KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal (18 page)

“Okay, I just wanted to tell you in case you hadn’t heard
about it. Scott, I’m scared.”

“I know yer are baby, but yer know I will nae quit anything.
I’ll be here until the end and I’ll come haem tae yer safely in November, in
time fer the holidays.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“I’m very tired and need tae sleep now, I love yer, babe.
I’ll call yer tomorrow. Guid night, gorgeous.”

“Goodnight, sleep well. I love you too.”

As he lay in bed and tried to sleep, he realized how much he
missed her and how much he didn’t want to be in Baghdad anymore. He’d never
quit anything in his life so that wasn’t the issue. He just wanted to be with
the woman he loved. He wanted to make sure he kept his promise to Katie and get
back safely when his contract was over. He felt he was going to be extremely
busy, keeping both Britney and himself safe. He hoped that would make the time
go quicker.

The first few days in Baghdad seemed to go smoothly with no real
trouble on the way to or from Britney’s work. She concentrated on her job after
she arrived back in Iraq. Scott doubted this quiet, trouble-free spell would last
long, but he was determined to make the most of it while it did. It was
Thursday evening, when they arrived back at the hotel.

“So, Scott. It’s been quiet the last couple of days. Are you
going to have that drink with me tonight?” she asked, as they walked through
the door.

“It has been quiet, yer reet. Britney, yer have been here
long enough by now, yer never know what’s going tae happen in a place like this.
Or when! So I’m nae going tae take any chances.”

“Spoilsport... Come on, just one drink, please. I don’t want
to open a bottle just for me.”

“We’ll see.”

“Great. I’m going to take a shower. Let me know your answer
in a little while and I’ll open a bottle.”

“Aye, okay.”

Scott was not too worried. Even if he did agree to a small
drink it would not be a problem. He was not a big drinker, but could handle a
glass of wine. He sat on the couch and checked his laptop for any emails from
Katie and any news that regarded local incidents. It seemed to be quiet and nothing
arrived from Katie so he started a note to her.

Half an hour later, Britney emerged from the bathroom. Her
hair was wet and she wore only a towel around the middle of her body. Scott
glanced at her as she walked to her room. She noticed his look and smiled at
him. He hadn’t noticed her smile and returned to his computer.  A few minutes
later, she called to him from her room.

“Scott, would you come here for a minute, please?”

He obliged and entered her room. She was sitting on the edge
of her bed applying lotion to her legs and still wearing only the towel.

“What’s up?”

“Remember that favor you owe me?”

“Aye.”

“I got sunburned over the weekend and really need some
lotion on my back. Would you mind, please? I can’t reach.”

Scott was flustered. It seemed harmless enough. If she
really was burned, he knew she couldn’t reach her own back to put lotion on and
there was nobody else to do it. But, what would Katie think? He thought she would
definitely not like him touching another woman, especially considering what Katie
thought of Britney. He was a man who was calm under enemy fire, but was now
completely flustered and panic stricken because a woman asked him to rub lotion
on her back.

“Well, will you do it?” she asked again, holding out the
lotion bottle towards him.

“I’m nae sure aboot this. It does nae seem reet.”

“What doesn’t seem right? It’s just lotion. I won’t tell
Katie, I promise.”

“It’s nae that. I just dinnae think I should be touching
another woman, even if it is only tae put lotion on yer. Plus, Katie and I
dinnae keep secrets from each other.”

“Oh, my gosh! It will take you one minute. I just can’t
reach my back. Come on Scott, help me,” she said, as she rolled onto her
stomach and moved the towel down, which exposed even more of her back.

Scott grabbed the bottle and squirted a little lotion into
his hand and started to rub it in on her back. She felt his hands on her body and
it excited her. She wanted him to continue to touch her. She knew he would feel
the warmth from the sun on her back and knew he believed her about the sunburn.
She had planned this well. He had rubbed for a couple minutes then capped the
lotion. She suddenly thought, had he stopped?

The lotion was all rubbed into her skin, and Scott thought
she appeared red. So maybe she told the truth. He placed the lotion on the night
stand as he stood up.

