KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal (8 page)

He walked into the main room to get a bottle of water and
have another look out the main window. Britney was laying on the couch reading.
Having taken a shower, she was wearing a pair of grey shorts and a tight
fitting white t-shirt with a pink heart on the front. Her hair was still wet
and she was lying with her legs crossed. Her shorts were very short, revealing
a great deal of her long legs.

“I’m going tae take a nap. If anything bothers yer, just
wake me, it’s nae a problem.”

She looked up from her book and smiled at him as she ran her
fingers through her damp hair.

“Okay, I’m not going to stay up long. Just going to read
another chapter, then I’m going to bed.”

Scott checked the window one last time. Everything seemed
quiet, so he went to nap.

“Guid night.”

“Night Scott,” she replied. She wanted him to look at her in
the same way that she looked at him earlier. He did not even seem to notice she
changed her clothes or that she was flirting with him. She was disappointed. Either
he wasn’t the slightest bit interested or he was a great actor. She wondered if
he noticed her looking at him earlier. She really wasn’t sure, but in her mind,
it was just harmless flirting. She would find out if he was interested in her.
If he was, great. If he wasn’t, and she decided she wanted him to be, then
she’d make him. She’d always been able to make men want her and she knew if she
really turned on her charm and he was like all the others, he wouldn’t be able
to resist her.

A few thousand miles away Katie was at work. Her week had
gone quite well. She heard from Scott almost every day. They were both trying
to make the best out of the situation and to be strong for each other. It was just
over two weeks, she thought, as she taught her class. He usually called her in
the afternoon when she finished school and later on at night just before she
went to bed. She knew the cell service in Baghdad was not always reliable so if
she didn’t hear from him, she was not to worry. He told her that he always
checked in with his office before and after any journey. If they did not hear
from him when he was expected to check-in, she was his emergency contact and
they would let her know if there was a problem. So she knew that no news or not
hearing from him meant nothing was wrong. It was difficult, but she was
beginning to come to terms with it.

Just as Katie was getting in her car to drive home her cell
phone rang. The unavailable number usually meant it was Scott. She answered,
excited to hear his voice.

“Hey baby, how are yer?”

“I’m good, how are you doing?” she asked, as she began to
leave the school parking lot.

“I’m okay. It seems tae be going pretty well reet now, I
miss yer, I want a hug.”

“Awww, I want a hug too. How were your journeys today?”

“Nae too bad, we got a wee bit held up at a check point
coming back into the Green Zone, but other than that…”

Katie heard what sounded like an explosion in the background
as Scott was talking, and then silence. The phone was dead. She was frantic as
she continued driving home, hoping her phone would ring again. Scott moved
quickly to the window to see what was happening. The explosion was loud and so close,
the hotel shook. He lost cell service and hoped Katie had not heard the explosion.
Britney woke up and wasn’t sure if she was dreaming, as she stumbled out of her
bedroom.

“Get back in yer room and under the bed,” Scott quickly
instructed her.

As he looked out the window, he saw where the blast had occurred,
and for the first time it was on their side of the river. He thought it was
most likely a misplaced mortar shell and it landed on the riverbank just a few
hundred yards from the hotel’s parking lot. He grabbed the binoculars. It was
dark outside, but they were equipped with a night vision setting. He scanned
the riverbanks and buildings on the other side of the river to see if he could
see any activity or sign of anyone firing mortar rounds, but there was nothing.
This blast was the closest so far, but it appeared to be just a one off wayward
round that probably was not even meant to land anywhere near them. Scott waited
patiently by the window for a few minutes, scanning for anything at all that
would suggest there would be further trouble, but there was nothing. After a
while, he went to Britney’s room.

“It’s okay, yer can come oot now.”

“What happened?” she said, rubbing her eyes.

“Just a stray shell landed on the riverbank. Nae need tae
worry. I doot if it was meant fer us. Just try and go back tae sleep.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to right away,” she replied. She
was awake enough now to try to take advantage of the situation.

