Chapter Thirteen

Embrace the suck, Johnny thought as he walked gingerly into the maintenance shelter and laid out the plate carriers next to the holsters and radio equipment. Thanks to a sex-crazed little blonde, and the baking heat in the warehouse, his joystick didn’t feel all that joyful.

Velcro crackled as Slater pulled apart a plate carrier. “You okay there, bro? You’re embracing that Wyoming cowboy swagger.”

“Fell in the shower,” Johnny muttered.

“Damn shame. My grandma can lend you a non-slip shower mat if you need it—”

“Screw you.” Another hour with Lizzy’s luscious mouth and body and he would’ve been wheelchair bound. He’d forgotten how tough she was; it stood to reason that she’d take to bonking with the same amount of enthusiasm as she climbed trees.

Johnny didn’t mind her climbing all over him like he was a giant oak, already counting the days until he could see her again.

Honeyed hair trailing, tits bouncing as she rode him hard before he rolled her over and slammed her into the mattress. His overused junk loved every moment of that early morning session, and now he was here, as Lizzy—five clicks away—prepped for her flight to Egypt. He missed her already. He grabbed another bag of radio equipment from the lockers.

“What’s with you?’ Max said to Johnny, walking up to the table.

“Says he got some accidental shower action—I’m guessing more along the lines of too much golden-haired shower action.”

“Slater,” Johnny growled.

“Glad you enjoyed a little R & R, but playtime is over.” Max turned. “I’ve just received a WARNO from Bragg. New warning orders mean a briefing. Grab Donnie and meet me in the briefing room in five.”

Johnny went in search of his teammate before heading inside. The MIT2 base consisted of lodgings, a general-purpose warehouse, briefing room, the maintenance shelter, fuel and potable water storage, and a recently upgraded private runway strip.

The forward operating site was a step up from the usual bare-bones facilities, set up as temporary sites by the US Military in Africa. The air conditioning in the briefing room was a bonus, and Johnny resituated himself in a cushioned chair.

Max launched into the new orders. “Naval Special Warfare Unit 12 will be taking over our training orders at the Somalian border. They’ll arrive in the morning. Updated intel indicates that the Scythian has been spotted in Ethiopia, near Jimma.”

“Hell, that’s just a tactical hop and skip away,” Donnie said.

“Yes, MIT2 are closest to the elusive target. We’re moving out within the hour.”

Johnny itched to pull the trigger on the man who called himself the Scythian. The terrorist mastermind used fear to run terror campaigns throughout Central and East Africa. Appearing in extremist videos wearing a hooded red leather mask, he executed so-called enemies online.

They’d learned that the Scythian—also known by locals as the Horse Lord—named himself after ancient warriors called the Scythians, horse-riding nomadic warriors who dominated Asia from the eighth to the third centuries BC. After a battle, Scythian warriors drank the blood of the enemies they’d killed, and scalped them. The scalps were sewn into their cloaks.

The narcissistic terrorist echoed the gruesome ancient rituals, killing his victims on live feeds before scalping them, thus gaining global infamy. He also moved through remote villages, spreading terror and wiping out anyone who got in the way.

The man was elusive and dangerous, avoiding affiliation with any one religion or extremist group. He lent his services to the highest bidder—appearing in ISIL, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and IRA videos.

The Scythian had been on MIT2’s radar for over three years. For the past nine months the extremist had gone quiet and disappeared into thin air. Thanks to his spidery network, the Horse Lord was one elusive bastard, and they still didn’t have a bead on the man’s identity. The second identifier—aside from his leather mask—was his prized horse.

According to intel, the Scythian owned an Akhal-Teke, an ancient breed of horse known to thrive in desert environments. Sensitive, intelligent and a one-master horse.

MIT2 devoted reconnaissance efforts to finding the stallion, and their hard work was paying off. According to Max, the horse was identified in a trailer near the Ethiopian border.

Later, as the plane took off, Johnny glanced at his watch. Lizzy was already in the air. He smiled, thinking of their time together before switching into operator mode. It was time to work.

***

Nairobi, Kenya

One week later

Valentino was almost back to his bright self, and Lizzy had raced over after landing back in Kenya, spending most of her morning playing with him. Buying a toy dump truck and a fire engine for the playroom was worth it when seeing the dimpled joy on his tiny face. Those trucks rolled over every inconceivable surface, including walls, sofas, other kids and her face. She eventually rocked him to sleep, before heading over to the lunchroom for a quick break.

“Package came for you.” Esther handed over the padded envelope, and Lizzy slipped it into her satchel. She’d open it when she got home.

Lizzy paused, reconsidering the rash online purchase burning a hole in her knapsack. So what if she felt green and felt the need to educate herself. The Kama Sutra book seemed like a wise purchase a week ago.

Despite her inexperience, John had still seemed pleased when he’d left on his training mission. He’d kissed her goodbye with a goofy grin, even though she thought she might have broken the poor man with her inept gymnastics in the bedroom. They’d both been tender the following morning, and Lizzy had regretted her fervor as she’d waddled to the shower.

It was evident that John was an accomplished lover. She needed to up her game to keep him satisfied—at least until they got tired of each other, or one of them relocated to a new country.

It wasn’t like they’d stay in the same city forever. John’s home was in Wyoming, and Lizzy wasn’t ready to settle for anything more than the nomadic life she now lived. She loved the travel and enjoyed the idea of not knowing where she’d end up next. Being a grown-up and settling on a specific path made her feel ill. She didn’t want to be tied down, but she could still have some fun along the way.

When John would return from shadowy war games was anyone’s guess. Lizzy would be ready. She already missed him. He could be gone for weeks, maybe even months. Grabbing a glass of lemonade, she sank onto a bench in the lunchroom, thinking of ways to seduce Mr. James Johnny when he landed back on Nairobi soil.

“Lizette Steyn?”

Jerked out of her musings, Lizzy knocked over her glass.

“Bollocks.” The tall stranger swore as she swept the sticky liquid off her jeans. “I’m awfully sorry. I gave you a fright—here—take these.”

He thrust a wad of napkins towards her, and she swiped at the spillage, all while inspecting the newcomer.

His well-articulated accent indicated he was British. Efficient hands added more paper towels to her growing bundle.

Lizzy raised her hands. “I have plenty, thanks.”

Dark hair fell artfully over a finely hewed brow, as his lean form bent to wipe the table. “I’ve heard great things about you, Miss Steyn. The students are doing well under your part-time tutelage.”

“And you are?”

“Dr. Garrison Bankes. I’d shake your hand, but I suspect it would be a sticky mess—the handshake, I mean, not your hand. I’m covered in this stuff.”

Lizzy couldn’t help but laugh, and she also gaped a little. They didn’t make doctors like that where she came from. He looked like he’d walked off a movie set.

“Esther tells me you’re a nurse?”

“I wish that was the case. I dropped out in my last year of college, but I’d love to complete my degree.”

Where did that come from? Lizzy still had no clue on her direction in life, and working as a qualified nurse held average appeal in her long list of potential careers.

“Not to worry, we’ll get you there. Now, are you going to help me with a new patient or return to staring at the wall? Although it is a lovely wall—in all its austerity.”

Lizzy glanced at the plain gray wall, chuckling as she picked up her backpack and chased him down the hall. She had a feeling that the attractive doctor would keep her on her toes. Lizzy spared a quick thought for John, wondering how he fared with his team and trusting he’d keep safe.