Chapter 2
The second explosion blew more chunks of wall and ceiling into the hall. They didn’t have much time to get out. Link held the woman close and rose, throwing her arm over his shoulder. He hoped whoever else was down here with her got out.
More explosions hit, and he went down on one knee, then rolled hard on his side. Air exploded from his lungs like a balloon popping.
“Fuck,” he gasped as he fought for control.
“You okay?” she asked as she struggled to stand, her leg obviously bothering her.
“Yeah.” He sat up, realizing that in addition to the bruise he’d received, the fall had crushed his coms unit. He couldn’t communicate with his team, and they couldn’t stay here.
Link stood, shaking out the pain as he pulled her up. "Hold on to me and stay safe. You got that?"
“Yes, sir.”
Her voice was weak, but she was awake and responding. That was good.
“Where is everyone else?” he asked, hoping she didn’t say they were right under the worst part of the explosion.
“The room we came out of. So back…” she glanced around like she didn’t know which way she’d come from. She really had been knocked for a loop.
“My name is Link. I’m going to need you to get it together. You understand?”
The woman drew in a slow breath and nodded as she moved beside him. “Got it.”
“What’s your name?”
“Ansley.”
“Okay, Ansley, let’s go get the rest of your team.”
Link turned and saw that Bean was up and moving down the hall. He followed, a bit slowed by the woman who still wasn’t ready to walk on her own.
He damn sure wouldn’t leave her behind, but she needed to get her wits about her so he could get the rest of the Marines out.
They were almost back to the room he'd seen her come out of when a door next to him opened, and they had to duck into another room. Bullets started flying, pinning them in.
It was odd that the group hadn't responded when they'd blown the door, but now they were going all out. Link had to find a way out of this hellish building, or they would end up dead.
Ansley was trying to get her brain to work properly, but she was having a hard time concentrating.
Bullets zipping around like flies at a barbecue was making her head pound even worse.
Her attempts at thinking weren’t getting her anywhere, and she just wanted to close her eyes and take a moment, but she didn’t have a moment.
“Fuck, we have to get out of here,” Link said.
"Yeah." Ansley glanced around, trying to figure out where they were. She moved closer to the back wall and saw a door.
When there was a break in the bullets, she reached over and opened the door. It wasn’t a closet. The door led to another hall.
“Link, an escape, maybe.”
Link glanced over his shoulder and flashed a wide smile. “Awesome. Let’s go.”
She limped through first, then Link followed, closing the door behind them. Her head had cleared a little, and she was able to walk on her own as long as she kept one hand on the wall to keep from falling over. It was slow going, though, because of the wound on her leg.
Link put a hand on her arm, supporting some of her weight, and hurried them along. They turned the corner, and she spied a set of stairs about twenty-five yards down the hall.
“We should go that way,” Link said.
“Yeah, let’s go this way.”
She had to hold on to the handrail so she wouldn't tumble down the stairs, even with Link's help she was wobbly and unsteady. They were getting farther away from the mess where the bullets flew, but she had no clue where they were headed.
The stairs came to an end, and they were in what seemed to be an old tunnel. Link paused, looking left then right.
She glanced up at him and tried to hold his gaze, but her vision was swimming a little too much. “Which way?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Left?”
She shrugged, unsure which way to go. “Sure. Let’s go.”
He was smiling again, and she shook her head, sending pain through her brain. “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing, really. I just like how serious you are, even with what has to be a massive headache.”
She snorted a laugh. “Ugh, it does hurt. But what other choice do I have? We have to get out of here.”
“We don’t have much of a choice. If we don’t leave, we’ll be in deep shit.”
They walked for another five minutes before they came to a set of stairs going up. She wanted to head up and have a look, but Link shook his head.
“We need to go farther away from the mess back there.”
“Fine, but I’m starting to lag.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you if you go down.”
She grunted, glancing over at him a few times as they continued walking away from the mess they’d left behind.
“So who are you? SEAL? Green Berets?”
“Neither.”
“Really? I know you aren’t regular military. You have no markings, but I know the CIA wouldn’t be sticking their noses in to save us.”
“Nope, not CIA. I’m Army.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of you guys but never met any of you. You’re the ghosts, the ones no one will confirm or really talk about, but we all know you guys exist.”
His laughter felt good. It was weird joking about stuff while they were in imminent danger.
The man was capable. He had gotten them out of a very bad situation.
They weren’t being shot at, which was a very good thing.
She wouldn’t push for more of an explanation of who he was. She was fine with limited information.
There was enough light in the tunnel from the emergency lighting that she could get a glimpse of him every fifteen feet or so when they were close to the lights.
He was taller than her and had broader shoulders.
He had a beard and mustache, and his eyes were brown, or she thought they were.
So far, he’d been nice to her. It could all be an act, but she liked him.
After about a hundred feet, he stopped walking. She turned and held his gaze. “What are we going to do?”
“Look for a place to hide for a few hours or days. I’ll make sure we’re safe, then we’ll get out of here and catch up with my buddies.”
She glanced around. “Do you think we’re safe down here?”
“Maybe.”
She nodded. “Okay. That sounds reasonable.”
“Huh, reasonable. I don’t think I’ve ever been considered reasonable.”
“Well, I think you are.”
“Good to hear. How badly are you injured?”
She shrugged. “My leg is on fire, the same as my arm. My head hurts like a bitch.”
“You okay continuing on?”
She wanted to lie down and rest, but they couldn’t, not yet. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“We’ll check your injuries once we get to a place we can relax.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to relax?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
She shook her head. “You are funny.”
“Thank you. I try.”
She wasn’t sure what to think about Link.
She knew Marines, knew how hard they were, how strong they could be.
But she’d heard tales of Delta Force operatives, or at least that’s what she thought he was, and they were a cut above.
Delta operators were more intense than Marines, and some people called them crazy.
This guy was more than she’d expected, and he didn’t seem crazy at all.
Instead, he was incredibly focused, and she was glad he was on her side.
Link needed a place for them to hang out and wait for things to settle. Maybe the retaliation from the terrorists would be over, and they could reconnect with his team soon.
Ansley’s strength seemed to be waning. The surge she’d experienced after they’d gotten free must be wearing off. She would eventually stop and be unable to continue.
When they found the next set of stairs, he suggested they head up. Link had to slow down for Ansley and help her climb about halfway up. When they reached the top, Link stopped moving and turned to face her.
“We could stay in here for a while and let things settle down.”
She shook her head. “We don’t know where here is, do we?”
“No, we don’t. But you’re injured, and things are weird up there.
I need to reconnect with my team. My coms were destroyed.
I’ll have to get in touch with them some other way.
Eventually, they’ll send someone looking for me.
I’ll need to leave clues, so we’ll have to go out there, but we can rest for a bit right here if you need. ”
Ansley didn't look convinced. He understood her hesitancy. She was military like him, but her training hadn't been as intense as his. No units in the military were as intense as Delta Force. SEALs came close, but no others did.
She worked in a unit, and so did he for the most part, but he had to know how to operate alone.
If she wasn't here, this would be a cakewalk, but she was with him, and she happened to be injured.
He needed to take care of her injuries, even if it meant he had to take on more danger just to keep her safe.
Somehow, they would get back to his unit.
He just hoped they could do it in one piece.