Sacrifices
Chapter 29
Disclaimer: Khalid, Adara, Zek, and the story are mine. Ranger and Steph belong to her.
A/N: I know! I'm sorry! Let's see what has gone on with me, since you last heard from me. I started a fulltime job. I messed up my back in August and dealt with flair-ups until January, when a disk ruptured, and I had to have surgery 9 days later. I tried writing while I was laid up on leave, but pain meds and writing are not a good combination. (Just ask Jenrar. Even IM conversations were quite funny.)
I am almost back to normal now and should be starting back to work this week. *fingers crossed* I'll work for 2 months and will be off until August.
The good news...Sacrifices is finished. I'm sending the final chapter to Jenny the Wonder Beta tomorrow and will post the last chapter this week! As long as the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise.
Many thanks go to my wonderful Beta and Bestie Jenny! You rock, Babe!
Ranger's POV
I had the information I needed. The key to my freedom. All I needed to do was go pick Khalid up and turn him over to General Marshal. But why did turning this man in...make me feel like the enemy? When did this mission become so morally gray?
I pushed back from the bank of computers, calling for someone in the other room to come and relieve me. I stepped outside into the hall, calling General Abrams to tell him I was on my way up to his office and to start the process of releasing the girls.
Making my quickly through the maze of halls, I paused outside the office, breathing a sigh of relief. Soon, I would take Steph home and we could start our life together, without all of this shit hanging over my head.
I knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before I heard the general's gruff, "Come in."
"Sir," I said as I stepped into the room. "I will be leaving soon to go retrieve a suspect. If it isn't too much to ask, I'd like you to release Adara and send her home and send Steph back to our hotel. Tell her to wait for me there." I pulled a gun and Steph's hotel key from my pockets. "Here is Steph's room key and a gun for her."
I could see his hesitation before he spoke. "Does she know how to handle a weapon? I can't just go around handing guns over to civilians."
"She's been properly trained, and I really must insist that she keep it on her at all times."
"I've already sent someone down with their clothes. Are you sure you don't want to wait for her? She should be ready to leave in a few minutes."
"No, it's safer for her to not accompany me on this part of the assignment. I need one more favor, General." I waited for his nod before continuing with my request. "Don't give Adara back her cell phone. I know it was sent over with her personal belongings, but tell her it's been misplaced and that you will return it to her as soon as it shows up. I can't risk her warning the suspect."
The general gave me a nod. "I'll send Private Williams to escort Ms. Majidah and Private Jones to escort Ms. Plum."
His intercom chirped, and he hit a button and heard, "General, the female prisoners are on their way to your chambers."
His finger released the button. "If you don't want them going with you, you'd better leave leave now."
I saluted the man that had bent over backwards to help us. "Thank you, sir," I told him before turning and my heel and rushing to the SUV.
Sometime later...
I stopped the vehicle several houses down from the address Adara had given before getting out and walking up to the house. Steph's spidey-sense must have been wearing off on me because I'd felt like something was off since the moment I stepped outside the car.
Glancing at the front door confirmed my suspicions. The door was ajar.
I pulled my gun from its holster and quietly made my way inside. I moved as soundlessly as possible, checking each room as I worked my way through the house. At the sound of movement, I stopped just outside of what I assumed was a den.
"It's about time you joined the party, Carlos," Zek's voice rang out.
I stepped into the room, my gun pointed at Zek.
"Drop your weapon, or I'll put a bullet between his eyes," Zek snarled.
He moved out of the way, letting me see Khalid handcuffed to a chair. His head was hanging down in what seemed to be a semiconscious state. I noted blood dripping from several cuts on his face and torso.
I lowered my gun and bent down to place it on the ground. As I stood back up, I tapped a button on the recorder I'd slipped into my pocket. "Zek, what happened to you?"
"What happened to me!? What happened to you?" he growled, pointing the gun in my direction. "You were the perfect solider: no attachments, no entanglements, no emotional ties. Then that bitch entered the picture, and all of a sudden, you turned soft."
I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "You are using that as an excuse, old man. We both know the reason you're here is because of Adara. You want her for yourself. Isn't that the real reason that all of this started?"
"She's mine. She's always been mine."
"Explain it to me, Zek. Because from where I'm sitting, she belongs to him." I tilted my head in Khalid's direction and was surprised to find him watching us.
Khalid was fighting to stay conscious and glaring at Zek through the blood and sweat dripping down his face. He growled, "She never listened to me. I told her you were obsessed with her. That you wanted a relationship with her, even when she was a mere child. I saw the way you looked at her. Anyone with eyes could see the way your eyes lingered."
"She wanted me to...until you came along." Zek screamed as he turned to backhand Khalid.
I decided to pull Zek's attention back to me. "So she met Khalid and fell in love. What happened next, Zek?"
"She wasn't happy. They would fight and she would cry. I cherished those times because it allowed me to comfort her. It also reaffirmed that she really did love me. She just hadn't realized it yet." He took a breath before continuing. "I knew that if I could just get her away from him, she would come running to me."
Khalid lifted his head off his chest. "It was you? You framed me for the bombing?"
"Adara helping you was the one thing I never saw coming."
"She loves him," I interjected, trying to pull Zek's rage away from the man strapped to the chair.
"Love... They don't even know what love is. Their parents pushed them together. Though I assure you, once her father learned of Khalid's treachery, he changed his mind."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Khalid yelled. "Her father helped hide us after I was wrongly accused."
I wished I could get Khalid to shut the hell up. A few more punches to his face and he might not survive this. "How did you do it, Zek? For that matter, why did you do it? Why did you betray our country? How did you ever get it in your sick, demented head that killing U.S. soldiers was the best way to win Adara's affection?" I had to know his reasoning.
"You think I hatched up this whole elaborate plot just to win her affection? I've been working both sides for years, Carlos. My loyalty has been available to the highest bidder for a long time. I can't believe the U.S. Army's best-paid soldier had no idea what was going on under his nose. Al-Queda paid me to set up the bombing of the USS Cole as a show of force. They paid me a handsome reward. Setting up the fool was just icing on the cake."
He pulled out his gun and aimed it Khalid. "Now, it's his time to die!"
I jerked my head at Khalid, hoping he'd understand what I wanted him to do, before I rushed Zek, barreling into him like a linebacker and knocking the gun off target. We crashed to the floor and the gun fell from his hand.
Zek snarled, "You stupid son of a bitch. I treated you like my own son."
We wrestled around, both trying to get the upper hand. Zek managed to get to his knees. I kicked out, knocking him backwards a few feet and allowing me to kip up from my back to my feet.
I could tell that Khalid was desperately trying to free himself from the chair, but there was little I could do to help him. Zek lunged for me, slamming his fists into my ribs. I used my arms to block his punches before landing my own. I didn't want to kill him. My goal was to arrest him and let him pay for his crimes.
He kicked out, but I grabbed his leg and pushed him backwards. Khalid shot a leg out, tripping Zek. To my horror, Zek fell on the gun I'd knocked from his hand earlier and picked it up before I could react.
He turned the gun toward me just as I heard someone turn the corner.
Steph screamed my name right as a shot pierced the air.
TBC...
A/N: dun...dun...dun...
Yes I know it's a cliffhanger, but it's the last one in this story. I couldn't resist one more. :)
Tune in Friday morning...same bat time...same bat channel.
*smooches*
Now hit the review button and tell me who you think got shot!
