Free Fight for Love by David Manoa Page B

see a
message from Claudia “I’m on my way will see you soon CC” CC stood
for Claudia Coe her secret code for me. The transport Vehicles
began to disembark from the Plane. The other soldiers from my unit
were all reuniting with families. I watched as his daughter cried the moment he saw her . Her sobs made everyone emotional . Even GP and he’s the most hard - hearted motherfucker. Leroy lifted her up in the air her kid crying
missing him. She was sobbing into his shoulder while he patted her
back. His disheveled figure made me think about the suicide
bomber who nearly took him out in Kabul.
    A man wearing a suicide vest with ball
bearings detonated it at the security gate. Its was like a thick
plume of red mist when he went. pulverised flesh scattered all over the place . I pulled him to safety some of the
others weren’t so lucky. I had the gruesome task of trying to
locate his fingers to identify the insurgent for the HIID BIO METRICS system. I found his hand in the
mouth of one of the wild dogs on the fence line. The look on Leroy
face when I had to ID him pressing the mangled flesh onto the
scanner. Leroy's eyes shifted to me and nodded clutching his family
closer with both arms.
    I picked up my phone to ring Claudia. It kept
ringing and ringing no answer. I went to the carpark to see if her
car there was nothing. I dropped my gear when GP shouted out before
got into black Ford F-150 pickup truck SUV with Natalya. There was
a taller man about six foot six Civilian, who helped load their
gear in the back.
    A scar down his right eye like GP wearing a
black suit.
    “Will do you want a ride?” GP said as wound
down the tinted window. Right down.
    “I’m fine Claudia is running late.”
    “Okay… Son take care. If you change your mind
let me know.”
    “It had to end for me sometime GP. Claudia
means everything to me…”
    They drove off and I sat on my gear, waiting
for another hour before I called the taxi to drop me home.
    ***
    1800hrs I arrived home to see Claudia’s car
in the garage. It was dark, the street lights illuminated the rear
of the car. The door was retracted, maybe there was car trouble. I
dropped my gear in the garage when I peered into the main house
which was 200 meters away. I could smell the scent of baking.
Cookies. Claudia must have been baking my favorite chocolate chip
cookies.
    I went to put my duffle bag on my workbench
when I there was a crunching sound of glass on the bottom of my
boot. I glanced to the driver side of the car to see it smashed the
keys in the ignition.
    Shit
    I peered again at the house to see the door
wide open. I opened my gun rack and took out my 9mm and a
flashlight. I cautiously snuck up against the door. My shoulders tensed the scent of fresh bread permeated
my nostrils. All the lights inside were off. I clicked the safety off as I swept the darkness away with my weapon and flashlight . bleak thoughts battered my brain . Baby please be safe.
    ***
    Darkness and humidity . My mouth was gagged with thick cloth, my
ankles and hands bound by thick black plastic cable ties. The
vehicle stopped. I widened my eyes to see through pin holes of the
dark tinted windows of the van they put me in. I screamed only to
hear it muffled by noise of the engine as it sped off again. My
breathing quickened as I started to panic I kicked and shook making
as much noise as I could.
    No one could hear my plight, my mind thought
of Will. He must be at home by now he must be looking for me. My
ears pricked up to the annoyance of my captors the two men who
stormed my home. He pulled across the small slider and watched. Biting his lips. I
clenched my jaw remembering his rancid tongue down my cheek when he
tied me. His salvia felt like acid his accent intimidating and frightening as he whispered curses into
the shell of my ear.
    I felt as we traveled the vehicle go from
smooth to rough. The sunken terrain and the frequent judders and bumps had we worried. Were they
taking me out to a field