"Inside!" Lauren barked, already hauling out of the tub and putting herself between Camila and the potential danger. Thankfully, the brunette didn't argue, simply climbing out and running for the doorway, grabbing her robe from the floor and pulling it over her naked body as she ran inside.
Lauren grabbed her own robe and followed her, backing away from the tub and taking one last glance at the approaching boat. It didn't seem like a threat, it was hardly the stealthiest of approaches coming down the lake towards them, but she had never been about taking chances, and she wasn't about to start now. Her first priority would be getting them both inside and into cover, then to get a means of defense and plan an escape route.
"Get me the key to that gun case, Camila," she ordered as she closed and locked the back door, dragging one of the chairs across to help block it just in case. "Then find the car keys and get that shed door open, will the remote reach it from here?"
Camila nodded, lifting the small key out of a drawer when she had hidden it and threw it over to her. "Hey," she called out as Camila turned and crossed the room to the table where they had dumped their stuff. The brunette paused and looked at her, eyes concerned, "It's probably nothing, babe, ok? Let's just make sure we're ready for it,"
The brunette again nodded uncertainly as Lauren pulled on her robe and wrapped it around herself, tying it closed tightly as she walked over to the cabinet. Unlocking the door, she considered her options; inside were two hunting rifles and three shotguns, all of them double barreled. She would have given her right foot for a pump action shotgun right now, but she grabbed the nearest shotgun and loaded it, dropping shells into the pockets of her robe.
"Door's open, love," Camila called out from the front of the cabin. Lauren carried the loaded shotgun over to the nearest window and laid it against the wall. "Are we going?"
"No time, Camz," she said, spotting the boat pulling up on the shore, the three passengers preparing to disembark. She rushed back to the cabinet and grabbed another one of the shotguns, loading it quickly. "You go now," she said, "take the car and get somewhere safe, keep your head down and don't stop for anything. I'll call you when it's safe."
"What about you?" Camila protested, "aren't you coming, too?"
"Don't argue, Camz," she snapped, clicking the shotgun closed and heading for the window. "Just go."
"But..."
"Go, Camila!" she shouted, getting annoyed with her obstinacy. "Do as you're told. Get out and get to somewhere safe, I'll cover you."
She heard a huff from behind her as she peered out of the window at the three figures that were approaching. There was something familiar about the way they were moving and slowly, she inched open the door and fired a warning shot into the air.
"What are you doing?" Camila called from behind as she opened the door at the three figures that were belly down on the floor, hardly the pose of hardened terrorists' intent on murder.
"Why are you still here?" she snarled at Camila, opening the door and looking outside at the still prone figures. "Stay where you are!" she yelled at them, pointing the shotgun downrange at the three figures, "do not move, or I will open fire."
In truth, the odds weren't great. She had one shell left, no time to reload, and three hostiles in front of her; if they decided to rush her, she was well and truly fucked.
"Lauren?" A familiar voice called out from the patch of grass, "don't shoot, it's me, Sinu."
"Sinu?" she shouted back, "stand up and walk towards me slowly, the rest of you stay where you are!"
Despite the familiarity of the voice, she wasn't going to take any chances with these people. Sinu could have been kidnapped and forced to comply; it wasn't likely but she wasn't going to risk it. She pointed the shotgun towards the figure that stood and slowly began to approach, her finger firmly pointed forward; not on the trigger, but ready in case it was needed. For safety's sake, she wasn't actually aiming at her, but her shotgun was tracking between the three of them looking for a sign of danger.
"Mami?" Camila called out from behind her as Sinu Cabello came into view, "what are you doing here, you're supposed to be in Paris with Colin, and why did you come by boat?"
"I came to get you, mija," Sinu said, dusting off her clothes as she walked towards them. "We flew in and this was the fastest way to get here."
"Who's with you?" Lauren demanded, the shotgun still pointed at the figures on the ground.
"Just Rachel and what I assume will be a very scared boat owner," she said stepping onto the deck with her hands held up. "Can we come in?"
"You can," Lauren said stepping onto the deck and raising her voice so it could be heard across the grass, "you two can get up and approach me, but slowly; no sudden movements."
"Oh really, Lo," Camila said from behind her, "relax, Mami's told you who it is; stop being such an ass."
She ignored her abuse and watched carefully as the two figures approached, recognizing Rachel as soon as she came into view.
"Everything ok?" Lauren asked nodding at the tall guy next to Sinu's CPO.
"Fine," Rachel replied with a meaningful gesture at her shotgun, "would you mind?"
She nodded and hefted the gun, breaking open the barrel and emptying the chambers, making the weapon safe. She allowed the shotgun to drape over her arm.
"Miss Jauregui, this is Alasdair Skene, he's the owner of the boat we hired to get here," Rachel said as she stepped onto the deck, following Sinu into the house.
"Mr. Skene," she said nodding at the poker-faced man who was eyeing her with suspicion. "Apologies for the welcome, not my usual hospitality but I'm afraid I can't take any chances these days."
