No Place for Females

Chapter Nine

"Looks like the Taliban are already there," said Ben.

 Smoke was coming from the compound, which was still nearly a mile away. They had stopped the Humvees when they heard the explosion.

"What do we do now?" said Jones.

"We wait for further instructions,” Morelli said. “I just sent word back to base. I'm hoping the Taliban doesn’t know we’re here. I need clearance before we can proceed."

"I say we should just go," said Ben. He knew Morelli was a good leader, but sometimes Ben wished the guy would lead with his gut instead of always going by the book. "Every minute we wait is another minute Maria is in danger. They may have her by now."

"Rushing in to get her isn't going to help us or her. And in case you haven't noticed, there are only ten of us," said Morelli.

The radio on Morelli's shoulder came to life. The words coming through it were garbled.

Ben knew what was coming. They would be told to wait, to stand by for air support. That would be a mistake. By the time air support arrived, Maria could be dead or gone, taking with her the only possible clues that could Ben to Lena. Fuck that.

"With all due respect, sir, we need to do this now," said Ben. "Regs say that if you don't hear otherwise, you're supposed to proceed with the mission. Besides, if we wait, we might as well turn around and sign Maria's death warrant. We can do this. We're fucking Recon Marines. Those assholes won't stand a chance."

Morelli looked hard at Ben. Then he looked over at Jones, who shrugged.

"I'd rather cut off my trigger finger than admit that a bunch of nearsighted farmers can outshoot me," said Jones, glancing at Ben.

That's my boy, Ben thought. Always got my back.

"Fine, let's move,” said Morelli.

He informed the Humvee behind him of the change of plan. As Private Hanson drove to the designated parking spot, a surge of adrenaline rushed through Ben. Two of the men would stay with the vehicles while the others jumped out into the fight. They were going in dangerous and hot, with only a vague idea of how many Taliban might be in the area.

Truth was, it was sort of stupid even to risk it, mostly because this was the kind of stuff that was best left to the Navy SEALS. But there was no time to call them, and it was critical that they rescue Maria. Ben knew in his gut that she would be able to tell him what had happened to Lena. Or, at least, to give him a clue that might lead him to her.

Please let Maria still be alive, he thought as he locked and loaded his rifle. He took a deep breath and pulled down his combat eye gear.

###

Amir raised his rifle and rushed through the hole that was blasted into the wall of the compound. Nearly tripping in his haste to get inside the building, he looked down and saw that he had stepped on a body. Most likely, it was one of the guards.

He kept his sunglasses on, not wanting the dust to get in his eyes. Behind him, several of the other Talibs rolled in. Two of them checked the room to be sure it was clear, but the other one rushed straight out into the hall.

"Clear the hall first,” Amir shouted, but it was futile.

Shots rang out and the Talib fell right back inside.

Amir rolled his eyes. Would these idiots ever learn? He gripped his rifle and moved to the side of the wall. Then he kicked the door fully open and fired into the dust.

When he heard a slumping sound, he knew he had gotten his man. He peeked out, making sure the hall was clear before stepping out. It was at times like this—in the heat of the battle, the bullets whizzing by his head—that Amir felt happy. To spit in death’s face and to live! It was an incredible rush, to which he had grown addicted. He knew this was not normal. Actually, it was insane, but he didn't care. This propensity made him a great warrior, and would some day (hopefully soon) make him a great general.