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Chapter 8
Jase studied Laila as she stood in front of him. The baggy pants and flowing tunic she wore hid her slender body. Her nod to local customs, he assumed, but he remembered every one of her curves. Her long legs. The way her fatigues clung to her body after she’d sweated all day in the desert sun.
Laila put on a brave front, but he knew her well enough to see the fear in her eyes. She was a smart woman. One of the things that had attracted him. She’d told him there was only one exit from the cave. And if they left now, the men searching for her would spot them. Come after them.
He had his automatic rifle, but they were vastly outnumbered. They needed a plan B.
He studied the two small openings in the back wall of this cave. “Looks like we have two other possibilities for escape. Did you take a look in those tunnels?” he asked, jerking his head toward the openings at the back of the cave.
She shook her head. “I was too tired. Could barely keep my eyes open. Didn’t even eat anything before I lay down.”
“You want an MRE?” He pulled his pack off his shoulder and began to open it. She put her hand on his, and her cool fingers ignited the same electrical charge he’d felt every time she’d touched him. It shot up his arm. And down to his groin.
Judging by the way she snatched her hand away from his, she’d felt it, too.
“I am hungry,” she said, swallowing hard and looked everywhere but at Jase. “But I’m more concerned about being safe.” She nodded at the two holes in the wall, one smaller than the other. Shuddered. “You’re a lot bigger than I am. Should I check them out?”
He studied her for a long moment. She was clearly terrified of going into those narrow passageways but was gutting it out and offering anyway. He touched her hand. “Thanks for offering, but I’ll do it.” He curled his fingers around hers. “You’re terrified of going in there, but you volunteered to do it. How come?”
She clung to his hand like she didn’t want to let go. “Because I’d fit better than you would.”
He could almost hear her ‘duh’, and he wanted to smile. But he didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her. He’d never do that. He was impressed as hell that she’d offered.
He kept a straight face as he said, “I’ve been trained to crawl through small spaces. To figure out how passageways work. I want you to stay in this room. Don’t make any noise.” He slung his rifle off his shoulder. His mouth twitched as he said, “You remember your lessons with this bad boy?”
Rolling her eyes, she reached for the weapon. Slung it over her shoulder as if she did it every day. “Only too well. And if you say ‘I told you so’ about my whine that I’d never need to use one of these, I will kick your ass.”
Her fierce glare told him she’d try. Nodding in respect, he assured her, “Wouldn’t dream of saying ‘I told you so’.”
“Smart man,” she said. Her slender fingers flew over the gun, as if she were re-acquainting herself with the weapon. He watched her hands move and wished they were acquainting themselves with his body instead.
Closing his eyes to block out the images, he said, “Remember the rules! Don’t stop firing until they’re all dead.”
“Yeah, I remember that part, too.”
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. From the first day he’d trained her, he’d known Laila was a gutsy woman. Known she could handle whatever was thrown at her. “Stay in here,” he told her. “Only one man can fit through that opening at a time. You shoot a few of them, no one else will be able to get to you. And I’ll hear the gun and get my ass back here immediately.”
Her fingers tightened around the gun. “I didn’t think I’d ever need to do this, but you trained me well. I’ll be able to handle it.”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice softening. “I know you will. You’re one tough woman.” She’d stood up to him, something not very many women had done.
“Dev and Cody are in the Humvee. They won’t come up here unless they text me first. So if someone comes into this cave, they’re not friendly.
“If they start down the passageway, angle the gun toward the opening so you’re not in their line of fire, then pull the trigger. You’ll hit something. Even if it’s only the wall, stone will start flying. Maybe hit a few of them.”
She swallowed once. Nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I can do that.”
Against his better judgment, he smoothed his hand over her shoulder. Her shiver vibrated against his fingertips. Without thinking, he tightened his grip on her. The bones and firm muscle of her upper arm were warm. As he pressed his fingers into her, the shivering lessened.
Finally she stood straight. Nodded at him. “Thank you.”
Sliding his hand down her arm, he twined his fingers with hers. Squeezed once, and she clung to his hand. Savoring the silky warmth of her skin, he said, “You’ll be fine, Laila. You made it all the way to this cave, in the dark. You can handle this.”
She took a deep breath. Another. “Yeah. I can handle this.”
He studied her eyes in the dim light. She looked right back at him. Steady. Composed.
After a slightly too-long pause, he said, “I think you could handle pretty much anything. While I’m gone, don’t put that gun down. I’ll be back way before the Taliban get here but stay prepared.”