"Aye," he replied, his accent thick, "your friend here said you might be a wee bit cautious, didn't expect to be shot at, though."
"Again, my apologies," she replied, gesturing for him to join them inside, "and I didn't actually shoot at you, you know? I was firing into the air."
"Aye, that's true as well," he replied waving her away and making no attempt to join them. "I'll be away down with my boat if you don't mind, lassie. Mrs. Cabello there said you'll need to get straight back."
Before she could reply, he was turning away and walking across the grass to the shoreline, lighting a cigarette as he went. Shrugging at his dismissal, she walked back into the cabin to see what was going on, only to find Rachel and Sinu sat on the couch, Camila nowhere to be seen.
"Gone to get dressed," Sinu said, looking at her amusedly, "said that wearing a bathrobe wasn't the best way to greet guests; though it doesn't seem to be causing you any issues."
"Well, it is a bit draughty," she replied putting the shotgun in the cabinet and reaching for the spare, unloading it carefully and locking it away. "But needs must and all that; I think it's better than being naked."
"Did we get you out of bed?" Sinu asked, a hint of amusement in her voice at Lauren's casualness to their situation.
"Out of the spa actually," she replied, pulling shells from out of her pockets and replacing them in the boxes, securing all of the weaponry and locking it all away safely. "We were having a nice soak in the hot tub when I saw you coming."
"So why are you here, Mami?" Camila asked, appearing at the top of the stairs in a pair of Lauren's sweats; sweats that were just slightly too long for her, the cuffs and ankles bunching making her look smaller than she really was. "We are supposed to be on holiday, you know? Relaxing after last week!"
"I know, mija and I'm really, really sorry; you know I wouldn't disturb you both unless it was really important but this really can't wait."
"What's wrong, Mami?" Camila said, half running down the stairs to her mother, "has something happened to Sofi?"
"Oh no, mija, nothing like that... I'm not doing very well here, am I?" Sinu added apologetically. "Look, sit down dear and I'll explain."
"Would anyone mind if I got changed while you talk?" Lauren said, interrupting the conversation abruptly.
"Well you need to hear this too, Lauren," Sinu said standing, "but I think a nice cup of tea is in order. Why don't you get dressed while I 'put a wet on', is that right?"
"Very good," Lauren said getting up and smiling at her use of the familiar term. "Give me two seconds and I'll be right down."
It might have taken her slightly longer than two seconds to find some clothes to pull on; Camila having stolen the ones she'd left on the bed to get changed into after their soak in the tub. By the time she got downstairs, there was a pot on the table, and a cup of hot tea waiting for her.
"Take a seat, Lauren" Sinu said pouring milk into her cup and sliding it over to her, "you need to know about this as well."
"What's the matter, Mami?" Camila said again, "what's going on that would bring you all the way up here in a fucking helicopter?"
"Language, Karla," Sinu chided before smiling at her daughter affectionately. "Look, I'm sorry for breaking up your holiday but something came up and we have to deal with it."
"Work?" Camila asked, picking up her own cup and blowing at the steaming liquid.
"Work," Sinu confirmed, causing Camila to sigh deeply and slump back in her seat.
"I'm really sorry, Camila. You know I wouldn't do this to you if I had an alternative but I don't. I don't have the experience to pull this off and I need you to help deal with this."
"What's happened?" Camila asked, her eyes still closed.
"Iraq's happened," Sinu replied with a frown, "we're on the short list and we got moved forward. We have a meeting with the Iraqi Police tomorrow afternoon and I need you and Nigel to get out there and make this happen."
"Tomorrow?" Camila blurted out incredulously, "They've got to be freaking kidding."
"I'm afraid not," Sinu said shaking her head. Lauren's own head was reeling with the implications of her announcement. This time tomorrow, they would be in Iraq and Camila would be trying to broker a deal with one of the most beleaguered police forces in the world, in one of the most dangerous places in the world. It was going to be a logistical nightmare trying to make sure they were safe and sound over there, and all she could think about was what the team back in the office had arranged for them. It was really strange trying to go from holiday mode back into work mode and she was trying to think of all the things that she needed to do to make it happen.
"Lauren?"
Camila's voice dragged her out of her mental lock-in, making her realize that once again, she hadn't heard a word that they had been saying. She knew that Camila had rumbled her when she grinned broadly at her confused blink; the damn girl knew her far too well.
"I was asking if you thought we'd be ready to go late tonight or early tomorrow, but I guess you're still working that out."
"Yeah," she lied, "I'm going to need to talk to the LT about it, but from where we were before we went off on last week's trip, I think everything is in place."
"Miss Kordei says she will be accompanying you to Iraq, Miss Jauregui," Rachel interjected formally, "she said that she needed to be on site to oversee things while you were there."
"Did she say if everything was ready, equipment-wise?" she asked, getting a nod from Sinu's CPO. "All of it?" she added, thinking of the other items that Dinah had told her she would be arranging through her contact in Baghdad.
"Everything," Rachel confirmed nodding again. "Ms. Kordei asked me to reassure you that everything you need will be waiting for you at the airport when you arrive."
