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I wanted to reach back, run my fingers through her long, silky hair, and wake her up with a kiss. She wasn’t just smart, kind, and beautiful. She was irresistible. This made the next day or two very dangerous to me. I had to keep my distance from her come hell or highwater.
Snuggled in the seat behind Missy, the nuns leaned on each other, catching a nap, too. Well deserved. My little B Team had done an amazing job during the exfil. They were now A level. If I could, I’d give them all commendations.
“There it is.” King pointed to a sleek black Mercedes sedan parked on a side street by a bodega. “Pull over.”
As the van geared down and came to a stop, K-man got down and went to talk to the driver. He wore a uniform and the green-leafed logo for some resort or another. I liked the attention to detail. There would be hundreds of tourists transported like this around here. We’d just be two more.
I fitted my carbine in the big duffel and zipped it up. It made no sense to call attention to myself by carrying around a big weapon in a peaceful country. By the time I slid the door open, the women were awake. After conferring with the driver, King ambled around the back of our van and opened the trunk. Carrying my load, I met him there.
“This is for you.” He handed me a case and a midsize suitcase. “It would raise suspicions to check into a hotel without luggage and you’ll need the laptop to do the work. There’s stuff for you in there, and a few extra toiletries she can use.” He walked with me to transfer the stuff into the sedan. “I understand there’s a shop at the resort if she needs anything else. I also put in a couple of credit cards that match your passports, and a cash stash, in case you spent yours.”
“Thanks, man.” I tossed our luggage into the trunk and shook hands with my teammate. “I appreciate the assist.”
“You did the hard work all by your lonesome self.” King pulled me in for a shoulder bump and patted my back before he released my hand. “You kicked ass. Omega will see that. Hell, maybe even Bozeman will agree.”
A knot of emotion formed in my throat even as pride swelled my chest. I fought hard not to show it, but his wordstouched me.
“Micah Bozeman? Ha!” I hid my reaction behind a snort. “He hates my guts.”
“Meh.” King shrugged. “Maybe a little less than you think.”
Until this very moment, I didn’t realize how much I craved my teammates’ approval, their trust. Doing something right felt good for a change.
“Keep up the good work,” King said. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
“You watch your six, you hear me?” I cleared the emotion from my throat. “See you soon, bro.”
Strutting backward, Kai lifted two fingers in the air and gave me the peace sign. He detoured to the bodega to buy some bananas the nuns had requested. The feisty, diminutive barbed-tongued nun I’d grown to respect stepped out of the van and waddled over. She parked before me, her mouth straight, her arms crossed.
“Were ye gonna leave without saying farewell, wain?”
“I don’t do farewells.” I busied myself rearranging the luggage.
“There we go now.” Sister Janet dipped her square chin. “Farewells suck. I want ye to know. Ye’ve got me thanks fer all ye did fer us.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you.” I stopped fidgeting with the bags and met her stare. “Missy would be dead if it weren’t for you.”
“Don’t act like a gobshite, ye big lout. I’m sure ye would’ve thought of something clever.” She surprised me with her confidence in me. “And don’t thank me. Thank the Almighty.”
I flashed her a knowing grin. “You know I’m not religious, Sister.”
“God isn’t, either,” she said. “Humans are.”
“You’re so right.” I snorted a laugh. “Can I ask? Where did you learn to shoot like that?”
“Where there’s need, I go.” She flashed her crooked teeth and counted with her stubby fingers. “The second Congo war, the Syrian civil war, and the Darfur conflict. Yemen, Nigeria, and Haiti. I’ve had to fight fer the people I had to protect, like yerself did.”
I don’t know why there was so much emotion in the air today, but it was coming at me from all sides. I didn’t like it. I felt exposed, vulnerable. I did all I could to block out the emotions and keep myself in check. “Fighting is my career.”
“It’s also mine, only I fight fer souls.” She gave a curt nod. “This is why I understand yer pain so well.”
Unease roiled in my gut. “My pain?”
“Ye hide it well behind yer hunky self, but it’s there, in yer eyes fer meself to see. It weighs ye down. Ye carry it like an invisible yoke around yer neck.”
“I don’t—”
“If ye wanna confess, seek a proper priest, ye fool.” She perched her fists on her hips. “If ye itch fer forgiveness, ask fer it and ye’ll get it. But fer yer own sake, ye’ve got to work fer it. That’s how forgiveness works, from the inside out. Prayers are good but action counts.”
