Chapter 17
After Ryder walked out, she studied the tray of food. She hadn’t been hungry before, but now, seeing the bounty before her, she was dying to dive in. But Ryder’s words fired through her mind. She wanted to believe him. Lord, she really did. Was it possible? Was she ready? Well, of course she wasn’t, but she wanted to be.
More guards came in to keep an eye on the place, so hopefully there’d be no more problems. But the medical supply issue worried her. The enemy had cleaned out their inventory, which meant the rebels had a great need themselves. Of course medicine and supplies were easy cash on the black market. But still, it didn’t feel right.
Just then Dr. Robertson walked in. His phone rang as he greeted her, and he sat down to answer it.
She only half heard the conversation as she plowed into her food. Something about roast beef and mashed potatoes made everything feel like home.
When Dr. Robertson bolted to his feet and looked at her, she stopped chewing and stared back. As he continued to speak into his phone, she resumed eating but kept an eye on him. She didn’t know what was going on, but something obviously was. She might not get much chance to eat more, so she attacked the rest of her plate with a hearty gusto.
When he got off the phone, he walked over to the chair and sat down in front of her. He watched as she swallowed water to clear her mouth.
“What’s going on?” she asked as soon as she could.
“The rest of our team has been interviewed, and some of the information was a little disturbing. It took a bit of time for the information to make its way down to us, as of course we don’t have clearance,” he said with an eye roll and a grin. He turned and nodded toward a couple guards at the entrance. “And explains why we are heavily guarded.”
“Why?”
“Apparently your name was mentioned several times, as was mine, to the rest of the medical team.”
She sank back with her coffee cup in her hand and stared at him over the rim. “What? Why would they care?”
“They were angry we weren’t part of the second group kidnapped.” His face grim, he added, “Apparently the team was roughed up a little bit until the enemy could understand why we weren’t there.”
“This is bizarre. Why do they care?”
“The brass thinks we may have seen somebody or something we shouldn’t have.”
She stared at the doctor in shock. “We didn’t see anything in the area.”
“But what we did see might’ve been important.” He glanced toward the opening of the tent as he heard approaching footsteps. “The brass is hoping we can tell them what might be so important that we were supposed to be kidnapped again.”
Bewildered she watched as several men came toward her. Not military police but special investigators. She cleaned up her place, removing the half-eaten meal, and set the tray off to the side. And then the questions started.
“Did you see anybody you recognized?”
“No.”
“Did you see their leader?”
“How would we know who their leader was?” she asked, then shook her head. “No.”
“Have you had any contact before, during or after with any of those men?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t understand all these questions.”
“We’re trying to figure out why they want you back.”
“Because we escaped? Pissed them off? They had too many injured?” She could only hazard a guess, but the expression on the men’s faces didn’t change.
“Okay,” she said. “They took us because they had injured we were supposed to help.”
Dr. Robertson nodded. “One man was already dead. The second man survived with a head injury. The third man was shot. We treated him as best we could, but it was rough.”
“Even if he survived, they shot both of them anyway,” she said. “It didn’t make any sense that we were kidnapped to administer medical aid, and then they turned around and killed them and our guards.”
The taller of the two men turned to look at her. “Who shot who?”
She frowned. “A different man. He came in with a rifle, fired downward at the injured men, then shot the guards.”
She turned to look at Dr. Robertson. “Isn’t that right?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t see it all. I was already moving ahead.” He glanced at her. “You didn’t mention all of that.”
She shrugged. “After Ryder cut the tent and we left, I looked back several times. There was a kerfuffle, and then the man closest to the opening shot them all. I figured he did that because the guards failed to keep us secure. Ryder saw it too.”
“But there was no need to kill the men already hurt,” one of the interviewers said. “What were the ages of the injured men?”
“The one with the head injury was older, maybe mid-forties.” She gave a brief description of what she could remember. “The other man was not as old, maybe early thirties.”
A few questions later, they realized the two men who’d been alive and most likely shot were officers in the rebel group. Leaders. “Are we assuming that, because I saw this one man killing everybody in that tent, he’s now after me? Why would they care?”
Silence followed.
“Because,” Dr. Robertson said slowly, “maybe they don’t know for sure who shot their leader, and they want you to identify the killer.”
Everybody stared at her. “I can’t possibly identify anyone. I saw the shooting because of the shadows. I could recognize the two men who stood outside the tent, but then so could you. But it’s not like we knew the men.”
“It’s not just you they want. It’s also Dr. Robertson.”
Dr. Robertson and Caitlyn exchanged glances. At the same time they turned to look at the interviewers. “Is the rest of the team coming back?”
The men shook their heads. One of the interviewers said, “No. This camp is being decommissioned.”
Caitlyn nodded. “I have one week left. Then I’m shipping stateside.”
The men nodded. “And you might be leaving earlier. What we want to avoid is a third incident.”
In a firm voice she said, “I trust you guys to take care of me and everybody else here. Two attacks is already two too many.”
The man gave her a hard look and a clipped nod. “Indeed.” They got up and left.
