EIGHT
Cooper
When I saw the smile and look of amazement on her face, all the effort and trouble I’d gone through was worthwhile. I had even called in favors from three different people at FOB Cobra.
“This is so beautiful,” she said, looking at the valley below and the mountain range in the distance.
“Right? It’s a shame this country is besieged by so much war.” I sat down on the blanket. “Here, have a glass of wine and some cheese.”
She sat next to me, her knees bent and her feet further down the hill. I poured her a glass of red wine as she stared out at the landscape.
“What’s that over there?” she asked, pointing.
I glanced up. Shit.
“The Chinese, I think.”
“The Chinese? I didn’t know they had troops here.”
“They don’t,” I said. “Here you go.”
I handed her a glass of wine.
“Thanks.”
She took a drink.
“I wonder what they’re doing over there.”
“Probably mining?”
“Mining? What, like gold?”
“You sure do ask a lot of questions.”
I grinned, wondering if she sensed the electricity between us.
“It’s my job. I’m sorry. I get so curious. I’ll ask Max about it later.”
“No, don’t,” I said.
She tilted her head.
“No? Why not?”
“They’re just miners,” I said. “No big deal.”
“I wonder what they’re mining.”
“Rare Earth minerals.”
“What are those?”
“The shit they use to make cell phones and electronics.”
“Oh, like platinum and what-not.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
We both stared out at the majestic landscape.
“It’s so beautiful. I’m at a loss for words.”
“That’s something for you,” I teased.
“Hey.”
She leaned over and lightly punched me on the arm.
I took another drink, wishing we had more wine.
“Refill?” I asked, picking up the bottle.
“I shouldn’t.”
“Come on. One more glass won’t hurt.”
“I’m not a big drinker. This one already has me a bit dizzy.”
“More for me,” I said, shrugging.
“Okay,” she relented, holding out her half-empty glass. “One more. A small one.”
I filled the glass to the brim. She pulled it away, giggling.
“So, how is this for romantic?” I asked.
She stared straight ahead, nodding ever so slightly.
“Yeah…It’s nice.”
I smiled, putting my hand on her back and rubbed.
She moaned then said, “That feels good.”
“Yeah? Hold on. I’m actually pretty good at this.”
Unable to set my glass down on the hill without it spilling, I emptied the contents in one massive gulp. She smiled as I crawled behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders, kneading her flesh.
“Oh, wow…” she said.
“You’re so tense.”
“You don’t even know the half of it.”
“What’s a beautiful woman like you have to be worried about?”
She leaned forward.
“Come on, you don’t want to be like Max, do you?”
“I’m nothing like him,” I said, working her muscles with my thumbs.
“Oh, don’t stop,” she said.
Now that I had her not thinking about the mining operation across the way, I prepared to make a play. The fact that the Chinese operation would be in view had slipped my mind, but I would make up for it.
As I massaged her, I bent my head down and kissed her on the neck.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, pulling away.
“Come on, you can’t say you don’t feel it.”
“You are just like him,” she said, standing up. “You two got some sick bet on who can bed me first or something?”
“Settle down. Don’t act crazy.”
“I’m not crazy!” she said, heated.
I glanced over at the Humvee.
“Don’t yell,” I said. “This area isn’t completely safe.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You brought me out here to fuck me and it’s not even safe?” Her eyes opened wide. “You didn’t drug the wine, did you? Oh my God, I’m feeling faint. You fucking drugged me, didn’t you!”
“Calm down,” I said, standing up. “I would never drug a woman. You think I need to be a Cosby when I got a body like this?”
“Why am I so lightheaded right now?”
“It’s the mountain air. You probably haven’t adjusted all the way.”
I stepped forward and put a hand on her waist.
“Get away from me.”
She stepped back and flung the rest of the wine in her glass to the ground. The parched earth soaked it up greedily. I sighed. Why don’t things ever go the way I plan?
“We should get back,” I said, bending to pick up the blanket.
“Yes, we should,” she said as if it had been her idea.
I shook my head, gathering up the food and putting it back into the basket. She had already made it to the Humvee by the time I finished.
After throwing the stuff in the back, I climbed in.
“I freaked out. I’m sorry. I have got nothing on this story I’m supposed to be doing, and now I’m being sent back even sooner than my short stay was originally going to be.”
“You haven’t? I thought that’s why I took you to the village.”
“That’s not the story I’m really working on.”
We stared at each other from across the front cab of the Humvee. I shook my head and turned the key in the ignition. The engine fired to life.
“You’re something else,” I said.
“Hold on. Don’t you want to know what story I’m working on?”
“I can imagine. Something about the military being corrupt, or…”
“The smuggling,” she interrupted. “I know about it.”
I turned the vehicle off and looked over at her.
“Are you involved?” she asked.
“Is this off the record?”
“Sure.”
Can I trust her?
“You don’t want to be digging in this, okay? It goes high up the food chain. There are billions of dollars at stake. Do you even understand what you’re getting yourself into?”
“Billions of dollars? That’s a lot of drugs.”
“Don’t you get it?” I shook my head. “It’s not drugs. They’re smuggling rare earth minerals back to America and China. Both countries are making a bundle. Why do you think the Afghanistan war has dragged on so long. Do you see an army anywhere capable of defeating us if we put our mind to it?”
“There are a lot of caves in the mountains,” she said.
“Fuck those caves. The only reason we’re still here is to protect the Chinese and American civilians who are pillaging the mountains like there’s no tomorrow.”
“You need to tell me more,” she said, her hungry eyes staring into mine.
“I said too much already.”
“Are you involved?”
I fired up the engine and put the Humvee in gear.
“Not anymore,” I said.
We rode back to the base in silence.