Sniper Fire (Love in the Crosshairs) (8 page)

They reached the end of the tunnel all too soon. After a brief wait, Dell came back and motioned them out without a word. Farrah fumbled for the keys in her pocket as they converged on the large white vehicle with the red cross and blue and white WHO insignia painted on the side. She headed for the driver’s door, but Rashid stepped in front of her and bowed, palm out for the keys. Not wanting to argue, she dropped them into his hand with a sigh. It took a minute for all the men to move into the back and get situated. Joshua waited at the back. The soldier named Ty seemed to appear from nowhere. He eyed the stuffed van before turning to Joshua.

“All clear outside from what I can see from in here,” he reported. “I’d feel better if I could get a good view from the roof. In fact, I volunteer to make the hike to P3 on foot.”

Joshua pointed a thumb inside the ambulance. “Get your butt inside Eagle. Now isn’t the time to separate. We’ll have Capella direct us to a safe spot to hold up while we wait for the rendezvous time. You won’t have to make like a sardine for long.” He nodded to Farrah as Ty huffed and pushed his way into the already crowded van.

“Try to act natural,” he told her. “If anyone pops up to question you, you’re transferring a patient. They get violent, you hit the deck, face down, and cover your head. We’ll take care of them. Got it?”

Take care of them.
Those words slid through Farrah, leaving her cold and shaking inside. She knew what Joshua meant. This right here was one of the reasons she’d broken things off with him when he joined the Army. Death always seemed to be the answer to a soldier’s problems.

“Farrah?”

He wanted her to answer, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Then she caught sight of Jeffery Waterhouse’s strained face. They’d talked for a bit after Kyle’s surgery while she was sewing up Sam. He’d told her about his terrifying capture and about his more terrifying rescue. How Joshua and his men had literally shot their way out of a trap meant to kill them all. They’d saved his life, these men who seemed ready to kill at the slightest provocation. She glanced around at each man she could see. All of them seemed to be holding their breaths, watching her, waiting for her answer. Their eyes told her they expected her revulsion, maybe even her condemnation.

“Yes, I understand,” she said, feeling like she did understand for the first time in her life. A solider didn’t have to be just a killing machine. Not these soldiers. These men valued life just as much as she did. They killed in order to keep innocents safe. They killed, so people like her and Jeffery Waterhouse didn’t have to. “I’ve got it,” she said more firmly, finally meeting Joshua’s gaze. “You do what you have to, Joshua, and so will I. We’ll get Kyle out together.”

The corner of Joshua’s lips kicked up. His gaze never left hers as he said, “See guys, that’s how they grow ladies in North Carolina. Tough and loyal to the bone.”

Farrah choked on a laugh and shook her head as she turned away. “Stop making me sound like a hound dog, Colby.”

A few chuckles followed her to the large garage door. She took a deep breath to steady her hands before unlocking and pulling on the handle. The one-piece door rose on its track. Farrah tried not to wince at the sharp squeal of metal on metal. She half-expected a row of terrorists to pop up in front of her, guns raised. Fortunately, the small street outside appeared empty of threats. She motioned for Rashid to pull the van out. Part of her was aware that this was the perfect opportunity for Joshua to leave her behind. She didn’t think he would, but she wasted no time pulling the door back into place and hurrying to the ambulance. No sense tempting the man.

She’d expected to drive, but Rashid waved her to the passenger side. He had the vehicle moving before her door was closed. She glanced over at him and did a double take when she saw he’d donned one of the WHO coats. She didn’t ask him where he’d found it. The buttons were done up over his sandy gray fatigues. Instead of an American soldier, he looked like any other Egyptian man the clinic might hire as a driver. With a quick little bow in her direction, he reached to the dashboard and flicked on the lights and siren.

****

Kyle knew without a doubt that he was dreaming. For one thing, he was lying naked on a blanket in a secluded glen he knew was on the other side of the world from his last location. The sun was high overhead, warming his skin just this side of uncomfortable. He was thinking of moving into the shade when a figure leaned over him, blocking the light.