“There yer go, all done,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said, as she turned over onto her side and
exposed her breasts to him. She planned this move and pretended for Scott’s
benefit that it was an accident. She quickly tried to cover herself. She succeeded
with him seeing exactly what she wanted him to see.

Scott was very embarrassed and left her room. He sat back on
the couch and started typing on his laptop again. A few minutes later, she walked
out of her room in very short shorts and a tight fitting white t-shirt. She
held a very tall glass of wine in her hand. The way she acted, it appeared it
was not her first glass. He had started an email to Katie earlier and finished
it up after he had left Britney’s room.

“Would you like to join me in a glass of wine?”

“Nae. I’m guid, thanks.”

“Come on, you said you would.”

“I said, we’ll see,” he stated.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nae anything. Yer made me very uncomfortable in yer room.”

“How? Didn’t you like my body?”

“Yer know how. And yer know, I’m with Katie and we’re very
happy together. Yer made me uncomfortable.”

“Do you find me attractive then?”

“Like I said, I’m with Katie.”

She put her hand on the inside of his thigh.

“She’s not here, Scott. She doesn’t have to know. Come on,
let’s have some fun.”

“Nae, that’s nae something I’d ever do,” he said, as he
removed her hand from his leg.

“Scott, it is okay to admit you want me.”

“I dinnae want yer, Britney.  I’m here tae look after yer and
make sure yer stay safe. That is all.”

“Are you sure about that, Scott? I could make you very
happy.”

“Just go tae bed. Yer had too much tae drink,” he said, as
he stood up, went to his room, and closed the door behind him.

“Damn,” Scott thought, “Katie was right.” He kept telling
her that it was her imagination, but he completely misread the situation. He
decided he would talk to Britney in the morning. He would let her know if
anything like that happened again, he would ensure Tom arranged for another
guard to be assigned to her. He wasn’t going to do anything that jeopardized
his relationship with Katie, ever!

The following morning Scott had long since been up when
Britney came out of her room. He was interested to see if she’d have anything
to say to him. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Scott’s
phone rang.

“Scott, this is Tom.”

“Hi, Tom.”

“Listen, we need your help. One of my guards just called me.
He’s been attacked. They ambushed his car and he’s on foot with his client and
under fire from a militant group. Can you bring Britney to our office? We can
have someone watch her here and then we can go and find them. I have another
guard bringing his client here, so there’ll be three of us to help out.

“We’re on our way, Tom.” Scott hung up the phone and turned
to Britney.

“Yer need tae get ready tae leave. Now! There’s an
emergency. Yer have two minutes.”

“Okay. I need to get dressed.”

Within minutes, they were driving to the PCPS office.

“So what happened?” she asked, from the back seat.

“A guard is under attack. I was asked tae go help oot. I’m
taking yer tae my office so someone can keep yer safe there.”

“Can’t I come with you? I’m not sure I’d feel safe with
anyone else.”

“Nae chance. It’s too dangerous and yer will be safe at the
office.”

“Okay. Be careful, Scott.”

He pulled up in front of the building, they hurried out of
the car and into the office. Tom waited just inside with the other guard. The
businessman he guarded was to wait there with Britney. Tom brought in another
guard to watch them. Despite the protests, there was not much Britney could do.
They wasted no time and the three were quickly on their way. Scott had met Dan
the other guard, before and spoke with him frequently on the phone, sharing
information. He was a former U.S. Marine. He and Scott respected one another
and got along quite well.

“So, what happened, Tom?” Scott asked.

“One of my newer guards must have taken a wrong turn. He
ended up in the Sadr City district. It’s a Sunni stronghold and a breeding
ground for terrorists. He called to say his car was targeted and shot up pretty
bad. He took off on foot with his client, an American businessman. The last
time I spoke with him, they were being chased and shot at. He managed to give
me his location, so hopefully we can get there in time to help him.”

“Okay. I’m nae too familiar with that area,” said Scott.

