Page 15 of Hearts Under Fire
“Just stay low, go slow, keep your eyes peeled, and make sure you turn off the safety on your pistol.”
With the safety clicked off and her weapon at the ready, Kate followed, staying vigilant. Though the stars and moon were out, visibility wasn’t great due to the shadows cast by the buildings. She was sure Alexis was seeing something that she wasn’t. Sheknew they were approaching the southernmost part of the city. It would usually be heavily patrolled. The area lay eerily silent, and there wasn’t a patrol to be found. The small hairs on her neck prickled, and she felt a charge in the air.
Suddenly, Alexis dashed into a building, and Kate followed directly behind her. The building's upper floor was demolished, and a side wall of the first floor had crumbled into a pile. There was a staircase carved out in the dark gray stone and they ran down it. Alexis flicked on a flashlight atop her rifle, held it at the ready, and inspected the below ground area. It was a small basement, mostly empty, with a few clay pots and boxes stacked in a corner. The light flicked off, and Kate’s eyes struggled to readjust to the darkness. She held a hand out and walked forward blindly until she found a wall. She slid down the wall and sat with her back against the cold, hard stone.
Alexis’s footfalls announced she’d ascended the stairs partway and stood so she could see out the entrance. Silence descended again, and a quiet whistle came through the night. Alexis had gotten them into hiding right before a patrol went through. The voices were male, low and quiet, and one toward the front of their group was whistling. Kate couldn’t make out the language, unsure if it was Kurdish or Arabic. Not that it mattered. Both groups would happily put a bullet into Alexis and her.
Her dark form retreated back down the stairs, and Alexis joined her in leaning against the wall, rifle still trained on the top of the steps.
“There’s a sandstorm coming in.”
Of all the things Katehadexpected Alexis to say, that wasn’t one of them.
“Come again?”
Alexis chuckled, and Kate couldn’t see her smile in the darkness, but she could hear it in her voice as she explained.
“I got a weird feeling about ten minutes ago. It was really dry, and the wind shifted in an odd way. This area is known for sandstorms. If you get caught in one, you have to hunker down and then basically dig yourself out. If you can find cover, you’re pretty much hidden until it goes away.”
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Kate wrapped her mind around the idea of a sandstorm.
“How long do they last?” They’d only been on the move for a few hours. The night was still early, and Kate figured it probably wasn’t even one in the morning. She didn’t check her watch. She didn’t even want to know.
She felt Alexis shrug. “Depends on the season. It’s early in the sandstorm season. They can last days, but if I had to guess most likely around eight or ten hours?”
The lilt of her voice at the end suggested she wasn’t sure. Kate was just grateful they’d dodged the patrol in time to find shelter.
“I could see it coming in on the horizon from the steps, so it’ll probably be here in the next twenty to thirty minutes. The locals must know this. That’s probably why the streets were so empty. They’re about to huddle down for the rest of the night and through the day until the storm ends. They were likely doing a last sweep before they locked down. Patrols will be minimal, but there’s no way we can travel during the storm.”
They were stuck in a basement in the dark for what would likely be a while. The darkness was charged with the electricity between them. Fear crept into Kate’s heart. She wasn’t sure she could resist Alexis. She was even less sure that Alexis would be gentle with her heart.
Izzy’s words were fresh in her mind.
Alexis Cole. Dreamy. They call her Lieutenant Love ‘em and Leave ‘em
Time hadn’t healed Kate’s own grief at losing her partner in combat. It only made her more wary and jaded. The thoughtwasn’t a welcome one, and she wondered if she were seeing Alexis properly, or labeling her as heartbreak before she even had the chance to actually find out.
Emotionally and physically, Kate was run down. It had been a hellish three days, not to mention the chemistry flowing between her and Alexis, and the adrenaline and fear that had been coursing through her since they’d missed their extraction. Her nerves were raw, and she realized her hands were shaking, and her body was trembling.
“God, I didn’t used to be such a fucking nutcase.” Her voice broke at the end, and Kate choked down a quiet sob.
Alexis dropped her arm around Kate’s shoulder and pulled her onto her lap.
“You’re not a nutcase, Little Lieutenant. You’ve been through hell the last few days, and most people react the same way in these kinds of dangerous scenarios. It’s totally normal.”
Kate nodded and swiped at her face. “I just…” she froze, unable to go on.
“Just what, Kate?”
Hearing her name on Alexis’s tongue while being held in her lap was a jolt to her system. She wanted to tell her everything. She adopted a neutral tone, hoping to crush any more chance of tears.
“I’m scared.”
Alexis stroked in a soothing rhythm, her thumbs whirled in circles over her lower back. The movement and her silence encouraged Kate to go on.
“My last girlfriend deployed to Libya. Short version, she didn’t come back. Slightly longer version, it fucking broke me, Alexis.”
Her arms tightened around Kate as she pulled her in tighter, enveloping her completely, bringing them chest to chest and tucking her chin on top of Kate’s head.