KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal (13 page)

“I know it’s frustrating. Just hang in there and we’ll try
and get some help sent to you. Do whatever you need to.”

“Aye, I will.”

“Good luck, Scott.”

The gunfire and screaming was getting louder. Then Scott
heard a noise behind him. Someone was opening the door of the room closest to
the elevator. He turned and pointed his gun as an Iraqi man peered out of the
room. He looked petrified as he saw Scott and froze in his doorway. Scott
motioned at him to get back inside his room. He was pretty sure this local
wasn’t a terrorist. Scott had seen him around the hotel a couple of times
before and he hadn’t seemed to cause any problems. The man went back inside and
closed the door. A few seconds later the elevator bell rang and the door began
to open. Scott squeezed the trigger on his weapon and waited for his target, but
the elevator was empty and the gunfire seemed to be getting quieter, as if they
were leaving. Scott rushed back to the suite and looked out the window to
witness the car speeding away. The whole incident was over in just a few
minutes. He rushed to Britney’s room to make sure she was alright.

“Hey, I think it’s over. Are yer okay?”

Britney was crying. She heard the gunfire getting louder and
could hear what was happening on the floors below.

“I’m okay,” she replied, looking out around the side of the
mattress.

“Guid, I want yer tae stay here fer a while. I’m going tae go
doonstairs and try tae find oot what happened. I want to make sure there are
nae terrorists left in the hotel. Do yer have yer phone?”

“Okay, I will stay here. Yes, I have my cell phone.”

“Reet, I’m going tae give yer Katie’s number. Can yer please
call her and let her know we’re fine. I spoke tae Tom briefly and he may have
called her and told her what was happening. I’m nae going tae have time to call
fer a while, I’m pretty sure there’s going tae be lots tae do doonstairs.”

“No problem. I really want to call my mom, but I’ll call her
as soon as I’m finished,” she said, trying to compose herself.

“Thanks, yer are doing great. Well done.”

Scott quickly scribbled down the number before leaving the
suite and heading toward the stairs. He was going to assess the incident and
try to help anyone that needed assistance. He knew the scene was not going to
be pretty. There were four of them firing continuously for about five minutes.
At the very least, there was going to be an awful lot of damage and at the
worst, there was going to be many people dead. He was still unsure if there was
a motive behind this attack, if anyone was kidnapped or if they were looking
for someone in particular. He would find out soon. Scott took a deep breath as
he descended the stairs into the devastating scene below.

It was nearly 6:00 a.m. when Scott returned to the suite. He
wanted to ensure there were no terrorists left in the hotel. He helped the staff
clean up and was assisting the injured into their ambulances. He discovered there
were three fatalities; two were hotel staff and the other a guest. He was not
surprised that all were killed by gun shots and there was absolutely no logical
reason for the event. None of the people killed could have been legitimate
targets for any politically motivated group. It just appeared to be a typical, cowardly
terrorist attack and anyone unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time paid the ultimate price.

There were many injured, but according to the hotel’s
records and talking with guests, there did not appear to be anyone kidnapped.
The police showed up and spent a couple of hours asking questions, but they
couldn’t do much when the attack was of a terrorist nature. This was extremely
frustrating and difficult for Scott, since he would have liked to have handled it
at the time.

Tom showed up at the hotel with one of his guards about twenty
minutes after everything was over. He was pleased to see Scott was fine. Tom
felt sorry for the terror the dead and injured had gone through. He had seen
this many times and it was something he would never get used to. But his main
concern was for his guard’s thoughts and feelings. How was Scott doing and
feeling? His numbers were getting low and he could not afford to lose anyone
else. They talked briefly and when he knew Scott was okay, he left for the
night. He trusted Scott had it under control.

