pulled back, keeping his hands on my neck and shoulders. I loved being this close to him. When he smiled, I felt my heart melt into a puddle.
"I'm really happy to see you, Ladybug," he said softly, the smile never leaving his eyes. "But what are you doing here?"
I took a deep breath. I had rehearsed this speech a thousand times on the flight here, but now that it was time to actually say it, my voice wavered. He had to believe me. As insane as what I was going to say was, at least this time I had a plan. I just needed to make sure he actually heard it before dismissing me as a needy, crazy story he told his friends.
"I'm going to tell you something crazy," I said. "I wouldn't believe it myself, except it's true."
Tony's face darkened with worry. "Are you pregnant? I thought I was careful enough..."
"No, no," I answered, a nervous laugh bubbling in my throat. If only that were the problem. That I could handle. "I'm not pregnant."
"Okay. I mean..." he shrugged. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you were, but I'm glad that's not it."
I bit my lip. This next part was the most dangerous part. This was the part I was afraid of. I was terrified he was going to leave without letting me finish.
"You can't leave for the Middle East. You're going to die over there."
Tony's face fell and he dropped his hands from me. "Kimberly..."
"Before you write me off as a super psycho chick, just listen to what I have to say," I begged, grabbing onto his sleeve. He pulled back slightly, but he didn't try to escape. "I've been to the future. You die on this tour. You're supposed to guard some VIP and something goes wrong. I wait for you and you never come home."
Tony took a step backward, moving his arm to dislodge my fingers. My throat tightened. I needed to get a hold of myself. I needed to stick to the facts that would convince him, not the emotional part that had haunted me for the past twenty years. My emotions didn't matter now.
"But, to prove to you that I'm not crazy and that I actually am from the future, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen tomorrow." I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Events that I shouldn't know. Couldn't know, unless what I'm saying is true."
"Kimberly..." Pity filled Tony's eyes. He thought I was nuts.
"You don't have to believe me today." I pressed my palms together and gave him a weak grin. "Hell, I wouldn't believe me today, but if tomorrow, you do believe me, then meet me at the gate tomorrow evening."
Tony's face told me he wasn't even thinking of showing up. I couldn't blame him. If our roles were reversed, I would have looked exactly the same. At least he was still listening, though.
"Tomorrow is August 2 nd ." I looked him in the eye to make sure he heard my every word. This was the important part. "Iraq is going to invade and occupy Kuwait at two am. The Emir will flee to Saudi Arabia. There will be two days of fighting. In response, President Bush will announce a defensive mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia called Operation Desert Shield."
"What did you call it?" Tony asked, interrupting me. His expression shifted slightly, turning more into an interested frown from a disbelieving one.
"Operation Desert Shield," I repeated. I knew this all as history that had affected my life. I had read every article I could get my hands on during this time because I had been worried about Tony. Even after his death, I had almost a gruesome fascination with the time period. "American soldiers will be in country August 7 th . The entire conflict will eventually be called Operation Desert Storm, or the Gulf War."
Tony's frown deepened. "How do you know this?"
"Because this is old history for me," I explained. "This is all set to happen at two am Iraqi time. If this does occur, then please believe me and meet me at the gate tomorrow evening at seven. I won't be able to get in because you guys will be on lockdown."
Tony crossed his arms, his eyes dark. He schooled his
Jennifer Rose
Kim Devereux
Stuart M. Kaminsky
Tracy Falbe
Jeffrey Toobin
A. M. Hudson
Denise Swanson
Maureen Carter
Delilah Devlin
Alaya Dawn Johnson