Four
been on the road for about an hour with Owen keeping constant watch of their surroundings. They’ve stopped several times to investigate possible IEDs, but so far it had been all clear. That didn’t stop Owen from scanning for any anomalies.
He’d hated to take his gaze off the landscape even for a second, but he had to in order to glance at Caitlin. She’d been quiet after the breakfast sandwich thing. It had been maddening when she’d tried refusing the food he’d offered. It was another example of her not following his orders. But if he was completely honest, it had also been sweet of her since she’d done it thinking he hadn’t eaten anything that morning. He had, of course. He’d had some chow brought to him last night while she’d been sleeping and had asked for some easily transported breakfast for him and Caitlin for this morning since they had to leave around the time the chow hall opened. It would’ve been packed, and they wouldn’t have had time to eat and get in the air on schedule. He heated the four sandwiches this morning, scarfing down two and packing the others right before she was scheduled to meet up with him. He’d had every intention of telling her first thing, but when she’d walked out with a low-cut tank top, his brain scrambled. Then she’d gone and dropped that porno bit, and all logic was MIA. They were in the air when he remembered, and by the time they landed in Jalalabad, he knew her breakfast wouldn’t be warm any more. It was the reason he’d wanted her to eat something hot before loading up in the ground transport. It hadn’t worked. He should’ve given her the cold eggs anyway. After she’d stopped protesting, she’d inhaled it as if it was the best meal she’d ever eaten.
When finished, she’d pulled out her laptop and started working. She’d asked questions every once in a while to Lorenzo who sat in the back with her. How to spell certain words after muttering what Owen thought were cuss words before groaning about not having Internet. He couldn’t be sure since it wasn’t exactly quiet in this ride.
“What’s the name of the unit we’re visiting first?” she asked.
Owen’s gaze blinked at her on autopilot, but this time she looked at him instead of her work partner, asking Owen instead. “I didn’t.” He looked back out the windshield.
“Is it classified?”
“No,” he answered with another look, keeping his focus on her.
She squinted at him. “Are you being evasive on purpose?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” she asked slowly with a tilt of her head.
He was just messing with her. He didn’t know why he liked giving her a hard time. Normally, he was helpful and forthcoming with information. Well, information that wasn’t classified, and if anything surrounding these units was, he wouldn’t be taking her to see them. “Because you’re a journalist. It’s your job to uncover the truth, not have it spoon fed to you.” He winked to lighten the punch of his words, but he immediately regretted that almost involuntary action. Her cheeks grew pink, and he had to resist the urge to stroke them. What the fuck? He did not need to comfort this woman, and he sure as hell couldn’t touch her like that. The few times he’d had his hands on her had electrified him to the point he’d had to wade through the lusty fog of his brain to find his professional ethics. With each touch, it was getting harder and harder to keep his distance. And that wasn’t the only thing getting hard.
“I’m doing my job by asking you.”
“I’m not authorized to answer your questions.” It was the truth, and she needed to know it, although he did have a responsibility to keep her safe, which meant overseeing her agenda. The rule didn’t really apply to this, but he couldn’t help stalling just a little longer.
“But I need—”
“The 39th Infantry Brigade, A Company, 28th Signal,” the man driving said at the same time, stopping her from finishing her statement.
“Acker,” Owen barked. “Did I give you permission to speak on my fucking behalf?”
The man stiffened. “No, sir!”
Owen rubbed a hand over his face to get his wits about him and looked at Caitlin. She was typing away on her keyboard, probably noting the name of the unit. “We’re visiting the servicemen of the 39th Infantry Brigade out of Arkansas first. Then we’ll meet up with the 1st Calvary Division Sustainment Brigade.” He hesitated before adding, “They’re both army units.”
“Thank you,” she said as she kept typing. When she finished, she looked up, “What did you mean you’re not authorized to answer my questions?”
“I’m here to protect you. That’s is. That’s all I’m allowed to do.”
Her mouth fell open, and he could tell her brain was processing that little bit of information. “But you could tell me general information without giving up any intel.”
