The anger swells in me like a storm as I think of that little girl, her mother now in utter despair. I take one more hard shot at him and feel his jaw crack beneath my knuckles. He wails loudly and I notice Thomas flinching.
The insurgent’s will is completely broken. He’s now obedient, his face bloodied and swollen. I pull him toward me, close enough that our nostrils nearly touch, and I jerk his chin so that his eyes meet mine. In this moment, I’ve nearly lost all control. I am standing on the edge of a cliff and the wind is picking up.
“I will fucking destroy you. Do you understand me?” I raise my fist again and he cowers back into the seat.
“Navas, come down here real quick,” I say. He removes himself from the turret strap and joins me outside the vehicle. He looks at me, wide-eyed and nervous, as if he knows what’s to come. I pull in close to his ear. “This isn’t good, man.”
“I know,” he whispers.
“Fucking rules of engagement. If the higher-ups see you shot that fucker in the back with no weapon, we’re fucked.” My mind races to come up with a plan as I do my best to stifle my concern.
“What do you think we should do?” His voice cracks, and the look in his eyes lets me know immediately that his children are on his mind—and the fact that he could get five to seven years of hard time at Fort Leavenworth. Tears well in his eyes.
I think for a moment, peering off toward the other Humvees, which are merely specks in the distance. I then look out the other direction to a large palm grove, the biggest of the lot, located just a few hundred feet away and dense with foliage.
“We are far enough that they can’t see us. You radio in and tell them we found two insurgents with a sniper rifle and small arsenal. We exchanged fire, killed one of them, and the other one surrendered after a scuffle. Have them call it up to headquarters and get a disposal team down here.” I take a second to look into Navas’s eyes to ensure he understands. “I’m going to take care of the other body.”
“Fight Song” – Rachel Platten
“SO, YOU GIRLS GOT ANY big plans this weekend?”
“Nope.” Shoving the last of the leftovers in the refrigerator, I shut the door and then pause. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had actual plans aside from hanging out with Wyatt. “When do I ever have plans?” Pulling out a chair at the table, I plop down and take a drink of my water.
Maggie turns her inquisitive gaze to Bailey, who is currently shoveling a bite of brownie into her mouth. Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she looks at us sheepishly. “No plans,” she mumbles.
Swallowing her bite, her gaze locks on mine. She looks a little nervous, almost hesitant, and I offer her a small smile, my eyes as open and inviting as I can get them. Because I’m truly glad she accepted my invitation to come here tonight. Her eyes flash with an unknown emotion and a tentative smile tugs at the corner of her mouth.
Bailey had been avoiding me, and rightfully so, and I ended up having to play hardball to get her to sit down and talk to me. I knew I had been wrong so I wasn’t above a little bit of groveling, even though the thought of apologizing nearly killed me. It’s difficult to swallow your own pride, but I knew it had to be done. So I showed up at Mom’s early one morning, like most other mornings, only this time I had already taken care of the horses and I was waiting inside when Bailey crawled out of bed.
Her steps had faltered when she walked into the kitchen to find me sitting at the table with Mama, eating a bowl of cereal. I could see it in her eyes, the urge to flee, and I knew that it was now or never, so I did the only thing I could think of doing. Flinging myself from the chair, I rushed t
o my sister, wrapped her in my arms and apologized for being such a bitch. But more than that, I begged her to forgive me and promised that I was going to make things right. I knew that we weren’t going to just snap back into place, and I knew I was going to have to work at earning her trust and friendship back, but it was a start. We talked for two hours that morning before I finally had to leave for work, but by the time I left, I really think she had a better understanding of what I had been going through after Dad died—and vice versa.
“You know what you guys need?” My mouth waters when Maggie snaps off a bite of her licorice, my eyes following the delicious red rope as she waves it in the air.
“A piece of that,” I answer, trying to snatch the yummy goodness from her hand. Bailey laughs heartily and Maggie bats me away playfully before pulling an extra piece out of the bag and handing it to me.
“You’re an addict.”
“I am.” I nod in agreement then bite off a chunk of my cherry-flavored kryptonite.
“You girls need a night out on the town.”
Bailey and I both answer at the same time, only her answer is an enthusiastic “Yes!” and mine is a very firm “No!” They both turn to look at me.
“Why not? It would be fun.” Bailey nods in agreement to what Maggie says, but I just shake my head.
“I’ve been so tired lately, I can barely make it through work these days.” The evil twins give me a pointed look. “I know, I know. I’ve already started cutting back my hours. No more extra shifts.”
“I’m glad,” Bailey says softly. “You really had me worried there for a while.”
“I told you I’ve been working on things and I meant it.” She watches me inquisitively and then nods before popping another bite of brownie in her mouth. It was much easier convincing Mom that I was trying to turn things around than Bailey, and I make a mental note to try and do a few extra things to strengthen her belief in me.
“So—” My phone vibrates, skidding across the table, and Maggie stops talking, picks it up and flips it open.
“Hey!” Reaching across the table, I yank it from her hand. The sight of his name on my screen causes me to clench my teeth in frustration, and I let out a loud huff as I type out a quick response.
“Who is it?” Bailey asks, looking at me curiously. When I lock eyes with Maggie, I know instantly that she saw who it was from.