Yep, definitely a dream. Not that he minded one damn bit. The scraps of emerald green lace that Farrah wore might be called a bra and panty set in some circles. To him they were pure seduction. He let a welcoming smile tug his lips up. Only in his imagination had he ever seen her like this; red-gold curls tumbling around her face and shoulders, caressing bare, sun-kissed skin. Smoky hazel eyes heavy with passion, lips plump and slightly damp, as if they’d already been thoroughly kissed. He sucked in a breath and felt himself harden.

His dream Farrah raised a leg and straddled him, her fingers flexing on his chest like a purring kitten. Oh yeah, this was what he needed. She settled down over his hips; her slight weight so near his crotch it caused him to jerk in her direction. He ran his hands up her thighs to those hips, holding her in place. If they were doing this, he wanted to live in this moment, savor it, draw it out ’til the end of time. He never wanted it to end.

Farrah leaned down and pressed her lips to his. Even as he groaned and reached for more, a hated voice started up in his head accompanied by a warning siren.

She’s not yours. She’ll never be yours. She belongs to Joshua. You’re betraying him. You’re betraying them both!

Guilt, heavy and relentless, rose like an oily tide, wiping out his desire between one breath and the next. As usual, anger followed. Why did he have to stand silently by while Joshua romanced the one woman in the world who set him on fire? True, he and Joshua were as close as any brothers born, but did that mean he had to step aside without a fight? He wanted Farrah,
needed
her, like clover needed sunshine.

The warning siren grew louder. He might want Farrah, but there was no guarantee she wanted him in return, was there? No sure way to know if, back in high school, if Kyle had asked her out first instead of Joshua, her heart would lean more toward him than his best friend.

Besides, he thought bitterly as reality began blotting out his dream, she didn’t like soldiers. Soldiers, killers, they were all the same to her.

Above him, the woman of his dreams gave him a sad smile before fading to mist.

A thump and bump, followed by a stab of physical pain jolted Kyle awake. He grimaced, partly because of the pain, and partly because the shrill siren of his dream became all too real. The noise drilled into his head, making it throb. A soft, cool hand slipped across his forehead, gentle fingers smoothing away the wrinkles gathered there. The hand slid its way to his cheek and he turned his face into its soothing presence. He breathed in. Alcohol, latex, some kind of strong soap, and…Farrah?

“Hey, you awake?”

Yeah…Farrah. He’d know that sweet voice anywhere. Even if he could barely hear her over the annoying siren. Kyle forced his eyes open. Darkness surrounded him. He was in a vehicle. Dim light from the dashboard came from somewhere over his head. The constant glow was augmented by a periodic flash that seemed to come from the rooftop. Why was he in an ambulance?

He let the puzzle go as Farrah leaned over him, just like in his dream. Lingering guilt made a last push at his conscience, but he shoved back hard, squelching it ruthlessly. His or not, she was a damn fine sight to wake up to.

“Hey,” she said. “You back with us? Joshua says we’re almost at the pickup point.”

Pickup point?

The gates to his memory popped open, spilling out the last couple of shitty days in a mad flood. And like flood waters, some of the memories weren’t very clear at all.

“Where…” His voice came out a croak and he stopped.

She quickly slipped her hand beneath his head and raised it so he could sip water from the bottle she held. Déjà vu. They’d done his before, and recently. Ah, yes, the safe room. But they weren’t in the safe room under the WHO clinic now. They were in a vehicle, an ambulance by the sound of it. For some reason, the fact Farrah was beside him bothered him, but he wasn’t sure why. Things were still a bit fuzzy.

He let the thought go for the moment, concentrating on the water bottle pressed to his lips. He rolled the tepid liquid around in his mouth, wetting every dry spot before letting it slide down his throat. When he’d had enough, Farrah lowered his head gently. She leaned back a little and Kyle finally looked past the beautiful woman busy taking his pulse. A sense of safety settled over him like a comfy warm blanket. Nothing like waking up surrounded by NightHawks.

He met Joshua’s concerned gaze and gave his friend a weak smile. Habit had him counting the others he could see like a damn mother hen with her chicks. Finishing his count, he muttered a few quiet swear words. Even adding in one young, pale-faced Waterhouse, he came up two chicks short.

“Rash and Dell?”

Joshua shifted in the cramped space to face him. “Up front. Don’t worry, all personnel are present and accounted for.”

Good. That was good. He searched the group again until he found Sam braced in a corner next to Waterhouse. “You okay, Stitch?”

