asked,
trying to get her to think about something else.
“We’re going camping with my parents. I’ll have my phone, so
you can call whenever you like.”
“Sounds like fun! Hope yer have a guid time. Are yer leaving
tonight or in the morning?”
“In the morning.”
“Reet, well, I should try tae sleep, I’ll call yer in a few
hoors before yer go tae bed.”
“Okay babe, I have to go and make the girls dinner anyway. Talk
to you later.”
“Night baby, love yer”.
“I love you too. Sleep well.”
Katie placed her cell on the coffee table and went to the
kitchen, trying to decide what to make for dinner. She was very relieved, but
the noise she heard on the phone freaked her out a little. She’d never been
around any type of explosion or heard gunfire, apart from on TV, so this made
her nervous. It did not seem to bother Scott. He talked to her as if nothing
happened. He was used to things like this, from his prior military days. It was
going to be difficult, but for him, she would to do her best to be strong.
Chapter 7
A month had passed since Scott and Britney arrived in Iraq.
Her work was going very well and everything was progressing nicely. Her plan to
seduce Scott was not going as well. No matter what she did, he showed no
interest in her. The more he failed to notice her, the more she wanted him. She
would need to try harder and find another way.
There were many more violent incidents in the city,
including numerous roadside bombs and insurgent attacks. They had still managed
to avoid any real trouble. Within the last week, they drove by a couple of car
bomb incidents, and one evening there was a large gunfight just across the
river from the hotel. Aside from that, things were still relatively calm.
Back in Ohio, Katie and the girls were enjoying their summer
vacation. They had no big plans to go away anywhere, but were going to get away
for a few day trips. Katie and Scott kept in touch almost every day. Aside from
missing each other terribly, both were coping quite well with the situation.
It was Wednesday, and another scorching, hot day in Baghdad.
It was a little after 5:00 p.m., the temperature finally started to drop, and it
was down to about 120 degrees now. Scott made his call to the PCPS office to inform
them they were about to leave. Britney was finishing her last few projects for
the day and preparing to leave for the hotel. There was a couch and television
in a small rec room where Scott would spend most of his day, while she was
working (although he hardly even watched TV because he didn’t understand the
local channels). He spent most of his day on his laptop or talking with other
PCPS security guards around the city, gathering information on potential
trouble spots and the buzz around the city, always working out the best way to
and from the hotel.
As he walked down the hallway towards her office, a huge
explosion rocked the building. Scott was knocked off balance, but managed to stay
on his feet. The sound of shattering glass accompanied the sound of the blast.
Scott raced to Britney’s office. She was under her desk, unhurt, but was
visibly shaken. The windows in her office were not broken, although, elsewhere
in the building, windows were blown out. He reached out and took her hand,
helped her get her bullet-proof vest on and quickly led her out of the office
and towards the exit. Scott stopped at the main door and assessed the
situation. He knew this was not a small shell. It was more than likely a rocket,
but it did not hit the building. Instead, it landed in the road nearby and the
force of the blast had damaged numerous buildings all around. There didn’t seem
to be any more rockets at the time and from where he was, the car appeared
untouched by the blast.
“We need tae get oot of here quickly. When we get tae the
car, lay doon in the back and stay doon, until I tell yer.”
She nodded, Scott gripped her hand tightly and led her
across the parking lot