Whiskey's Second Chance

42: Nightmares

Whiskey POV

Thirty minutes of sitting and brewing, I gave up. "Something doesn't feel right, brother. I can't do this sitting and waiting shit," I commented, pacing. Shotgun didn't look up at me. He simply kept cleaning his gun, calmly, like he's been for the last thirty minutes. "Seriously, you have nothing to add to this. No comments or ideas!"

Shotgun put down his cloth and the slide and looked up at me. His stone face told me everything I needed to know. I'm thinking emotionally, not logically, and if I want answers, I need a clear head.

Walking outside, I went to the barn and climbed up to the loft. Behind a panel, I pulled out the case that held one of my rifles and propped it up on the floor of the barn, facing out the small window at the top. Looking out the scope, I swept from left to right and back again, slowing down my breath, focusing on what was right in front of me.

I pulled my head away from the scope and looked around at the vast emptiness when I realized. I'm only seeing what's in front of me. The best con artists draw you in, only showing you what they want you to see, when the real trick is elsewhere. I'm only seeing what they want me to see. So, what's the big picture? What are we missing?

Putting everything away, I headed inside and straight to Killer's office.

"We're being played and whatever these people have planned isn't happening here. It's one big con and we're the fucking bait," I coolly bit out.

My phone rang, and the unknown number popped up. We headed to Hawks' office, and he was already working on tracing it, even though it has yet to work. I answered it and put it on speakerphone.

"What do you want, fucker?" I seethed.

There was a laugh on the other end of the line. "That's no way to speak to your brother now, is it?" the automated voice asked. I wasn't in the mood, but if we wanted any information, I had to remain calm.

"Well, now that I seem to have your attention, I just thought I should ask how your new relationship is going," he taunted. Instantly, my heart raced, and we all looked at one another, knowing exactly what he was insinuating.

"I don't have a girlfriend," I lied.

"Tsk. Tsk. That's a shame, Whiskey. I don't think Kayla appreciated hearing that. Did you?" Suddenly, my worst nightmare came true, and I heard a muffled voice on the other end of the line. Kayla.

The room went silent as I tuned out Hawks' furious typing and Killer calling the guys in Europe to find out what was going on. I, however, was slowly losing my mind and shutting down.

A small voice crept through the other end of the line. "Whiskey?"

I closed my eyes and wished I hadn't recognized the voice as Kayla's.

"Whiskey, it's going to be okay," she assured me. Out of all the things she could have said, she was the one reassuring me instead of the other way around.

Before I could respond, the automated voice started laughing and said, "Hope you enjoyed your time with her, because I know I am," and the line went dead.

My mind went blank and my ear intensely rang as I sat in the armchair next to Hawk's desk. Everything around me disappeared as my mind slipped back into the dark hole Kayla helped me dig out of called: my past.

We were traveling through enemy territory in the middle of nowhere in Afghanistan, trying to get to a town in need of support. Our team leader decided urgency outweighed our safety, hence the shortcut through enemy territory. We made it to a small town close to where we needed to go with no incidents, but little did we know traveling would be the easiest part of this trip.

My team let me out a little way before they reached the town, so I could take the high ground and be their 'eyes in the sky'. Before they could exit the vehicle, a woman ran out in front of them, bringing everyone to a halt and to set up a post in the middle of the town with no coverage. I scanned the area for any other unfriendlies, but didn't see any. By now, the woman was yelling something to us in a form of Pashto that none of us understood, but that didn't stop her from yelling at us.

One of our guys finally understood a word or two she said: man, take, daughter. Based on the information, I scanned through the open area and found no one on rooftops and moved to windows, or those that I could see into. Unfortunately, I saw nothing and was of no use on the high ground, so I headed for my team on the ground. However, over the coms, I heard a woman screaming, and I picked up my pace. Finding my team inside a small room, I froze at the sight before me.

Shaking my head, I came back to reality. The ringing in my ears was intense, and a thin layer of sweat covered me. Hawk was still typing away at his keyboard, but Shotgun and Killer weren't here anymore. Pushing myself out of the chair, I stood opposite Hawk, leaning on the wall, trying to regain control.

Hawk finally looked up from his computer. "We're going to find her. We got Tiger back twice, and you know they will do everything they can to find Kayla," Hawk assured me, but his eyes deceived him. He is as unsure as I am about everything.

"Go shower. You smell like sweat and I can't stand it any longer. We will all meet after to see what our next steps are," he nodded and went back to his computer.

I nodded and headed upstairs. Turning on the shower, I stripped and stepped in. The hot water ran over my tight muscles as I forced them to relax, knowing if I didn't, the headache and ringing would only get worse.

As I washed, my mind went back to Kayla and the night I left her. I should have taken the time right then and there to tell her what was on my mind and asked her to be my old lady. Now, it may be too late and some fucker is out there with her right now instead of me. The anger built inside me snapped.

I covered the shower with broken shampoo and conditioner bottles, soap everywhere, and a broken soap holder. Turning off the water, I grabbed a washcloth from the cupboard and wiped down the soap, picked up the bottles and carefully gathered the broken pieces of porcelain, and threw them away. Next, I cleaned my bathroom from top to bottom, and my bedroom. An hour later, I headed downstairs with a clear head and ready to get my girl back.