"Then I guess we're ready, Camz," she said with a frown. "I take it we need to leave right away?"
"I'm afraid so, Lauren," Sinu said putting down her cup, "we'll take the boat back to the farm where the helicopter is waiting to get us to the airport and then we're heading back to Miami. I'm sorry I'm ruining your holiday, girls, but there's really nothing for it; they're expecting you tomorrow, Camila. My hands are tied."
"It's ok, Mami," Camila said patting Lauren on the knee and getting up, "we just need to pack away a few things and we'll be ready to go. Come on, Lauren, let's go and pack."
"One thing," Lauren said as she rose to follow her, "what about my car? We can't just leave it here."
"I'm going to drive it back for you, Miss Jauregui," Rachel said casually from her seat. "I'm sure that you'll be able to look after Mrs. Cabello for the trip back when you're in Miami; arrangements have been made for her security."
"You're driving my car back," she said frowning, "well, be careful, if you break it, Dinah will not be impressed."
"I will drive it as if it is my own," Rachel said with a smile that totally changed her usually serious face.
"I really hope not," Sinu interrupted with a dramatic shake of her head, "I hope for Lauren's sake you're a lot more careful than that, Rachel."
o+o+o
Half an hour of rapid stuffing clothes into cases later and they were done, packed and heading down the shoreline to the boat; it wasn't a big craft, little more than a powered dingy, but it was fast and she felt like a dog in a car as she sat near the front, the wind and spray lashing at her face.
"Having fun, Lolo?" Camila yelled over the sound of the racing engine, "I bet you're used to all this, right?"
"Not really," she shouted back; noting that Camila was looking a little green around the gills. "I was a copper, not a marine, plus there's not much water in the desert."
"Oh, shut up," Camila shouted as the inflatable boat skipped over a wavelet, lurching dramatically. She hid a smile as she watched Camila grab at the rope that ran over the inflatable pods, her knuckles gleaming white as she hung on for dear life. It looked like her girl hated boats almost as much as she hated flying; something to remember just in case.
It didn't take them long to get to the tiny boathouse that marked the end of their journey. She could see the black and gold colors of the commercial helicopter that was waiting in a field for them, its rotors still. It must have cost Sinu a fortune to hire it to come and get them, surely a mark of how important this deal was to the company.
Between the Iraqi Police and the Indian Army, Cabello Industries had the potential to make an absolute fortune; it was clearly an opportunity for them to become a massive player in the industry and to open doors into new markets. It was an exciting time for them, but a dangerous one, too; the people they were hoping to deal with weren't well loved in the world of the extremist, and the group that had been threatening them would more than likely see it as one more reason to pour out their own version of hate.
"Are you ready for this?" Camila asked as she helped her out of the boat and back onto dry land.
"As I'll ever be," she replied eyeing the helicopter with suspicion. To be perfectly honest, she wasn't nearly as worried about flying as she had been on that first trip from Miami, but that wasn't to say she enjoyed it.
"Come on, you, it won't be that bad," Camila said laughing, walking away and leaving her, once again to carry her case for her. "I'll hold your hand and make it better," she called out as the rotors on the chopper began to turn, the pilot obviously alerted to their presence.
"Wish you'd carry your own bag instead," she shouted after Camila as Sinu laughed beside her. Camila just turned and stuck her tongue out at her, a move that prompted her to laugh as the brunette lost her footing and fell to the floor, landing on her ass in the thick grass with a look of pure surprise on her face.
"I think she deserved that," Sinu said as she walked past Lauren, stifling a laugh of her own, holding out a hand to her daughter who had, thankfully, started giggling herself.
With Camila obviously unhurt, Lauren picked up their bags and walked towards the helicopter, the co-pilot walking towards her to take their luggage and stow it in one of the hidden compartments, running back and forth under the now whirring blades.
Camila hooked her arm as they waited, pulling herself into her side tightly.
"Shame about the holiday, babe," Camila said as she stared at the pilot, waiting for the signal to say they could approach; "things were just starting to get good."
"They were," she replied with a sigh, "one more night and I think we'd have cracked that jigsaw, you know."
"You and that freaking jigsaw," Camila laughed turning to her mother. "Can you believe that, Mami? We have a cabin in the woods all to ourselves, and all Lauren here wanted to do of an evening was complete a stupid jigsaw with dragons on it."
"All she wanted to do, mija?" Sinu said with a raised eyebrow, a raised eyebrow that caused both Camila and Lauren to blush. "Are you sure? Judging by how you were dressed when I arrived, jigsaws were the last thing on your minds."
"Mami!" Camila shouted, her voice sounding outraged and embarrassed by Sinu's bluntness, though Lauren had no idea why. "We were in the spa, nothing funny going on at all."
"Sounds like you missed a trick then, mija. Colin and I had a lot of fun in our whirlpool bath in Paris, until the damn office called."
Lauren and Camila were left standing there dumbfounded as Sinu walked towards the helicopter at a signal from the pilot, his co-pilot opening the side door and gesturing for her to get onboard.
