Page 12 of Love and Loyalty

She then released the tension on the linkage rods and untangled them from Smith's legs, working from the easiest point of access. Just as she was done, a gunshot flew past her.

“Take cover!” Drew pushed Izzy down, covering her body with hers.

In that very moment that Drew shielded her, nothing else mattered. Not the gunshots, not the fear of losing her life, and certainly not her safety. She was in a world of two people: herself and Drew.

“Arrhhh!” Lewis’ voice jerked her back to reality. He had been shot and was limping into the backseat of the aircraft.

“Do you copy? We've been attacked,” she said over the intercom, sliding from beneath Drew.

Drew extracted an M9 Beretta and shot back, taking someone down.

Lewis shook from inside the plane. Isabel knew he hated this part of the army.

“Burn in hell!” Drew yelled, shooting a few more times.

“That's a nice handgun, Major,” Isabel said.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel.” Drew grinned, clearly confident in this kind of situation.

Team Alpha soon circled around them, took out the hostiles, extracted Smith, and led them all back to Thunderbolt and they were soon up in the air and heading to safety.

No lives lost.

Izzy couldn’t stop thinking about Drew throwing herself at Izzy to protect her. She had liked it. That protective thing Drew had going on and the closeness of her body. Not that Izzy couldn’t look after herself, of course.

But it got tiring after a while, always being the one in charge. Always being the one making the decisions.

It felt nice to have someone who wanted to protect her.

Over the next week, Drew and Izzy dissolved the awkwardness between them. They became more friendly than ever, exchanging pleasantries whenever they ran into each other and making crude jokes.

Isabel soon realized that Drew wasn't just proud and arrogant; she was funny, lively, and happy. Not just that, but she was dedicated, committed, and efficient at her job.

It was admirable to be so full of life despite being in a place where death was a real possibility.

One cool evening after dinner, she invited Drew over for a conversation about strategy and improvisation so they could avoid situations like the one that had just happened.

Although everyone was saved, the daunting questions of "what ifs” and “maybes” bothered her, and she just wanted to talk about it with someone who she felt was reliable and professional.

She also wanted to spend time with Drew, and she couldn’t try and pretend even to herself that that wasn’t part of it. With Drew, she didn't have to be a tough officer; she could express herself a bit more. Most importantly, she could truly be alive.

Were they friends? Something more? Izzy liked her. She knew that. Although she also know she most certainly shouldn’t be taking anything further.

“Lieutenant Colonel?”

“You may come in, Drew.” Izzy nodded, “And when are you gonna drop the honorifics?”

“When milady wills,” Drew said and bowed mockingly.

The sound of “milady” trailed down to Isabel's core, and she laughed lightly to cover it up. “You never get tired, do you?”

“No, Izzy. Life itself is a war. Moreso, we're soldiers. We can't also be at war with ourselves, being all stern, cautious, and unhappy.”

“Are you saying stern people are unhappy? That's judging a book by its cover, isn't it?”

“Most times, the content of the book isn't so far from the cover. You know what I'm talking about.”

Izzy didn't want to bite the bait. She knew where the conversation was headed, and it was better to avoid it. She switched to work.