Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
“ A re you home?”
Fleur smiled and moved to the flap of her tent. She unzipped it and looked up at Ronan. “I am.” She extended her hand, and he grasped it, helping her out of her small tent. “Did Jug tell you about our excitement?” She bent down and rezipped the flap on her tent. When her backside brushed against him, he grabbed her hip, and she heard a stifled groan. She spun around. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I flirt, but that was going over the line, and I wouldn’t do that publicly. Unless you told me you liked it.” She glanced around and lifted her eyebrows several times.
“It’s all right. Accidents happen, and if they are helped along, who am I to complain?” Ronan said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He cleared his throat and then shook his head before saying, “However, I wanted to talk to you about the hole in the fence. You should’ve come to tell me as soon as you found out about it.”
“But it was fixed.” She frowned. “What difference would it make? It happened last night. Shelly was scared, though. She was going through her things, looking for a weapon if someone entered the medical tent. Jug was pissed.” She smiled up at him. “I think he likes Shelly and doesn’t know how to let her know, but that’s okay because she likes him, too.” Ronan stared down at her, and she blinked. Why was he giving her that look? Oh . “I’m blabbering, aren’t I? Sorry, I do that when I’m nervous.”
“Okay. Back up for a minute. First, you should have alerted one of us as soon as you knew about the security deviation, even if it was fixed. We’re in charge of security now. Second, she’s a doctor. Did she ever think about a scalpel? Third, what Jug does isn’t my business as long as the relationship is consensual, but yes, he was pissed, and he’s sleeping in the medical tent as a precaution until we get your tents.”
Fleur frowned. “Okay, I won’t make that mistake again. Two, no, I don’t think she thought of a scalpel, but I’ll mention it to her, and last, what tent?”
Ronan narrowed his eyes. “You can’t mix up first, last, and numbers. There’s a rule about that.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Is there?”
“Pretty sure.” He nodded.
“Huh.” She crossed her arms. “I had no clue.” She looked back up at him. “Are you mad?”
“Once again, the answer to that is no. How about I tell you if I’m mad? That way, you won’t have to keep guessing.”
“Oh, I like that idea.” Fleur smiled at him. “Tent?”
“I ordered fifteen. Ten as big as they make for the IDPs and five personal tents. I couldn’t remember how many you said had given up their tents for the camp occupants.” He looked around them. “Since all the space here is taken, we’ll put yours closer to our camp.”
“We will?” She smiled up at him. “That would be convenient.”
“Only if you agree.” His stare was intense, and she got the idea her answer was critically important. She stopped smiling at him and said as clearly as possible, “I want a bigger tent near your camp so you can visit me privately. Is that what you wanted to hear? ”
His breath came out in a rush. “God, yes. It’s going to be a long four days.”
“Four days?”
He nodded. “I’ll return to Al-Tanf Garrison to pick up the supplies and six transport vehicles.”
“You’re starting the convoys?”
“We’re getting ready to do it. I need more information and clarification before pulling the trigger, but that’s the goal.”
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back to the heavens. “Thank you, God, for sending these men to us.”
“Can you drive a transport vehicle?”
She lifted her head and blinked at him. “Sure. Everyone here can. We’ve all been trained, and I’ve often driven across this country as part of the convoys. The locals don’t like it, especially the clans with religious affiliations. You know, we women aren’t capable of anything except caring for a home and raising a family, according to their beliefs, but we do what we need to do.” She shook her head. “Sometimes I worry about the world.”
He turned her and pointed her to his tent. “We can talk about our worries over dinner.”
“That sounds like a plan.” She walked beside him. “ Miller stopped by and told me I would be working nights.”
“No.” Ronan shook his head. “No, you’ll be on days. I’ll let him know.”
Wasn’t that favoritism? “But …”
“You’ll be working the same shift I am. End of conversation.” Ronan stopped. “Unless you want us to be on different schedules and not have private time together.”
“Oh.” She didn’t think about that. “Won’t he think it’s favoritism?”
“I don’t give a flying donkey’s ass what Miller thinks.” Ronan barked out a laugh.
“Well, that’s a descriptive narrative.” Fleur laughed with him, and as they approached the tent, she put her hand on his arm. “Are you sure you have enough food?”
