CHAPTER FOUR
“What a shit show,” Lisa muttered as she stood inside an abandoned building with another journalist and photographer from the Guardian. “I didn’t think the rumors were true about the STC making a move in the district today.”
Glancing over at Moshe, who was reporting for the European office of the Guardian and Al-Jazeera, she shrugged. “You don’t seem fazed by the gunfire.”
“I grew up in Israel; this is not an unfamiliar sound.”
Gabriel lifted his camera and took several shots of the fighting that was happening at the end of the block. “I bet they exchange gunfire all day.”
“I agree,” Moshe said as he checked his phone. “The UAE-backed STC has control of the government offices, so they have no reason to back down. They’ll play all day and use the toys the princes of the United Emirates gave them.”
“Why are they backing this horse when their brethren have backed Yemen’s government’s forces?” Lisa said to herself. “I’ve never been able to come up with a clear answer, and it’s so frustrating.”
“If there were one, then I would’ve written about it and have a Nobel Peace Prize. And would finally have the opportunity to sit in an air-conditioned office writing my memoirs.”
“You can’t write memoirs before you’re forty, Moshe.”
“I could if I answered that question with any sort of accuracy.”
“True.” Pulling a bottle of water out, she took a slug and noticed it was getting close to six. “So, should we make our way back to the marketplace and hook up with our driver?”
“Absolutely because being here after the sun goes down is not going to be good for our survival,” Gabriel responded as he lifted his camera again.
“I have a total of eight dead, what do you have, Moshe?”
“Same, though I don’t have the nationalities.”
Lisa checked her notes and then shook her head. “I don’t either.”
Moshe nodded and looked down the street. “The STC must’ve gotten tired of all the promises never materializing. It was their separatist movement that sparked the war, and this is a deadlock that has no signs of ever ending.”
Lisa heard an explosion that seemed closer than the last and cringed. “There’s a part of me that wants to stay and continue writing about the poorest country in the Arab region. But being in this violent playground for regional and international powers is going to get me killed long before any real change occurs.”
“I can’t believe you lasted a month,” Moshe replied. “I had a bet you’d leave after a week.”
Narrowing her eyes, she frowned. “I’m glad you lost.”
Moshe lifted his hands and let out a small laugh. “You have the face of an angel, and this place is too ugly for someone like you.”
“That’s a very sexist and inaccurate statement, and I may tell your wife, so she can give you a hard time.”
“Trust me; she does fine without any more ammunition.”
“Good for her.” Leaning against the doorway, she noticed the conflict was moving their way. “Let’s move south and cut across the plaza, so we don’t end up in the crossfire.”
Gabriel nodded. “Sounds good to me. I don’t need to destroy any more equipment, and I’m not interested in another bullet being dug out of my body.”
“Heard the last one was in your ass, so I feel ya,” Lisa responded with a smile as she lifted her backpack. Hearing her phone buzz, she pulled it out of her pocket and didn’t recognize the number. Sliding her finger across the screen, she answered, “Good evening, Lisa’s war reporting, may I help you?”
“Is that fucking gunfire?”
Holding the phone away, she frowned. “Who is this?”
“Ace!”
“Should’ve known since there’s no one else with the guts to talk to me that way.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“Aden.”
“There’s fighting in Aden.”
“Since I’m here, don’t you think I know that?” Hearing him curse, she let out a long breath. “I’m kinda busy here, so if all you’re going to do is yell, then I’m going to hang up.”
“How close are you to the live fire?”
“I’m not going to answer that on the grounds it will give you an aneurysm, and Caid asked me not to do that.” When another string of curses filled her ear, she ended the call. “Some people are so touchy.”
“I could hear that from here,” Moshe said as he zipped up his bag. “Who was that?”
“Ace. He’s on the Teams, and we’ve run into each other a lot over the last month. He seems to think he’s my personal sheepdog and likes to give me a hard time.” Her phone started buzzing again, and she ignored it because the last thing she needed was Ace filling her ears with his concern.
“Is he the one you were kissing in the mess the other morning?”
Sliding her hand on her hip, she raised an eyebrow. “Where did you hear that?”
“In the press room. You know nothing happens on base that doesn’t get circulated instantly.”
“Journalists are the worst gossips.”
“You make out with a man at breakfast, and people are going to talk about it,” Gabriel said before emptying a bottle of water.
“Whatever, it doesn’t give him the right to yell.” Hearing another mortar explode, Lisa covered her ears and decided she didn’t need to hear the sound very many more times in her life. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Moshe said as he stepped out. “God willing, we’ll make it out alive.”
“Yeah, alive would definitely be preferable,” Lisa responded as she looked down the long street and saw people exchanging gunfire. Saying a short prayer, she followed Moshe along the alley and decided it was her turn to yell at Ace. He’d done enough of it, and if he thought he could call her during her workday and curse, then he had another thing coming.
God willing, she’d live long enough to give me him a dose of his own medicine.
***
Ace rubbed his eyes and checked his watch for the millionth time since Lisa had hung up on him. It was now four in the morning, and it had been ten hours since he’d heard her voice and hadn’t had an update in six.
Standing, he stretched and walked over to the computer and saw nothing new on the satellite images. He looked around the room they’d commandeered as an HQ and noticed he was the only one left. The low-level IT guys must’ve left quietly so he wouldn’t keep bugging them for updates that were not coming.
American forces were not involved in the conflict in Aden, so any information they were receiving was fairly inaccurate. A fact that had been the bane of his existence since he’d gotten back from his mission yesterday and discovered Lisa wasn’t around.
