Chapter 4: Lexa

I couldn't believe it; they were finally letting me see where we were going! I tried to pay close attention to everything so that I would be able to tell Blake exactly where the camp was located so he could finally get me out of here. We left the caves on a dirt road; well, it was more of a cattle trail for about twenty minutes. Then we finally came to a real dirt road and headed south for about an hour and a half, where we passed what I think was the town where the clinic is, but it was dark, and I couldn't be sure. We continued south for about 45 minutes, then headed east. There wasn't really anything to see but the occasional wild goat or abandoned or blown-up house.

We soon began up a mountain trail that led to an overlook where we could see the compound. Omar stopped and ordered everyone out of the van. Once everyone was unloaded and ready, he told me to take my guys and head down to secure the perimeter. He said that Azan knew we were coming but once I was within twenty meters of the gate to flash my light, two short bursts and then three long ones so they wouldn't shoot us. When we made it to the gate, I would be asked a password, which was Rambo. I chuckled to myself at this. Once inside, we made sure everything was secure and then signal for Omar and his guys.

Wow, I can't believe he was trusting me to run this part of the mission. I was pumped, even if it was for Ahmed. I enjoyed doing the covert missions. It was kind of fun even though it was dangerous or would be if I didn't have the info from Blake, but Omar didn't know that. I did precisely as Omar told me. Once inside, I signaled for him, and he brought the van into the compound. My team was on the lookout around the perimeter walls just in case.

When Omar got out of the van, he motioned for me to come with him. His team started loading our van with guns and ammo and then began helping what I assume was Azan's men finish loading up their vehicles. Omar and I headed to the main building and were met by the most beautiful person I had ever seen. Omar introduced her as Ash, Azan's right hand. She didn't look like she belonged here. She was gorgeous. She was taller than me, so she had to be over six feet tall since I was around six feet. Her hair was golden as the sun. It was pulled up in a ponytail and tucked under a hat, and her eyes were the color of the Caribbean Ocean. Her skin was tanned from being in the desert sun. She had an athletic build, and her arms looked like she could lift more than her body weight. I bet under her shirt, she had a six-pack most men would die to have. I shook my head to try and focus. Where had those thoughts come from? I mean, I haven't had thoughts like that since I was back in school. I guess maybe lust was an emotion that couldn't be cut off by flipping a switch.

Omar looked at me and laughed. "What's so funny?" I asked in Arabic.

He smiled and said, "You are looking at Ash like she is your next meal!"

"What, I am not! It's just been a long time since I have seen another woman. Most of our people are guys. There aren't many girls and even fewer women. Also, none of the women at the camp are fighters like me; they are all domesticated and do the cooking and stuff. So, what do you expect? Have you looked at her?"

Ash spoke to Omar in Kurdish, but I could understand her, "Leave her alone, Omar. She is young and green. Besides, it's nice to have a fresh face around and even better to have another female around. So I will take her and show her around and let you oversee the process of packing up."

Omar laughed and said, "Fine, but bring her back in one piece. She can't be more than 18 or 19, and while she has been broken in…." He is interrupted by Ash slapping him in the back of his head, and he walks off laughing. I'm not sure what to think of the conversation, but I can feel my cheeks reddening, and I feel dirty and angry because of his comment about being broken in. After this comment, I'm sure that Ash will never look at me as anything but used and broken. I guess I should get used to this type of thing. It will make it that much harder to keep the monster in the darkness balanced with hope. I'm not sure if she knows I speak Kurdish, so I wait for her to talk to me before saying anything.

Once Omar is out of range, she looks me up and down and says in English, "I'm Ashley Fletcher, but most people call me Ash or Fletch. Don't listen to Omar. He is just mad because he hasn't been able to get into my pants. He believes women should be seen, not heard, and hates the fact that Azan trusts me as his second."

Now I really feel the burn in my cheeks! Then, she laughs and says, "You are cute when you are embarrassed."

I start to stutter, which I never do, and say, "My…my name is Alexandria Sahar Trikru, and everyone just calls me Lexa or hey you."

Again, she laughs. "I think I'm going to like you. Come on, let me show you around. So how did you get involved with Ahmed and Omar?"

"That is a long story and not one I want to share, especially with someone I just met no matter how beautiful you are. Besides, I don't know if I can trust you or if you will just report what I say back to Omar or Ahmed. So how did you end up here? Where are you from?"

Ash looks at me and smirks, "You're smart and right. You shouldn't trust people you don't know. That is my first and biggest rule. So why should I tell you my story if you won't tell me yours?"

I laugh, "I mean, you get to choose what to tell me, and besides, I know you aren't from this country by the color of your skin, hair, and eyes. So why not at least tell me that?"