“Absolutely, and we’re restocking in four days. Everyone will have enough food soon.”
“Shelly and I were talking about the things we missed from home. Fast food was one.” Ronan held the flap open for her, and she entered. “Oh, you have an office now.” She stepped over to the table and looked at the map on the surface.
“A small one, but it works. ”
She pointed to the Xs on the map. “What are these?”
“Security checkpoints manned by the militia.”
Fleur slowly turned to look at him. “You got them to agree to man all these?”
He nodded. “I did.”
She shook her head. Miller had been trying for ages to get the militia off their butts to do their jobs. “Once again, sir, you are unexpected and amazing.”
Ronan smiled down at her. “I only do my job. Let’s eat.”
She followed him into the cot area and sat down on his. “Chicken burrito bowl?” he asked as he held up an MRE.
“Sure.” She caught the bag he tossed to her and opened it. Then he selected one for himself and moved over, sitting on the ground beside her after he put his weapon in the rack. “So, if you got the militia to man the posts, your talk must have gone well. Is Habib still there?”
“He is. The fuckwad we’d dealt with left after depositing his people here. Habib was cooperative for the most part. We had some differences of opinion but were able to come to terms.”
“And what were the differences? It had to do with women, didn’t it? ”
He nodded as he poured water into his flameless heating pouch. Then he handed her the canteen, and she did the same. “They won’t attempt to stop any male from stopping a woman or girl from entering the camp.”
She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Still.”
“We’ll be on watch for anything, and believe me, we’ll stop anyone from prohibiting a person from entering, day or night,” Ronan said as he handed her his candy packet. She smiled and thanked him. She’d share it with Rana or Shelly tomorrow.
She glanced over at him. While waiting for him, she’d made a list of things she wanted to know about him. “Where did you grow up?”
He glanced up at her. “Mostly Colorado and Virginia. My dad worked in Virginia, and we spent summers at our home in Colorado.”
She stopped opening her tortilla shells. “Two homes? Were your parents rich?”
He shrugged. “I guess. Guardian pays well.”
“It must. Can I get a job with them?” She laughed and went back to opening her food.
He nudged her leg with his elbow. “Yes.”
She frowned. “Yes, what?”
“Yes, I mean I could try to get you a job with Guardian. You wouldn’t have to work in these conditions.”
She lowered her hands to her lap, settling the food before she spoke. “Four years ago, I would’ve told you I don’t care what the conditions are. I’ll make a difference; this is where I want to be.”
“But now?” That deep voice of his reverberated around her.
“Now?” She took a deep breath and stared at the back wall of his tent. “Now, I’m tired. I’ve fought, I’ve kicked, I’ve screamed, but no one listens. I’m ready to go back to the States. I have a degree in project management and lots of experience”—she spun her spoon in a circle before her—“but I don’t think much of this translates into the corporate world.”
“You’d be surprised,” Ronan said as he opened his food. “I’m not joking, Fleur. If you want a job, I can make that happen. You’d have to do the work, but I could open the door for you.”
She huffed out a breath. “You’re serious? Are you that much of a bigwig with this company?”
He shook his head. “No, but I know the people who run the company. I’m very close to them.” He threw her a glance. “My sisters and my uncle. ”
She sat back a bit and blinked. “Then why in the world are you working in this place?”
He smiled and took a bite of a cracker on which he’d piled a mound of spreadable cheese. “Because I like it,” he said when he could talk.
“You like it?” Well, that wasn’t what she expected. “You don’t want a fancy job with a big desk? Suits and ties?”
He laughed. “No, suits and ties are not my idea of a good time, but eventually, I’ll work with them. That’s been the plan for a long time. But for now, I’ll stay with my team. We rotate back to the States enough that I don’t miss it.”
“How often is that?”
“We’re usually on duty for three months. That’s when we deploy. Then we’re back in the States for a month off, a month of training, and standby for a month. We chill and are back on the cycle if there are no missions. Three months on, three months off.”
“So, you work eight months out of the year if you count training.”
“And if there aren’t any emergencies, yes.”
