his wide shoulders bang and scrape along the walls until he spotted the open door. Her cries for help filled the corridor. His eyes widened as he prepared for the unexpected before he swung into the room.
“Justice. Oh, hal’lúkah , praise God it’s you.” A saturated layer of cotton stuck against Batya’s skin.
Rectangular openings cut out of the mud structure on either side of the ten by ten foot room were covered with loose-flapping cloth. They restricted air circulation, but provided concealment against prying eyes.
“Finally, you’re awake,” Justice whispered as he peeked through both openings. Neighbors were few and far between, but spies were everywhere.
“Where are we?” she asked. Suddenly, she shot up from the bed. “Did you call the doctors? Justice I asked you not to.” Her eyes wild with fright.
Justice eased her back onto the firm mattress in the middle of the room. The low ceilings caused him to have to duck, but over the last four days he’d grown accustomed to it.
“Baby, quiet please. No, I didn’t call the Agency’s doctor.” He motioned for someone to come in. “I called the only person out here I knew I could trust.”
She sighed. Her eyes cut into Justice’s soul and he knew she wasn’t happy he’d exposed her. Batya blinked back the haze of multiple days of unconscious.
“Who might that be?” she snapped as her head rolled to the door. She sucked in a huge gulp of wretched smelling air. “Oh my heaven, it’s another you.”
“Hello, ma’am.”
Justice rested his hand on her shoulder. “This is my very own brother, Fury Boudreaux.”
“Fury? What, did your parents hate you?”
Fury snorted. “Yes, actually they did. It’s why we all joined the military. To get away from them.”
“All? There’s more?” She slammed her eyes shut. Moisture crept between the lids and filled the shallow crows’ feet etched at the corner of each eye.
“Seven of us to be exact. But to be perfectly honest, ma’am. I’m the most handsome of the lot,” Fury told her without expression or apology. “You can already tell where Justice falls in the Boudreaux brothers’ looks ranking.”
Justice shot his younger brother a middle finger and mouthed, “Fuck you,” behind Batya’s head. He checked the out window again.
“I’m still a bit uncertain how or why you are involved. Are you with the CIA, too?”
“Hell no, ma’am. I’m a Navy medic, attached as support to a SEAL team.”
Justice patted his brother on the shoulder. “He naively thinks they’re going to capture bin Laden. I tried explaining to this squid that’s an intelligence agency’s responsibility.”
Fury looked across the small room as the light breeze waved the window’s tattered covering. Justice froze—he knew that look. Both hands pressed against his chest but there was nothing there. He’d reacted so quickly once Batya started to scream earlier that he left his rifle downstairs. His pistol would do no good against a long-range attack.
“How long y’all been here, bro?”
“About five days total.”
“Anybody know you’re here?”
Justice slid Batya toward him and eased her off the mattress that sat about as high as the bottom of the window’s opening.
Justice shook his head. “Only you and the guy who drove you here. I’ve made night runs to scrounge shit for supplies.”
“McDuff is solid. And he’s a good shot in a pinch,” Fury said.
“Arm me.” Batya’s eyes were wide and moved rapidly. “They know we’re here.”
He pressed the KA-BAR into Batya’s palm. A silent motion signaled for Fury to keep watch as he slipped into the hall. Rays of sunlight fell carelessly across the dim corridor. Faulty shadows scaled the walls like geckos on a screened-in porch. Justice paused before exposing himself on the ground floor level.
He scanned the bottom room. There were only the traditional rugs and pillows strewn across the wooden surface. Food stock was scattered in one
“Justice. Oh, hal’lúkah , praise God it’s you.” A saturated layer of cotton stuck against Batya’s skin.
Rectangular openings cut out of the mud structure on either side of the ten by ten foot room were covered with loose-flapping cloth. They restricted air circulation, but provided concealment against prying eyes.
“Finally, you’re awake,” Justice whispered as he peeked through both openings. Neighbors were few and far between, but spies were everywhere.
“Where are we?” she asked. Suddenly, she shot up from the bed. “Did you call the doctors? Justice I asked you not to.” Her eyes wild with fright.
Justice eased her back onto the firm mattress in the middle of the room. The low ceilings caused him to have to duck, but over the last four days he’d grown accustomed to it.
“Baby, quiet please. No, I didn’t call the Agency’s doctor.” He motioned for someone to come in. “I called the only person out here I knew I could trust.”
She sighed. Her eyes cut into Justice’s soul and he knew she wasn’t happy he’d exposed her. Batya blinked back the haze of multiple days of unconscious.
“Who might that be?” she snapped as her head rolled to the door. She sucked in a huge gulp of wretched smelling air. “Oh my heaven, it’s another you.”
“Hello, ma’am.”
Justice rested his hand on her shoulder. “This is my very own brother, Fury Boudreaux.”
“Fury? What, did your parents hate you?”
Fury snorted. “Yes, actually they did. It’s why we all joined the military. To get away from them.”
“All? There’s more?” She slammed her eyes shut. Moisture crept between the lids and filled the shallow crows’ feet etched at the corner of each eye.
“Seven of us to be exact. But to be perfectly honest, ma’am. I’m the most handsome of the lot,” Fury told her without expression or apology. “You can already tell where Justice falls in the Boudreaux brothers’ looks ranking.”
Justice shot his younger brother a middle finger and mouthed, “Fuck you,” behind Batya’s head. He checked the out window again.
“I’m still a bit uncertain how or why you are involved. Are you with the CIA, too?”
“Hell no, ma’am. I’m a Navy medic, attached as support to a SEAL team.”
Justice patted his brother on the shoulder. “He naively thinks they’re going to capture bin Laden. I tried explaining to this squid that’s an intelligence agency’s responsibility.”
Fury looked across the small room as the light breeze waved the window’s tattered covering. Justice froze—he knew that look. Both hands pressed against his chest but there was nothing there. He’d reacted so quickly once Batya started to scream earlier that he left his rifle downstairs. His pistol would do no good against a long-range attack.
“How long y’all been here, bro?”
“About five days total.”
“Anybody know you’re here?”
Justice slid Batya toward him and eased her off the mattress that sat about as high as the bottom of the window’s opening.
Justice shook his head. “Only you and the guy who drove you here. I’ve made night runs to scrounge shit for supplies.”
“McDuff is solid. And he’s a good shot in a pinch,” Fury said.
“Arm me.” Batya’s eyes were wide and moved rapidly. “They know we’re here.”
He pressed the KA-BAR into Batya’s palm. A silent motion signaled for Fury to keep watch as he slipped into the hall. Rays of sunlight fell carelessly across the dim corridor. Faulty shadows scaled the walls like geckos on a screened-in porch. Justice paused before exposing himself on the ground floor level.
He scanned the bottom room. There were only the traditional rugs and pillows strewn across the wooden surface. Food stock was scattered in one
Similar Books
