Free Camouflaged (Hiding From Love #0.5) by Selena Laurence Page A

it made me feel to hear her praise. I could picture myself spending years basking in the glow of that approval.
    “Goodnight, babe.”
    I could hear the smile in her voice. “Goodnight, soldier boy.”
    I’m not sure how much time passed before I was awakened, but the light outside the cave had started to shift, taking on that cool hue that said the sun was just behind it. The temperature was cold enough for me to see my breath, and the cave had a dampness to it that wasn’t present when we’d entered during the warmer temperatures of the day.
    Initially, I wasn’t sure what had woken me, but it was only a few moments before I heard a noise outside. I immediately rolled onto my knees, pulling my pistol out of the holster I’d placed next to me when we went to sleep. I crouched silently, my eyes straining to see something outside the cave. I heard the sound again—a shuffling and grating, like two hard objects being rubbed against one another.
    I stood on silent cat feet and stepped toward the wall of the cave where my M4 stood upright against the rock. Putting the pistol in my waistband, I held the rifle at the ready.
    “Gabe?” I heard Alexis whisper from our makeshift bed.
    “Shhh,” I answered. “Don’t move.”
    With my back against the wall of the cave, I inched my way up to the opening and looked outside toward our truck.
    Sure enough, I saw the outline of a man moving around the back of the truck. He was pulling out the supplies we’d hauled from the U.N. program. My mind churned, trying to decide whether I should stay quiet or try to stop him. I wanted to get a better look to see if there was more than one guy, so I stepped forward, away from the protection of the cave wall. As I did, loose gravel slid under my foot, echoing around the hard surfaces of the ravine we were trapped in.
    The guy stopped moving, and I held as still as possible, my breath caught in my throat. Behind me, I heard Alexis breathing, and she made a tiny gasping sound, her fear bouncing around the cave like a moth in a light fixture. Then a shot blasted from the direction of the truck. It was dark enough that I saw the spark of light as the explosion left the gun.
    I reflexively leaned back into the entryway to the cave and actually heard the bullet whistle as it sped by me, lodging in the rocks beyond. Before I could recover, there were footsteps, the sound growing closer with every second. I’m not sure if your senses become more acute in an instance like that or if it was my imagination, but I swore I heard the click of the magazine being cocked on the guy’s gun as he came toward me.
    Without a second thought, I leaned out of the cave, my M4 raised to my shoulder, sighting along it as I peered at the bulky outline of the truck and the dark mass shaped like a human being. I pressed the trigger and fired off one sharp, explosive shot.
    Alexis shrieked when the first shot was fired, and as my answering round was released, she exclaimed in a high reedy voice, “Oh God! Gabe!” At the same time, I heard a grunt, something impacting with the ground, and then a moan. The guy was down, and within seconds, the sounds of the shot had faded. Everything was silent.
    “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I gasped as I leaned back against the rocks behind me. My heart pounded and my limbs tingled. I couldn’t catch my breath, and sparks danced in front of my eyes for a moment.
    “Gabe?” I heard Alexis whisper from the dark behind me.
    I swallowed, trying to get enough air to answer. “I’m okay,” I gasped out.
    I peered out toward the guy I’d just shot. There was no sound, no movement.
    I knew going out to check on him could be suicide. If he had buddies in the cliffs or a pistol he could reach, I would be toast. All I could do was stay put and wait it out.
    A few minutes later, I moved back to Alexis, surprised I was able to walk at all. When I reached her, I sat down heavily on the blankets. As soon as I did, she threw her arms around my