“That sounds like heaven.” She would love to have a month off. “Oh, could you imagine sleeping in a soft bed with an air conditioner, a ceiling fan, black- out curtains …” She sighed. “I think I could stay in bed an entire month.”
She glanced down at him and froze. The hungry look in his eyes had nothing to do with food. “I’d spend that month in bed with you.”
Oh, Lord. That voice vibrated all the way down to her lady bits and pooled there. She opened her mouth to say something but promptly forgot what it was. Damn … the visual that was planted in her thoughts sent a whole-body shiver through her. She whispered, “I’d let you.”
Ronan held her eyes with his gaze before moving his dinner and lifting to his knees before her. “That kiss,” he said as he cupped his hand around the back of her neck. “That fucking kiss still kicks my ass,” he growled, and her body tightened in memory of that kiss.
It was still kicking her ass, too. She sighed and said, “It can’t be real, can it?”
He slowly moved his head from side to side. “Not possible. It has to be an aberration.”
“Has to be. We should do it again, just to be sure,” she whispered against his lips.
He closed the distance, and … oh … sweet heaven above … another full-body shiver ran through her. He took control of the kiss and angled his mo uth, delving into her mouth. Forceful yet gentle, controlling yet asking, sensual and panty-torching hot, the kiss was more than the first. So unexpected and completely perfect. He pulled her against him, and she spread her legs, getting as close to his kneeling body as she could. He wrapped his arm in her braid and pulled her closer. She could feel his desire, and the heat he’d ignited inside her needed to be quenched. He pulled away and kissed down to her jaw, and tugging gently on her braid, he moved to her neck. “Fuck, you’re like a drug. I lost my mind at the first taste.” He licked her throat, and she shivered again. “So fucking responsive. I want you. God help me, I fucking need to have you.”
“Yes.” It was the only word she could think or say. Yes to anything and everything this man wanted from her.
She felt him jerk up and opened her eyes. His eyes were closed tight as if he were in pain. He held up a finger and then tapped his ear. “Go ahead.” He looked down at her. The hunger was still there. She leaned forward, and his hand held her against him. “Same ETA for delivery? Copy. Anything else?” He unwound his arm from her braid as he listened to whoever he was talking to, and that told her he wasn’t going to resume the most wonderful make-out session she’d ever had.
He still held her against him as he ended the call and his hand rubbed her back. “We’re fucking dangerous.”
She nodded. “The chemistry …”
“Fucking dangerous,” he repeated as he held her.
He tugged at her braid, and she looked up at him. His eyes were so dark as he stared at her. She whispered, “I’m not afraid of this danger.”
He smiled wickedly. “You should be.”
Oh, God. That threat was not cooling the heat between her legs. Another full-body shiver drove through her. She wanted more of that sensation. More of him, more of them. He lowered and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “We can’t. Not until we have some semblance of privacy.”
“Four days.”
“Three. I’m taking us in the day before. I’ll sell my soul to get us a private billet.” He lifted away from her and sat on his heels as his hands slid to her hips.
She reached up and touched his cheek. “It could be a long three days.”
His eyes closed, and he drew a deep breath. “No doubt.” His eyes popped open again, and he hit his ear. “Go.” He was up on his feet before she knew what was happening. “On my way.” He was across the tent, grabbing his M-4 as he ordered, “Stay here.”
She didn’t have a chance to answer him. He was gone. A finger of fear launched down her spine. She glanced at the flap to the outside and walked over to it. She moved it and stared into the darkness. She could hear the sounds of the camp and … The sounds of shouting. A gunshot split the night. Fleur grabbed the tent flap. Another shot. She saw Miller emerge from his tent. “Stay in your tent!” she yelled at him. He glanced over at her and acknowledged her with a wave.
The wait was horrendous. The minutes dragged, and each tiny sound was amplified. There were no normal camp sounds, and the area was eerily quiet except for a baby crying toward the back of the camp, which faded after a few minutes. Fleur pulled one of the chairs by the ad hoc table and sat outside the tent, waiting for what seemed like an eternity. She saw Ronan walking through the camp, and her feet moved of their own accord. She flew over the ground, leaped ground ties, and launched herself against him. “Are you okay? Your team?”
“We’re fine. I need to talk to Miller. Let’s go.”
