Black Smoke (22 page)

Boomer gave a small laugh. What was it that Ricochet said? Two peas in a pod. He decided to push Kong a little further. “What is it then?”

Kong didn’t want to have this conversation. Not with Boomer. These were his feelings they were about to discuss, his private feelings. He wasn’t about to lay them out to another man.

Kong’s silence angered Boomer. Why was it so hard to admit he loved her? “You better figure it out. Sometimes we don’t get second chances,” Boomer told him.

That scared Kong even more. “Look, I have to call Cannon. I’ll be back later.”

“Don’t blow it Lowe,” Boomer said in a stern voice. “Don’t go looking for gratification somewhere else. It’s the sure way to lose what’s special.”

Kong knew exactly what he meant and it pissed him off that he thought he was running to Rebecca. “I didn’t Campbell. I thought you knew me better than that.” Having said that, Kong left.

When he stepped outside, the sun was going down. The blistering heat was fading to the coolness of the darkness. God, he wanted out of here. He wanted to go home, back to the States, where Sam would be safe and he could get the chance to know her better. Sometime in the last hour or so, he’d decided that was what needed to be done. If he got to know her better, maybe these agonizing feelings would let up. Maybe he’d find out she wasn’t as sweet and tender as she seemed to be. Maybe she was boring outside of work. If that were the case, then he could walk away free and clear. No regrets.

Chapter Seventeen

“Cannon, it’s Lowe,” Kong said into the phone.

“How’s my niece doing Lowe?” Walt wasn’t sure he liked Mark Lowe. It seemed he knew more about Sam then was comfortable for him.

“She’s doing fine Sir.”

“How are the hostages doing?” The small talk was just to gauge the attitude of the man. Something Walt learned was important years ago.

“Well Sir. The two men are going to recover.”

“The woman?” This he did want to know. If Sam had risked her life to save her, he hoped to hell she was going to make it.

“She passed away just a short time ago.” Kong’s voice reflected the grief he felt.

Walt closed his eyes, Sam had taken a bullet for nothing. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“The doctors couldn’t understand how she hung on as long as she did. Sam went to see her Sir. She helped her go.” Kong knew he would understand what he meant.

Walt’s heart sunk to his stomach. “What do you mean soldier?” He didn’t know how much Sam had told him yet and he wasn’t going to let anything slip.

“I think you know exactly what I mean Sir.”

So there it was. He knew more about her then Walt wanted him to. But that was out of his hands. He hoped the hell she knew what she was doing. “The purpose for this call Lowe.”

“Yes Sir. We need to get her outta here. ASAP. Talk is already spreading about Black Smoke being on base.”

“Talk is talk. No one can prove anything.” Walt didn’t like that. As he spoke he was flipping through his phone book, looking for the number for his pilot. He wanted her on her way home by first light.

“Why take the chance? If enough people get curious, you’ll be hearing rumors for the next five years. Some of those rumors are going to be true. Like what she looks like, what her name is.” He didn’t think he’d have to convince Cannon to get her out.

“Hold on.” Walt placed Kong on hold. Once he had his pilot on his way to the airfield, he got back to Kong. “The plane will land by four a.m. your time. I’ll clear everything. You just make sure she’s ready to go.”

“Already done, Sir.” Kong hung up the phone and headed back to the hospital. All they had to do was keep anyone from seeing her tonight and they were home free.

Boomer was still sitting next to Sam’s bed, his chair facing the curtain. There was just enough space underneath it that he could see people’s shoes as they approached. He scared one nurse as she came in to check on Sam’s dressing. He didn’t mean to—he felt awful about it—but he wasn’t taking any chances.

When Kong approached, Boomer could tell it was him. His feet were quiet and he had a certain step that Boomer had come to know. When Kong slipped through the curtain, he looked relieved.

“We good to go?” Boomer asked.

“Four a.m. Cannon’s clearing everything. Any visitors?”

“Just a nurse,” Boomer grinned. “I think I made her pee her pants.”

Kong grinned back. “Why don’t you go get some rest. I’ll watch for a while.”

Boomer didn’t argue, his stomach had been growling for the last half hour. If he didn’t eat soon, he’d wake Sam up with all the noise. “Sounds good to me.”

Kong sat in the chair when Boomer left. He looked over at Sam. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, so he just watched. The redness around her eyes was fading and her color was beginning to come back. That was a good sign.

It wasn’t long before Kong heard her start to whimper like the times when she was dreaming. He didn’t know if he should wake her or not. If she became too distressed he would. Otherwise, he’d leave her alone.

“Why can’t you let her sleep in peace?” he asked. He wasn’t sure to whom he was speaking, but it made him angry that she had to deal with this now.

Seconds after the words left his lips, the bright gold ball of light appeared over her bed. Kong started, then relaxed. He watched as it hovered over her head then began to float down over her body. When it reached her leg it stopped. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he could feel warmth coming from it.

After only a few seconds, it moved back up to her injured arm and hovered there. It was paying close attention to her wounds. As the thought slipped through his mind, the light pulsed.

“What? What do you want me to do?”

A face appeared again. The same face he saw back in the desert. The words flowed through his head like a breeze.

Her journey is not over. Protect her.

He watched as the light lifted to the ceiling then winked out. What did that mean, her journey wasn’t over? Was there going to be trouble on the way home? Couldn’t it be more specific?

He noticed Sam had calmed, her nightmare gone. When she opened her eyes, they were more alert than they had been earlier. Without thinking, Kong took her hand in his and began to run his thumb over the back of it. As before, he felt the shock all the way to his chest.