“Will you come and sit with me for a while?” she continued.

Scott had no idea of her newly found feelings for him. He
was completely oblivious.

“Aye, but only fer a few minutes, I was on the phone with
Katie when the shell landed and we lost the connection, so I have tae call her
back or she’ll be worrying.”

“Do you have service now?” she asked, trying to appear
concerned about Katie.

“Nae, nae anything at all, but as soon as I get a signal, I’ll
call her.”

“Okay, please come sit on the bed. I know I’ll feel better
about going to sleep if I know you’re here.”

Scott sat down at the foot of the bed. The light in her
bedroom was off, but the door was ajar so light from the main room was coming
in.

“Thank you,” she said, wanting him to look at her, knowing
there was enough light for him to see her, but he continued to look at his
phone. She had undone the top two buttons of her black-silk pajama top and
moved the sheets downward to intentionally expose her cleavage.

“Thank you, I really appreciate this,” she said, again
wanting him to turn his head.

“Nae problem, just try and sleep,” he replied, momentarily
glancing towards her, but not taking notice of what she wanted him to see. She
rolled her eyes and turned over, pulling the sheet back over her. It was unlike
her to give up so easily, but she was tired and he was preoccupied. She thought
there was plenty of time to make him notice her.

“I’ve got a signal back, so I’m going tae call Katie. Yer
should be fine now, but I’ll just be next door if anything happens,” he said,
as he left the room, still looking at his phone.

Katie arrived home and was sitting on her couch waiting to
hear what was happening. The girls got home and she sent them to tidy their
bedrooms. She was trying hard not to worry, but her heart was racing and she
was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything else. When her phone rang,
she answered in an instant.

“Hello,” she said frantically.

“That was quick, baby.”

“What happened? I heard a bang and then you were gone. I’ve
been so worried. I didn’t know what happened.”

“I’m sorry, there was a minor blast. It was just a wee shell
that landed by the river, but it did seem tae knock oot the cell fer a while.”

“So you’re okay?” she asked, feeling relieved, but still
sounding scared.

“I’m fine, it was nae big deal, nae anything tae worry aboot
at all.”

“How close was it?”

Scott wondered if he should tell her the truth or tell her
it was further away than it actually was. He wasn’t sure, but he promised to tell
her the truth about everything that happened there, and he always kept his word.

“It was a few hundred yards from the hotel parking lot, but
it was just a single stray shell, more than likely a mortar. Nae shells like
that are going tae cause us any problems. We’re way up on the top floor of the
hotel. Dinnae worry, baby.”

“Okay, I will try not to. It was just hard hearing the bang
and then losing you, I didn’t know what to think.”

“I’m sorry. There was nae signal fer a while, I called yer
back as soon as I could.”

“I know you did.” Her voice was beginning to sound calmer.

“So what are yer and the girls doing this weekend?” he asked,
trying to get her to think about something else.

“We’re going camping with my parents. I’ll have my phone, so
you can call whenever you like.”

“Sounds like fun! Hope yer have a guid time. Are yer leaving
tonight or in the morning?”

“In the morning.”

“Reet, well, I should try tae sleep, I’ll call yer in a few
hoors before yer go tae bed.”

“Okay babe, I have to go and make the girls dinner anyway. Talk
to you later.”

“Night baby, love yer”.

“I love you too. Sleep well.”

Katie placed her cell on the coffee table and went to the
kitchen, trying to decide what to make for dinner. She was very relieved, but
the noise she heard on the phone freaked her out a little. She’d never been
around any type of explosion or heard gunfire, apart from on TV, so this made
her nervous. It did not seem to bother Scott. He talked to her as if nothing
happened. He was used to things like this, from his prior military days. It was
going to be difficult, but for him, she would to do her best to be strong.