She stared at the doorway, then turned to look at Dr. Robertson. “Are we really in danger?”
“The military is moving everyone out. The camp will no longer be used as a base for military operations, at least until this last year of action has been reviewed,” he said quietly. “At this point it’s best if the enemy sorts themselves without involving us any further. They are changing leadership every five minutes it seems. Somebody kills off the leader and takes his spot, with another dozen eager men to take advantage and move up. So best to leave them to their own system of infighting.”
“Oh, I agree with that.” She nodded.
“I imagine we’ll have our orders within a few hours.”
She snorted. “Good. Our supplies that came in are long gone. It’s all bizarre.” She eyed him carefully. “Where will you end up?”
He tossed her a grin. “I’m kind of hoping for the FOB just outside Baghdad. I’d like to finish the next few months there.”
“That would be nice for you.” Still she was happy to have the guards and the extra sense of security as she checked on their patients. The last thing she wanted was to experience any more of the ugly side of life.
*
The military was a well-oiled machine. Setting up and pulling down a camp was nothing but good practice for them. Organized chaos was what Ryder called it. But there was a method to it. As everything moved swiftly around him, he jumped in to help where he could. He refused to sit around and do nothing while everyone else worked, even if he was using his arm too much. Thank heavens for the painkillers. Easton and Devlin were having a lot of fun at his expense. If it wouldn’t make his arm worse, he’d have punched them out.
Easton said, “Ryder, you should be resting somewhere.”
“Like hell,” he responded yet again. “Not going to lie down. Or rest or anything else you think I should do.”
A severe urgency inside him wouldn’t let him sit back and relax. He wanted to make sure they all got the hell away from this place. He’d heard the rumors about an enemy coup in progress, somebody looking for Caitlyn to confirm who shot who. He’d been interviewed himself soon afterward. He’d confirmed what Caitlyn said but hadn’t been able to add much. There was no winning in this situation. It was also very hard, if not almost impossible, to identify all the various players in a fast-moving game like this. The best thing they could do was get her the hell away. And fast.
With that uppermost in his mind, he walked to the medical tent to see how it was progressing. He found the tent already down, boxes and supplies stacked off to the side, men all over the place. But of Caitlyn … there was no sign. He glanced around and frowned.
Catching one of the soldiers beside him, he asked, “Where’s the medical team?”
“I think they were shipped out early,” he said, lifting a box, placing it on another. “Shouldn’t you be leaving too?” He motioned at the sling and bandages on Ryder’s arm.
Ryder shrugged. “In theory, yeah.” He took another look around. “I’m looking for Caitlyn, the nurse.”
“Good luck with that. Most of the phones aren’t working right now either.”
Ryder nodded. “I noticed.”
He walked the small area but didn’t see any sign of Caitlyn. Several trucks had already pulled out, and helicopters had flown in and out. If the enemy knew what they were doing, it would make them happy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw somebody with a white coat. He raced after him. “Dr. Robertson, wait up.”
The doctor turned. “Hey, Ryder.” He glanced at his arm. “You should be resting.”
Ryder waved his concern away. “Where’s Caitlyn?”
Dr. Robertson turned and looked around. “I have no idea. We were packing up this morning. Somebody called to talk to her.” He shrugged. “Honestly, it’s chaos here.”
With a sinking feeling in his heart, Ryder asked, “How long ago was that?”
“I don’t know,” Dr. Robertson frowned. “Do you think something happened to her?”
“I don’t know, but answer the question so I can find out,” he said in frustration.
“At least an hour I’d say. I know she was talking about getting some food.”
“The mess tent is gone. No food until we get to the new base.”
“It’s down to rations again?” Dr. Robertson grimaced. “I’ll wait for mess tent food. As for Caitlyn, she’s got to be here somewhere.”
Ryder watched as the doctor argued with somebody stacking up bags. Presumably Dr. Robertson’s own. Swearing under his breath, Ryder pulled out his phone only to realize he still didn’t have any reception. He couldn’t contact the rest of his team. He picked up his pace.
He found Corey first. “Have you seen Caitlyn? Nobody has seen her in the last hour.”
Corey shook his head.
Ryder explained what one of the soldier’s had said in his interview.
Corey slowly stopped what he was doing and stood up. “You think something’s happened to her?”
“I have no idea.” Ryder raised both hands in frustration, followed by a grimace of pain. “Why would they take her and not Dr. Robertson?”
Just then there was a harsh crack. Ryder glanced around. “Was that a gunshot?”
At the uproar behind him, he spun and saw Dr. Robertson collapse to the ground. “Shit.” He raced back toward the doctor.
With several people helping Dr. Robertson sit up as he arrived, Ryder could see fresh blood across his shoulder. Dr. Robertson caught sight of Ryder. “I don’t know what the hell happened,” he said, “but you need to find Caitlyn fast.”
Corey was already veering away from the crowd. “The shot came from the left, the trees up on the far side.”
