Page 2 of The Writer
Having had the plan confirmed, I grab Ivy again, leading her away and towards the vehicle.
“We’re just leaving?” she questions.
The sound of gun fire crackles through the air the second she said it, making her startle. “Do you have a better plan?” I grit, marching her towards the relative safety of an armoured vehicle. The rest of the team fall in around us.
“I don’t like running.”
“No, but I don’t see you making a whole lot of smart decisions out here, either.”
“You don’t know what my plan is.” She argues as she climbs up into the vehicle.
“You’ve already said the plan fell apart. I’ve seen enough to know I don’t want to engage in a firefight if I can help it. You should use some of those smarts. Let’s just follow Tanner’s plan and hope to see Kabul by morning.” I shove my bag down and keep hold of the assault rifle AJ gave me.
“Fine.” She crosses her arms as I get comfy beside her and watch AJ and Cole climb in.
Dougie gives me a wicked look from the front. “Buckle up, it’s gonna get bumpy.” And I know he’s not messing around. Dougie can drive anything on any terrain, but that doesn’t mean I like being his passenger. He shoves the Fox into gear, and we’re speeding off in the opposite direction of the blocked road.
This wasn’t how I planned tonight. Hell, I don’t think any of the team thought it would end like this. A simple recon job. There’d been chatter about Asif, but nothing concrete. The army has been drawing back and isn't active in all the regions, but working over here is still a huge risk, and I’m smart enough to know when I might need an armed escort. Tonight, a simple checkpoint and recon job got blown to bits thanks to Asif and the men that held Ivy.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Ivy snaps at AJ. “And point your gun somewhere else.”
He just shakes his head, but Cole's head tips up at her attitude. “Believe it or not, we just saved your arse. Stop acting like a princess.” Cole’s always the stoic one of the crew, so he must be riled to speak up.
Suddenly, we’re all flung forward, and we crash down a dip in the ground and then back up.
“Sorry, Sarge, visibility is shit,” Dougie mutters.
“Just get us to that village; we can wait until dawn and drive the long route back.”
I keep my eyes forward and my hand on my gun. It’s been a while since I was in active combat, but some things you can’t forget.
As we get used to the motion of the Fox, we all settle, and I can sense the adrenalin fading from Ivy. Her shoulders have dropped, and despite being rocked about, she looks about ready to drop.
Forty minutes into the drive, Dougie eventually eases off the throttle, and I assume it’s because we’re approaching the village. An armoured patrol vehicle thundering into town in the middle of the night is bound to raise suspicion. Stealth will need to be our friend tonight.
“Are we there?” Ivy rouses, her eyes darting around the interior.
“Soon.”
“And what’s the plan? I’m guessing the safe house doesn’t double as a hotel.” She looks expectantly at me, and I hold in the remark that would wipe her sassy little smile from her face.
“The hotels will have to wait until morning. Tanner?”
“If we’re lucky, we find cover for the Fox, and the safe house isn’t compromised. If it is, the Fox will have to do.”
“Right,” she answers.
The pace slows to a crawl over the next few minutes. Instead of calming us, it just raises the tension, as we all anticipate something going south.
“Where was your meeting set up with Asif?” I ask, unable to take the atmosphere any longer.
She looks away, obviously not prepared to discuss too much detail. “I tracked him to their compound. Reached out with an offer to talk, and he accepted.”
“But you said he thought you were a spy,” AJ joins in.
“We’d barely begun talking. But he knew who I really was rather than the alias I fed him.”
“And if his men find out a spy has escaped, everyone in this region will be on the lookout for you. Nobody likes to cross Asif. He’s threatening to destabilise this area.” My conclusion has my grip on the rifle in my hand tightening. Lying low might not work. All it will take is a lookout or nosey neighbour to put a call in, and our position will be loud and clear.
