helicopter suddenly dropped in altitude and shuddered violently, Kate saw that even the soldiers looked troubled. Charity lifted her head and gave a small whine, but Chase spoke to her gently and she dropped her muzzle back onto her paws. Instinctively, Kate clutched at Chase’s hand, gratified when he didn’t pull away.
“Are we crashing?” she asked, her heart slamming in her chest. “Maybe we should be wearing parachutes or something.”
“Folks, we’re encountering a storm front that’s moving over the area,” the copilot said over the intercom. “We’re going to try and fly around it, but expect some turbulence.”
“You see? Everything is fine,” Chase said, and stretched his legs out and crossed his boots as if there was nothing to worry about.
Kate sat rigidly at his side, her fingers still curled in his, certain that he was wrong, that the pilots were only trying to avoid a panic in the cabin before they plummeted to the earth. Outside the windows, she could see the distant mountains and the dark storm clouds that had gathered on the horizon. She was only mildly comforted by the fact they were flying away from those mountains, and not directly into the storm.
“Try and get some sleep,” Chase grunted. Pulling his hand free, he crossed his arms over his chest and dragged his baseball cap low over his eyes, effectively shutting her out.
Kate stared at him in disbelief. Even if she could relax enough to take a nap, the helmet and flak vest she wore made it nearly impossible to find a comfortable position. Her bottom ached from the angle of the jump seat, and the coffee and Pop-Tart sat heavily in her stomach. Looking around, she saw the other three soldiers had also closed their eyes, seemingly oblivious to the peril surrounding them.
With a deep breath, she sat back and tried to control her breathing, repeating her age-old mantra that when she had no control over the situation, she could at least control herself. But the flight took another nerve-racking two hours, where the helicopter occasionally bucked and dipped, and Kate only barely restrained herself from grabbing onto Chase again. It wasn’t until they began to descend that he finally stirred and opened his eyes, looking rested and relaxed.
“Did you manage to get any sleep?” he asked innocently.
Kate gave him a baleful look, and then saw the telltale dimple in his cheek.
“You know I didn’t,” she said through gritted teeth.
“We’ll be on the ground in just a few minutes,” he said, glancing out the window.
Following his gaze, Kate saw another military base that looked remarkably like the one they had just left. “Are you sure we didn’t just fly around in circles for two hours and land back at Bagram?” she asked doubtfully. Even the mountains on the horizon seemed exactly the same.
Chase chuckled. “I’m sure. Camp Leatherneck isn’t nearly as big as Bagram, but the conditions are actually better. I may have to leave you for a bit while I secure accommodations for you.”
Kate covered her mouth and yawned hugely. “As long as I can have another cup of coffee, I’ll be fine.” Reaching down, she patted her shoulder bag. “I have my book and my iPod.”
They were met on the helipad by two soldiers in a Humvee. As they crossed the tarmac to the waiting vehicle, the wind tore at Kate’s hair, dragging it loose from her ponytail and spraying sand against her exposed skin. Chase tried to shield her with his body, but the stinging wind was relentless.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped when she was safely inside the Humvee. “Are we in a sandstorm?”
Chase tossed their luggage into the back of the vehicle and climbed in beside her. “No. If that was a sandstorm, you wouldn’t be able to walk outside without face protection. This is just a storm front moving in. You can take off the helmet. Here, let me help you with the vest.”
Chase deftly unfastened Kate’s flak vest and helped her remove it. At the same time, the soldier driving the Humvee glanced at them in the rearview mirror. “We’re due for some pretty nasty weather later this afternoon and through the night,” he commented. “And you know what that means.”
Kate looked at Chase in time to see him send the driver a silent warning with his eyes. “What does that mean?” she asked, a frisson of alarm feathering its way along her spine.
“There’s a higher incidence of mortar attacks during bad weather,” he said. “But I don’t want you to worry. Even if we come under attack, the insurgents don’t have the technology to direct their mortars with any accuracy.”
Kate stared at him, appalled. “So a bomb could literally land anywhere on the base?”
“We have a good tracking system. The warning sirens will go off and we’ll have time to get to a bunker.” He tapped the helmet that lay on the seat between them. “But if you hear the sirens, make sure you don’t go out without this.”
Warning sirens? Kate knew her eyes had widened, but she hadn’t really considered the possibility that they could come under attack. “What about you?” she asked. “If I have your protective gear, what are you going to wear?”
“We’ll make a stop at the military supply office. They’ll have a helmet and a flak vest that you can borrow while you’re here, and we’ll review the protocol for how to respond if the warning sirens should go off.”
To hide her dismay, she stared out the window as they drove, pretending an interest in the buildings and military vehicles they passed. “Does that happen very often?” she finally managed, relieved that her voice didn’t betray her inner fear.
“Not too often. As I said, we have a pretty good surveillance system set up on the perimeter, but a strike could occur at any time, so it’s best to be prepared.”
“Of course.” She wondered what she would do if a strike happened during the night, when he wasn’t with her? “So just where are these bunkers?”
“They’re situated about every one hundred yards throughout the base,” he assured her. “Don’t look so worried. You’ll be fine. I’m not going to leave you, so if anything should happen, I’ll be right there with you.”
That’s what Kate was afraid of. She was more or less accustomed to being in the company of good-looking men, most of them associated with the music industry. But she wasn’t used to having male attention focused on her. Most of the men she knew were only interested in how her association with Tenley could benefit them. Kate had simply been a means to an end, or completely invisible. Having Chase’s full and undivided attention made her feel funny inside, as if she was either very fragile or very important. No man had ever acted as her protector before, or even indicated that he cared one way or the other about her well-being.
As the Humvee drove across the base, Chase pointed out various buildings along the way, including the base exchange store, a small post office, a recreation center and a fitness center.
“You seem pretty familiar with this place,” Kate observed. “Do you spend a lot of time here?”
He shrugged. “This is my fourth tour. I’ve spent time on just about every U.S. base in the country at one time or another.”
They pulled to a stop outside a large building constructed of corrugated metal, which Chase explained was the supply center. Inside, Kate saw it was really a warehouse filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves loaded with bins and bags. She followed Chase up and down the aisles as he selected items seemingly at random. Finally, when his arms were full, he made his way to a small window where a uniformed soldier dumped everything into a duffel bag and had him sign a hand-receipt.
“Think you can carry this?” Chase asked, handing her the duffel bag.
Kate took it from him, and nearly buckled under the weight. “What do you have in here?” she asked, grimacing. “Rocks?”
Reaching out, Chase took the bag from her as if it weighed nothing. “Your new protective gear.” He grinned.