Britney was fast asleep when Scott returned to the room. He
poked his head in her room to check on her. He really wanted to know if she managed
to speak with Katie. She was still lying hidden underneath her bed and the
mattress was still standing on its side for protection. Scott thought about
lifting her and putting her back into bed properly, but he decided to not wake
her and try to get some sleep. He realized he would not fall into a deep sleep
after what he had seen. He doubted if he could even sleep at all. The adrenaline
was still surging through his body. A couple of hours later, he heard Britney
moving around in the other room, so he got up to check on her. As he opened his
door, she was just coming out of hers.

“Morning, how are yer doing?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“Scared. I can’t believe I fell asleep before you came back.
What happened?”

“I did nae get back until six. It’s guid yer got some sleep.
It was late and there was a lot tae do.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“Aye. It was very sad. There were three people killed and
many injured.”

“Oh, no. Why?”

“There’s honestly nae point tae any terrorist attack. They’re
all just cowards. Yer just have tae let it go. If yer keep thinking aboot what
just happened, it will eat yer up inside.”

“That’s just horrible. I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nae anything yer can say. That’s what this place is
like. We’ve been lucky. Our first couple of months here were quiet ones. Britney,
yer have tae expect this if yer stay in a place like this fer an extended
period of time.”

“I suppose so,” she said, quietly.

Scott could tell she was very upset. They had witnessed all
sorts of attacks before and fairly close, but this was different. It was in their
hotel. People were murdered in the same building where they lived! He was
hoping she may reconsider what the hell she was doing here. Maybe this attack
would knock some sense into her. This was no place for an American woman. 

“Did yer manage to get hold of Katie?”

“No, I didn’t. I couldn’t get any service on my phone. I’m,
sorry.”

“It’s fine and thank yer fer trying. I’ll try her later. I
really need tae attempt getting a wee bit of sleep now. I’m exhausted.”

“Okay. I’m still a little tired, but I think I’m going to
take a shower.”

“Reet. Wake me if anything happens or if anything bothers
yer.”

“I will, Scott. Get some rest and thanks for looking after
me, again.”

“Aye, nae problem. Oh, and by the way, in case yer had nae
realized, we will nae be going tae work again today. If things calm doon, we may
try tae go tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. See you later and sleep well.”

After Scott disappeared into his room, Britney took her
shower. Last night’s incident had made her really nervous, but she had no
intention of quitting now. She wanted to see it through to the end. In this
respect, she and Scott were very much alike. Plus, she was more than confident
that Scott would keep her safe. She was betting her life on it. After she
finished showering, she did some work on her laptop and browsed the internet,
waiting for him to wake up. Over the last few days, she had been thinking that
it was time to get away again, for another long weekend. She perused new luxury
hotels in Dubai. She enjoyed it there and wanted to go back, but to a different
resort this time. It was nearly 4:00 p.m. and Scott was still not up and moving
around. If he was this tired and still sleeping, she did not want to wake him
up. He had hardly slept over the last couple of nights. She would let him rest.

Britney was bored. She called her mother earlier and told
her all about her job and how things were going. She liked to call every week
or so and give her an update on her progress here in Baghdad. She didn’t
mention details of what happened, the night before at the hotel. She knew her
mom would be scared to death. She was hoping that there wouldn’t be any reports
on the news regarding the increasing number of hotel attacks. In a flash, her
thoughts turned to whether or not she should call Katie. Scott gave her the
number! He usually called her every day unless the cell phones were not working.
She thought, maybe Katie would be getting worried by now, if she hadn’t heard
from him. She truly, did not care how worried Katie was. But she knew she could
use that as an excuse if Scott got mad at her for calling. She reached for the
piece of paper Scott wrote Katie’s number on, hesitated only for a moment and
dialed the number.

“Hello,” said an excited voice, fully, expecting to hear
Scott reply.

“Hi. Is this Katie?”

“Yes. Who is this?” Katie replied, a little surprised by the
female voice. She was awake, but was still in bed.

“This is Britney Parnell. You don’t know me Katie, but your
boyfriend, Scott, is my bodyguard in Iraq. How are you today?”

“Is Scott okay? Why isn’t he calling me?”

