Page 56

“Shut the hell up!” She swung sideways in her seat. “Are you teasing me, or is a Mickey D’s there?”
“It’s a wood building about ten feet long and five feet wide. It has a variegated tin roof and a menu with pictures and everything across the front. You walk up two steps, place your order, and pay then collect it at the next window. Of course, it has like five things, and it’s expensive as hell, but yeah, there is one. It might still be open when we get there.”
“Oh, man, I hope it is. I need to buy some to bring back to Shelly. We’ve been so hungry for a burger and fries.”
“It would be kind of old by the time you get back to camp.” He made a face at her. The thought of aday-old burger wasn’t high on his list of things he’d want to eat.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. If she came, and there was a Mickey’s, and she didn’t buy me a burger and fries, I would cry real tears. I’ll bring it back for her.”
“I’ll see if we can find a cooler.”
Leaning over, Fleur kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
He glanced at her and then in the rearview mirror. The smile on Wolf’s face was about three feet wide. Whatever. He put his hand out, and she took it. Folding it into his, he wondered how he’d found such a person in the middle of a war zone.
Three hours later, they pulled into Al-Tanf Garrison. Ronan left Wolf to find the drivers' bunks. He then took Fleur to the logistics warehouse and checked on the equipment and supplies that were supposed to be waiting for them.
“We have everything,” a staff sergeant told him. “The trucks will be fueled in the morning. I have the manifest for the equipment and supplies.” He handed it to Ronan. “We’ll load it together so you can ensure you’ve got what was requested.”
“Perfect. What time?” He handed the clipboardback. “I have the list from my organization.” Not that he didn’t trust, but trust and verify was a way of life if you wanted to stay alive.
“I’m here at zero-five hundred. Any time after that.” The man put his clipboard back on the wall.
“I’ll see you then.” Ronan shook the man’s hand and escorted Fleur out of the building and to the right.
“I can smell it!” She hopped excitedly. They turned the corner, and she did a little dance. “Thank you!”
She ran up the steps to the first window and backed away at the flurry of Arabic spat in her direction. Ronan was behind her in an instant. “What’s the problem?” he demanded.
“I won’t serve her,” the man flung back in English.
Ronan cocked his head and looked over his shoulder at Fleur. “Then you’ll serve me. I want four of everything.” He figured the other drivers would want some, too.
The man glared at Fleur. “She is disrespecting youandme, showing her hair and body.”
Ronan crossed his arms over his chest. “Keep your eyes to yourself, and there will be nodisrespect. She’s American, and she’s welcome on this base, and she’s dressed appropriately.”
“But not in this country,” the man seethed.
Ronan paid for the food and corrected the man when he made a mistake in making change. That earned him another scathing look. Ronan kept his eyes on the worker as he made the food. He didn’t want to find a wad of spit in one of the burgers.
Fleur came up behind him. “Thank you. I’d forgotten for a minute where I was.”
“You’re on a US base. You didn’t forget. He did. And I’ll make sure his supervisors know.” Not that anything would be done. He took the four bags of food, and they walked down the stairs. The man’s muttered threat toward Fleur was loud enough for him to hear. Ronan turned around and, in perfect Arabic, said, “Enjoy your last day working on base.”
The man bared his teeth in response. “Here, take this.” He handed the bags to Fleur and hit his comms. “Dude, I have a project for you.” He explained what had just happened and asked Dude to handle the situation. Dude would know what he meant by that request. Ronan rarely asked his operator to handle this type of work, but when he did, the man never disappointed.
“You got it, Skipper,” Dude replied, and Ronancould hear the keyboard clacking as Dude started the process.
They found the other drivers, who nearly attacked them for a burger. He tossed a bag to Wolf, and after everyone, including himself, had devoured a hamburger and fries, they split up again. He took Fleur to billeting with him, and they scored a private hut. As they passed by the Jeep, he grabbed their bags, and they made their way to their billets for the night.
He opened the door, and she sighed as she walked in. “Air conditioning. Oh, look! A fridge!” She walked straight to the small dorm-sized fridge and put the leftover burgers in it before she spun around and stopped. “A shower!” Fleur flew to the bathroom, which was tiny, and then spun around to him. She picked up a small black object, and her eyes grew wide. “A blow dryer!” She squealed and then laughed that rich, vibrant laugh of hers. “If I’m sleeping, don’t wake me up.”
He walked over to her and pulled her against him. “I’m afraid you might not get too much sleep tonight.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. “Maybe we should go to bed early. You know, get a jump on that sleep.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. But we should shower first.” He glanced at the size of the shower. “Unfortunately, that would be an individual task. Imightsqueeze in there, but both of us. Doubtful.”