A month had passed since Scott and Britney arrived in Iraq.
Her work was going very well and everything was progressing nicely. Her plan to
seduce Scott was not going as well. No matter what she did, he showed no
interest in her. The more he failed to notice her, the more she wanted him. She
would need to try harder and find another way.

There were many more violent incidents in the city,
including numerous roadside bombs and insurgent attacks. They had still managed
to avoid any real trouble. Within the last week, they drove by a couple of car
bomb incidents, and one evening there was a large gunfight just across the
river from the hotel. Aside from that, things were still relatively calm.

Back in Ohio, Katie and the girls were enjoying their summer
vacation. They had no big plans to go away anywhere, but were going to get away
for a few day trips. Katie and Scott kept in touch almost every day. Aside from
missing each other terribly, both were coping quite well with the situation.

It was Wednesday, and another scorching, hot day in Baghdad.
It was a little after 5:00 p.m., the temperature finally started to drop, and it
was down to about 120 degrees now. Scott made his call to the PCPS office to inform
them they were about to leave. Britney was finishing her last few projects for
the day and preparing to leave for the hotel. There was a couch and television
in a small rec room where Scott would spend most of his day, while she was
working (although he hardly even watched TV because he didn’t understand the
local channels).  He spent most of his day on his laptop or talking with other
PCPS security guards around the city, gathering information on potential
trouble spots and the buzz around the city, always working out the best way to
and from the hotel.

As he walked down the hallway towards her office, a huge
explosion rocked the building. Scott was knocked off balance, but managed to stay
on his feet. The sound of shattering glass accompanied the sound of the blast.
Scott raced to Britney’s office. She was under her desk, unhurt, but was
visibly shaken. The windows in her office were not broken, although, elsewhere
in the building, windows were blown out. He reached out and took her hand,
helped her get her bullet-proof vest on and quickly led her out of the office
and towards the exit. Scott stopped at the main door and assessed the
situation. He knew this was not a small shell. It was more than likely a rocket,
but it did not hit the building. Instead, it landed in the road nearby and the
force of the blast had damaged numerous buildings all around. There didn’t seem
to be any more rockets at the time and from where he was, the car appeared
untouched by the blast.

“We need tae get oot of here quickly. When we get tae the
car, lay doon in the back and stay doon, until I tell yer.”

She nodded, Scott gripped her hand tightly and led her
across the parking lot towards the car. With several fires burning, the thick,
black smoke was starting to spread everywhere. There were many screams heard
and a lot of people were shouting things in Arabic. Many people were badly hurt.
It bothered him to leave those desperately in need of help, but as much as Scott
wanted to help, it was Britney who was his responsibility. He must get her out
of the area and out of imminent danger. That was his job. It really bothered
Scott to leave all those people in desperate need of help.

The smell of burning metal hit them as they made their way
across the parking lot; the quickly spreading smoke burned their mouths and
throats as they inhaled. Luckily, they didn’t have far to go. Once inside the
car, she did as she was told and lay down on the back seat as he began to drive
away. This was the first time Scott hadn’t checked under the car before he
started it. He was in a rush as they pulled onto the street, but that was no
excuse. He was more than angry with himself.  This time they got lucky, there
was no car bomb. There was a large crowd forming already and the sirens were
getting closer. There were many people hurt, and possibly still in the building
they had been in, but his job and priority was to get Britney away from the danger.
He drove away slowly, avoiding the crowds and a huge crater in the road. When
they were about half a mile away, they passed several police cars and an
ambulance driving in the opposite direction. He presumed they were heading to
the scene. Britney was quiet and scared, but had done everything he instructed.

“Try nae tae worry, but, stay lying doon fer now. It’s going
tae be fine,” Scott reassured her.

“Okay,” she replied, trying to hide her fear.

It was going to be a long return trip to the hotel. Scott had
started out heading opposite of the direction they needed to go to avoid the
crowds and the crater. This was an unfamiliar area and he searched to find his
way back onto a road he knew.