Tactical Strike (7 page)

“That’s more like it,” Maya commented, giving her a sly grin.
“You gonna be able to get a full day’s sleep finally?”

Candace inhaled a deep breath, pulling in more of the faint
sweetness of the flowers. “I dunno. I’m feeling rather energized at the
moment.”

Snickering softly, Maya got up and tugged on her boots and
jacket.

Candace eyed her in surprise. “You going out again?”

“Yeah. Have to meet a friend in a little while anyhow, and the
wind’s died down now. Your flower delivery cut my workout short but I wanted to
be here when you saw them, so I might as well get another few miles in.”

Sinking onto her bunk as Maya slipped out the door, Candace
twirled the fragile bouquet in her fingers and shook her head. What was she
supposed to do about that man?

The soft, steady breathing of her other two roommates was
soothing, but she still wasn’t the least bit sleepy. Fishing the thick SERE text
from beneath her bunk, she carefully placed the flowers between the center pages
to press them, so no one else would see them and so they’d be preserved forever.
Placing the book back on the floor, she felt a lightness inside her that she
hadn’t experienced in a long time. A sort of restless, exuberant energy. The
first time since Dev had been shot down.

She glanced at the door. If she hurried, she might be able to
catch Maya.

Pulling on a knit cap, she headed out into the chilly morning
air and shut the door behind her with care not to wake the others. Her breath
curled like silver wisps into the faintly lit sky. Rubbing her hands over the
arms of her jacket to ward off the shivers, she broke into a light jog and
headed for Disney Drive, one of Bagram’s main streets.

Her running shoes slapped against the hard ground in a soothing
rhythm. Her labored breaths puffed out clouds of steam in the pale dawn light.
It felt good to get out here and run off some energy. She might not actually
like
running, but God knew this was a great way
to combat some of the stress she’d been under lately.

To the east the rugged peaks of the mountains were tinged a
pearly pink, as were the clouds dotting the lightening sky. Another sunny day in
paradise was beginning, though the temperature was near freezing and the wind
chill made it feel twenty degrees colder on her skin. Her toes and fingers were
already tingling from the cold, and her ears ached despite the knit toque she’d
worn. But stealing this time for herself was totally worth it.

She jogged to the northern edge of the base toward the
chain-link fence that marked the perimeter and found a woman stretching one leg
against it. Candace shook her head. Man, Maya was a hard-core exercise
freak.

She slowed to a walk to get her breathing under control so
she’d be able to talk once she reached her friend. Not that Maya would notice
her until she got closer. As usual, she was plugged into her iPod again, no
doubt some sort of hip-hop blasting her eardrums.

When Maya finally saw her she yanked the earbuds out of her
ears, her eyes widening in shock. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

“Yeah, hello to you too.” Her voice barely held the hint of a
wheeze, which made her proud.

A grin broke over her friend’s astonished face as she ran an
approving gaze over her. “Check you out. Does this mean I’ve found a new running
partner?”

“Ha, no, I’m not into the whole self-punishment thing. Just
needed to get out and do something.”

“Babe, we’ve gotta do something about your insomnia. If you’re
out here running at this time of the morning, it’s worse than I thought.”

Yeah, except this time she couldn’t sleep for a happier reason.
“Nah, I’m good. If this doesn’t tire me out, what will?”

“Those flowers didn’t give you any ideas?” Maya raised her dark
brows in a teasing, suggestive reply.

An instant image of Ryan naked and waiting in her bunk made her
laugh. “Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen.”

“Hey, you asked.” She lifted her other foot and rested it on
the chain link to stretch her other hamstrings. “You done, or do you want to run
some more?”

“Nah, I’m done.” The cold-induced earache and tight lungs
reminded her why she hated running in the first place. Still, she felt better
knowing she’d done it. “You?”

“Just waiting for my little friend to get here. She always
comes first thing on Friday mornings while everyone sets up the tents and stalls
for the market.”

Several stalls were already up and ready for business, and more
people were trailing into view on the main road leading to the base, past the
security checkpoints. Candace had never been to the market before, since she was
usually sleeping at this time of the morning. “Want me to wait with you?”