"Well, at least someone else had their romantic holiday ruined," Camila muttered as they each waited for the signal to approach.
"I wouldn't say ruined, babe," Lauren replied reassuringly, "it was good while it lasted. Why don't we just call it postponed? Sure we can find the time to do this again when all this business of yours is done."
"We'll make the time," Camila promised as Lauren clapped her on the shoulder, nudging her towards the waiting ride.
"I fucking hope so," she muttered to herself as she watched Camila jump on board and then made that strange, stooped half-walk half-run under the rapidly spinning rotors, trying not to get decapitated. "I was just starting to enjoy it."
o+o+o
Many hours and many miles later, Lauren was feeling sweaty, uncomfortable, and annoyed. Seventeen long hours after they took off from Miami, they were on approach to Baghdad International Airport, and the tension in their corner of the plane was palpable.
It was only a small team that had made the trip to Iraq. Lauren and Normani, of course, providing close protection duties to Camila and her colleague, Nigel. She'd met Nigel a few times in Camila's meetings and frankly, she thought he was a cock. It had taken her one car journey, a wait in the airport lounge and ten minutes of the flight to reappraise her opinion of him. He wasn't a cock. He was an abject fucking dickhead! She'd had to restrain her sharp tongue and hard fists on no less than five separate occasions, and it was only a calming hand that stopped her from getting up and lamping him when the seatbelt sign went off.
Fortunately for her, and him, Nigel decided to use the flight to 'catch up on his beauty sleep'. That meant that Lauren was saved from having to try to ignore his thinly veiled digs at her and Camila, and he was saved from a punch in the face. Just because the rumors of their relationship had travelled around Cabello Industries since the funeral, it didn't mean he could pass comment and think he could get away with it; and she promised that as soon as the meeting was over, and they were tucked up safely in their hotel, she and Nigel will be having words.
So it wasn't the proximity to one of the world's most dangerous hotspots that was causing their tension, it was a small minded idiot with a flapping jaw and no sense of diplomacy.
Still, it did at least take her mind off the flight.
The airport itself was seriously impressive; a testament to the obscene opulence of the previous regime. She knew that it used to be called Saddam International, and she supposed that no expense had been spared to make it a jewel in his crown. Her mother would be seething at how lavish the place was, knowing how much the people had suffered. She was keeping her mouth shut after the journey; it was cool and quiet and a good place to wait for their contact to meet them and escort them to where they would be getting kitted up.
"What's the delay, Lolo?" Camila whispered to her, her voice sounding concerned.
The girl had been quiet for most of the flight and hadn't said a word since they had disembarked the plane. The reality of their situation had probably finally hit her, even the yappy fucker Nigel was subdued.
"We're waiting for a guy called Karl, love," she whispered, "he's the contact that Dinah and Normani have hired to provide our equipment and drive us around. He's probably just delayed, no need to worry."
"I'm not worrying, babe," Camila said unconvincingly, "not really, anyway."
"I am," she told her flatly, getting a surprised look. "What? I am," she added, "this can be a dangerous place, even Normani is worried, see?"
"Mani looks as cool as a cucumber, babe," Camila said staring at her, "she doesn't look bothered at all."
"She's rolling a coin, Camz," she told her nodding at Normani's right hand where a coin was working its way from knuckle to knuckle before vanishing and reappearing by her thumb to repeat the journey. "She always does that when she's concerned about stuff, it's her thing."
"Her thing?" Camila repeated sounding confused.
"Yeah, we all have something we do when we're getting ready to go on mission. Normani rolls coins, Horan used to check and double check his pouches, and Saint used to click his lighter... it drove me fucking crazy. Always the same pattern, click click, click click; open close, open close. I stopped him doing it once mid stride and he nearly freaked out at me."
"So Normani's worried?" Camila asked, her eyes glued to the coin as it spun and spun.
"Not in the way you're thinking," she explained patiently, glad of the distraction. "This is the worst part of a mission, the part before you go into action. You've done everything you can do and now your waiting for the go signal. You're trying not to over-think everything, trying to stay focused and trying not to think of the dangers too much all at once. I used to hate it, that's how I started spotting other people's 'things'. Once you know what you're looking for, it's easy. Take Nigel over there, he's a pen clicker; it must be really annoying him right now."
"How so?"
"Because he doesn't have a pen with him, he used to spin and click his pens when he was in meetings, especially when he was feeding you a line of shit; right now his fingers are twitching... look at him, he's a fucking mess."
"Do I have a thing?" Camila asked dragging her eyes from Nigel and his involuntary finger movements and staring up at her, her mission of distracting her virtually complete.
"You do," she said knowingly, winking at her.
"What is it then?" Camila demanded and she raised an eyebrow in reply.
"What, tell you how I know when you're nervous about something, Camila Cabello? I don't think so... I'm not going to give up an advantage like that; next thing you'll tell me is that you want to know what mine is."
"You have a 'thing'?" Camila said loudly, causing Normani to look up and drop his coin.
