Three Courageous Words. Elle James
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hearing distance before she said, “Did you ever consider I might not want you to walk with me?”
“Yes.” He lifted a shoulder. “And I ignored it. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you anywhere alone.”
“You left me in Chicago,” she shot back.
The anger and hurt in Angela’s voice twisted a knife in Buck’s gut. “We’re in South Sudan, a volatile nation filled with murderous people” was all he could push past the tightness in his throat.
“Like Chicago?” Again, she was quick with her comebacks. Sadly, she was right.
“I had reasons for leaving when I did,” he said.
Angela spun around in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “I wouldn’t know, now would I?” She poked a finger at his chest. “Because you didn’t bother to tell me what they were, or even that you were leaving. I had to find out from your roommate, after you were long gone.” She smacked her palm flat against his chest. “You’d think any kind of man would have the decency to tell his girlfriend he was skipping town, quitting college and joining the navy. But then, you weren’t even decent—”
Buck grabbed the woman’s arms and yanked her against him, crushing her lips with a bruising kiss. He’d never wanted to leave her, would rather have slit his own throat than hurt her. And now, seeing her in front of him, her eyes alight with fury, her cheeks blooming with righteous indignation, he couldn’t resist.
This was the woman he’d never been able to forget. The kiss started out raw and angry but quickly turned hungry and desperate. He remembered her lips, the way they felt beneath his mouth, the curve of her body against his and the way she leaned into him when she gave her whole self to the kiss.
At first she was stiff in his arms, her palms on his chest. But she didn’t push him away. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she loosened up until she was leaning into him, giving back every bit as much as he gave.
When at last he was forced to surface for air, he drew in a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers.
“Don’t think this changes anything,” she said, her fingers curling into his shirt. “I’m still angry with you. And I’m still staying in Sudan.” Then she did push out of his arms, turned and ran after the van.
Buck followed at a slower pace, wondering what the hell had just happened. He’d never intended to pick up where they’d left off all those years ago. Angela had her life, and he had his. Nothing between them would ever work.
Granted, Chicago was not an issue anymore. From what he understood, his old gang had been disbanded with the arrest and incarceration of their leader. The man had finally been caught and convicted of murder.
Once the team had the van hidden behind old buildings and trees near the base of the hillside, they climbed out and prepared to lie low until after sunset.
Harm and Diesel went south, and Pitbull hiked to the north, each going around the hill. Big Jake and T-Mac climbed to the top, all of them searching for potential threats and the coordinates to give the helicopter crew for their extraction.
They left Buck to guard the two women.
“Tough job, but someone has to do it,” Diesel said as he left with Harm.
Word must have gotten out that the doctor was in the village. Before long, women brought children to the base of the hillside, seeking assistance for minor injuries, skin infections, lacerations and more.
Working out of the side door of the van, Angela, Brenda and Buck treated the patients.
All the while, Buck kept a close watch on the surrounding area and scrutinized every patient, searching for hidden weapons. But they were all what they appeared to be...people sincerely in need of help.
As the sun dropped to the horizon, the line of people dwindled to two, then one.
The last one, a bone-thin woman dressed in a faded gold dress and scarf, waited to speak until the others had all gone. “Dr. Angela, you must come with me.” She took Angela’s hand and tried to drag her away.
Buck stepped between them and loosened the woman’s grip on Angela’s hand. “The doctor isn’t going anywhere. What do you want?”
“She must come,” the woman insisted.
Angela placed a hand on Buck’s arm and stepped around him. “What’s your name?”
“I am Fatima.” She turned, waving her hand to the side. “Please, you must come.”
“Can’t we talk about your problem here?” Angela asked.
“Not me,” Fatima said. “My son needs you.”
Angela frowned. “What’s wrong with your son?”
Fatima glanced around furtively. “He is injured.”
“How was he injured?” Angela asked.
The woman looked from Angela to Buck and over her shoulder, as if afraid of something or someone. “Please, my son needs your help.”
The sun had set, and the grayness of dusk enveloped them.
Big Jake, T-Mac, Harm, Diesel and Pitbull all appeared out of the shadows.
“What’s going on?” Diesel asked.
Buck tilted his head toward Fatima. “This woman wants the doctor to go to her son.”
“I don’t recommend it.” Big Jake glanced down at his watch. “Our extraction is scheduled for T-minus five minutes. We’d better move to the other side of the hill. And make it fast.”
The men headed in that direction. Buck started to follow, but Angela wasn’t at his side.
She stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground. “I can’t leave this woman without help.”
“You can’t stay,” Buck said. “Koku could be back at any moment.”
“Please...” The woman took Angela’s hand again, her eyes pleading. “My son is injured. He needs your help. He has been beaten by Koku’s men.”
Even Buck, a hardened SEAL, couldn’t ignore the woman’s desperation. “How far is it to your son?”
“On the other side of the village. It will not take long. He has suffered so much. Please help him.”
The thumping sound of rotors beating the air made Buck’s heart leap. Their transport neared. “We can’t do this,” he said to Angela.
She stared up into his eyes. “I can’t not do this.”
Buck turned to the woman. “Can you bring your son here?”
“No. My son traveled a long way. He escaped from Koku’s camp. His action is punishable by death. He cannot risk being seen and recaptured.”
“Wait.” Buck’s heart rate ratcheted up. “Your son escaped from Koku’s camp?”
She nodded. “It is very bad there. He does not wish to return.”
Excitement rose like a tidal wave in Buck. “But he knows where Koku lives?”
The woman frowned. “Yes, but he does not wish to return,” she repeated. “He was one of many young boys taken to fill Koku’s army.”
Angela squeezed the woman’s hand. “I will help.”
Big Jake trotted back to where Buck and Angela stood. “Hey, are you two coming? We have to get around this hill to our extraction point. It’s time to move out.”
Buck turned to Big Jake. “This woman’s son escaped Koku’s camp. He knows where we can find Koku.”
Big Jake frowned, and he stared at the woman in the deepening dusk. “Your son knows where Koku lives?”
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