Chapter 12 Then
For the first time since my original deployment, I was lonely. Evie still wrote me every week, but it wasn't the same. My team had noticed the change, and they did their best to keep me busy, especially Wes. I met Wes my first year in. I was working at a local recruiting office, signing up potential candidates. We struck up a conversation, and he ended up helping sign around fifty people, most of which were women. We became fast friends after that, and inseparable ever since. I was just promoted to sergeant, and now leading the platoon into action. My orders still came from someone else, but in the field, I made the calls.
Wes and I specialized in special Ops, and today was my first time in the leadership role. We had to infiltrate a known safe house. Our intel told us that an American woman named Nancy O'conell, and her daughter were being held for ransom. Apparently her husband was some kind of weapons specialist, and the enemy were after the formulas he used to create some of our own weapons. It was a simple snatch and grab, something we'd done a million times, only this time, if something went wrong, it was my head on the pike.
I went over the plan with my guys more times than I'd like to admit, but I needed to be sure they understood the risks. Wes, was my right hand man. I counted on him to pull me back, to tell me if I'd gone too far, or not far enough. If you asked me, everyone needed someone like him in their corner.
We waited until nightfall, and the six of us got into the humvee. The ride to the location was a quiet one. Everyone's adrenaline was pumping through their veins. Legs were tapping in anticipation, as we got closer, and closer to our destination. Using our night vision goggles we counted three guards, and what appeared to be Nancy, and her child, huddled in one of the corners. Adams, Butler, Mendez, and Quinn, were responsible for taking out the guards, and Wes, and I, were responsible for getting the hostages out safely.
On my go, we split up, successfully surrounding the small house. I gave the signal, and my men simultaneously fired their weapons. The guards were all down, on the first shots, and then Wes, and I went in. The mother held her crying daughter in her arms. Dirt streaked both of their faces, and the mother's face was badly bruised. I crouched down slowly, positioning myself in front of them. “Nancy?” I asked. “We're with the US army, and we're here to take you home.”
She began to sob, kissing her daughter's head, over, and over again. That's when I noticed all the blood. Keeping my face as calm as I could, I signaled Wes to join me. When he did, he couldn't contain his gasp. “Nancy.” I said softly. “Mrs. O'Conell.” I said again, a bit sterner this time. “I need you to let me take your daughter, alright? Let us help her.”
“No!” She screamed. “Leave my baby alone!”
It was clear she was under severe shock. She hadn't even noticed the blood coming from her daughter's forehead. I couldn't tell what had caused the wound, but I was sure it wasn't a bullet. Wes had pulled his first aid kit from his pack, and shone the flashlight directly on the wound. I wasn't a brain surgeon, but it didn't look good. “Nancy, we're going to clean up the cut on your daughter's head ok?” I asked, nodding to Wes to get started. “My name is Jake, and this is Wes. We're just going to lay her on the ground here to get a better look alright? What's her name?”
“Hmm.” Nancy said, starring no where in particular.
“What's your daughter's name, Nancy?” I persisted, as Wes and I gently laid the child on the ground.
“Anna.” She said, a smile forming on her lips.
“Good. My friend Wes here, is going to look her over alright, and when we're sure she's ok to move, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?”
“Yes. I think so.” She said softly, patting her legs, as if she were checking for injuries.
“Good. Wes here is going to carry Anna for you, but I need you to stay close to me, and move really quietly, do you understand?”
“Yes.” She said nodding, but her hands were shaking.
I pulled her up into a standing position, and placed her arm around my neck. “I'm going to put my arm around your for support alright?” I asked, doing as I said I would. We made it three feet before we heard shots ring out. I radioed my men outside, who confirmed that we'd been spotted. I pulled Nancy down, telling her to get back into the corner, and Wes carefully moved Anna, placing his body over hers. I aimed my gun out one broken window, after another, searching for the direction the shots had come from.
My radio crackled, and a weak voice told me to get out now. I didn't hesitate. I scooped Nancy up into my arms against her protests, and Wes did the same with Anna. On my signal, we ran in the direction of the Humvees. We passed two of our men along the way. They were motionless, laying in the sand. I set Nancy down, to check for pulses, but my radio crackled again, telling me to remember my mission. “Shit.” I yelled, picking her back up and running as fast as I could. When I'd placed her inside, and Wes climbed behind the wheel I instructed him to leave.
“Cruz! Get in the fucking humvee!” Wes said, putting it into drive. “Now!”
“We have two men down, and two men MIA!” I yelled, over the roar of the engine. “Get the hostages to medical, do you hear me Granger? That's an order!”
“Yes Sir Sergeant.” He said reluctantly, pressing on the gas, and leaving me to my own devices.
I turned my night vision goggles back on, and scanned the area. From what I could see, I was still alone. Quietly, and quickly, and ran back to my men. Adams had a GSW to his left leg, but Quinn, didn't have a pulse. I checked him over, searching for whatever injury had caused this. “What happened?” I asked Adams, who was holding his leg in pain.
“Two shooters.” He managed to grit out. “We took one out, and Butler, and Mendez chased after the other.”
“You've got to be fucking kidding me!” I seethed. “I didn't give that order. Who gave them that fucking order!?”
“The General, he radioed them personally. The shooter's a suspected terrorist. We want him. They think he has ties to ISIS.”
Quinn, had another gunshot wound in his back, and from the looks of it, he bled out. “Fuck.” I said again, crawling over to Adams. I ripped the strap off my bag, and tied it tight above the wound on his leg, making him hollar out in pain. “Sorry brother.” I said, adding another knot to secure it. “You think you can get up on that thing?”
“Yes Sir.” He said, and taking my hand, I helped him stand.
He swayed for a few minutes, getting his bearings, and that's when my radio crackled. “Cruz, where the hell are you?!” The voice shrieked. “Why is Granger the only man enroute?”
“I made a call General.” I said sternly, defending my decision.
“It wasn't your call to make sergeant.”
“With all do respect sir, it was. Now if you don't mind, Adams is injured, and we need to hed back. Quinn didn't make it, and thanks to you Butler, and Mendez, are MIA.”
“Watch your tone sergeant. One day with the label doesn't necessarily make it so. You get your injured man back to base, and you let me worry about Butler and Mendez. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” I said, wrapping my arm around Adams' waist, and helping him hobble towards the woods where we originally entered.
We'd walked for about twenty minutes, when I heard an engine. I drug Adam's deeper into the woods, just enough so that we could see them, but they couldn't see us. When the vehicle got closer, I recognized it instantly. “Well I'll be damned.” I said, on a laugh. “It must be our lucky day Adam's, it looks like Granger's risking an ass whooping to come back and get us.” Adam's laughed with me, wincing as he did so. “You alright soldier?” I asked, helping him hobble out into the open once again.
“Just a bruised rib sergeant.” He said, standing straighter, and walking taller.
“Did somebody call an Uber?” Wes joked when he stopped directly in front of us.
“Fuck you Granger.” Adam's said, as I helped him climb into the back seat.
“Fuck your mom, Adams” Wes spat back.
“How'd you get away from General Dick Head?” I asked, finally letting myself relax.
“I didn't ask permission. By the way, where's everyone else?”
“Quinn didn't make it.” I said somberly. “As for Butler, and Mendez? I have no idea. The General sent them on a wild goose chase after a shooter who may, or may not be affiliated with ISIS.”
“He can't do that! He can't just -”
BOOM! BOOM! The sounds were deafening, flashes of light exploding first on our left, and then our right. Wes punched the gas, and another loud BOOM echoed through the air, only this time there were no flashes of light, there was only darkness.