"Everyone has a 'thing', Camz," she admitted with a grin, "even me."
"Spill, Lauren, I want to know," Camila said slapping her arm in frustration.
"You'll have to work it out yourself if you want to know that, babe," she said lowering her voice as three men approached. "I think this is our ride."
It was indeed, the burly American who introduced himself as Karl was their contact in Baghdad and within moments, they were ushered into a side room and presented with a table holding four bags of kit; two larger than the others.
"I think that's mine, Camz," she said as Camila tried to drag one of the larger bags towards herself.
"Does it really matter, Lauren?" Camila said sighing, "honestly, you're as bad as my sister sometimes."
"It might," she said smiling as Camila unzipped the bag and then stepped back, eyes wide as she saw what was inside.
"Bitch," the brunette said wagging her finger at Lauren, "you knew that was in there, didn't you?"
"Had a good idea," she said reaching in and lifting out the bullpup Heckler and Koch MP7 and checking the mechanism was clear.
"You used one of those before, Miss Jauregui?" Karl asked as she checked out the breech.
"Lauren," she corrected him. "Once or twice, the Police back home use them and I got checked out when I was on special duties a couple of years ago. Nice weapon, good in a tight space."
She clicked down the folding fore grip, noting with pleasure that the hinges were nicely oiled and clean, as Karl showed Normani the key features of her weapon. She locked it down and placed it on a table, looking at Camila's wry smile.
"Yes, Miss Cabello?" she asked as Camila shook her head at her, "May I be of some assistance?"
"Actually, yes, you can show me what the fuck I'm supposed to do with this," Camila said, ignoring her question and twirling slightly, showing off the navy blue bullet proof vest she had pulled on from the bag. "I think I've got it on right, but I know you'll want to make sure."
"Not a bad job," she said smiling and digging around in the bag, pulling out the helmet they'd asked for and holding it out to her. "Now try that on for size."
"Oh, fuck, you were serious?" Camila said looking at the brain bucket with disdain. "That's going to weigh a ton."
"Not quite," she said spotting something else nestling in the bottom of the bag and pulling it out. "But that little outfit is going to get a little bit heavier."
"What now?" Camila said as the others looked on. "Don't you think this thing is heavy enough?"
"You forgot to put these in," she replied, holding up the heavy ceramic SAPI plates that fitted in the tight bullet-proof pouches.
"What do I need those for?" Camila asked, looking at her as if she was joking.
"They sort of stop the bullets, Miss Cabello," Karl said from the other end of the table, pulling the plates out of Nigel's bag and slotting them into the vest he was holding himself. "I'm afraid I couldn't get you ladies a molded inner so the one's you have might be a little uncomfortable; sorry about that, but there's not a lot of call for vests for ladies out here.
"It'll be fine, Karl," Lauren said, not looking at him as she grabbed Camila's vest and unfastened it, lifting it off her shoulders and adding the plates into their slots. "It's not as if we'll be living in them like I used to have to, and I never had a problem then; plus, my old vest was far worse than this one."
"Miss Hansen said that you'd seen action, Lauren," Karl said sounding impressed.
"I wasn't technically in a combat role, Karl," she said as she held up the vest for Camila to slip her arms into. "I was a close protection officer back then, but we sort of got used for combat support, patrols and peacekeeping and the like."
"No shit?" Karl replied, "I used to do close protection work over here, too. I run my own business now, but I do a bit of contract work like this now and again to pay the bills."
"What's it like out here at the moment?" Normani asked as she slipped her own vest on and fastened it closed.
"Mostly quiet," Karl said as he fixed Nigel who, to Lauren's great satisfaction, was looking distinctly uncomfortable in his equipment. "Though there have been a couple of car bombings and a shooting or two," he added making Camila and Nigel's faces blanch, "nothing too unusual."
"Nothing too unusual?" Nigel spat staring at Lauren angrily, "bombings and shootings are nothing too unusual? Christ sake, you said the risk assessment was low, you said it was safe."
"This is safe, son," Karl interrupted sniffing, "this is barely a blip on the radar out here."
He turned back to Nigel and thumped him on the shoulders, driving the factory fresh vest down and into position. "Did you think this was a holiday destination, son? People die out here every day, which is all the more reason for you to keep that shut and listen to me and your team here. Iraq can be a great place if you take a few simple precautions and don't be acting the fool. Act like an idiot out here, boy and I may as well call your momma and tell her you'll be coming home in a box, you get me?"
Camila smirked as Nigel nodded seriously at the big American who handed him his helmet with aplomb. The smile vanished from her face when she looked up at Lauren and saw that she wasn't amused.
"He's not joking is he, babe?" Camila whispered as Lauren clipped on the shoulder pieces of the armor, the shoulder pieces that might have saved her military career had she worn them herself.
"Not even a little bit, Camz," she replied seriously. "We've told you how dangerous it can be out here."
"Yeah," Camila replied pulling at her vest, "I know, it's just..."
