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HAILEY LOOKED AROUND in confusion at the chaos in the cafeteria. The fire alarm blaring was unnerving, even if they weren’t in immediate danger right here. People were standing back up, brushing the spilled food off themselves, and starting to move to the exits. She noticed one woman had a cut on her forehead and wondered if she’d somehow hit her head when ducking for cover.
Grayson stood at her side, his hand lightly on her shoulder as he readied to walk her back.
His touch was comforting, and she knew he didn’t want to lose her in the crowd of people. When she’d heard the siren earlier, she’d been terrified and frozen in place. Grayson had practically tackled her to the ground, somehow not injuring her in the process, and had shielded her with his body.
He was huge, at least a foot taller than her, and nothing but pure muscle. She’d felt his broad chest and strong arms as he’d covered her, and while she’d been terrified of the alarm, she’d felt safe with him. He hadn’t thought anything of shielding her with his body, and although she’d been scared out of her mind, he’d immediately sprang into action.
She briefly glanced up at him, taking in his chiseled features. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes, and a shortly trimmed beard, similar to many of the other men here. She knew men grew out their facial hair to blend in more in the Middle East. She’d never dated a guy with a beard before, and somehow it looked rugged and sexy on him. She wondered if he was clean shaven back home or if he preferred this.
Although she hadn’t asked, she assumed he and his teammates were probably some sort of Special Forces team. The Army and Navy both wore the same desert camo on base, so she wasn’t sure what branch of the military he was with. A Navy SEAL? Delta Force? They hadn’t had any special identifying insignia.
Groups of men had frequently come in to meet the general during her tenure here, and as an administrative assistant, she saw it all. The meetings were all above her clearance level, and she of course knew not to ask any details. The fact that his teammates were all ready to spring into action spoke volumes though. And while some units here were rather large, the fact that there were now six imposing-looking men standing around her said something.
They were clearly a tight-knit, specialized team.
She probably should’ve felt alarmed that a man she didn’t even know would be walking her back to her housing, but at the moment, she was rattled over the suicide bomber. She’d been briefed on security when she’d arrived in country, but Bagram Airfield itself was heavily fortified and relatively low risk as far as dangerous places in the world.
Of course the military men and women were in danger when they patrolled or conducted their missions, but she sat at a desk all day. Her building housed the general. If she was working in the middle of a war zone, this was as safe as you could get.
Had someone else snuck into base during the chaos? It was possible there was another suicide bomber in their midst. Would the enemy shoot RPGs at them? Attack while confusion was ensuing? The base might indeed be heavily fortified, but the incident tonight had just proved that anything could happen.
She shivered slightly, stepping closer to Grayson without even thinking about it. His hand tightened on her shoulder, but he wasn’t hurting her. He was reassuring her that he was there.
Grayson briefly conferred with his team, and then they were moving to the door. “We never did get to have dinner together,” he quipped, clearly trying to get her mind off of the bombing.
“Yeah. Maybe another time,” she said.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he joked, holding the door for her with one hand and moving his other to her back as he guided her out. Maybe she should’ve been annoyed at the way he was practically manhandling her as he ushered her out the door, but he was so large, he kept her from otherwise being jostled in the crowd.
And at the moment, she was terrified out of her mind.
There were shouts all around them as they moved out into the night, including sirens and trucks zipping around. “This is crazy,” she murmured, more to herself than anything.
“It’s not good,” he agreed. “I’m going to head to the front gate with my team to see if we can help.”
“You guys are Special Forces, aren’t you?”
He met her gaze, looking surprised, but didn’t say anything. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I know you can’t tell me. I just get used to seeing groups of guys coming and going for meetings in my building. They’re only here for a week or two, then leave.”
He didn’t answer, just guided her toward the housing where the women were. Grayson kept his hand on her back, and she moved closer to him without thought. It was crazy out here. People were shouting, running to help. She’d totally lost her appetite after everything that had happened. At the moment, she wanted to curl up with a hot cup of tea in her bed and soothe her frayed nerves.
Grayson would be going right to the bomb scene though. She stiffened slightly, not liking the idea that he could be in danger.
“Are you okay? I hope I didn’t hurt you when I pushed you down, but I didn’t know if there’d be another bomb.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Honestly, I was too scared to even move. I’m glad you were there.”
“Me too. And hey, I was serious about dinner,” Grayson continued. “I’m going to be busy tomorrow, but maybe one night this week?”