"Well, you are not only cute but smart too, huh. I could say the same to you. You have the option of telling me only what you want me to know as well. Why don't we start with some easy questions just to get to know one another a little? What do you say? It will at least make the time go by faster."

I couldn't fault her logic, and if I didn't know better, I would think she was flirting with me. That can't be right, though, not after what Omar said, plus she probably has a perfect boyfriend back home. "Fine. The truth is, I really don't know where I'm from or who my parents are. I grew up in an orphanage before joining Ahmed's little gang of merry men."

She looked surprised but said, "I get the feeling there is more to the story than that, but I understand not wanting to share too much. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you at least as much as everyone else knows about me. I grew up in the states in a military family. We moved around a lot, so I became fluent in many languages, and my dad made me train with my brothers on base so that we could all follow in his footsteps and join the army. After both my brothers were killed over here, I refused to join the army. Instead, I joined the Navy to become a Navy Seal not only to piss my dad off but because I wanted to become a Seal Team operator. I didn't want to just be boots on the ground; I wanted to run special operations and make a difference. After my first tour, I was finally chosen to be trained as a Seal like I wanted. After two tours and two years of Seal Team opps, I realized that no one could really make a true difference in this godforsaken country, so I rotated out of the Navy but not before I became an experienced operator and world-class sniper. When I got home, I realized that civilian life just wasn't for me after all I had seen over here, so I answered a job ad on the dark web for mercenaries. I figured why not use my skills to make money, and that's how I ended up here. Now come on, it's getting late."

We spent the next hour walking around the compound as she showed me around. It wasn't a big place, but it had a lot of movement since everything had to be packed up and ready to move by tomorrow night. Since I was the only female except for Ash, it was her job to keep me in line, I guess. Around two hours later, Omar showed back up and said that I needed to get some rest that we would be moving out as soon as it was dark. We would be driving under cover of night, and I would be paired with Ash on an ATV covering the rear of the convoy. I spoke Arabic to Omar and said, "I don't know how to drive. That hasn't been part of my training."

He laughed and said, "I know you will be on the back of Ash's ATV operating the guns. That is something you have been trained to do."

Ash looked at Omar in disbelief, "What the hell? I only ride with people I trust, and I just met her. I don't even know if she can shoot straight. This is not part of my arrangement with Azan. I'm going to talk to him!"

I spoke up, "Oh, I can shoot straight alright, and it's not like I know if I can trust you either." After I said this, I realized I sounded like a spoiled kid.

At this, Omar laughed and told me to go retrieve my men and tell them the plan. They were to finish loading the supplies on the trucks, and then they could sleep in the van on the way to the new location. I thought this was weird because not only do I not have to ride in the back of the truck, I get to be more involved in the operation. Something in my gut was telling me that something was wrong because Omar was trusting me more than expected. I mean, it is incredible and everything, but it just doesn't feel right. It almost feels like I am being set up to fail, and so is Ash. Once I rounded everyone up, I reported back to Omar, who was arguing with Ash in Kurdish.

It seems like Ash wasn't pleased about being partnered up with me. When they saw me approach, they finished up their conversation. Omar looked at me and said that I would do whatever Ash told me to, and I better not screw up. I looked at Ash and then nodded to Omar. As he begins to walk away, Ash said, "Follow me." And not very nicely.

I tried to make small talk as we walked, but I guess she was pissed at the world now. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I don't know why but I want her to like me. I said, "Look, I'm sorry that you are stuck with me, but I promise I won't let you down. I was the best shot out of the recruits, and I won the hand-to-hand combat tournament Omar put on, and I was the only female, so I know how to handle myself."

She just looked at me and laughed, "Well then, I guess I should just believe you are the best since you say so! I'm sorry, it's not just that I'm stuck with you. I have worked hard to get where I am. But, you, of all people, should know how hard it is for a woman to be anything but domesticated here and now everything is changing, and I don't like change. Plus, like I said, my number one rule is to trust no one. Trust is earned, not given."

"I probably understand that more than most people. I don't like change either. In fact, when I was first recruited, I spent all of my time in solitary because I didn't like what I was being told. After all, it was different from everything I had learned up until that point in my life. I didn't have any friends or even any other girls to talk to. I had to be better than everyone, or I would be sent to do what they call 'women's work,' so just know that I will do everything you tell me to do when you tell me to do it, to keep us both safe. I like you and want to earn your trust for some reason, and I don't like many people. We seem to have a lot in common. So just know that I've got your six and promise that I will do everything physically possible to keep you safe and alive."

