Page 50 of Keeping a Warrior

Rhys ran for his life through the thick forest. Explosions rocked the earth, and gunshots shredded the branches of the trees right above his head. Freedom was there, over the next rise, so close Rhys could taste it...when suddenly a giant hammer blow to his side sent him rolling and tumbling back down the small slope.

He jolted to a stop, ears ringing, heart thundering in his ears. Crunching footsteps approached, and then a boot shoved him to his back as the barrel of an AK-47 pressed against his forehead.

“Pow.”

Rhys gazed up into Matt’s grinning face.

“Did you just shoot me?” he wheezed, draping his wrist across his eyes.

“I did, indeed.”

“You bastard,” Rhys groaned. Even though it was only a sim round, it’d packed one hell of a wallop. He’d be bruised for days.

“That’s what you get for being on the losing side, buddy.”

Matt gave him a mocking salute and walked several feet away to radio in his “kill.” Rhys was supposed to lie there until his demise was documented and counted, so he let his body relax into the wet leaves and stared up at the overcast sky.

“Hey, stranger.”

The sound of Devon’s voice spread over him like a warm blanket, and Rhys rolled his head groggily toward her as she crouched next to him. “Hey.”

She reached out to brush cool fingertips over his forehead. “I know that was just pretend, but damn if seeing you go down like that didn’t shake me up a little.”

“Shake you up?” Rhys coughed, then let out a whimper as waves of pain racked his side. “I think I cracked a rib.”

She petted his forehead anxiously, her thumb smoothing his eyebrow, and it felt so good that Rhys came dangerously close to purring.

“Anything I can do?” Now her fingers were combing through his hair. “Rhys?”

Don’t ever stop, he wanted to say, but instead he just shook his head and closed his eyes.

“Hey, what’s with comforting the enemy?” came Matt’s indignant voice. “He’s dead anyway, so you’re touching a dead body. Sicko.”

“Shut the fuck up, killer.”

Devon moved her hand and Rhys’s eyes flew open in protest, but she only flipped Matt off with it and returned to stroking his hair.

“If I ask to put my head in your lap, d’ya think that’d be going too far?” Rhys slurred, and she smiled down at him.

“Just a little, I think.”

The warmth on her face and in her voice, combined with the light touch of her hand, was having the predictable effect, so Rhys hurriedly turned on his side to hide his sudden and most inconvenient boner.

Shit.

With a hum of sympathy, she patted his shoulder and stood, then moved away to confer with Matt in low tones while Rhys lay there frantically willing his body to calm down.

A few minutes later she was back. “Okay, we gotta go link up with our guys now, but we’ll see you at the training center in a couple of hours. It’s almost over.”

“I’ll just stay here, I guess. Take a little nap.”

“You do that.” With a smile, Devon gave him a wave and turned to tramp away with Matt.

A brief silence fell, and then Rhys heard, “Hey, over here!” He lifted his head to see Shane, another apparent “KIA,” lying several yards away and waving at him.

“Hey. Who got you?” Rhys called out.

“Knytych.” Shane sounded completely pissed. “That little shit.”