Sam felt it too. She was enjoying the warmth of his skin against hers. It wasn’t fair. Why would a man she couldn’t have affect her so strongly? When she turned her head their eyes met. She loved his eyes. They were just as warm as his skin.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. How do you feel?”

“Pretty good. The pain seems to have let up.”

So that’s what was happening. She was being healed.
Thank you,
he said inside his head. “I have to tell you something. Cannon’s sending a plane in the morning to pick us up. Seems your reputation is well-known. Too well known. Some of the soldiers are piecing together some facts. Three hostages that couldn’t be found and a wounded female soldier.”

“So?”

Kong smiled. “No matter how much you cover yourself up, you can’t hide the fact that you’re female. Rumors are spreading that Black Smoke is a female. These guys aren’t dumb Sam. They have nothing to do but think in their spare time.”

When he smiled, she lost her breath. She almost didn’t hear what he was saying, until he said she couldn’t hide the fact that she was female. “You don’t think I look butch?”

Now his smile turned to a frown. “You said that earlier. Who the hell told you that?”

When she didn’t answer, he knew. “I’m sorry Sam. That bitch had no right, no right at all to say those things to you. I’m sorry I even met her.”

Sam squeezed his hand. “It happened for a reason I guess. So Uncle Walt is rescuing me? It’ll be good to get home. I could use a hot bubble bath.”

The vision that appeared in his head was sensuous. Her naked skin slick with water and covered with silky bubbles, her damp hair clinging to her face. “You like bubble baths?” he asked with a thick, husky voice.

Sam could tell he was picturing her in the tub. Maybe a little payback was in order. Her smile spread as she spoke. “Don’t you? There’s nothing like having warm water and bubbles sliding over your skin.”

Kong’s hand tightened around hers. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”

He was saved by a rustling noise outside the curtain. Kong propelled himself from the chair and over to the curtain. When he pulled it back, he was met by the startled face of a rescued hostage, the man who had been working with Rhonda. Kong saw the tears in his eyes and decided he had just heard the sad news.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was wondering if I could speak with her?” the frail man asked.

Kong was about to open his mouth to object, then closed it quickly. This man meant no harm to Sam. It couldn’t hurt to let him speak with her. “Just a moment, I’ll see if she’s up to it.”

When Kong closed the curtain, he turned to find Sam sitting upright in bed. “I heard. Let him in.” As Kong turned she stopped him. “Will you stay? I think I’ll need your strength.” Her playful eyes were gone now, replaced by old, sad eyes.

“If that’s what you want?” When she nodded, he pulled the curtain back and allowed the man to enter the small space.

Kong motioned to the chair, allowing him to sit close to her. Kong wasn’t sure if the man intended to chastise Sam or thank her. Either way, he would be there for her.

“I’m sorry. I never got your name,” he said faintly.

“No names, please.” Sam was worried enough about the rumors running around the base, she didn’t want this tired, beaten man to accidentally let her name slip out.

“I understand. They told me Rhonda passed away and that you were with her. I wanted to thank you for rescuing us, her especially. And for allowing her to die with dignity.” Tears slid down the man’s face. “You can’t imagine what they did to her and yet she never once screamed or begged. When they couldn’t humiliate her, they dragged her in front of us and continued to torture her. I begged. I pleaded for them to stop, to kill me instead.”

Sam stopped him there. “Don’t blame yourself. Even if they had killed you, they would have continued to torture her. Women are nothing to them, less then nothing, simply objects to be owned and discarded. You couldn’t have saved her.” She reached out and took his hand careful not to squeeze his bony fingers too tightly.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be the same. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to close my eyes at night without seeing those horrible scenes.”

“Can I tell you something about Rhonda?” When he nodded, she continued. “She was a strong woman, young in body, but with a century-old soul. Did they tell you there was no reason for her to still be alive? It was sheer determination on her part to live. Her body was gone, but her soul wasn’t finished yet. I believe that she’s happier now wandering the streets of heaven without pain or mental turmoil. I don’t think she’ll be happy to know that you remember her that way.”

The frail man’s face lifted. “When I called the organization we work for, they said that they were going to set up a scholarship fund in her name.”

Sam smiled. “See, that’s how she should be remembered. Her love of learning, her love of teaching. That’s the proper way to think of her.”

“You’re right. Still…”

“When you return home, you need to find someone to help you. Promise me that you’ll find someone to talk with about all of this, be it a preacher or a therapist or a friend, but someone to help you lessen the burden. If you don’t, it will eat you alive. Then they will still have won.”

The man gazed at Sam. “You talk about Rhonda having an old soul. I think yours is older and much wiser.” He stood, ready to leave. “Thank you again. Thank you all.”

Kong pulled the curtain back to allow him out. When the man took a few steps away, Kong stopped him. “Sir, I need to ask you a favor.”

“Anything.”

“If someone asks you about her, you don’t know anything about her. You don’t know what she looks like, or if she’s even a female.” Kong watched the man’s face to see if there was any sign of information already given out. “Her identity is closely guarded. Do you understand?”

The man straightened his back and jutted his chin forward. “I won’t say a word. I would do anything for you people and if that means doing nothing, that’s what I’ll do.”

Kong knew then that the man would be all right. He offered him his hand and said, “Good luck to you Sir.”

The man shook his hand and turned to leave. He took only a few steps before he stopped and turned. “You take care of that one. Her journey isn’t over yet.” Then he walked away.

Kong felt his brain spin. Those were almost the exact words the light had said. Couldn’t someone tell him something more specific? What was with these bits and pieces of information?

When he returned to Sam’s bedside, she was lying back down, her eyes closed. Kong sat and took her hand in his. When she squeezed it, he was surprised. He was certain she was asleep.

“He’ll be alright Mark. It’ll take time, but he’ll get through it.”