Free Operation Summer Storm by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle Page B

toward her. Surely they weren’t going to gag her again? She eyed it with a healthy dose of suspicion. Leaning over—he tied it around her head, and stepped back to survey his handiwork, “That ought to keep the sweat outta’ your eyes a bit.”
    Summer smiled, grateful; at least now she wouldn’t have to keep wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
    “If you can manage to drag yourself away Del—you might remember why we’re here and keep your mind on the job,” Tate snarled coming back over, his jaw clenched and a scowl covering his face.
    The two men stood facing each other for a moment before Del gave a slight shake of his head and walked back to the other men.
    “He was only being helpful,” she told him after Del had moved away.
    “He’s not here to be your nurse maid,” Tate snapped.
    Summer looked up at him and shook her head in disgust. She was too weary to argue. She did nothing but rub the man the wrong way. “Let’s keep going,” she said. “The sooner this is over the better.” She stood and looked down at her pack with a grimace. Around her, the men shrugged their heavy packs onto their backs silently, making Summer felt guilty. How could she complain? Her pack only weighed a fraction of what theirs did. They carried ammunition and weapons, as well as their own food and equipment. Though as she bent to pick up her pack she was sure it had doubled its weight since she’d last taken it off a few minutes ago.
    Bracing for the pain she knew would come once the weight of the pack settled on her sore shoulders, Summer gasped as it was taken from her hands. She turned just as Tate swung it over his shoulder.
    “What are you doing?” she demanded.
    “You’ll move faster without this,” he said as he bent down to retrieve his ugly black gun then paused as he straightened, noticing the dark expression as it crossed her face. “What now?”
    “I can manage the damn pack,” she told him tightly.
    “I can handle it,” he bit back, continuing to walk past.
    “Of course you can. I forgot I’m dealing with GI, bloody Joe,” she muttered as she stepped around him and followed the others as they moved out once again though she’d be damned if she’d admit it was much easier going without the stupid pack.

Chapter Six
    By mid-day the humidity had escalated and Summer felt as energetic as a wrung out rag. Her hands were grimy and she was sure she’d sweat more in this one day than she had in her entire life combined! They stopped again not long after, and the men immediately secured the area—each taking turns as a sentry, and set about unpacking.
    “What’s happening?” she asked Del as he moved past her a few moments later.
    “Setting up camp for the night.”
    Summer frowned and he backed away, “Uh uh,” flashing a lopsided smile he pointed over at Tate, where he rested with one knee on the ground—concentrating on a map before him. “Take it up with him.”
    Narrowing her eyes, Summer got to her feet and crossed the small clearing, waiting for him to look up and acknowledge her. When he didn’t, she cleared her throat pointedly. “Why are we setting up camp at this time of the day? I can keep going.”
    “We’re setting up camp here because this is as far as we can go,” he said, flicking an annoyed glance toward her which he didn’t even bother to hide.
    Summer felt her frown deepen at his attitude, “What do you mean?”
    “We can’t risk alerting anyone that we’re out here, and if we go any further we’re going to spend a very uncomfortable night trying to remain undetected.”
    “So we’re close to the camp?”
    “Not too far,” he confirmed in a clipped manner.
    “Can’t we just keep going and get her now? Why do we have to stay the night?”
    Summer took a small step back as he unfolded his large form from the ground and stared down at her tightly. “Because despite what you think—I’m in charge and I say we stay here.”
    “But we’re wasting time,” she