Rescuing Olivia (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Nightshade Book 1) Read online

  Olivia felt the same way, but there was no way they could change what was going on outside. For two hours, they monitored the patients and did what they could to keep everyone calm and comfortable.

  Then the barrage stopped. It took Olivia a moment to realize what had happened. Her ears were so used to hearing the constant thrum of the Centurions blasting stuff out of the air that the lack of the sound was deafening. For the first time, her ears relaxed, and it almost hurt.

  She looked at Baylee. There was a painful hope in the woman’s eyes, and she grinned. “Do you think we beat them and they’re giving up?”

  Olivia sighed and shook her head. “Doubtful. I have a feeling they’re resupplying troops and reloading.”

  Santana arrived to relieve Rune, and Jessie Plank arrived to relieve Olivia. They were running 18 hours on, and six hours off, so that three nurses overlapped, while one relaxed. Olivia wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep, but it would be wise to try to get out of here and freshen up a little. She had layers of grime on her body, and even a cold shower might feel good right now. If the Taliban was taking a break, she was going to take advantage of it.

  She and Rune walked out into the sunlight together a little hesitantly. They’d been inside the ward for so long. They walked to the right, toward the medical personnel tents.

  “Guess I’ll see you in a few hours,” Rune murmured, hand on his arching back as he headed inside.

  Olivia turned for the female tent, on the other side of the men’s tent. A few things had been destroyed around them, and smoke still billowed from the recovery tent when she looked back. It was quiet, though, comparatively. Trucks were speeding by as troops moved to reinforce their defenses or reload the Centurions. They used a massive amount of ammunition. Olivia wondered how much they had on the base, and if they had enough to last, but she was afraid to ask any of the men rushing by her.

  Inside her tent, she crossed to her bunk and sank down. As if some internal switch had been flipped, her body melted in on itself and she fell over to the pillow, more tired than she could ever remember being. Within seconds, she was out.

  Three hours later, she was proven correct, which didn’t make her happy. The Taliban attacked harder than ever, waking her out of a solid sleep. Her eyes were gritty, and her head throbbed as she regained consciousness. Blindly, she reached for her helmet, slapping it on her head, as she held her arms up protectively. Dust and debris were swirling in the tent, and she knew something big had happened. Men were screaming, and she feared the Taliban had broken through.

  Pushing through her door, she ran to the medical tents, machine gun fire chasing her. It sounded so close. Marines scrambled around her, and one shoved her toward cover as another blast sounded.

  Baylee was the first one she saw when she entered, and there was fear etched into the woman’s face. “Rex says they’ve broken through.”

  No sooner had the words been spoken than a group of Taliban slammed through and into the space, firing their weapons wildly. Olivia cried out as she saw Marines and soldiers on stretchers being slaughtered, and she would have raced toward them if Baylee hadn’t grabbed her arm and dragged her to the floor. Olivia was in shock, and she slapped her hands over her ears, the ringing of the bullets in the enclosed space too much for her.

  Baylee clung to her, and Olivia held her as tight as she could, until the shooting stopped. She was afraid to open her eyes. Afraid to see all the men that they’d worked so hard to save slaughtered like animals. There was moaning, but it was quickly snuffed out with more bullets.

  Why? Why had this happened?

  And why the hell was she over here, doing this job that the natives fought against?

  All of those thoughts flashed through her brain as they tried to hide from their attackers. She knew it was just a matter of time, though, before they were found. It wasn’t like they were hiding behind anything, they were just huddled against the wall. They were literally sitting targets. The only ones on base at that moment with weapons were the Marines.

  The shooting stopped, and she heard men laughing, which infuriated her. Rough hands grabbed her and stood her up, and Baylee as well. Olivia clamped her jaw and looked up.

  The men were wearing masks, but it was obvious they were Taliban. Mismatched rifles, rough-hewn clothing, no uniforms. Two of the men standing before them wore traditional turbans, three of them wore mismatched hats. One didn’t wear anything at all on his head, and his face was clear of a mask, which startled her. Why wasn’t he wearing a damn mask? He stepped forward.

  “If you don’t fight, you will not be hurt. You are medical personnel, yes?”

  Olivia nodded her head automatically, stunned that the man had spoken perfect British English.

  “Move over here,” the man directed, motioning them across the room with the end of his rifle.

  Olivia silently cried as she looked at the surrounding horror. Men they had worked upon for hours and cared for had been slaughtered. The floor and walls were covered with dripping and oozing blood.

  “Why do you cry? They were only suffering. They weren’t going to be leaving anyway,” the man said, shifting his rifle, nudging them toward the far wall.

  “You bastards,” Baylee breathed. They still held each other, and Olivia could hear the anger in her voice, and feel the shaking in her body. “These men were all injured, and you slaughtered them. I suppose you think that makes you big men.”

  The English speaker grinned at her, and his dark eyes went hard. In a flash, the butt of the rifle flashed out and struck Baylee in the mouth. She went down immediately, blood pouring from her nose and lips. Olivia kneeled down with her, holding her shoulders now as Baylee gagged and spit.

