Chapter 9-4
341 Words
Akbar wished that he knew how to do that punch they always did in movies, a quick right to the jaw and the person dropped unconscious to the ground; never complaining about a bleeding tongue or loosened teeth afterward. There was no way she’d leave without her horses, unless…
“Laura. You’re going. Now. I can’t have you as an untrained liability inside the fire. I’ll get your horses out. Okay?”
“Really?” Her eyes held hope…and trust. What was it with strong women? She’d cried when he arrived, but now she was clear-eyed. No lip tremble, no whimper. Solid. This was a woman on the verge of giving him all of her trust.
He didn’t have a place for that within him. But for the moment he knew what he had to do with it. Let it in and deal with it later.
“Really. Now go!”
She hugged him, whispered in his ear, and rushed to where Tim still held her harness.
Akbar double-checked Tim’s work on all of them, perfect as usual. He triple-checked Laura’s, then pulled out his radio and called the chopper above.
“Seven ready to go to the Lodge, Jeannie. Nice and easy. They’re calm and looking forward to a smooth ride. Laura, ah, has a radio.” He’d spotted it on Mister Ed’s saddle. Retrieving it, he set the air attack frequency and looped the harness over Laura’s head. “Go!”
Jeannie began taking up the slack.
“Everyone hold tight!” he shouted the moment before the first line went taut. With small cries of surprise they were carried aloft.
Laura kept looking down at him between her boots as she drifted upward, dangling and spinning on her own line.
Tim walked up as soon as they were out of sight. “I kinda thought we were supposed to be on that flight as well.”
“You care to explain that to him?”
Mister Ed was eyeing them balefully.
Two-Tall shook his head. “Not so much.” Then he turned to face downslope. “Well this is going to be fun.”
Akbar looked aloft once more but the helicopter was out of sight. Along with it the woman who trusted him so much that she’d whispered, “I love you.”
To him.
And he’d thought the burden of trust was going to be the problem.
- Writer
