Page 38 of Deadly Obsession
“She’s been eating ice cream since we got here. No, it’s more like she was poisoned.” Brian punched the floor beneath him. “We need to get out of here. Go get help. Sera, do you know where James’s keys are? We can untangle Lola from the truck and drive down the mountain.” His eyes were focused and filled with determination.
I nodded once, stood, and ran upstairs to where I knew James liked to hang his keys. By the time I returned, they were both outside. Brian sprawled out in the tray of the truck, and Danielle using the blanket to remove Lola’s corpse from the tow hitch as carefully as possible. I quickly dashed off to help her, gently lowering Lola to the ground and leaving her there beneath the blanket.
“Come on, ladies. We need to be quick about it,” Brian called out, tapping his hand on the body of the truck.
“Sera, I’ll drive. Get in,” Danielle said.
I nodded and turned on my heel to run to the passenger side, my body colliding with Danielle’s. The force knocking me back a step as my feet tripped on something squishy. “Fuck! Gross!” I pushed myself off the truck and circled back around.
I made it one step before Danielle grabbed my shoulders. “You’re in America, Sera. Right side!” she shouted, giving me a small push in the opposite direction.
“Why can’t you Americans drive like everyone else!” I hissed in frustration as I climbed into my seat, feeling very off balance.
With that, Danielle started the engine and we sped down the driveway. Towards what we hoped would be safety.
TWENTY-THREE
JAMES
The room was completely dark, save for the thin razor blade of light coming from below the door. I could hear most of what was happening on the other side. Jade was dead. From what I gathered, it’d happened rather suddenly. Perhaps an allergic reaction but most likely a drug overdose. That was my gut feeling.
This situation was totally fucked. I couldn’t logically be mad at Brian. He’d seen me lay into Robert like a freight train and then found me standing over Lola like that. Her body had still been rather fresh too.
If only he had given me the chance to speak…
“Afghanistan.”
The singular word escaped my lips at the same time an old anger rose in my chest. I took that anger and used it as fuel, enabling myself to slide the knife Sera had slipped me faster against the Shibari rope. I’d been at it for at least ten minutes, trying to cut through enough of the rope before the pieces finally fell to the floor and my arms were free.
I took a moment to stretch and flex my upper body as the feeling returned, then started slicing away at the binding around my legs. I’d just moved on to the second segment ofrope when I heard it. The sound of my custom exhaust roaring to life.
Fuck, my truck!
I considered screaming out but that would be pointless. No one could hear me and I needed to get free!
The moment my legs were loose, I wasted no time sprinting outside to the front porch. “Fuck,” I cursed through gritted teeth.
They’d stolen my truck, likely to try to get help. All I could do was hope they made it. In the meantime, I needed to arm myself and find a vantage point. Unfortunately for me, the only two weapons I’d brought were in that same truck. My shotgun and the hidden Glock I kept in a secret compartment in the back seat.
Thank you, Chevrolet.
I needed to get upstairs and grab my gear, but curiosity got the better of me first. Stepping into the living room, I walked directly up to Jade’s body on the couch, her skin tinged blue.
“Rest in peace.”
I shook my head and turned, making my way upstairs to the main bedroom. I immediately went to the duffle bag situated in the closet, picking it up and dumping the contents out onto the bed. All myMustanggear, apart from my mask.
I put on my combat gear, boots, trousers, body armor, and gloves, my mind wandering to the sandbox in a country I never should have left alive.
Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
15 February 2010
Day three of the operation and my squad had run into a British unit after almost taking each other out in the haze of battle. The enemy had launched a vicious counterattack, composed mostly of suicide bombers. The first two had been children we’d attempted to help out of the area. Asister and brother, both running towards us down the main street. We’d thought nothing of it and ushered them past us. My unit lost six Marines and a Navy Corpsman in that blast as well as two machine guns and our Gunnery Sergeant.
After taking the hit, we bunkered down in a large hut. The plan was to hold tight and allow other allied forces to push past us and then take up the rear as a supporting element.
A few hours into it, we noticed armed figures moving in from the west, working towards our position. In the chaos of battle, it was hard to say who opened fire on who first, but a brief gunfight erupted.