"I know," she said, resting her hands on Camila's shoulders, "all this makes it real, doesn't it? You ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"For this," Lauren said, raising her hands and bringing them down sharply, as Camila braced, she smacked her vest, getting it to sit that little bit lower and more comfortably on her.
"Thanks a lot, babe," Camila muttered as she straightened and took the helmet from Lauren. "As if this thing isn't heavy enough without you hitting it."
"More than welcome to take my load-out, Camz," she said laying out her kit onto the table.
Just like Normani, she had a modified vest, the straps featuring a few pouches for kit, ammo and her side-arm. As well as the MP7, she had ten magazines, short, fat little thirty-rounders by the looks of things; an advantage of a compact weapon like this was the amount of ammo she could carry. Though as usual, she hoped that she'd never have to use it.
Ten minutes later and everything was the way she liked it, except for the heat. She was wearing loose utilitarian clothes for the mission, and she was hot enough even in the air conditioned rooms. She hated to think how Camila and Nigel were feeling in their business gear. Fortunately for them, they were going straight to their meeting and, after an introduction to the other driver who had been busy packing away their luggage, they were on their way.
o+o+o
She had a gnawing sense of familiarity as they drove the short distance from the airport to the Police base. It was only ten miles, but it was ten miles that reminded her of journey after journey around Basra and towns like it. Things hadn't changed much, some of the locals seemed friendly, waving at the blacked out shielded cars as they drove by; some on the other hand eyed them suspiciously, and yet more looked at them with abject hostility.
It was the dichotomy of the war. They came out here ostensibly to help, to remove a dictator that was butchering his people. They went from liberators to oppressors in a matter of moments.
It wasn't like they didn't need shot of Saddam. Most of the people she'd spoken to had said he really was a tyrant; but the "foreigners" broke the country when they invaded, and they'd not yet put it back together.
'All the Kings horses and all the Kings men', she thought to herself as she stared at yet once more bullet-peppered building.
"Penny for them?" Camila said patting her on the arm as she looked out of the window in silence, searching out the possibility of trouble. "Are you thinking back to the last time you were here?"
"A little," she replied truthfully, "seems so familiar, you know?"
"Have you been to Baghdad before, Lauren? " Karl called from his seat riding shotgun, his MP7 resting on his lap.
"Only once," she said shrugging, loving the feel of the body armor as it moved against her; one more link to a life she had lost. "Didn't get further than the airport, though. My unit came in by chopper to escort brass back to Basra. Looks the same as there, though."
"Not far off," Karl replied, his head scanning the streets as they talked. "It was rough out here at the start, real fucking bandit country, pardon my French."
"Sounds about the same then," she replied ignoring the swearing, "how far out are we?"
"Another ten minutes, we'll be driving into the compound and we should be ok there. Your hotel is about another ten minutes away from the barracks and I hope that you folks aren't planning any excursions. If it were me, I'd get in and stay there till morning, no point taking any risks, Panda told me you've received a lot of threats."
"Panda?" Camila asked leaning forward in her seat, "who's Panda?"
"Dinah is Panda, Miss Cabello," Karl replied with a laugh, "it's what we used to call her back in the day."
"You served with Dinah?" Lauren asked before Camila could speak again.
"I did, and she was the finest soldier a man could know. We saved each other's lives a few times back then, too; she was only a youngster but boy could she shoot; finest sniper I've ever seen."
"We've seen him shoot, Karl," Camila replied frowning at Lauren for interrupting, "she's superb; but why did you call him Panda?"
"First day in my unit, she was showing off, got a little bit too close to her sights aiming at an insurgent sniper and got herself scoped."
"Got hit by his telescopic sights when he fired," Lauren said to Camila's confused look, "not very clever."
"Sure wasn't, a total rookie mistake," Karl added with a laugh, gesturing at a group of local standing by a corner, getting a nod from the driver. "Well, I took one look at her bust up nose and knew she was going to have a couple of black eyes in the morning and I said to my boys that by morning, we'd be adopting ourselves a Panda; the name kinda stuck."
"They do that," Lauren said with a grin, scanning the rooftops. "I can't wait to see her face when I let that little story slip; thanks Karl, you've just made my trip."
"She deserves it," Karl replied, his amusement clear, "the girl's good, but it doesn't help to get cocky, nor to try and show off. Happily, she learned from that mistake, otherwise she might not have made it home herself."
o+o+o
The Police compound that they drove into was just like the one she'd known in Basra, surrounded by walls and wire and armed guards at every checkpoint. After a thorough check of their paperwork and a search of the vehicles, they were allowed into the compound and directed to the building where Camila's meeting was to take place.
Security on the base was high; everywhere she looked, she saw vigilant people, and they were escorted from the vehicles by armed guards. She knew that Camila and Nigel would be rankling at the delays and the overbearing presence, but she for one approved. She couldn't afford to let her guard down over here, but the more people that were helping, the better.
She didn't get to stay in the room with Camila and Nigel; the officers that they met insisting that the details of the meeting should be as secret as possible, implying that Normani, Lauren and Karl were little more than the 'hired help'; which they were. They were 'graciously' allowed to check the room out beforehand, however, and they swiftly made sure it was safe and secure before being bundled out into the corridor as the meeting began.