“None of us are. I don’t know what he was doing there. Only
thing I can think of is he got lost. The most important thing is getting them
out of there.”

When they got closer to the last known coordinates, Tom
tried to call Bill; to obtain his exact location. If the three men could find
them, maybe there was a place they could jump into the car as they drove by. That
would be ideal. After Tom talked with Bill, he discovered they were trapped in a
back alley and under heavy fire. The client was unhurt, but was hysterical and
he believed in shock. Tom knew they needed to leave the car and go on foot
which almost certainly meant being involved in a firefight. Within half a mile
or so, from where they believed the guard called, they parked the car. Tom arranged
a meeting place and time, in case they got separated. Prepared as well as they
could be, they set off towards the trouble.

They moved in the direction of a considerable amount of gunfire.
Tom was on the phone with Bill again to get an updated position on him. It
sounded like they were completely trapped, but not totally surrounded, so if they
calculated correctly, they could reach them. It was imperative that they hasten
their pace and get them out of there as soon as possible. Insurgents could
flood the area and completely out-number them at any time. Plus, an unattended
car in that neighborhood would not go unnoticed for long either. They needed to
act quickly. The men moved silently, navigating through the maze of back alleys
until they found their colleague. Tom located Bill with the information he
supplied him. They moved quickly down the alley towards him. Bill was shot in
the lower leg, it was just a flesh wound, but it slowed him down. His client
was unharmed, but scared stiff and in shock. As usual, it was an extremely hot
day and both were suffering from heat exhaustion. They had taken cover behind a
low wall and Bill occasionally fired off a few rounds to keep the insurgents occupied.
Scott and Dan took positions behind a wall and returned fire. This shocked the bad
guys. They thought they had outnumbered and trapped their quarry, but now the
odds were a little more even. Tom helped Bill limp back down the alley, towards
the car. Scott signaled Dan to escort the scared client out of there. The big,
burly Texan obliged and took the businessman, dragging him by the arm as they
followed closely behind Tom. Scott stayed in place to lay down cover fire.

When his colleagues were far enough out of imminent danger,
Scott fired a few more rounds and backed slowly down the alley. He fired until
he reached the next corner. With less than half a mile to the car, it was slow
going as Bill’s leg prevented him from moving too fast. Scott was still bringing
up the rear as they drew closer to the vehicle. The small group of militants fired
automatic weapons and followed closely behind them. Scott kept them back and picked
them off when they presented themselves as targets. When they arrived at the
car, they found they were lucky. No one tampered with it and it hadn’t
attracted any unwanted attention, so they were good to go. Tom helped Bill into
the car. Soon, Dan arrived, virtually carrying the dazed man. Bullets had
started to rain down where Scott was. The commotion attracted more militants,
exactly the scenario they wanted to avoid as it would leave them heavily
outnumbered. Scott knew he must get out of there quickly or he was going to be
in more trouble. If they had to leave without him, he’d have no chance. He
needed to make his move and now!

He was less than a hundred yards from the car and Tom started
the engine and was ready to go. He blasted them with additional rounds of fire
from his M16 and quickly made his move towards the vehicle. Literally, seconds
after he moved from his position, the exact spot he stood was hit by a grenade.
Scott felt its heat on the back of his neck, but he didn’t stop or turn around.
He didn’t have time. Within seconds, he dove into the car and Tom raced out of
the area. They were not out of the woods yet. It was almost certain that they
would be seen by their pursuers and followed. Scott and Dan readied their
weapons.

After a few minutes, they realized they finally were in the
clear and started to relax. Tom called the office and informed them they were
all safe, that they successfully extracted the missing men and were headed to
the hospital as both men needed treatment. Bill was losing a lot of blood and
his client; who had still not spoken; was going to need to be checked out as
well. Scott talked to him reassuring him everything was fine, but he hadn’t
responded. He felt bad for the guy. He wasn’t a soldier. He was definitely not
used to this kind of thing. From what Tom and Bill said, it sounded like he arrived
a few days ago and Scott was pretty sure he would be headed home soon. Scott
was jealous. He wanted to go home to his new family.