in their rescue if she got an infection. The protective feelings he felt were ignored. Once again, he was struggling with his feelings. How could he still be so attracted to her and not trust her at the same time?

When Sam winced, he realized he was so lost in thought that he was putting too much pressure on her wound. “Sorry,” he grunted.

Sam jerked her arm away. “It’s nothing. Thanks for the help.” She didn’t get this man. One minute she’s the enemy, the next he’s treating her like a team member. She’d never encountered such a frustrating person in her life. Even worse, she’d never encountered anyone that could push her buttons so fast.
Friend or foe
, she thought to herself.
Make up your mind Kong.