Semper Fidelis (19 page)

Akim pulled out and dropped down beside him, pulling Kelley into the circle of his arms. They stayed locked together for a long time. Eventually the floor became too uncomfortable and Kelley stood, pulling Akim up with him. He found Akim’s shirt and helped him slide into it. Then he knelt in front of Akim, tugging up his underwear and pants. Next he dealt with Akim’s shoes and socks, tying the laces for him.

When he stood, Akim stepped closer and grabbed Kelley’s hand, placing Kelley’s fingers on his own lips them moving them to Kelley’s before kissing them again. Akim turned, unlocking the door and slipping away without a word. The little finger kiss seemed like more than just a kiss, but a promise for the future.

Chapter Two

Akim sank into his chair and fired up his secure laptop, connecting to the satellite and signing in. He’d fucked up royally. He hadn’t meant to do that with Kelley—Kelley Green, what a fucking beautiful man, and he couldn’t tell him the truth.

His laptop beeped, signaling that he had a secure channel. He sent a note to his handler, coding it urgent. In five minutes he was speaking to the one man he trusted more than anyone on the planet, Rick. Rick knew everything about him. When DADT had been in effect, Rick had known he was gay, had told the current commander of the Marines and had gotten him to sign off on the fact that Akim would never be prosecuted under the DADT mandate. Rick knew where he’d grown up—really grown up. Rick had met his mother and father, his sister and brothers. Rick had sat in Akim’s bedroom when he’d packed for basic, going over the rules about their arrangement. He’d manufactured every fake document, giving Akim the credentials and set him up with the new name and identity so he could be Akim Bijan, a Kuchi in the Pashtun tribe that was semi-nomadic. His cover was solid and Rick made sure of it.

With the connection made, he heard Rick breathing over the speaker. “I fucked up,” Akim admitted without hesitation.

“Tell me.” That’s one thing he liked about Rick, he never blew a fuse or lost his control.

“I had sex with Kelley Green.”

“Hell.”

“How close are we?”

“I got word tonight. They believe your story. You’re in. But this changes everything.”

“No, no it doesn’t.”

There was silence on the line and Akim could hear a door close. “You didn’t tell him who you really are?”

“No, sir, I stayed in character as much as possible. I mean my accent slipped a little, but he doesn’t know.”

“Akim, if he finds out—”

“He won’t, and that’s why I need to leave in the morning. You said they believed my story.”

“I don’t like moving on this so quickly.” Rick’s voice had taken on a harsh quality and Akim knew he would have to talk fast.

“I’ll pull it off. They believe that I’m one of them. I’ve established a good relationship with the locals. No one suspects that I’m not really Akim. Even the Marines are clueless that I’m a member of the Corps. I’m good. This is good. No one—and I mean no one—will see through my cover.”

Silence filled the line, leaving Akim wondering if he’d messed everything up too much. “Can’t you just blow this guy off? I mean, come on… It was just sex.”

“Rick, you know when you have sex with someone and afterward you’re happy you got off then you walk away and you never think of the person again?”

“I do that all the time.”

“It’s not like that with Kelley. I’ll never forget him. If things were different, I’d make sure he never kissed anyone but me for the rest of his life.”

“Fuck, Akim. You really feel that way about him?”

“Yes, I have to leave town because when we were together, he saw into my soul. He knows nothing now, but he’s going to start asking me questions and I won’t be able to lie to him.”

“Fine. In the morning, take off. Travel to Gereshk and meet up with the contact. He’ll get you into the group and you can give them the information we discussed about the base. You do realize that if you’re found out, we know nothing about you and you won’t be rescued.”

“Yes, Rick. I understood that when I joined. I’m happy to help. The IED’s have destroyed my mother’s people. I may not have been raised here, but I love this land and the citizens. I would do anything to make sure the guy behind the money is crushed.”

“Thank you, Akim, and when this is all over, your cover will be blown. You’ll be able to begin life as a normal Marine with a very nice bonus and an excellent promotion. General Davis was very impressed with you. Said you were the best undercover operative he’s ever seen. He hopes you have success, not only for the mission’s sake, but for yours too. Godspeed and goodbye. The next time I speak with you, I’ll call you by your real name.”