The taciturn man nodded once. “Been better, but I’m not complaining.” His head tipped in Farrah’s direction. “Doc here sewed me up tight. You, too. Trust me, nothing’s getting past her stitches.”

Kyle grunted. High praise, indeed. Sam wasn’t codenamed Stitch after the little blue cartoon character. The man was a magician with a needle and thread.

Another bump and thump. Swearing joined the siren, as everyone bounced off the seats. A few heads connected painfully with the metal roof. Kyle added a few of his own choice words. He was strapped down, but the stretcher he lay on wasn’t. Pain shot up his leg, making him wish, just for a split second, that Farrah had taken the damn thing off after all.

“Rash!” Joshua growled. “Stop driving like an Egyptian, damn it. You’re a bloody Boston Southie who should know how to dodge pot holes.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Rashid called from the front seat. “My bad. Though I must point out that it is not my fault HQ picked a PZ without a decent road.”

“Where the hell are we?” Kyle snarled. The pain building in his leg made him want to slug someone. “And turn off that damn siren!”

Rashid laughed. “No can do, partner. We’ve already made it through a couple of checkpoints thanks to the banshee and blinker. Just bear with it a little longer. We’re almost there.”

“There, that should help.”

Kyle looked over to find Farrah putting away an empty syringe. He wrapped a hand around her wrist.

“What are you doing? I need to stay conscious.”

She’d already lied to him once, promising he’d be awake when they left the clinic. Yet here he was, waking up hours and hours later, just minutes from their destination. The fact they were in a vehicle instead of on foot might have something to do with that, but he didn’t really care. He hated the time he’d lost to oblivion. Not knowing if he’d missed another complication, maybe another fire fight, didn’t sit well at all.

Farrah flexed her hand, but didn’t try to pull out of his grip. The look she gave him held a mix of calm and fear. Nausea rolled through his stomach, forcing a rush of burning bile into his throat. Kyle swallowed hard and loosened his grip on her wrist. He’d scared her, damn it. Did she really think he’d hurt her?

“What I gave you won’t put you out,” she promised, her voice cool, but steady. “It’s just to dull the pain. I’m sorry about keeping you under, but Joshua told me to, and I agreed with him.”

His gaze bounced over to his best friend and locked. “You bastard, you told her to keep me out? How long have I been unconscious?”

“Don’t use that tone with me, soldier. I’m the one in command here. Your doctor and I discussed it and decided your body needed the rest despite your stubborn hide. You’re here and awake now, so what’s your problem?”

Kyle tried to hold on to his anger, but it was hard to do. Whatever she’d shot him with was already taming the gnawing pain so he could breathe evenly again. It also let his brain work through the last of the fog. What the hell was Farrah doing here? She was supposed to be safe back at the clinic. Being with them would only put her in more danger. She could be killed!

With an oath, he dropped her wrist like it was a live wire, not trusting himself as fear grew like a cancer in his gut. He wanted to pull her to him, hold her, and squeeze her until she would fit in his pocket, safe from the terrors of his violent world. He was such a stupid, love-sick fool.

“Get away from me,” he growled. He strained, pushing himself up on an elbow so he could stare at Joshua. “She shouldn’t be here. Why the hell is she here?”

Joshua pressed a hand to his shoulder, pushing him back down. “Easy, Kyle, easy. We’ve got it covered. Farrah’s riding along to make sure you make it out in one piece. No one’s going to hurt her. You have my word.”

“To hell with your word. I don’t need her here. I don’t want her here. Send her back, damn it. Right now! Stop the car and send her back!”

“Kyle—”

“No, it’s okay, Joshua.” He caught a flash of something in Farrah’s eyes, there and gone before he could figure out what it was. Those beautiful eyes settled on him with an expression that made him shiver. “It’s not unusual for someone in a lot of pain to lash out. I’ll be gone in a few more minutes, and he should calm down.”

“Looks like another checkpoint ahead folks,” Rashid called.

Kyle felt like screaming as he watched Farrah immediately move toward the front of the ambulance. She didn’t understand. He wasn’t arguing to hear the sound of his own voice. He honestly couldn’t understand why she was here. Joshua should know better. That he didn’t seem worried at all confused the hell out of Kyle. If Farrah was his, he’d never let her put herself in harm’s way.