She let go of him and walked with him to Miller’s tent. “What happened?” The camp leader demanded as soon as he saw Ronan.
“Let’s go inside.” Ronan nodded to Miller’s tent.
“Right. Come in.” Miller led them in. The flap to his private bunk was open, but he directed them toward the desk. “Was anyone hurt?”
“The man who’d taken a girl shot at one of my men. That was a deadly mistake. The girl is fine, and someone named Tammara is talking to her. Shelly said she was the camp counselor.”
“Yes, yes, she is. Dear God. How did he get in?”
Fleur swung her attention to Ronan, wanting the same answer. “It appears one of your staff or one of the camp occupants has been cutting holes in the fence, allowing the poaching of the camp's occupants.”
“What are you talking about?” Miller blustered. “One of the NGOs? That can’t be. Who?”
“It’s true. The cuts in the fence prove it. We were able to see the damage before someone fixed it.” Ronan leaned forward. “The cuts were between militia posts protecting the man who came into the camp. My men were patrolling when they saw him pulling the girl toward the fence.”
“How do we determine who’s responsible?” Miller shook his head. “My God, like we don’t have enough problems without someone inside the camp helping those bastards.”
“And identifying where the unaccompanied people are located. Wraith questioned the people in surrounding huts and shelters. Some were still awake and heard nothing. That tells me this man knew where he was going and who he was after.”
“Fuck,” Miller whispered. “We search everything that comes into the camp. Wire cutters would have been confiscated and placed in the lockdown bin.”
“The what?” Ronan asked.
“The lockdown bin is where we put arrivals’ potentially dangerous possessions. They’re tagged with the person’s name and given back when they leave—knives over three inches long, heating elements with no controls—a fire would spread through the camp like wildfire. We have designated fire areas for those who want to cook their food.” Miller shook his head. “I check that box every morning and every night to ensure it’s secured. I have a key, and so does Fleur. Besides us, no one opens or closes it.”
Ronan glanced at her, and she nodded in agreement. Although the bin contained many small items, she’d never seen wire cutters. Ronan turned back to Miller and said, “Which leads us to one of the staff. ”
“But who? Why?”
“The who I can’t answer yet. The why? Money.” Ronan stood up. “I’m heading to the militia camp to see if anyone will ID the man who was killed. It’s a long shot.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Pull in your trusted staff. Fleur, Shelly, the ones you know one hundred percent wouldn’t be involved. Keep it small. Four or five people. Let them know what we suspect. Have them keep their eyes open as they move around the camp. Look for clearings beside the fence line or anyone who happens to be lingering by the fence. Also, anyone counting steps.”
“Counting steps?” Fleur was confused.
“They’re measuring the distance from the opening to the victim’s location. But, Miller, without fail, no one is to engage with the person acting suspiciously. I can’t stress that hard enough. Let us handle it. If this person thinks they’re trapped, they could lash out, and you could lose more staff.” He stood up and looked at Fleur. “I won’t be back anytime soon.”
“I’ll put your food away.” She stood up, too.
“Thanks. Miller, I’ll brief you on what I find in the morning. Don’t make a huge scene briefing the people you trust. Fleur can talk to Shelly, and if you tell two more people before the camp settles back down, no one will think anything is amiss. Remember, only people you trust.”
Miller nodded. “Mathias Gentry. He’s been with me for years, like Fleur and Shelly. I trust him with my life.”
Ronan nodded at the man and gave her a quick smile before leaving the tent. “What the hell?” Miller said as he dropped to his chair. “A fucking traitor.”
“It’s probably someone in the camp, Miller. There are close to four thousand desperate people in this camp. Don’t put the horse before the cart.”
“Do you think a woman would do this to other women?” Miller’s eyes widened.
Fleur sighed. “Honestly, I wouldn’t put anything past anyone at this point. We still don’t know why or how the convoys were targeted.” She pointed to the tent exit. “I’m going to go talk to Shelly.”
“I’ll follow you out,” Miller said, and they left the tent together. Fleur rubbed her arms to ward off the gooseflesh as she walked through the dark camp. She’d never actually felt fear walking through the camp before tonight. Now, she couldn’t shake it.