Page 26 of Protecting Hailey

Then, gunfire exploded inside the building next to me, where Jordan hid.

No!

I ran across the building and jumped out the window into the dusty street.

“Machado, this is Sergeant Grelo. Abort mission. Get out of there.”

“I can make it, sir. I’m only a few feet away.”

“The enemy has Jordan. The rescue mission is over. We will reassess back at camp.”

They had a tracking device on me, so I didn’t bother replying. They’d see me still moving toward Jordan’s building. I had to try to save him. He was one of my brothers.

“This is an order, soldier. Stand down.”

His words stopped me in my tracks. Not only was it my father’s voice that I heard through the radio, but my body had been trained since I was a child that I never disobeyed a direct order.

Shouting reached my ears, and I knew in a matter of minutes the soldiers who had Jordan would soon be after me. They must have heard my earlier shots, or someone would have notified them on their radios.

Despite the overwhelming instinct to storm the building and rescue Jordan, my training was stronger. I turned around and ran back through the empty town and down the hill where I’d left my vehicle. I’d never been sent on a mission alone, but this was a desperate circumstance, and we knew there was little time to wait for backup. The slim chances of success were little comfort to me as I imagined the sort of torture Jordan would be going through.

I dropped my head on the steering wheel and screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed and screamed until my throat burned and my voice strained. I shook the wheel and threw my head back, tears streamed down my face.

***

My hand was wet when I wiped it across my face.

Fuck

I had the dream again. It had been four years, and I still couldn’t let it go. I rubbed my face and climbed out of bed. A cold shower always helped wash the demons away and start fresh.

I decided to check on Hailey first.

I slowly turned the brass knob on her door and peeked inside. She slept quietly in her bed, and her breathing sounded a lot better.

Returning to my room, I showered, dressed in a gray suit and black shirt. I’d packed cologne. It was part of my traveling case, but I rarely wore it. Today, however, I reached for it and sprayed it once on my shirt.

I hadn’t remembered the last time I cared about what I smelled like. Hanging around celebrities must be rubbing off on me because it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that I noticed exactly how she smelled.

White tea with a hint of sage.

8

Hailey

I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands and stretched my back. A dull pain burned in my shoulder, and I belatedly remembered my stab wound. I nearly rolled my eyes, calling it that. I’d been stabbed with a wooden knife; it wasn’t a blade or anything like that.

The wound had nearly healed, but yesterday’s performance tore it open. It bled a little bit, but nothing more serious than that.

No. The worst part of yesterday was… well, where did I begin? Was it the lip-sync debacle? The social media backlash? Or was it when my boyfriend decided to step back when things got tough? Maybe we should take a little break… Talk soon, babe.

I slapped my pillow, thinking back on his words.

Ah! The nerve!

I cleared my throat and discovered it didn’t burn like yesterday. My nose wasn’t completely stuffed up, and other than a lingering headache, I felt a lot better.

At least there was that.

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