Page 2 of Guarding Truth
Juliette folded her arms. “One crazy stunt in basic training and I’m branded for life.”
“That one stunt solidified your career as a soldier,” Caleb said. “Four armed men had you trapped. It was game over. That would have sent most men packing.”
Caleb had cleared the path for her but couldn’t get to her in time. He hadn’t expected Juliette to rush into enemy lines like a bullet shot from a gun.
Laz laughed. “I watched you take down those guys headfirst. The look on their faces was priceless. No one saw that maneuver coming.”
Caleb remembered the day with perfect recall, thanks to his eidetic memory. “To this day, soldiers still refer to that as the Kobayashi Maru. You know, where Juliette changed all the rules to get herself out of a jam.”
Juliette groaned. “You and yourStar Warsreferences.”
“Star Trek. When are you going to get that right? Captain Kirk changed the rules of the test?—”
Juliette and Laz burst into laughter. “Some things don’t change,” Juliette said. “You still drone on and on about sciencey techy stuff that most of us can’t comprehend.”
“We all learned our lesson after that stunt.” Laz turned his neck to look in the back seat. “Never underestimate Juliette Montgomery.”
Caleb glanced at her. They always fell back into that comfortable rhythm as if no time had passed. “Jules can hold her own, that’s for sure.”
Tank chuckled and turned to look at Caleb. “Well, that and no one calls herJules.”
Heat crept up Caleb’s neck. Had he overstepped? She’d worked and fought her way through Ranger School, a feat very few women accomplished. Maybe she had changed.
“I’ll allow it, Tank,” Juliette said. “We go way back. And Caleb has pulled me out of trouble too many times to count. He’s earned the right to call meJules.” She caught Tank’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “But you two better not try it.”
“Never.” Laz saluted her and watched out the windshield. Tank put the car in gear and hit the gas to follow the lead car.
Caleb longed to take a deep breath that didn’t consist of dirt and diesel, but this was just the start of their journey to the Tajikistan border. While not far, their destination meant crossing through the mountain pass on roads that barely qualified as safe for a bicycle, let alone a three-vehicle caravan filled with people and supplies.
“So, what brings you all the way out here?” Caleb shifted in the cramped back seat so he could talk to Juliette over the grinding of tires against the earth and rocks below. “Since when are Rangers doing extractions?”
She nodded. “We happened to be in the area on another assignment when we got word that the fighting had shifted and were called in to help with the evacuation. But I could ask the same of you. Even though I’m sure you can’t tell me about it, given your super secret clearance level.”
“Looks like both of us are doing what we love. Congrats on making it through Ranger School.”
She smiled. “I had plenty of practice with all those overnight duties we pulled in basic. I mean, we had some good times on patrol. Hanging out and dreaming of our futures while patrolling the camp—it wasn’t all work.”
His dreams had always included her. Maybe one day he’d have the courage to tell her.
A bump threatened to send him airborne except the seat belt locked him in place. He grabbed the steel handlebar on the side of the Humvee to steady himself. They climbed higher up the mountain.
“How is your niece?” Juliette asked. “Ivy, right?”
“Ivy’s a handful—super smart. I went home last month to see my sister. Tessa will need to stay on top of things with that girl. Already skipping grades.”
The sunrise backlit the mountains, changing their dark shadows to splashes of light and color. A bright spot in an otherwise dreary brown, never-changing setting.
Kind of like being in the presence of Juliette. She added a hint of adventure and mischief to his usually quiet and introverted life. Most of his time was spent in front of a screen, not jumping out of planes on dangerous missions like Juliette.
“Whoa, hang on folks.” Tank’s booming voice rose above the rush of wind outside the Humvee. The car in front slammed on the brakes, and Tank skidded their vehicle close to the edge of the road.
Caleb looked out Juliette’s window and stared at the murky blackness below them. The space between them and the edge of a cliff shrank to a few feet. Juliette morphed into warrior mode, her hand reaching for the M16 perched in a rack behind them. “Why did we stop, Tank?” Her eyes flickered between the side window and the front seat.
“Looks like something in the road. I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Tank also reached for his gun, and Caleb rested his hand on the butt of his sidearm.
The whistle of the rocket-propelled grenade hit Caleb’s ears before the blinding light of the explosion lit the darkness. The car in front of them burst into a fireball, sending shrapnel flying into their car.
A chunk of Humvee door hit the front of their vehicle with enough force to knock them closer to the ledge. Tank stomped on the brakes, but the car spun. The front of their vehicle teetered on the edge of the cliff and then took a nosedive.