Chapter 37
That day's ride hadn't been an easy one. Victor was still weak although he swore he was fine. Mac just decided to make more potty stops than normal so they would have more rest breaks that usual.
He knew what she was up to, Victor had been on the road with her enough to know that she was making about twice the normal amount of stops. But if the truth were known he was grateful for each small rest period. He didn't want to admit just how much he needed them, but he would never forget that Mac knew him so well that she would do this for him and not injure his pride by letting it be known that he needed them. How he loved that woman! He would find a way to make this situation work no matter what!
They made camp that night knowing that even if Mac's potty stops were as frequent as they had been that day they should arrive at their destination by mid to late afternoon the next day. As the two adults were wrapped in erotic dreams of each other, AJ and Clay arrived in Iraq.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
2255 Iraq Time Zone
Army base
As the final leg of their long and tiring journey to Iraq was nearing its end AJ and Clay changed into their "desert garb". AJ was a bit surprised at Clay's gear, if he hadn't known better he would have taken Webb for a native. That was until his gaze reached Clay's feet. The boots he was wearing cost more than every pair of shoes AJ owned put together! He had to hide a smile that the spy couldn't completely give up his expensive tastes even on a rescue mission.
The two of them hadn't talked much on the trip; most of the conversation had been reserved for where and when their connecting flights would be. The early part of the journey each had still been lost in thoughts of whether they had cleared up all that they needed to before leaving the States. Of course both of them were worried about Mac in their own way, Clay's worry was focused on the child she was carrying, while AJ worried about how she was holding up in the desert on horseback in her condition, but then he reminded himself that she was a Marine and Gunny would be with her to help if she needed it. During the middle part of the trip both men took every chance they had to rest so they would be able to begin their search as soon as they arrived. And on the final leg, they dressed and checked that their equipment was ready to go.
Colonel Davies stood on the tarmac watching the young men in uniform get off the plane. He was waiting for a two star Admiral and a CIA Deputy Director to disembark. When he saw two nomads get off the plane he wondered what the hell was going on until one of them stopped one of Davies' men and were pointed in his direction.
As the men walked towards him, Davies revised his assessment of Chegwidden and Webb a bit. At least they knew how to dress for the desert. He was just wondering if the taller or shorter man was the Admiral when the tall one arrived where he was standing and offered his hand. "Colonel Davies?" at his confirming nod the taller man went on, "I'm Admiral Chegwidden and this is Mr. Webb."
"Its good to meet you both and I have everything that you asked for ready to go, but are you sure you wouldn't want to rest or eat first?" he asked them.
"No we want to get underway as soon as possible. If you'll show us on a map the areas that you have already covered in your search and where you know they were headed it could save us a lot of time," AJ said.
"Sir, until you said that you were coming to start a search for them, I hadn't sent anyone out looking for the two of them. The only ones that I sent out were to the village where the jeep broke down to bring it back. So there hasn't been much ground covered in a search yet," Davies admitted.
To Be Continued….