She huffed out a laugh. It felt like the world was falling apart around them, and he was asking her out. Sort of. Because they were still in the middle of Afghanistan, stuck on a military base, not back home. It’s not like he’d pick her up in his car and drive her to a fancy restaurant. She didn’t even know where Grayson was stationed back home. They could live on opposite sides of the U.S. for all that she knew. “Look, that’s nice of you to ask, but you’re leaving in a few days. And I’m sure you’re busy with whatever mission or business you’re here for.”
“I never even got to ask where you were from,” he said, ignoring her answer.
“DC. Arlington, actually. But after my year is up here, I’ve accepted a position in California. Most of my things are in storage back home because I’ll be moving out there.”
He chuckled quietly.
“What’s so funny about that?” she asked, looking up at him.
His green eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. “My team is based out of San Diego, sweetheart.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. I am leaving soon, but it sounds like you will be in a month, too. And it wouldn’t hurt to know someone out on the west coast, right? Are you moving to San Diego?”
“Yeah, I actually am.”
“So it’s fate.”
She flushed slightly as he flashed her a smile. Goodness he was persistent. Attractive as hell, too, if she admitted it to herself. Well, she could probably have dinner with him this week. It’s not like she had any other amazing plans. And he’d be leaving in a matter of days. They could eat, get to know each other...and then he’d fly home, and move on to the next attractive woman he met.
Grayson seemed genuine, but he was a handsome man. She was sure he had no trouble meeting women back in California. And she was around military men all the time. She’d been asked out, and although most of the guys acted like gentlemen, some came on a bit too strong for her liking. There was certainly no shortage of testosterone around here.
“What?” he asked, catching the expression on her face.
“Oh, I’m just around military guys all day long. Most are polite but some are a little too persistent.”
“Shit,” he muttered. “I hope I wasn’t coming on too strong. Tell me to back off, and I swear that I will.”
“You’re fine,” she assured him. “Believe me, you’ve been nothing but a perfect gentleman.”
He smiled down at her, even though she could tell he was itching to join his team and get in on the action. Another group had rushed by them toward the front gate, and she suspected Grayson was exactly the type of man who’d want to help no matter the situation.
“I don’t have a cell phone with me on this trip, but I’d like to come check on you tomorrow if that’s all right. We can make plans for later this week.”
“I thought you just said you were busy tomorrow.”
His lips quirked as she looked up at him. “I am busy, sweetheart. That doesn’t mean I won’t have time to swing by later on. I mean, unless all hell breaks loose. If the general’s in a piss poor mood, that should clue you in. Then just know that I didn’t stand you up. I am here for a job with my teammates, but I’ll do everything in my power to come by when it’s over and check on you so we can make plans.”
“Okay. Be careful,” she said quietly.
It was silly. Of course he had a dangerous job. He was a soldier. Or possibly a sailor. She never had determined that actually. And now they’d arrived at her building. He needed to go help out and do whatever it was he did. She needed to get inside and stop keeping him from his job.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” he assured her. “My team is well-trained, and believe it or not, we’re used to dealing with dangerous situations like this. You’re sure that you’ll be okay?” he asked, his voice deep.
Her heart fluttered slightly as she looked up at him. It was silly. She didn’t need to develop a crush on a man she’d never see again. She didn’t doubt his word on stopping by tomorrow, but after this week?
He’d be gone. Flying back around the world and off on whatever other missions he had. He might be interested in her right now, when she was literally standing right in front of him, but she knew nothing would ever come of it. He’d fly home and forget about her, and this night would probably be the most exciting thing that happened to her all year.
“I meant what I said earlier,” Grayson continued in a low voice when she didn’t immediately answer. “I’d like to get to know you more. You were the prettiest woman in there.”
“There were hardly any women in there,” she teased.
Grayson reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, keeping his hand there just a beat too long. Electricity coursed through her, and she shivered. “Go inside, Hailey,” he said softly. “I need to know that you’re safe. I’ll come by tomorrow.”
She nodded, unsure what else there was to say. It felt intimate standing there in the darkness, even though she hadn’t even met him more than thirty minutes ago. He’d walked her back like they’d actually been on a date or something. Like it was a perfectly normal thing to do here on base in the middle of Afghanistan.
He hesitated a moment, watching her, and she got the feeling he didn’t want to leave either. Grayson had a slight woodsy scent to him that was masculine and appealing. She didn’t want to move away from the warmth and safety that she felt standing there with him, but that was foolish. He wasn’t her boyfriend. She barely even knew him.
It was silly to feel sad about leaving a man she didn’t even know. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight,” she said quietly. “Be careful.”
“I will be, sweetheart. Stay safe.”
