Chapter 16 #2
Heath’s expression grew sympathetic. “I should have thought of it. The first time for me, I couldn’t eat meat for a month.” He quickly transferred the burger onto his plate. “There will be food on the plane if you want to wait, or I can buy you something else.”
She shifted back in her seat, feeling a little better now the burger wasn’t directly in front of her. Was this going to be her life now? Moments that flashed her back to the horror she’d witnessed.
“It will get easier,” Heath assured her. “What’s the process with the embassy shut down?” he continued. “Will you be working in Canberra?”
Zoe shrugged, bringing her attention back to him, and giving him a small smile to show her appreciation at him changing the subject.
“I don’t know. It all happened so fast, there was no discussion of what would happen when we got home.
” She sighed. “I might not have a job at all. Stefan was pretty angry, and I disobeyed a direct order. It’s cause for immediate dismissal. ”
Heath tilted his head at her. “You don’t sound upset about it.”
“After everything that’s happened… the work I was doing doesn’t seem very important.”
He nodded. “You should see a therapist when you get home. It’s important to talk about what happened. Your worldview has shifted, and it will take time to make sense of it.”
“How many people do you rescue?” Zoe asked. “How much atrocity do you see?”
He didn’t shy away from the question. “A lot, but it’s not always this violent. Sometimes we just gather intel.”
“Of horrible things or people?”
He nodded. “It helps to know we’re doing our bit to stop it.”
Maybe that was what was missing. Maybe if she felt as if she was helping, she wouldn’t feel so helpless inside. “What type of law is your sister studying?”
“Human rights. She’s talking about volunteering at some of the refugee camps in Turkey or Pakistan.”
That took guts. Did Zoe want to be surrounded by danger in order to help people? She wasn’t certain. “Do you think she’d be willing to talk to me after we get home?”
“Of course. Leila’s always after the next convert.” He smiled.
She returned his smile as some of the uncertainty faded, having the next step of a plan in place.
“How long before your next mission?” Zoe asked.
He shrugged. “I never know. It could be weeks, or it could be days. The call for the Doha extraction wasn’t expected. Everything escalated pretty fast.”
It sure had. She hadn’t quite understood the danger when Stefan had spoken of packing up the embassy.
Heath sipped his drink. “There are a few refugee and migrant centres in Perth that help people settle into Australia. They might be a good place for you to start.” He smiled. “I still remember the woman who welcomed us to Australia with a sponge cake and a jar of Vegemite.” He chuckled.
“An interesting combination.”
“I know. Luckily she explained how much Vegemite to use on toast. She introduced us to a bunch of people, helped Mum find a community, and they’re still good friends to this day.”
That sounded nice. It would be hard to negotiate a new country with an unfamiliar language and customs, particularly when you were grieving the loss of your husband and having to leave your home behind, not to mention any violence that had occurred.
Heath’s mother must be an incredible woman.
“Maybe I could talk to her as well.”
“Sure. I’ll introduce you when you’re ready.”
It might take time for her to be ready. Zoe was looking forward to seeing her own parents again.
It had been a couple of years since she’d seen them.
And depending on what happened with her job, they or one of her sisters would have somewhere she could stay.
She’d been living in Canberra before she got posted to Doha, so it would be nice to be back home for a while.
Nothing beat the relaxed vibe and beautiful beaches of the west coast.
She glanced at Heath. Perhaps she could make it home for the foreseeable future. “How long have you been in special forces?”
He smiled at her. “A while. Though Dobby is about to retire and put together a private security firm.”
“Is that code for becoming a mercenary?”
He shook his head, chuckling. “No. It will be more bodyguard work and helping with civilian issues rather than national issues.”
“I wouldn’t have thought there’d be a lot of need.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Maybe she would be. She really didn’t know what the underbelly of Australia looked like. “Is any of your team joining him?”
“One of my mates has just been medically discharged. He’ll join Dobby.” Heath ran a hand over his hair. “I’m starting to think I might too.”
“Why?”
“Seeing the witch again… the visceral reaction I had, knowing he’s probably put hundreds, if not thousands, of people through similar things to what I went through… I can’t ignore it.”
She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I understand. He deserves to pay for his atrocities, but he’s been arrested now.”
“We don’t know he’ll be punished.” He turned his hand over and squeezed hers back. “And there are plenty of others out there like him, preying on the vulnerable and desperate.” He let go of her hand and ate a chip.
Heath wasn’t the type to ignore a problem after he recognised it. She respected him for it. “Do you think we would have spoken much if we’d made it onto the plane on time?”
“Probably not. You would have sat with your people and I would have debriefed with the team.”
“Then I’m glad I was late.”
“Me too.”
They shared a look and the moment pulsed between them. He glanced over her shoulder. “You should finish your food.”
And just like that, the relaxed conversation was gone. “What’s wrong?” She resisted looking behind her in case she gave something away, but her shoulders tensed.
“Nothing. Sorry to startle you. Gate’s open and boarding has started.”
She ate a few more chips and then pushed her plate away. “Let’s go catch a plane.”