Steele Promises

Never Better

Chapter 2

 

March 24, 2011 Annapolis, MD

Jaxon watched Preston as they prepared to be deployed. It was a mission that they both knew maybe their last, but that still didn’t explain Preston’s behavior.

“Listen Steele, if anything happens to me. I need you to go to my lawyer, he’s located downtown. I need you to promise me you’ll do that.”

“What are you talking about Kelley?” Jaxon asked. “We’ll both be coming back…”

“Just say you promise Jaxon,” Preston said. Jaxon stopped what he was doing and turned and looked at Preston. They’d become close friends, but as men in the service they usually used last names when addressing each other before and during missions. When Preston called him by his full first name it meant he was really serious.

“You got something you want to tell me?” Jaxon asked.

“No, just promise me you’ll go see my lawyer.” Jaxon gave a short nod.

“Yeah, I promise.” Preston handed him his lawyer’s card and then continued to suite up.

March 26, 2011, Somewhere in the Middle East.

 

The sound of gun fire was so loud in the air Preston could barely hear Jaxon screaming instructions. Preston stood up and fired randomly into the building before ducking back down behind a car. Jaxon did the same before diving behind the same car Preston was.

“Are you alright?” He screamed.

“Never better!”

“They got us pinned down! We gotta keep pressing forward if were ever gonna make it inside any suggestions?” Preston peeked over the car to come up with a plan. The goal was to make it inside the building to retrieve a kidnapped politician. Bullets were flying out of all the first floor windows keeping the unit pinned behind several cars. There were five other marines with him, but they were still hopelessly outnumbered.  Preston pulled a grenade from his vest and Jaxon took the hint. Both of them pulled the pin from their grenades and tossed it right into a window.

“Grenade!” The soldiers ducked behind their personal shields and waited for the piercing noise. Glass and shrapnel flew everywhere as the grenades detonated.

“Move!” Preston screamed as he stood and charged the building. The marines followed him into the building firing their rifles and screaming a war cry. Preston took charge and made his way through the halls searching every room and checking every corner. Jaxon ran with him making sure they weren’t shot from behind. Preston stopped at a corner and held his fist up signaling Jaxon to stop. He peeked around the corner and saw the politician unconscious and tied to a chair. He took a few more seconds to make sure it was clear. Once he was confident he gave another signal to Jaxon and they both ran down the hallway to the target. Jaxon ran ahead and checked to see if he was alive, while Preston posted up in the doorway to cover him.

“How is he?” Preston asked not taking his eyes off the end of the hall.

“He’s banged up pretty bad. He’s unconscious, multiple bruises, bleeding. We gotta get him outta here.”

“Grab him and let’s go.” Jaxon cut him free and lifted him over his shoulder. Preston grabbed the walkie strapped to his vest. 

“This bravo leader one to home base; over.”

“Go ahead bravo leader.”

“We’ve located the package and are bringing him to the rendezvous point.”

“Copy that Bravo leader.” Preston took the lead again and made his way down the hallway. He kept his gun aimed forward as he turned the corner. Several men with guns charged down the hall from the opposite direction.

“Get down!” Preston screamed as he fired and searched for cover. The men screamed in Arabic before returning fire clipping Preston in the chest. It knocked him back and caused him to lose his breath, but he was able to continue to fire thanks to the Kevlar vest he wore. His shots took out all the men at the end of the hall clearing the way.

“Are you alright?” Jaxon asked as he offered his hand. Preston grabbed it and lifted himself up.

“Never better,” He said throwing Jaxon’s words back at him. Screaming and gunfire was coming from every direction as Preston and Jaxon ran as fast as they could for the door. Preston returned fire at men to his left while Jaxon continued to run for the exit. Finally he burst out of the building with Preston to his back still firing. The sand shot up in every direction as a helicopter hovered a few hundred feet away.

“Go go go go!” Preston screamed. Jaxon bolted ahead with the package over his shoulder and Preston following closely behind him. The side door of the chopper opened and soldiers hopped out to grab the broken and beaten man. Jaxon helped to settle him in the chopper before taking a seat himself followed by Preston. They didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they were safely in the air and moving back to base. The soldier laughed.

“Rough time? How you feeling?” He screamed. Preston stared out of the window finally safe and finally going home.

“Never better” Jaxon whispered he said with relief. After the weird conversation before deployment he’d had an eerie feeling, he was glad that his feeling had been wrong and both of them would be going home safe and sound.