He turned and walked off quickly without another word, suddenly all business. She watched him for a moment, looking at his broad shoulders and the way he filled out his uniform, then turned and walked into the building. Despite being surrounded by people, she suddenly felt lonelier than she had in years.
***
“WHO WAS THAT?” HER friend Kim asked as Hailey walked inside. A small group was standing around by the front doors talking, looking over in the direction of the front gates. They couldn’t see what was happening from where their housing was located, but that didn’t stop the tension coursing through the air.
Hailey smiled, shaking her head as she walked over. She shouldn’t be smiling at all given what had just happened, but Grayson looking at her the way he did had butterflies filling her stomach and heat coursing through her. “A guy I just met. He was standing in line behind me in the cafeteria and then practically tackled me to the ground when the sirens went off.”
“Holy hell. He was hot,” Kim said, waggling her eyebrows. “I need to find me a Superman type, too.”
Hailey laughed as she looked at the other woman. Kim was an Army reservist who also worked for the Defense Department. She was only here for a few weeks on TDY, but they’d met when they were both working in Arlington. She was tall and slender, with dark wavy hair and blue eyes. The two women looked like total opposites, but they’d hit it off immediately when they’d first met. They’d bonded over work and dating nightmares and had readily kept in touch during Hailey’s year here.
“Yeah, he is. He was trying to talk me into having dinner with him before all hell broke loose.”
“And?” Kim asked.
Hailey rolled her eyes. “And then there was a huge explosion at the front gate. Plus, he’s here for a few days or something then flying back to the States.”
“Well, you’re almost done,” Kim prodded. “You’ve got what—a month left?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Oh come on, I can tell you like him.”
“Like him? I mean, I don’t even know him. Sure, he’s attractive and he didn’t think twice about protecting me when we heard the explosion, but we only talked for a couple of minutes. He ran off with his friends to help at the gate.”
“This is crazy!” another woman said, interrupting their conversation. “They should have better safety protocols in place to prevent things like this from happening. It was a suicide bomber!”
“It’s disturbing,” Hailey agreed. “They check identification multiple times before allowing entry onto base if you’re not in a military vehicle.”
“Well how’d they get in then?”
The women all looked at one another, none of them liking the possibilities. Was it someone who’d been cleared to enter base? An Afghani who worked here? A U.S. traitor? It’s not like it would be easy to simply walk in to Bagram and blow yourself up.
“I’m supposed to be in briefings all tomorrow morning,” Kim said. “I wonder if the schedule will change after this.”
“Probably,” Hailey said with a frown. “I might need to go back in tonight. Someone else will prepare the incident report, but I’ll have to make sure it’s disseminated to the proper channels.”
“Damn. That sucks.”
“All of it sucks. And I never even got to eat dinner. I think I’ll head back to my room and see what I can scrounge up. I’m sure I’ll be called in sooner rather than later.”
Kim nodded. “I need to check in, too, and see what’s on tap for tomorrow. Let me know if you hear anything else about what happened.”
The women said their goodbyes, and Hailey took the stairs up to her room on the second floor. She was feeling more and more rattled about what happened now that she’d had time to process everything.
What if she’d been walking near the gates when the explosion had happened?
What if someone had entered base during the chaos and come near here?
None of it should have ever happened, and she was concerned about what it might mean for security. She was already nervous walking around alone sometimes given the very male-dominated environment. Usually she went most places around base with a friend just to be safe.
And how crazy was that?
Everyone here was serving their country. She was separated from the soldiers and sailors in general because she was a civilian, but she knew the female soldiers in particular were concerned about their safety being around so many men.
That was the least of her concerns though. The military men she worked with kept things professional, and working in the general’s office afforded her some protection.
She didn’t have to deal with the types of things the female servicemembers did.
Walking all the way to the end of the hall, she unlocked the flimsy lock to her room and went inside. She was fortunate to have it to herself, but again, she wasn’t an enlisted soldier. Being a civilian on base certainly had some advantages.
Sighing, she sank down onto her bed. Grayson walking her to her building should not be still sending goosebumps coursing over her skin. If he was indeed a SEAL or a Delta, like she thought, he was probably used to women crawling all over him. It’s not like something could happen here, in the middle of a warzone, but she didn’t need to be just another woman in a long string of them.
Maybe she’d see him tomorrow. Maybe not. But life would move on either way. She’d finish her month here, move clear across the country, and start her new job out in California.
If she ran into the muscular guy with hazel eyes who made her feel safe?
Well, then so be it. She was too old to believe in fairy tales though.
