Page 4 of Bullets and Dandelions

Pushing my breasts up with my right arm, I wiggled like crazy and managed to squeeze through. Ouch! I had scraped off a good deal of skin in the process.

I jerked on the gun belt and heaved a sigh of relief as it followed me into the smaller cave. Well, that was fun. I stood there and looked around. Sunlight poured through an opening in the roof. If things got nasty, it was an escape route. No sign of spiders or any other kind of critters.

My gaze settled on the water cascading down the rocks into a small pool. I did a fist pump. “Yes, there is a God.” I propped my rifle against the wall and dropped the gun belt next to it. I couldn’t resist the siren call of the water any longer. Pulling off my boots and socks I jumped in and sucked in a startled breath. Cold! It was so cold. I sloshed over to the waterfall, filled my canteen and drank my fill. Pure ambrosia.

Smiling like a loon, I stuck my head under the water and let all the sweat and sand wash away. Damn, that felt good, but my toes were going numb. I climbed out of the pool.

The wind whistled shrilly as the storm hit, but luckily, none of the sand came into the cave.

Taking out my satellite phone, I checked the weather conditions, and grimaced. The wind was clocked at over 100mph. Was my competition caught out in the sandstorm, or had they found cover?

A low beep sounded from my phone. I checked the message. The coordinates for my pickup location had been changed. My shoulders slumped. I now had an eighteen-mile hike. Was Captain Harris responsible for the change or was it my father’s idea. The bastard was determined to make me quit. I acknowledged the change.

My stomach rumbled hungrily. I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning, and I couldn’t afford to lose any more weight. All these missions were taking a toll on me. What I really needed was some down time. Would I get it? Not a chance.

I pulled the squashed package of tuna and crackers out of my waistband. I studied it for a moment and sighed. The chocolate bar was a melted mess. It was supposed to be my treat for the day. How had my life become so complicated?

I collapsed on the sand and carefully tore open the MRE package. Damn, the crackers were crushed. Using the plastic fork, I stirred the crackers crumbs into the tuna and wolfed it down. I eyed the squishy candy. Chocolate oozed out of the wrapper. What the hell. I crammed it in my mouth and ate the candy, paper and all.

My phone beeped again. I checked the messages. Captain Harris wanted to know if I had any contact with a Marine Force Recon team.No,I typed and hit send.

His response?Avoid them at all costs.

I didn’t answer him. Why was a female sniper such a big secret? I laid my head back against the cool rock floor and closed my eyes.

“Clear,” A male voice shouted.

I shot upright. Shit! The Marines were here. I glanced at my watch. Ugh. I had only been asleep for twenty minutes. Bet they were a bit sand blasted.

“What info do we have on the hostile, Johnson?” The man’s low, gravelly voice sent goosebumps over my body.

“Not much, Sergeant. The boot prints belong to a size six military boot, and I tracked him to this cave,” Johnson answered.

A deep voice shot back, “Him? The scuttlebutt says the Scorpion is a woman.”

“There’s not a female alive that can pass sniper’s training, Rodriquez,” the sergeant spat in disgust.

I scowled. What a dick.

“You sure about that, sir,” Rodriquez replied. “This is an awfully small ghillie suit, the backpack has U.S. Army stamped on it, and these are tampons.”

I smothered a groan. How had they found everything so fast. And why hadn’t the damn spiders bit them?

“Sonovabitch. Find her.”

“Her boot prints lead to that slot in the wall,” Johnson said.

Someone let out a whistle. “Only a midget could squeeze through that opening.”

“I’m Sergeant Alexander Stone of the U.S. Marine Corps. Get your ass out here, soldier. We aren’t the Taliban, and I want to know what happened to the rest of your team.”

I snorted. What team?

“I outrank you, soldier,” Sergeant Stone snapped. “Youwillanswer my questions. Does your team need to be rescued, or did you get separated from them?”

I let silence be my answer. They were too big to fit through the slot and I had my orders.

“You can’t stay in there forever.”

---