“Where the hell are you?” he muttered to himself as he checked his phone. Hearing the door open, he spun around and saw Caid and Jax. “What’s up?”
“You’re not doing yourself any good in here,” Caid said as he rubbed his face. “Go over to her hooch and wait there.”
Jax lifted his arms and stretched. “We’re not going to know when she clears the gates, so it’s the best option.”
“Yeah, might as well. Nothing is coming in, so it’s not like I’m going to miss something.”
“Don’t yell at her when she gets there,” Jax instructed. “You swallow that shit down and behave.”
Snapping off a salute, he frowned. “Yes, sir.”
Jax snorted and then flipped him off. “I’ve screwed up enough times with women to have learned a few valuable lessons, so you’d be smart to listen.”
“He’s right,” Caid added. “If you give her a hard time, she’ll kick your ass out.”
“I know, but what the fuck was she thinking going into Aden when all the factions are trying to blow each other up?”
“She’s a journalist; they have a tendency to go where the news is happening,” Jax said quietly. “Seems to be part of the job description.”
“Fuck you; I know that.”
“Then don’t be an asshole and yell at her for doing her job.”
“I hate her job.”
“Pretty sure she knows that,” Caid replied.
Pushing his hands on his head, he locked them and nodded. “I really like this woman and don’t want to screw it up before we get started.” He let out a long breath and promised himself he would keep his anger and frustration to himself and just hug the shit out of her when he got close enough.
And, he was going to lay his eyes on her because the alternative wasn’t fucking acceptable. No way would he meet a woman as incredible as Lisa, only to lose her before they had a chance. “I’m going to head over and hang out until she shows up.”
“Good luck, man,” Jax said as he opened the door. “Go forth and make us proud.”
“Roger that.”
“You got this, brother,” Caid added as he slapped him on the back.
Slipping out of the building, he let the warm air fill his lungs and decided to spend time thinking of what kind of date he wanted to take Lisa on when they got back to San Diego. Because if he thought of her not coming back, he’d lose his shit.
And that wouldn’t do a bit of good.
Ace walked up to the group of barracks where the press bunked and wondered how many had been caught in the fighting. Figuring it had to be most of them, he was surprised to see several open doors and prayed it meant they’d all made it back and were celebrating.
He stepped over to the first open door and leaned in. “Does anyone know if Lisa Martin made it back?”
A tall, swarthy man stepped over. “Heard she was caught in the middle of it with Moshe and Gabriel.”
A cold dread slid down his back, and he instructed himself to take slow breaths. “How bad was it?”
“Not the worst I’ve seen.”
A woman crowded next to him, and he moved back, so she could step in. “Do you know if Lisa Martin made it back yet?”
“Yeah, I just saw her walk out of medical. She should be headed this way.”
Nodding, he found himself incapable of saying anything else as a sense of relief the likes of which he’d never known slid across his body. He took a step back and grinned. “Thanks.”
Turning in the direction of the medical facility, he took long strides and didn’t get far before he saw Lisa slowly walking in his direction. He closed the gap that separated them and opened his arms, praying she wasn’t too mad to walk into them. “Hey, how was your day?”
She stopped in front of him and looked up. “Not one of my best.”
He dropped his arms and tentatively took one of her hands and saw her wince. “What?”
“Got grazed by a bullet and I’m still a little sore.”
Swallowing several times, he quelled his urge to yell. “Can I see?”
“It’s wrapped up since I got a bunch of stitches. It’s not a big deal, and nothing more than a really bad abrasion.”
“Those hurt the worst because there are so many nerve endings on the skin.”
“They numbed my arm pretty good and gave me a pain pill, so I should be feeling pretty good any minute now.”
Ace took her backpack and then put his arm around her waist. “Let’s get you tucked into bed, so you can rest.”
“I’m fine, Ace; you don’t have to babysit me.”
“I’m not babysitting you. I’m taking care of you, and if you fight me on this, I swear I’ll lose my ever-loving mind. I have spent the last ten hours worrying, so suck it up, buttercup, and let me do something.”
“That’s really annoying.”
“Which part?”
“All of it. I planned on yelling at you for once, and I’m too tired and spun out to do it properly.”
“You can do it later after you’ve had some rest. I’m sure it’s something you’d like to give your all to, so wait until you’re able to really give it to me.”
Narrowing her eyes, she nodded. “I think I will.”
“Good because I’m pretty sure I deserve whatever you’ve got to dish up.”
“I’ll probably need to do it twice.”
“I’m sorry I yelled; I know it didn’t help.”
“It sure didn’t.”
Seeing her tired eyes and faltering smile made his heart crack for the first time in his life. How had someone he barely knew come to mean so much?
Not ready to deal with what the answer might be, he kissed her head and inhaled the unmistakable scent of war. The smell of cordite and melting plastic was as familiar to him as the smell of coffee, and he ground his teeth together, hating that she was anywhere near it. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“I wish that was a sexy offer and not a nursemaid one, but I suppose I shouldn’t complain, considering I have the option of either one.”
“Don’t you worry, woman; the sexy offers will be coming soon enough.”
“I hope so because after I yell at you, I could probably use some therapeutic sex, so I can forget this day.”
Feeling a laugh erupt, he shook his head and knew he’d met a woman who’d always be more than enough. “I promise to give you as much therapeutic sex as you can handle.”
“After I yell.”
“Of course,” he replied as he kissed her head. He held her against his side as they slowly walked toward her barrack and hoped it was the last time Lisa was near gunfire. She was too fucking precious to lose, and the more time they spent together, the truer it would become.