“Sure, if you want,” Maya said with a shrug.

A few minutes later a lone silhouette walked past the market
area and headed toward them.

Maya waved off the Security Forces personnel stationed near the
perimeter fence. They looked so young. “It’s okay, she’s with me.”

They stood down, while the figure navigated around the tangle
of razor wire to a gate at the outer perimeter.

A group of Humvees passed by the person without stopping,
probably on their way to help with the checkpoint farther up the road.

Soon enough, Candace realized it was a young girl. “That
her?”

“Yep. Fila.”

Fila gave a shy wave when she got close enough. A deep blue
scarf covered her head and flowed down to her waist over her worn wool coat. She
couldn’t have been more than twelve, maybe thirteen.

“
Salam
alekum
,” Maya called, and the girl answered in
kind.

Fila’s wide brown eyes regarded Candace with curiosity as she
came up and passed something through the fence to Maya.

In exchange, Maya handed her a few American dollars and a pack
of gum. “Thank you.”

“Wel-come,” the girl answered with a heavy accent and a
grin.

She and Maya exchanged a few words in Dari, the language common
to the people that lived in the area surrounding Bagram. After a minute Fila
raised a hand in farewell and turned back to the road, while Maya and Candace
kept watch. The kid looked so alone. God knew how many miles she’d traveled here
and how many more she’d cover on the way back to her village.

“Doesn’t she have anyone to escort her?” Candace asked, a
little worried. The base perimeter was secure enough most of the time, but not
always. There was still unexploded ordinance, landmines in the surrounding area.
The security checkpoints only helped keep everything safe to a point. Venturing
outside the safety of the base perimeter was like entering the Wild West. Step
outside the wire and your life was at risk, military and civilians alike. Let
alone an unprotected young girl.

“Yeah, but they’re farther behind with the wagon,” Maya
answered. She pointed into the distance. “There they come. The old man there
with the young boy.”

Candace could barely pick them out.

Fila walked up to a group of people setting up a stall near the
middle of the makeshift market. More villagers came into view on the road in the
distance, some on foot and some with donkeys and wagons, all laden with wares
for the day’s sales. Wherever they’d traveled from, it must have been a long,
tiresome journey in the hopes of selling a few items to the soldiers at Bagram.
Most of these people struggled to make enough to feed their families, and the
winter promised to be bitterly cold. Candace hated to think of Fila trudging
back to her village in nothing but that tattered coat and open-toed sandals, or
that she might not have enough to eat.

She checked in her pocket and found some money tucked inside.
“You know, being that you’re not really a good sharer, I could sure use some of
that chai tea you hooked me on.”

Maya quirked a sardonic brow. “That right?”

“Yeah. Tea’s good for me, right?”

“Yeah, pretty good. As long as you use low fat milk and go easy
on the sugar.”

Food
Nazi
. Chuckling, she folded her arms around her
waist and gazed at the girl’s retreating figure. Looked to Candace like she
could use a few high-calorie meals. Surely they could get some chocolate bars
for Fila and her family. “Maybe I could use some jewelry too. A necklace or
something.”

“Huh. And maybe some leather goods?”

“Why not?” Whatever they could roll up tight enough to pass
through the chain-link fence was fine with her.

Grinning, Maya put two fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill
whistle. People nearby looked over at her but she ignored them all, waving her
arm over her head and calling Fila back. Then she winked at Candace. “You’re
such a softie, Ace.”

“I know. But don’t tell anyone.”

“Hell, no. Especially that annoying CCT.” Her eyes were too
knowing. “Better that he doesn’t know, actually. If he found out he’d chew you
up inside of five seconds.”

Probably. Well, her heart, anyway. She fought not to roll her
eyes at her friend’s sarcastic tone. “Yet you think I should do him.” She gave
Maya a teasing nudge.

Maya’s eyes widened in feigned innocence. “I said that? I would
never
say that, let alone suggest such a
thing.”

