Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance Read Online Free

power over me?
    On the ride back to the base, I failed to come up with any answers.
     
     
     
     

FIVE

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Mercy
     
     
     
     
     
    Back at the base, I went to my sleeping quarters. They had given me an entire double-room dwelling because they did not want me bunking with the men.
    I sat at a plain wooden desk in the room and stared at the blank page on the laptop screen for a few minutes. Memories of the villagers popped in my head.
    What had Aamir meant about showing Tyler samples? Were the rumors about soldiers running a drug smuggling operation true? They had to be, but I needed proof.
    As I waited for inspiration to strike, I heard two men laughing as they walked outside. It reminded me of the seriousness of my situation. I banged out a few words.
    The questions on the page laughed at my ignorance, but I wasn’t ready to give up on solving the mystery. With only two weeks, I needed to make progress.
    I sighed, unable to work, and dug my expensive satellite phone out of my messenger bag. The debate over whether to call my dad or my best friend Jennifer lasted about two seconds.
    “Hello?” Jennifer answered.
    I smiled, loving the sound of her voice.
    “Hey, you. It’s not too late, is it?”
    “It’s early,” she said then yawned.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Yeah, it’s like eight-thirty in the morning or some crazy shit.”
    “That’s not early,” I said. “You need to get up and talk. Grab a coffee.”
    “Nag, nag, nag. Even from halfway around the world, you’re nagging me.”
    “You love it,” I said.
    She sighed.
    “I do. You know me so well. Hold on.”
    “I don’t have much time on this phone,” I said.
    “I’m back. What did you say?”
    “Just that I don’t have much time on this phone over here. Afghanistan is crazy.”
    “You doing okay?”
    “Not really,” I admitted.
    “So, traveling to some godforsaken country halfway around the world wasn’t a smart idea after all, huh? I think I remember telling you that.”
    “It’s not bad,” I said. “Just strange and different. Oh!” I sat up in my chair. “You’ll never guess what happened. I almost got kidnapped by the Taliban!”
    “Get out of here. You’re not funny.”
    “I’m serious. When I went into the city on my own without a military escort to do some intel, they saw me and grabbed me.”
    “How did you get away?”
    The sound of water hitting water hit my ears.
    “You are not going to the bathroom while talking to me, are you?”
    “I’m sorry. Your phone is dying, and I couldn’t wait. I’m done now.”
    “You’re something else.”
    “Tell me what happened, crazy woman.”
    “Well, this guy rescued me. I don’t remember any of it. They knocked me out.”
    “Is the guy cute?”
    “Is that all you ever think about?”
    “Does anything else matter?”
    “I think so.”
    “He’s a dog. Okay, I get it.”
    “No, he’s not. I think he’s hot. He’s got the buff body of a solider.”
    “My, oh my, Mercy has turned into a slut in Afghanistan.”
    “Shut up, bitch,” I shot back.
    She sighed again.
    “I miss you so much. When are you coming back?”
    “In two weeks,” I said. “And I miss you too.”
    She made a kissing noise.
    “Are you there…” Crackle. “…Mercy?”
    “Hello?” I said into the static.
    I lowered the phone and thought about trying to call her back. Instead, I set the phone down and typed up a description of Tyler to maybe use later for my story.
    If he was involved in something bad, he would make it into my final story, I reasoned with myself as I wrote my observations of him, mostly bad traits. Some good slipped in.
    Before I finished the writing session, someone knocked on the door. Who could that be? I closed the laptop and stood up, ready for anything Afghanistan threw at me.
    “Hold on.”
    I turned the doorknob and saw Tyler standing outside. His bulging muscles were about ready to rip his olive-green tee-shirt. He grinned that