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“Don’t get them started.” Moore shook his head. “His death was called in. I made sure protocol was followed.”
“In spite of the other times it wasn’t.” Hill sneered, and I gave him a look.
“Anderson and Gail?” I noticed two of my men were also missing. Moore looked down at his boots then glanced around.
“Don’t know. We got separated one night, and the next morning found their bodies a few miles from where we were.” That hit me hard, and I could see pain in Moore’s face as well. Anderson and Gail were good men. They’d lasted three years here. They were young and a bit wild, but they were mine to protect, and I hadn’t.
“Shit.” I let out a heavy sigh and looked over at the kid.
“You know, maybe if you weren’t holding a daycare, our Cap and the others would still be here.” Hill glared at the kid who now held tight to my leg.
“Shut the fuck up, Hill,” Moore shot over to him, but his eyes were on Brown, who was muttering to himself. I nodded at Moore to let him know I could see my old buddy was worse than before. “How was the hike here?” Moore asked.
“They were pretty much on us the entire time. We had to ditch the horses at one point for a diversion. It’s why we took so long. You?”
“Not as bad, but,” he shrugged, “bad enough. We got a flat tire, and it held us up.”
“Explains it. I thought you’d be here way ahead of us.”
As we grew closer to the town, Moore and the others wrapped their shalwar kameez tunics around them to conceal their uniforms. We all grew edgy whenever the driver slowed for people to cross.
“Everyone stay calm,” I warned as I used the tip of my rifle to hook the fabric over a bit to peek out of the back of the truck. I needed an image for just a brief second of who was around us.
When the truck came to a stop, the driver whistled for his dog to follow. It was also a signal to let us know that, at least for the moment, there were no Taliban around.
“Nice and slow, boys.” I eased out of the back with the boy. The driver had parked between a couple of food carts, so we weren’t as obvious as we all got out.
“I’m starving.” Moore ran a tongue around his lips as he mingled with the crowd. A man sold him something from his cart. I looked at the kid.
“Hungry?” I asked, and he nodded emphatically. “What do you want?”
He pointed to some bread, and I paid the woman, and she handed it to him. She eyed him for a moment and did a little double take. I was sure she recognized the boy. Then she looked at me for a split second then dropped her eyes.
“Do you know him?” I asked in Dari.
“I know nothing.” She turned to face someone else and made herself busy. I looked at the kid and wondered what she might know about him. “Good man,” I thought I heard her say as we walked away. I quickly looked back, but she had already turned her back to me.
“Did we come here to wine and dine or to check in and get the hell out of this shit hole country?” Hill hit my shoulder as he whisked by. I reached out and snagged his arm and yanked him backward.
“I won’t remind you again, soldier. Remember your rank and quit acting like a kid having a tantrum. I’ve saved your ass countless times, so shut the fuck up and show some respect to your commanding officer.”
“Copy that, Captain Beckett, sir.” He made a mockery of his response. He slowly removed his arm from my hold and began to make his way down the street toward the house we’d been told to go to. I followed with the kid.
I quickly counted the men as I often did. It was my own form of check-in.
“Where’s Brown?” I caught Rivera as he walked by with a loaf of bread in his hand. He gave me a shrug for an answer. I wanted to reprimand him for his disrespect as well, but I couldn’t take the time.
“Go to the house, and I’ll meet you there.” He gave me a sloppy salute and made his way down the street.
I scanned faces of everyone as we walked down the street, even the kids, just to make sure they weren’t signaling to someone we were here. With the boy’s hand in mine, we made it to the house, and I gave a polite nod at the husband and wife who lived there. I knew they were loyal to us and hated the Taliban. They were also getting paid to shelter us until the chopper arrived. I knew there wasn’t a lot of time before we were to meet it.
“Tea?” The woman handed me a small cup, but I politely refused as I checked each room.
“Where’s Moore?” I called to the others, but they didn’t know. “Dustin, radio it in that we’ll be ready in fifteen.”
“Copy that, Captain.”
Something passed through me, and I whirled around to listen. I heard faint voices but sensed fear in the sound. Someone was crying, and I suddenly tuned in to Brown’s voice.