“Scott’s fine, Katie. There was some trouble in our hotel
last night and he just got back to the room and since there was no cell phone
signal, he went to sleep for a while. He was up most of the night making sure I
stayed safe. He did ask me to call you and let you know he was fine and for you
not to worry.”

“What sort of trouble?” Katie was wary. She didn’t know this
woman, but some of the things Scott had told her and just something about her,
made it very difficult to trust her.

“There was a terrorist attack on our hotel. Some maniacs
came in shooting, but we’re fine. I’m sure Scott will give you all the details
and explain things to you later. He just wanted me to let you know he was fine
and he also didn’t want you to worry, since he hadn’t called you.”

“Thank you Britney. I appreciate your calling.”

“You’re welcome, Katie. I really like him. He’s done a lot
for me and makes me feel very safe over here. I just want you to know I
appreciate the sacrifice both of you have made.”

“He is very good at his job, I’m glad he makes you feel
safe. It must be very hard for you over there.”

“Yes, it is. He’s a great guy, too. You’re very lucky to
have him.”

“I know he’s a great guy. He’s very special to me and I do
feel very lucky that he is in my life. My daughter’s feel the same.”

Katie was continuing with the conversation and trying to be
nice, but, everything Britney was saying was confirming her suspicions that she
had a thing for her man.

“Did you enjoy your weekend when Scott came home a few weeks
ago?” Britney continued.

“We did. We had a great time. I heard you went to a nice,
fancy desert resort.”

“I did! I went to Dubai. It was great. You should have come over.
I did ask him to ask you.”

“Yes, he mentioned it. It was nice of you to offer, but I
can’t go half way around the world and leave my kids.”

“Yeah, I understand. He was exhausted when he got back; he
looked really tired for over a week. It was a long way to go for two days.”

Katie thought, how could she possibly understand? She hasn’t
got any kids. And why is she saying that Scott was tired when he got back. She
already knew he was, because he’d told her.

“Yes, I know he was tired. He told me the trip was hard, but
he loves me and that’s the kind of guy he is. He wouldn’t mind being tired, to
come and see me,” Katie said. She wanted to make Britney understand just how
deeply Scott’s feelings were for her.

“Yeah, he would never complain. Like I said, you’re one
lucky lady to have a guy like that. He’s a complete gentleman.”

“Yes, he is.” Katie was starting to get annoyed now.

“I’m thinking about going away again for another weekend
soon. Are you going to make him fly all the way back again?”

“I don’t make him do anything; no one makes Scott do
anything. If he wants to come, then I’d love to see him. Scott makes up his own
mind.”

Now Katie understood why she was telling her that he was
tired when he came back last time. She wanted to go on another weekend trip and
she wanted Scott to go with her.

“That’s good. You two sound like you have a great
relationship.”

“We do. Hey, I have to go now. My daughters have just woken
up and I need to get some breakfast for them. Thanks for calling and telling me
about the attack, and please tell Scott to call me later.”

“Okay, bye Katie.”

“Bye.”

Katie was furious. Who the hell did this bitch think she was?
Calling her and saying all these things about her man? She knew Scott had
nothing to do with this woman’s motives. She was looking forward to hearing
from him later and letting him know a few things about this woman he was
protecting. The girls were not up yet; it was just an excuse because she wanted
to get off the phone. However, she did get up and go downstairs to make
breakfast.

It was an hour later when Scott woke up. He was surprised he
had slept that long. Britney told him she called Katie to let her know that he
was okay. He’d been asleep for so long and she didn’t want her to worry. Scott
believed her and did not give the subject any thought as he disappeared into
the bathroom to freshen up. When he finished he sat down on the couch next to
Britney.

“I dinnae usually sleep that long. What have yer been up
tae?”

“I did some work and then started to check out some hotels
in Dubai again. I’m thinking about taking another break from this place, soon.”

“That’s probably a guid idea, with everything from last
night. When are yer thinking aboot going?”