"Smoke?" Karl asked as they stood outside the door, lighting up a stubby cigar that he held in his lips but offering a pack of cigarettes to them both. Lauren and Normani just shook their heads, though the temptation was strong. With nothing else to do, she watched the smoke curl up towards the ceiling, lingering momentarily before dissipating in a draft.
"Think I'm going to find a bathroom," Normani said suddenly dragging Lauren from her bored reverie, "long flight, you know?"
She nodded as Normani slung her MP7 onto her back and walked away, looking for a sign or someone that could direct her. When Lauren turned back to Karl, she found him looking right at her, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Can I ask you something, Lauren?" he said casually, "you and Miss Cabello, are you two an item?"
"Is it a problem if we are?" she asked, feeling her pulse race as the adrenaline started to flow.
"Not for me," he replied shaking his head, "seen too much in my time to object to people being happy. I just thought you might want to be a bit more careful if you know what I mean?"
"How so?" she asked, feeling a little annoyed at his comments, but knowing that he wouldn't have raised it if it wasn't important... he wasn't that kind of guy.
"Well, if a dumb old grunt like me could tell you two are close then it's not unlikely someone around here or in the hotel will be able to tell, too. You probably already know this, but these parts aren't what you might call liberal; some of the people around here are so conservative I don't think they approve of fire. Hell, women are practically a second class species out here, and you and Miss Cabello might attract some unwelcome attention just by being here, let alone..."
He let it stand without stating the obvious. Lauren mulled over his words; maybe she and Camila had become a bit casual, especially when they were around people they knew. Nigel's little comments wouldn't help them keep a low profile either and she made a note to talk to both of them as soon as she could.
"Point taken, Karl, and thanks," she said grateful for the wakeup call. "We'll be a bit more careful in public, though; just in case."
Karl nodded as Normani appeared around the corner and for now, the subject was dropped.
She had the opportunity to raise the topic after the meeting, during the short break before they were escorted from the compound. She even managed to threaten Nigel a bit to her great satisfaction, reminding him that making fun of his employer and her armed CPO was not a good plan and that he was probably replaceable. Thankfully, they both took the point, and for public part of this trip anyway, 'Lauren' died and 'Miss Jauregui' was reborn.
Once the presentation gear Nigel had been carrying was packed away, they called over their liaison and they were escorted back to the cars for the trip to the hotel. Camila seemed quite satisfied with the result of her meeting and despite the stresses of a flight, and a meeting, all in a dangerous place, she seemed quite happy with herself.
Karl, on the other hand was not, and his words to his driver were enough to make the hackles creep up on the back of Lauren' neck.
"Too fucking quiet today, I don't like it," he said softly as his driver nodded. Casually, Lauren leant forward in her seat to talk to him.
"Problem, Karl?" she asked, her eyes scanning the streets and the rooftops carefully.
"Let's hope not, Lauren," he replied guardedly, "there's no-one on the streets right now, and I don't like that... I think we'll take a diversion just in case."
"Sensible," she replied knowing it was the right thing to do, one of the problems with regular routes is that the enemy know when and where to hit, sometimes taking a longer trip was by far the safest option.
"Problem?" Camila said as Lauren sat back and casually adjusted the MP7 so it was more comfortable and readier to hand.
"Precaution," she replied as she heard Karl on the radio to the following car, advising them of the change in plan. "just in case."
To her relief, their fears were unfounded. They made it to the hotel in what used to be the Green Zone without serious incident and once they were in their suite, she allowed herself to relax a little. She'd been like a coiled spring since before they had arrived, and finally, she had the chance to dump her gear and chill.
They'd arranged to order dinner from room service in Camila's 'suite', the four of them thinking it would be better to follow Karl's advice and stay out of the public areas. They were all tired, a little stressed and they wanted nothing more than some food, a chance to wind down and then some sleep. They had an early start in the morning to get back to the US, and Laure, for one, wanted to go to bed early; and, as she discovered after dinner, so did her little brunette, but for quite different reasons.
"Feeling horny, Camz?" she said playfully as Camila crept into the shower with her as she washed off the sweat of the day.
"Too fucking right," Camila replied, her hands running all over Lauren, lathering up the soap over her body. "I've probably just landed one of the biggest deals of the year and you've been playing soldier all day... too fucking right I'm feeling horny, got a problem with that?"
"Not me," she said, shuffling around in the tight space and pulling the woman to her, "but we might have to call down to reception and ask them for some extra pillows."
"What for?" Camila asked, dipping her head under the water and sighing.
"Oh, because you might need one, Camz," she said as she rubbed soap into her back with her hands, their proximity under the shower taking care of the rest of her. "If you're feeling horny, then I'm going to have to do something about that, and we're going to need to hide your screams from our ultra- conservative neighbors."
"Promises, promises," Camila replied laughing, kissing her shoulder as she held her tight, "are you finished with this shower?"
"I am," she replied with a smile, "why?"