“Oh, please. Just get your friend back over here so I can do my
good deed and then head back for my shower. I’m freezing my ass off out he—”

A shrill scream ripped through the air. Candace and Maya
whirled around. Fila had thrown herself to the ground and covered her head with
her arms. Candace immediately crouched with Maya and scanned the area for
threats. Then she saw what had frightened the girl so badly and her skin crawled
with hot and cold prickles.

A group of men ran toward the fence, faces covered, weapons
drawn and slung at waist level. Big automatic rifles, like AKs. She’d barely had
time for that to register in her numbed brain when the Security Forces guys
started yelling warnings. Someone fired a warning shot. Maya was shouting at
Fila, waving her arms wildly to get her to flee to somewhere safe.

On instinct, Candace grabbed Maya around the waist and yanked
her to the ground. They hit with a thud just as the shooting started. Maya
shoved away from her. Candace pressed flat to the gravel with her arms braced
over her head as the shots whizzed overhead. Amidst the screams from the women
and children in the market she could hear soldiers yelling behind them, then
feet pounding past her before someone returned fire. The sharp cracks were so
close they made her flinch.

The attackers kept coming. She could hear them screaming as
they charged the fence. There was nowhere for her to go, nothing she could do.
Eyes squeezed shut, she stayed as still as possible beside Maya and held her
breath, heart pounding. She’d seen five men racing toward them, but there might
be others. Were there other attacks happening at more points along the
perimeter?

The volume of fire escalated for a few seconds until the shots
were indistinguishable from one another. Candace didn’t dare turn her head to
look in case it drew attention from the gunmen. She and Maya were totally
exposed out here, with nothing to hide behind and no weapon to protect
themselves with. More shouts broke through the noise of the firefight, and she
thought she heard someone screaming in pain. She forced her eyes open to steal a
peek around her. Maya lay pressed up against her side, frozen in a prone
position. People lay on the ground out in the market, but she couldn’t tell if
they’d been hit.

Then, suddenly, the shots died down. When the troops kneeling
to her right stopped firing altogether, Candace raised her head slightly.

Beside her, Maya stared out past the fence at the carnage
beyond. “Fuckers,” she snarled.

The five gunmen lay dead about fifty meters from the fence
line, their blood staining the dusty ground. Fila lay huddled where she’d
dropped to the dirt. She stirred a little but didn’t get up, and Candace’s heart
lurched. Was she hurt? She couldn’t see any blood.

Before she could roll over, Maya got up and ran for the
fence.

Candace scrambled to her feet, her legs shaky. “Maya!”

Her friend never slowed, never broke her stride as she sprinted
straight for it. Candace lunged toward her. After two steps, the screaming
started again. Her gaze raked over the Afghan civilians outside the fence,
locating a cluster of people dropping to the ground, cowering in fear. Behind
them, three men kneeled at the rear of the market, all but hidden by the stalls.
They were armed.

“Shit,” she breathed, charging after Maya as the troops opened
fire again. “Maya, no! Come back!”

More screams erupted from the market, and then a sharp, hissing
sound sizzled through the air. Something flashed over the fence, exploding
behind her a second later. The force of the blast hit her like a blow. Candace
instinctively ducked as she glanced over her shoulder in shock. Soldiers were
running away from a smoking crater in the pavement next to the MWR building.
Through the smoke and panicked crowd, she saw two people lying nearby, covered
in blood. Others were limping away or being helped to their feet.

Jesus, someone had fired an RPG into the base.

She turned back to find Maya at the fence, yelling to Fila. She
was practically begging to get shot. They had to take cover, now. Candace pushed
to her feet and took a few running steps forward. “Maya, come on! Get back!”
She’d drag her away from that fence if she had to, no matter how hard Maya
fought her.

Three strides from the fence, strong arms suddenly snaked
around her waist and hauled her backward. Swallowing a yelp, she wrenched her
head back and found herself looking up into Ryan’s furious face.

“Get down and stay down,” he snarled, shoving her flat beneath
his big body.

The shock of the cold ground and his heavy weight atop her
disoriented her for a moment. She tried to throw him off. “But Maya—”