Akim ended the conversation and took the communication chip from his laptop, crushing it. He wiped the hard drive and dismantled the computer, shredding the disk from the drive. Every piece of evidence of his true identity was destroyed. There wasn’t much, since he’d gone into this assignment knowing he would have to pretend to be an Afghanistan citizen to be accepted into the organization funding terrorist activity.

He wished he could tell Kelley he was going, but that would make it too easy to track. Maybe Kelley would understand. Hopefully, when this was all over and Kelley was out of Afghanistan, they could talk.

Akim slept little and took off before first light. He walked the first part of his journey then caught a ride, hopping into the back of a truck alongside a goat and three cages of chickens. These people—the simple ones—Afghani citizens who just wanted to raise goats and chickens and be happy—this was the reason he was risking his life. He wanted a better world, someplace where the children of this man could run free and not worry about being blown to bits.

* * * *

The days eked by, leaving Kelley wondering when he’d see Akim again. After a week he’d asked Rafe if he’d seen the man. When another week went by, he went to his CO and asked about Akim. No one knew where he’d gone to. It seemed highly improbable that a translator they trusted to walk around on base would disappear, but he had. A few more days went by when Kelley went to Colonel Jameson, the highest-ranking Colonel on base, and asked him if he’d heard about Akim. Jameson hadn’t heard anything.

Kelley started to worry and was about to send a note to General Davis when he received a call to visit Jameson in his office. Kelley rushed over and was ushered into the office. General Davis sat in Jameson’s seat and the Colonel was nowhere to be found.

After snapping to attention and told to be at ease then given permission to speak, Kelley sucked in a breath, hoping the General could help to find Akim. “General, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I think one of our translators has gone missing.”

“Yes. So I’ve heard, Kelley. Now stop asking questions about the man.”

Kelley froze, the general’s words running through his mind. He tried to figure out what Davis meant. He made a move to speak when the general waved him silent once more.

“Stop thinking about him. Stop asking about him. That’s not a request—it’s an order. Strike him from your mind.”

“Sir, I don’t think I can.” The general stared at Kelley, his eyes drilling into him. The moment stretched on and Kelley wondered if he’d given himself away or if the general knew there was something personal between him and Akim. He became anxious, shifting on his feet until finally, the general broke the silence.

“Your tour is up in eight weeks, it would be a shame to jeopardize a spotless record. Forget you ever knew Akim.”

There was nothing he could say in his defense or to get the general to change his mind. Something had happened and he’d never know. He prayed like crazy that Akim wasn’t dead. The general continued.

“Captain, you’ve done fine work on the intelligence desk, but this is above your pay grade. Stick to your pay grade. Just work. That’s all. Work and be a good Marine.”

Kelley straightened and saluted the general. “Yes, sir.”

Davis stood and walked over, standing only inches from Kelley’s face. “You’re a smart man. No one needs to know I’m here. Keep your head down and mouth closed on this subject. Dismissed.”

Kelley headed back to his tent before going to his office. He needed to think about everything the general had said. Akim wasn’t dead, otherwise the general wouldn’t have revealed so much. Something else was going on here and he might not find out before he left in eight weeks, but he sure as hell would find a way to travel back to the area and locate Akim once his tour was up and he was just a normal citizen.

Two more weeks flew by and all he thought about in his spare time was Akim. Early in the day, he left base with a fire team, traveling about thirty miles to the south on a quick mission. They were to pick up a man who they would receive more information about once they were closer. They were split between two Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles—or MRAP’s—closing in on the position they’d been instructed to go to when the MRAP Kelley was in bounced off the ground and a hole was blown into the base. He knew he screamed but the inside filled with smoke and his head began to spin. Pain ripped through him and he wondered if this was what death felt like.

* * * *

Akim had the information he needed and had transmitted it to Rick two days ago using the only piece of equipment he hadn’t destroyed in his quest to get rid of anything identifying himself. The extraction plan had him traveling thirty miles south of the base where Kelley was stationed. He prayed he got to see Kelley again before he shipped stateside—staying in Afghanistan was dangerous. He had no idea what Rick or the Company would do with the information he’d delivered, but he assumed a strike would be imminent.

