I sighed. “I have to go.”
“Wow. He’s got that kind of control over you?”
“You don’t understand…”
“You’ll have to tell me sometime then.”
“Maybe I will,” I said, not breaking eye contact.
“Come on, Warren! Now!” Melvin bellowed.
“I’ll take you on a date tomorrow or later this week,” I said.
Rose tilted her head to the left and peered at me. “A date?”
I grinned. “A working date. I’ll get you into a nearby village that’s friendly to our side. They might answer your questions and help with your story.”
She nodded. “That would be wonderful. Thanks. Thanks for everything.”
“No problem. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Tomorrow.”
“Come on, Warren, you shithead!”
I rolled my eyes.
Rose laughed and then turned to go inside the mess hall.
What the fuck does he want now? I wondered as I walked back toward Melvin, regretting getting involved with him.
CHAPTER 4
Warren
The next day, I convinced Jacoby to let me take Rose to a nearby village so small that it wasn’t even on the maps. I told him it would keep her under control and happy. To my surprise, he agreed.
I went to tell Rose the good news.
Part of my attraction to her was the fact she was the only American woman for miles around, but more than that, I found her interesting. For one, she had traveled thousands of miles from her home to one of the most dangerous places in the world. That took guts.
As I walked toward her sleeping quarters, I wondered where she stayed in New York and whether she’d left a boyfriend behind. The closer I got, the more questions floated through my brain. Getting answers would not be a bad way to spend the day with her.
I stopped in front of her CHU and knocked on the door. It opened right away. She stood in the doorway, dressed in camouflage pants with another ill-fitting t-shirt.
“Yeah?” she asked. “I’m busy right now.”
“You don’t want to go to the village?”
“Oh! You were being serious?”
“Yeah. I got permission from the CO. He doesn’t want me in civilian garb, but I know the village elders here. They’ll talk to you.”
She stared into my eyes. I swore I could see the gears turning in her head.
“Okay,” she said after a few tense and silent moments.
“Great. You ready now or you got something else to do?”