Chapter 6: Lexa
When I exit the bathroom, Ash looks deep in thought. I stand there for a few seconds and just take in her beauty. I'm not sure why she makes me feel like I have butterflies in my stomach. I have never felt this way before. It is probably just because she is beautiful and has been somewhat nice to me, not to mention that it has been a long time since I have seen another female. I clear my throat and mumble, thank you, as I walk to her bed. As I cross the room, I can feel her staring at the marks on my body, but thankfully she doesn't ask how I got them. I know that it will eventually come up, but I'm glad she doesn't ask now. I hate that the scars are there and I know that once people find out how I got them, all I will see in their eyes is pity. I don't want to be remembered for my scars or how I got them. That is why I try to keep them covered. If you can't see them, then you can't ask about them. Right?
I lay down and turn to face the wall. I hear Ash get up and gather her clothes before closing the door to the bathroom behind her. The next thing I know, she is waking me up, saying I have thirty minutes until we leave. I must have died once I hit the bed. Because when I look around the room, everything is gone except the bed, and mine and her backpack.
I start to remove my borrowed clothes, but she quickly tells me to keep them. I smile and pick up my clothes, and begin to dress. I pull my clothes on over the ones she gave me. I'm not sure why. Maybe I didn't want to undress in front of her or that I just wanted a piece of her close as a good luck charm. Whatever the reason, once dressed, I begin to sort my gear and attach my weapons where they need to be. Ash walks in and hands me a flak jacket and helmet with night vision attached and an earpiece to communicate during the ride if needed. I pull the jacket over my head, and I hear her start chuckling. I look up only to realize that I have put it on backward. I just look at the floor with my cheeks burning, thinking what an idiot I am.
She just shakes her head and says, "I take it you've never worn one of these before."
My cheeks are as hot as a burning fire now, but I answer, "No, I haven't. Can you tell? Only Omar and his guys are allowed to wear them. The rest of us are expendable."
"Well, if you are going to be sitting behind me, I prefer you have one. Let me help you with it, and then grab your gear and follow me."
I do as I'm told and follow her to the building where we picked up the ATV last night. I could get used to following her. I like to watch the way her ass moves as she walks. Wait, what am I thinking? I need to focus and quickly. Once inside, I see Omar and the rest of my guys. Ash tells me to put our bags in the van and wait for her while she talks to Omar.
I did, then waited within hearing distance of them. Again, they were speaking Kurdish, and Omar was being vulgar. He told Ash that I was still in one piece, so I must not be her type. I still don't understand his insinuations and why it bothers me so badly but whatever. Ash just punched him in the gut and asked what his problem with me is. It was all I could do to contain my laughter, but I wanted to hear his answer. After recovering from the punch, he said that I was a troublemaker when I was 'recruited,' but once he found out that I was a girl, he was able to break me in and convert me to the cause. He went on to say that even though he enjoyed 'breaking me in,' he still doesn't trust me no matter how much info I bring them from town. She just gave him a look and said, "great, you don't trust her, but I'm supposed to trust her with my life?"
That hurt! I thought I had proved myself to her last night, whatever. I just hope that she doesn't realize what Omar means by 'breaking me in.' I will do whatever I need to keep my promise to her. Omar just told her to relax and that if the intel was good, we shouldn't have any problems, just an easy convoy to the new location.
Once Ash was finished with Omar, she walked over to me and said to follow her. She led me over to a table full of supplies and guns. She handed me a small hydration backpack with a few protein bars and some extra ammo. Then she proceeded to strap knives and guns to my hips and legs and attached ammo and grenades to my flak jacket. She then did the same to herself and again said to follow her.
I followed her over to the same ATV from last night, except it had been heavily modified. Now attached to the railing on the back was a machine gun and a place for extra ammo. It also has a slot to hold my rifle. On the front, there was also a gun rack and what I assume is a bulletproof shield. She or someone had also had armor plating added to the gas tank and covering as much of the tires as possible to still allow for mobility. I was impressed. Just then, Omar started yelling orders. First, an armored hummer would take the lead, followed by the box trucks, then the van with my guys, and then we were to bring up the rear.
Ash looked at me and said, "You ready for this?"
I smiled and looked her in her beautiful blue eyes and said, "I've got your six, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."
"Well, okay then, there are a few things we need to do before we leave. We will catch up to them shortly. Go over to the closet and grab the duffle bags of C-4 and bring them to me."
I gave her a questioning look but did as I was told. Once I handed her the duffle bags, she asked if I knew how to rig it up. I nodded yes. She then gave me a duffle and said to rig up this building and the one with the room where we had slept, and she would handle the rest. She said to meet her back here in five minutes. I nodded, starting the task I was given.
I waited for her to get onto the ATV, then I followed and made sure everything was secure and ready to fire if need be. Then we were speeding out the front gates, and a few minutes later, the compound exploded. She stopped long enough to tell me that we would be heading south for about two hours, bypassing the only town between here and the new location. Then, not far below the town, we would go through a small valley and cross the river, and then we would head north for about another three hours. She went on to say that the only place she was worried about was bypassing the town and going through the valley. Apparently, to the east of town was a military base, and we would be reasonably close to it. She was worried about snipers and patrol details near the base and going through the valley.
After about an hour and a half, we pulled over to the side of the so-called road we were on for a break and quick bite. Omar said to take my guys and scout up ahead to make sure the road was clear. He said we were getting close to where we needed to pass between the town and the military base, and we needed to make sure we didn't run into any of their night patrols. I started toward the van when Ash grabbed my arm and stopped me. As she did, she told Omar to get someone else to do it. I was her partner on this operation, and that I would be staying with her throughout it. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there looking between the two of them. Finally, Omar told me to go to the van and get Reed. As I walked away, I could hear them arguing, but when I returned, all Ash said for me to follow her.
As Reed took the guys up the road to scout, we took the ATV and scouted off-road a bit and then back up the other side in a big circle. Ash said she didn't trust anyone, so she preferred to double-check. We didn't find any signs of trouble on our loop and the boys reported back that it was all clear, so we headed south to the valley. After about another hour, we reached the edge of the valley. It wasn't really that deep of a valley, but it did dip enough to potentially give an advantage to anyone trying to stop our convoy.
Once again, we pulled over and stopped. This time Omar sent some of his people to check ahead. I guess he didn't trust the younger ones to know what to look for in the hills. Ash took this opportunity to tell me to keep my eyes open and use my night vision to constantly scan the mountain. She said something didn't feel right to her, so I needed to be on my toes. All I could think was I cannot let anything happen to her; I must keep her safe at any cost. So I immediately started scanning the hills.
