under her command.
The men and
women she served with were her family. She’d kill for them, but more
importantly, she’d die in order to keep them safe.
“Too bad you
didn’t shoot MPA instead of the damn locks on the coolers, Loot,” Sergeant Rick
“Tex” Calhoun said from the backseat of the Humvee.
Jordan turned in
her seat so she could shoot him a look. “If I did that, I wouldn’t be going out
doing recon with you, Tex. I’d be in the brig, waiting to be shipped home where
I’d spend the rest of my life in prison.”
“True. Maybe I
should have shot him,” Private First Class Tyler Morris said from the other
seat in the back. “MPA already hates me, and I was one of the guys playing ball
the other day.”
“He hates all of
us,” Tex argued, his irritation clear despite his slow Texas drawl. “We
shouldn’t be punished for fucking drinking water when it’s hot as Hades
outside.”
“We aren’t being
punished for drinking the water. We’re out on patrol because I disobeyed a
direct order,” Jordan clarified.
“It was a
bullshit order, Loot,” Dobbs said as he continued to drive down the barren
roadway. He glanced in the rearview mirror and slowed the vehicle. “Jesus,
Accardi is one slow mother fucker. Why the hell is he driving again?”
Jordan glanced
in the side mirror and saw the Humvee behind them had fallen way behind….again.
“He’s telling another damn story,” she muttered as she picked up her radio to
contact the other vehicle.
“New York never
runs out of stories,” Morris said with a chuckle. “I swear, he talks more than
anyone I know.”
“Accardi!”
Jordan shouted in the radio. “Shut your hole and get your ass in gear!” She
watched as the other vehicle swerved slightly, then picked up speed.
“Sorry, Loot.
Ass in gear now,” came the voice from over the radio.
“What the hell
are we supposed to be doing out here anyways?” Morris bitched as he stared out
the window at the desert landscape. “We’ve been driving around looking at
nothing for days now.”
“We went south
yesterday, and west the day before. Since we’re going east today, I’m guessing
we’ll be sent out again tomorrow to complete the hat trick,” Dobbs said dryly.
“We can now confirm that all this desert fucking looks the same.”
“I think you’re
right.” Jordan sighed. “Sorry, guys.”
“Don’t,” Tex
ordered. “Don’t apologize because that dickhead was…well, a dickhead. If you
got punished for what you did, then we don’t mind taking our licks with you, do
we boys?”
“Fuck no. We
stand with you, Loot,” Morris agreed.
That made Jordan
smile. “Look on the bright side, at least we have a cooler filled with water
with us.”
The men in the
vehicle all laughed. Dobbs shot her a smile. “Yeah, Loot. We’re pretty damn
lucky.”
And then the
world exploded.
Jordan was
slapped back in her seat as their Humvee went airborne. The vehicle behind them
had strayed slightly to the right on the road and hit an IED. The force of the
blast sent the first Humvee up in the air, where it seemed to hang suspended
for a moment, before crashing down to the earth again with a jarring impact.
Her eyes
fluttered open and it took a long minute for Jordan to unscramble her brain
enough to realize what had happened. Her vision blurred and her ears rang from
the explosion. She was lying half in, half out of the broken window, held in
place upside down by the seat belt in the overturned vehicle.
Feeling her head
throbbing with pain, she was damn glad she’d been wearing her helmet or that
pain would be a whole lot worse. Knowing she had to get out of there, she
barely held back a scream as she tried to move. Panting, she moved a shaking
hand to her stomach and felt a sharp piece of metal sticking out of her.
Son of a
bitch!
Gut wound…she
would be done for if she didn’t get help soon.
Pain shot
through her as she tried to turn her head to take a look around, but it
The men and
women she served with were her family. She’d kill for them, but more
importantly, she’d die in order to keep them safe.
“Too bad you
didn’t shoot MPA instead of the damn locks on the coolers, Loot,” Sergeant Rick
“Tex” Calhoun said from the backseat of the Humvee.
Jordan turned in
her seat so she could shoot him a look. “If I did that, I wouldn’t be going out
doing recon with you, Tex. I’d be in the brig, waiting to be shipped home where
I’d spend the rest of my life in prison.”
“True. Maybe I
should have shot him,” Private First Class Tyler Morris said from the other
seat in the back. “MPA already hates me, and I was one of the guys playing ball
the other day.”
“He hates all of
us,” Tex argued, his irritation clear despite his slow Texas drawl. “We
shouldn’t be punished for fucking drinking water when it’s hot as Hades
outside.”
“We aren’t being
punished for drinking the water. We’re out on patrol because I disobeyed a
direct order,” Jordan clarified.
“It was a
bullshit order, Loot,” Dobbs said as he continued to drive down the barren
roadway. He glanced in the rearview mirror and slowed the vehicle. “Jesus,
Accardi is one slow mother fucker. Why the hell is he driving again?”
Jordan glanced
in the side mirror and saw the Humvee behind them had fallen way behind….again.
“He’s telling another damn story,” she muttered as she picked up her radio to
contact the other vehicle.
“New York never
runs out of stories,” Morris said with a chuckle. “I swear, he talks more than
anyone I know.”
“Accardi!”
Jordan shouted in the radio. “Shut your hole and get your ass in gear!” She
watched as the other vehicle swerved slightly, then picked up speed.
“Sorry, Loot.
Ass in gear now,” came the voice from over the radio.
“What the hell
are we supposed to be doing out here anyways?” Morris bitched as he stared out
the window at the desert landscape. “We’ve been driving around looking at
nothing for days now.”
“We went south
yesterday, and west the day before. Since we’re going east today, I’m guessing
we’ll be sent out again tomorrow to complete the hat trick,” Dobbs said dryly.
“We can now confirm that all this desert fucking looks the same.”
“I think you’re
right.” Jordan sighed. “Sorry, guys.”
“Don’t,” Tex
ordered. “Don’t apologize because that dickhead was…well, a dickhead. If you
got punished for what you did, then we don’t mind taking our licks with you, do
we boys?”
“Fuck no. We
stand with you, Loot,” Morris agreed.
That made Jordan
smile. “Look on the bright side, at least we have a cooler filled with water
with us.”
The men in the
vehicle all laughed. Dobbs shot her a smile. “Yeah, Loot. We’re pretty damn
lucky.”
And then the
world exploded.
Jordan was
slapped back in her seat as their Humvee went airborne. The vehicle behind them
had strayed slightly to the right on the road and hit an IED. The force of the
blast sent the first Humvee up in the air, where it seemed to hang suspended
for a moment, before crashing down to the earth again with a jarring impact.
Her eyes
fluttered open and it took a long minute for Jordan to unscramble her brain
enough to realize what had happened. Her vision blurred and her ears rang from
the explosion. She was lying half in, half out of the broken window, held in
place upside down by the seat belt in the overturned vehicle.
Feeling her head
throbbing with pain, she was damn glad she’d been wearing her helmet or that
pain would be a whole lot worse. Knowing she had to get out of there, she
barely held back a scream as she tried to move. Panting, she moved a shaking
hand to her stomach and felt a sharp piece of metal sticking out of her.
Son of a
bitch!
Gut wound…she
would be done for if she didn’t get help soon.
Pain shot
through her as she tried to turn her head to take a look around, but it
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