The whole camp was now on high alert, weapons ready, as they raced to finish the move. Dr. Robertson was injured but holding his own as they prepped him for the next helicopter ride.
Easton showed up behind Ryder. He yelled, “We have to go. They must have Caitlyn.”
Easton said, “Can you be sure of that? I’m all for going after her, but we have to make sure it’s not a wild goose chase.”
Ryder shook his head. “I don’t know where she is. I just know she’s not here.”
“Damn it, Ryder.” Easton shook his head, activated his comm unit. “Ryder and Easton on the move to retrieve possible kidnapped victim Caitlyn. Corey and Devlin, let the brass know so a full headcount is done before we lose someone else in the chaos, before rendezvousing with us in the far east section of the trees.”
Ryder and Easton raced through the woods, heading in the direction where the shot had been fired. Teams formed down below, and another team was on guard as the rest of the men packed up the last of the camp. They’d be out of here in fifteen minutes.
But Ryder wasn’t going without Caitlyn. And as long as the teams knew they were out looking, somebody would stay behind. The dust was in his face, the sun beating down over the treetops. He didn’t slow his pace. If Caitlyn was up ahead, the rebels would be moving fast. Sure enough, a plume of dust rose ahead of him. They had wheels. Dammit, he didn’t have any.
Just then he heard an engine. He turned around to see Corey and Devlin driving one of the jeeps toward him. He waited until they were beside him before he and Easton joined Corey in the back. It didn’t take long to update them. The plan was rough, but it was to get ahead and cut off the kidnappers. It was the only way they could stop them from disappearing into the hills. Once that happened, it would be hell to find her again, particularly since the rebels had wheels and could move fast. They had places to hide which Ryder’s team didn’t know about. He’d track her down, but speed was paramount.
He’d never give up searching for her. As soon as the rebels were done with her, the men would shoot her and bury her in the sand. Mother Nature would take care of the rest.
Leaning forward, he urged Devlin to drive faster.
Devlin said, “Hang on, Ryder. We’ll get her.”
Ryder sat back and caught sight of something moving to the left. He stood up in the back of the open-air jeep and studied the plumes. The other vehicle was escaping. “We have to go faster. We can’t come in ahead of them at this rate.”
Corey handed Ryder a long-range semiautomatic rifle. He picked it up with his good arm and awkwardly put it into position. This was much better. If nothing else, this gave them a little bit of a chance. Taking a shot at the driver while moving was not the same as a shot when he was stationary, but it was all Ryder had.
Just then they hit a rock. Devlin lurched to the side, pulling the wheel hard. Ryder grabbed on but was still tossed from one side to the other. His arm jarred, sending shards of pain up his shoulder.
“Sit down,” Corey urged. “Calm down. We’ll get her.”
Ryder’s fingers locked on the weapon in his hand as he kept telling Caitlyn, Hang on, girl. Hang on. I’m coming. Inside his stomach knotted tighter. But adrenaline kicked his blood to pump faster. He just wished he was driving.
The jeep rounded a corner, came up over a crest, taking to the air before landing hard. Ryder wasn’t sure where Devlin was going. As they came around the corner, they saw the other vehicle catch sight of them and yanked to the side, gaining slightly. Immediately Ryder stood, took aim and fired. But his vehicle bounced, and his shot went wide. He could see a woman in the back of the vehicle and knew they had Caitlyn. But it would be hard to get close enough to get them. What they needed to do was stop the vehicle without making it flip; otherwise Caitlyn could get hurt in the crash.
There was also a chance the vehicle ahead was riding toward a rebel army. A group of trees were coming up where the road split. The enemy went to the left, Devlin went to the right. With his heart in his throat, Ryder tried to see through the brush, but there was no visibility. Devlin flattened out the gas pedal and poured in as much effort as he could into making up time and moving faster and faster. The huge dust cloud rising around them made it impossible to see where the other vehicle was. Ryder knew they were in danger of coming up against an entire army, and they could be picked off easily.
Finally the road curved to the right, but, instead of taking it, Devlin took a turn to the left and drove cross-country. There was a little bit of a rise up ahead. He hit the brakes hard, and everybody swept from the vehicle, weapons ready. A second enemy vehicle came racing forward. But the men were ready. The first shot took out the driver; the second shot took out his passenger riding shotgun. Several more shots took out the wheels. They had it surrounded within minutes.
Only to find Caitlyn wasn’t there.
The vehicle was empty except for the dead guys.
“Shit.” Ryder stared in anger and frustration. “Where the hell is she?”
“They had to have met up with someone.”
“Or they dumped her out.”
At that the men bolted back into the vehicle. “That’s why we managed to get ahead of them. They stopped.”
Devlin jumped into the driver’s seat a hair faster than Ryder. He drove, following the other vehicle’s tracks. Ryder’s biggest worry was, if this enemy vehicle had been a diversion, another rebel vehicle carried Caitlyn farther away even now.
They couldn’t go as fast this time because they needed to see where the other vehicle might have stopped. The slower pace chafed at him. Ryder realized another problem. Fuel. They were almost out of gas.