When we finally stopped, we were at the gun range. I guess she wasn't going to my word for it. She turned suddenly and said, "Look, I didn't get to where I am today by trusting many people, so I'm sorry, but you are going to have to prove yourself to me not with words but with actions. I don't care what Ahmed, Omar, or even Azan say. I won't put my life in someone else's hands unless I know what they are capable of and that I can trust them. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. What do I need to do to prove myself to you?"

"We don't have enough time for that, so instead, you need to prove to me that you can at least shoot and cover my back while we are on the ATV tomorrow night. So, I will set up some targets and give you some night-vision goggles and a gun. All shots must be headshots to proceed. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. So, I must pass your test. What happens if I don't?"

"Well, I haven't worked that part out yet." She said, laughing, "so I guess you better pass!"

I smiled and watched as she set up targets at various locations and distances. Once she was finished, she handed me a set of goggles, turned out the lights, and said that I had two minutes to make it through the course and remember every shot needs to be a kill shot. I counted about 25 targets. Finally, she set her stopwatch, handed me a gun, and said, go. I took a deep calming breath and then squeezed the trigger as fast as possible, hitting all targets through their foreheads before laying the gun down on the table in front of me and saying, done.

She looked at me and then at the range. I looked at her and asked how I did. She just continued to look at the range and finally her watch. She then gave me a smirk and said, "Well, you definitely passed the first round. Now let us see how you do with moving targets. Follow me."

I smiled and followed her, thinking we would set up moving targets, but we walked away from the range toward another building. Once in the building, I saw various ATVs and dirt bikes. She handed me a rifle and straddled one of the ATVs, then patted the seat behind her. I could feel my cheeks starting to burn with embarrassment because one I had never been on one and two, I was going to be awfully close to her. I hesitated a moment, and she laughed and said, "Come on, I won't bite."

I studied her and then the ATV. It looked like it had been modified specifically for two riders, one driver and one gunner. There was a small rotating platform mounted on the back of the ATV where there was a mounted machine gun. There were also places to hold extra guns and ammo and a small seat. She started the vehicle and drove us out of the building. It was just beginning to get dark. She drove us toward the back gate of the compound, where she motioned to the guard to open the gate. About fifty meters outside the gate were life-sized targets just like the shooting range.

She stopped the vehicle and turned to me, and said, "Let's see how many kill shots you can manage while I drive. There are thirty targets, and you have thirty bullets. It's getting dark so use the night vision if you need to." I thought to myself that I can see fine, so I'm not going to use the night vision. I just nodded, letting her know that I was ready, and with that, we were off. She weaved in and out of the targets as I squeezed the trigger and then made a circle around the targets. By the time she was circling, I was out of ammo. When she heard the shooting stop, she slowed down and stopped to check the targets. I just smiled while she stared at them. I had hit everyone center mass just like I always did in training.

"Damn girl, I guess you weren't lying when you said you could shoot!" Ash said, laughing.

I just smiled, "Told you, trust me now?"

"Enough to cover my back-tomorrow night at least, past that I'm still not sure. So now, let's get back and get some sleep. I hope you don't mind sleeping with me…."

I began to stutter as I interrupted, "Wh…What do you mean sleep with you?"

She began laughing so hard I thought she was going to fall off the ATV. "If you would let me finish, I just meant that I hope you are okay with sharing a room with me unless you would prefer to bunk with a bunch of guys you don't know, that is. There aren't a lot of rooms here, and I'm the only female."

It was a quick ride back to the compound, where we parked the ATV, and I grabbed my pack then followed Ash to her room. I was surprised at how small it was since she was Azan's right hand, I figured it would be more significant than mine back at the place I now called home, but it wasn't by much. There was a cot on the left with a dresser next to it. Then a couch with a TV across from it. It was cozy.

I jumped when she closed the door. She smirked at me and told me to just put my pack down wherever, and she would take the couch. I tried to argue and say that I didn't mind the sofa because I could sleep just about anywhere, but she wasn't having it. So I sat my pack down beside the bed and then began to lay down. When I looked up, she was just staring at me. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Don't you want to shower or change before bed?"

"We were told to bring only essential gear, and Omar didn't inform us that we would be staying overnight, so I didn't bring any extra clothes or personal items. I was just going to sleep in my undershirt and boxers." I said, looking at the floor.

"I mean, that's fine with me, or I can let you borrow some clothes to sleep in, and you can use my shower. I think there is even an extra toothbrush in there you can have."

I wasn't sure what to say, so I just nodded. She went to the dresser and pulled out a wife-beater, a pair of basketball shorts, and a brand-new pair of boxers still in the package. Then she just pointed to the bathroom door and said for me to go first.