He heard the low roar of the MRAPs the Marines preferred and smiled. Going home would feel good. He wasn’t the typical Marine you saw on posters advertising what type of guy they wanted, but he bled Marine. Being able to act as a Marine, hang out with Marine’s—hell, being able to go to a bar and get a cold one would feel good. He’d been in Afghanistan for two long years and Iraq before that.

The MRAPs neared and he stepped out from behind a shed he’d been leaning against. An explosion ripped through the air and he flew backwards, landing on his ass. He caught himself before his head slapped the ground but he stayed down for three counts before rolling to his stomach and scrambling up on his knees.

“What the fuck?” Akim raced to the blown out vehicle, praying the men survived. The second truck seemed okay, but no one was exiting. He reached up to grab the door handle, realizing it was too hot and pulled at the
shemagh
scarf, protecting his hand as he tugged on the metal. The door pulled off its hinges and Akim jumped back. Two men crawled out looking totally dazed. Akim climbed up the steps, searching the cab to make sure it was empty.

In the corner he found a man on the floor. He checked for pulse, finding one. He tugged at the helmet and saw the face for the first time.

“Kelley. Oh shit, Kelley, are you okay? Can you hear me?”

Strong hands began to pull at him and he shrugged them off. “Hey, you can’t be here, you need to—”

Akim turned around and pushed his
shemagh
off. Switching to his Tennessee accent, he spoke loud and clear. “I’m one of you so back off. We need to get this soldier onto a medevac now.”

Both soldiers stared at him and he couldn’t blame them. They’d probably seen him on base as Akim, a local translator. “Um…aren’t you—”

“Yes, now chop-chop. We need a medic and we need to get the injured out of here.” Akim turned back to Kelley before glancing over his shoulder, pissed that the men weren’t doing as he’d asked. “Move, now.” He yelled then turned back to Kelley, praying like crazy that the man wasn’t injured too badly. His leg was bleeding and twisted. His arm was hanging at an odd angle. There didn’t seem to be any head injuries and he had no idea if Kelley’s spine was injured but the vehicle was on fire and they needed to get him out.

Two guys helped him pull Kelley to safety, placing him on a stretcher once they’d cleared the MRAP. They carried him south about two hundred yards. Akim could hear the
whop-whop
of the medevac. He looked up and saw the chopper coming in hot. His heart squeezed and he knew he had to talk fast to get on that chopper with Kelley because as sure as he breathed, he wasn’t going to leave the man’s side.

“Who’s the ranking officer now that Kelley is down?”

A beefy pale-skinned man stepped forward. “That would be me, Lieutenant Rafe McClintock.”

“Lieutenant, I’m Captain Jordan Canfield, US Marines. I’m getting on that chopper with Kelley.”

“Um, I need some proof.”

“Call your contact. Tell them my name. That’s your proof.”

He’d been Akim for so long it felt weird using his real name. He stayed beside Kelley, praying for a miracle. He heard Lieutenant McClintock on the radio talking to someone and heard his name mentioned. The conversation was short before McClintock lifted his eyebrows and handed Jordan the radio.

“Captain Jordan Canfield here.”

“I hope you have a good reason for breaking your cover,” General Davis was on the line and he didn’t sound happy.

“An IED exploded. I’m with Kelley right now. Only Marines are here. I need permission to go with Kelley because only God will keep me away from his side. The mission is done, the information sent.”

Davis sighed, his silence stretching out too long for Jordan’s comfort. Finally, Davis spoke. “Fine, you’ve earned it. I checked and the intel is solid. The information you provided will save lives. Go. Be with your man. Now give the phone back to McClintock so I can give him an earful.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jordan turned away from McClintock and focused on Kelley. They’d stemmed the blood flow but Kelley was so pale. The chopper landed and they loaded Kelley on. He boarded the flight and the pilot started to complain but stopped midsentence and nodded. Davis was doing everything he could to grease the wheels. Getting him away from Delaram this way was better than any other extraction plan they had. No locals knew he was here and when he arrived at wherever they were taking Kelley, he could change from traditional Afghani attire to military clothes.