"Because there's fuck all room in here for the two of us and I wouldn't mind a wash myself."
"Fair comment," she said as she spun them around and backed out of the tiny cubicle, grabbing a towel as she went. "I'll call reception?" she teased as she walked into the room.
"You do that," Camila called after her, "and when you're done, will you do me a favor?"
"What's that?" she asked, poking her head around the door and grinning at the shape of Camila's body through the frosted cubicle door; she really was in fine shape.
"Push those fucking beds together if you can, I really don't want to sleep in a single bed again."
o+o+o
Lauren was feeling pretty good the next morning as she pulled on her bulky vest, sidearm and ammunition pouches after breakfast. She'd had a reasonable night's sleep caused by a very amorous Camila, but she was feeling at least slightly rested and quite, quite satiated after their night of passion.
She wasn't sure if it was the deal, her 'squaddiness' or just the added spice of a bit of 'danger' that had spurred the brunette on, but they had almost needed those extra pillows for soundproofing. It was just as well they'd gone to bed early, because it was pretty late by the time Camila fell back exhausted and finally curled up to sleep.
They were all business over breakfast, though. Once again the four of them meeting up in Camila's suite. Normani was looking tired and passed a sarcastic comment about Nigel's ability to snore when Camila pressed her about it, causing them all to laugh.
They met Karl and his team in the lobby as arranged, their vests and weapons not even causing a second glance from the people at reception. As planned, they switched cars. Lauren and Camila in the trailing vehicle this time with a stern-faced Australian she hadn't really met. They were about fifteen miles from the airport as the crow flew, but a little bit longer with the journey they had planned, altering their route from the one they had arrived; and not taking the obvious direct route either.
The streets were crowded with people making the most of the early morning coolness, going about their daily lives before the heat of the summer sun made it necessary to seek shade. They barely warranted a glance as they drove by, their worlds barely touching, as transient as the breeze on her face. The mundanity of life in Baghdad was reassuring, kids playing in the streets as they passed, the constant beeping of horns and the cries of pedestrians. It all seemed so normal, so familiar it was comforting in a strange sort of way.
"You're off again," Camila said, teasing her as she stared out of the window at the world she knew so well, "your mother was right, wasn't she?"
"How's that?" she asked turning towards her, thinking that she still managed to look beautiful even when hidden under body armor and a bulky helmet, her hair tucked inside for convenience.
"She said that you spend a lot of time in that head of yours," Camila replied reaching over to tap her helmet, "you really do, don't you?"
"I was thinking about Basra, and Kandahar," she told her gesturing out of the window at the street as they turned a corner. "It's all so familiar to me, it's like I never left, you know? Makes me wish for what I can't have anymore."
"You wish you were still in the Army?" Camila asked with a sad smile, "that you hadn't been forced out?"
"Sometimes," she admitted nodding away. "I miss the life, you know? Miss the danger. I think coming back here brought it back to me, it was a big part of my life, Camz, so yeah, I wish I hadn't been injured."
She flicked casually at the shoulder guards on her own body armor, "and if I'd worn these like Saint told me to, I might have been ok," she continued thinking of what might have been.
"There is one thing, baby," Camila said, her hand touching Lauren's face gently, "if it hadn't happened, then I wouldn't have ever met you; that would have been a tragedy."
"Oh, I don't know, Camz," she replied smiling as Camila held her hand tightly, "do you not think our paths would have crossed? Destiny and all that?"
"I'd like to think so," Camila replied, leaning across and kissing her softly, "I'd certainly like to think that was the case."
Lauren closed her eyes as Camila's lips touched hers, forgetting in an instant their agreement about being discrete. Camila was right; to have her in her arms was worth the trauma and the pain; to have her in her life was worth being booted out of the army. As Camila's tongue found hers, she would have not hesitated to call it a blessing.
"FUCK" the Aussie in the front called out suddenly as the car braked violently. She heard the sounds of an explosion from somewhere in front of them and looked up from Camila to see the other car on its roof, bathed in flames. "Get us the fuck out of here fast!" he shouted as she saw the familiar shape of an RPG appear on the rooftop, immediately knowing what had happened.
They were being fucking ambushed and if they didn't act fast, they were dead, or worse. The driver stamped on the accelerator and spun the wheel as Lauren threw herself across Camila's body, putting her body between her and the danger to come.
It was the Aussie's quick thinking that saved them, the round missing them as they lurched away; it impacted about a foot to the side of her door, detonating in a flash of high explosive and molten metal, the car was thrown violently off its wheels, rolling over and over as they were thrown violently around.
When they came to rest, she could hear the loud 'ping' of rounds striking the car; the bulletproof glass useless, shattered as they rolled. As she shook her head, her ears whining after the explosion, she realized that they had come to rest on their side, and that Camila's seatbelt was the only thing that was holding her in place.
Quickly, she fumbled with the button to release her and lifted herself off Camila's body to see if she was ok. To her horror, she was lying quite still, her eyes closed and her face...
...her face was covered with blood.
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😲😲😲