“I’m your guard, not Google.”
She glared at him. “That’s not what I mean.”
“I know.” He shrugged. “But aside from your personal wellbeing and your agenda, you need to direct your questions to the people authorized to discuss this with you.”
“ETA ten minutes, sir,” Acker said.
Owen turned and checked his rifle and sidearm as he said, “Be ready to drive right in when we get there, Caitlin. We have an hour with each team, no more.”
He heard her rustling around, and he looked at her. She’d packed her laptop and pulled out a notebook.
“Crap,” she muttered as she kept digging in her bag. “I can’t find my pen.”
Owen pulled his favorite tactical pen out and handed it to her. “I’m going to start charging you to use this thing.”
She glowered at him, but took it. “Put it on my—”
An all too familiar crack sounded, and he immediately cut her off as he yelled, “Get down!”
He had his assault rifle on the ready and yanked it up.
“Came in from the east,” Acker barked and swerved from side to side, making it more difficult for someone to get a shot at them if they were in the crosshairs.
Owen pushed the button on his comm. “Haverty? You got eyes on the shooter?”
Several more shots rang out, sounding too close. Owen cussed, and at the same time Haverty replied, “Negative, sir. Team is scoping.”
That meant the guys in the other vehicle had their binoculars out, looking. Owen would have done the same, but he kept his eyes on Caitlin. She visibly shook, and he reached out to pat her knee. He looked out the side, saw a flash of a rifle before a shot whizzed right by and ricocheted off a boulder they’d just passed. Shit, that was way too close! He aimed and fired in that direction several times. They stopped moving, and he heard Acker call the others with the location of where the hit had come. Within seconds, Owen wasn’t the only one pelting the area with rounds of ammo. He ceased and swung his focus around the front and other side since his guys had the other direction handled. When he was certain no fire came from anywhere else, he dropped his rifle. The others had stopped shooting, and they sat silently, listening. Caitlin breathed heavily, but Owen couldn’t look at her. Not yet. When he felt confident they weren’t under attack any longer, he pressed his comm and said, “Let’s move. We’ll do a battle damage assessment when we get there.”
He dropped his rifle and checked it as he surged forward.
“That’s never happened to me before,” Lorenzo said.
“We were lucky,” Owen said flatly. “Couldn’t have been more than a couple of guys out there. Could’ve been a lot more. Usually are.”
He twisted to the side. Caitlin still had her head between her legs, so he reached over and rubbed the one closest to him. “You can sit up now.”
She trembled under his hand, and he hated she was scared, but damn, they were in a war zone. It was a rare day around here when he wasn’t getting shot at.
Slowly, she rose, her eyes wide. He had this insane urge to pull her into his lap and coddle her. Of course, he couldn’t, but more importantly, he hated the fact his instinct was to do just that.
It’s because you have to protect her, that’s all.
He didn’t believe the lie one bit.
“Caitlin, you’re okay,” he said slowly. Her head jerked around as if she was a cornered animal. The hand on her leg had stilled, so he stroked her gently. “Hey, there. Look at me.”
She did. Her mouth opened. “S-sorry.” She shook her head as if clearing it and took a deep breath. A surge of pride filled him at her willingness to be brave in a circumstance he was quite sure she’d never experienced before.
“Don’t apologize. You did what you were told. Now if only you’d mind me when you’re not being shot at,” he said with smile, trying to help her relax.
She shuttered her eyes, and unlike before, he was glad to see the spark of her defiance. “This is different.”
That was true, but he could still argue the point. “This is a war zone. Shots can be fired at any time, anywhere.”
She sucked in a breath and nodded. He didn’t like her learning this lesson so explicitly, but if it took a couple of tangos on a roadside to drive the point home, then so be it.
He just hoped that was the only time he’d have to shield her from gunfire. Because he would. He was there to protect her, and that mean taking a bullet for her.
The thought did something funny to his chest, so he let go of her leg and faced the front.