  “You will live longer if you keep your mouth shut and do as you’re told,” the man warned.

  Olivia grabbed a sheet that had only a little blood on it and held it to Baylee’s face, and they moved to the wall he directed. They sat when they were told to. And they stayed there, for hours, as they listened to other Marines and Army personnel being killed.

  Olivia lost track of time as she sat there, wondering if the voices she heard crying out in pain were someone she knew. Occasionally, there was a spate of gunfire. The Taliban were torturing men, trying to get information from them. Twice they dragged beaten men in and flung them on a gurney. The man that spoke English would come in and order them to fix the man, and they would drag him out again once she and Baylee had cleaned wounds and repaired what they could. One man they brought in was Rex. They drug him to the gurney and shoved him onto it.

  Baylee gasped as she leaned over him. He was bleeding from two bullet holes. One high through his upper shoulder, and the second through his thigh. Both wounds were messy, but not life-threatening. Baylee began to clean his wounds, and Olivia leaned over him. “Do you know what’s going on?”

  He nodded tightly. “Staged attack, all across the country. This is the anniversary of most of the troops moving in, years ago after September 11th, and they wanted to send a message. They’re calling it a rebellion.”

  Olivia worked on his thigh wound. “Makes sense. Do they actually think this is going to make us leave?”

  Rex looked at her, his blue eyes flat. “They don’t care if they can kill us instead. I’m patching people up, but they’ve already killed so many.”

  The bullet had left only an entry wound. “The bullet is still in here, and I think it’s lodged against your femur. Did you feel the bone break?”

  Rex shook his head. “I don’t think so. It hurts like hell, but I can bear weight on it. Numb me up and get the bullet out, Liv.”

  She grimaced, hating to do anything blind. It wasn’t like their guards were going to allow them to run down to x-ray. She injected as much lidocaine as she could into the surrounding area. Then stuck her finger into the bullet wound.

  If they were in any situation other than a wartime one, she never would have done something so crazy. Even with gloves on, if she nicked her finger on shrapnel or something, there was the chance of cross-contamination, but she had no choice. She had to figure out where the bullet was and if it could be retrieved.

  There. Her fingertip brushed against something sharp and metal. “Hand me the twelve-inch forceps.”

  With her fingertip on the bullet, she took the forceps from Baylee and guided the end of the instrument down into the wound beside her finger. Then she squeezed the handles, pinching the jaws of the forceps over the bullet. Very carefully, watching Rex for any change, she removed first her right hand, then the bullet, dropping it to the tray beside her.

  “Well, I got most of it out. If it shattered, you’re going to have an infection, but it’s all we can do right this moment.”

  “Thanks, Liv. I didn’t relish trying to dig it out on my own.”

  “And this one is just a flesh wound,” Baylee murmured. “I put a few stitches in it front and back just to hold it together right this minute.”

  “Thanks, girls,” Rex said, looking at each of them in turn. “I know they’re going to take me back to my tent, but I’ll be back for you if I can.”

  Baylee and Olivia nodded, then the Taliban soldiers were jerking him off the gurney and onto his feet. He staggered a little, then grabbed an overturned IV pole to brace himself against. Olivia was surprised they allowed him to walk out with it, but he did.

  She shared a look with Baylee but didn’t say anything. They were in a very dangerous situation, and they weren’t going to aggravate their attackers any more than they had to.

  At one point, Taliban guards brought in Trent, but it took her a minute to realize that was who they worked on. The man was bloody and had been shot in the upper leg and through the abdomen. He’d also been beaten with something, she wasn’t sure wha
t. Without equipment, she thought he had a concussion, but there wasn’t much that could be done with that.

  “We need a doctor for him,” Baylee said, turning to face the man who spoke such perfect English. The man’s brown eyes were dead. “He has a concussion probably and we aren’t able to stop the bleeding in his leg. We need a surgeon for that.”

  “Put a bandage on it,” the man told her coldly. “He’s not going to live long enough to need more than that.”

  “Why are you doing this,” Olivia asked him, unable to help herself. “We’re trying to help your people.”

  The man’s face turned livid, and he stepped forward to loom over her. Olivia tried not to flinch. “No, you are trying to undermine a culture that has been in place for thousands of years. You have no business being here. You have no business bringing your ways to our country.”

  “And yet, you have obviously benefitted from our ways,” Olivia said, lifting her chin. “I can’t even hear an accent in your voice. Obviously, you’ve been educated by…”

  The man snarled into her face. The fist came from out of nowhere before she could finish her sentence, knocking her to the ground. Everything went dark.

  Olivia woke sometime later, something bundled under her head. There was an ice pack on the left side of her face, but it throbbed.

  “Oh, thank God you’re awake,” Baylee breathed, leaning over her. “You’ve been out for hours.”

  Olivia could feel that. Her back ached from lying flat and she had to pee so bad… Sitting up, she looked around. There were two guards at the door, but no patients on the table. “What happened to Trent?”

  “They carried him out. I doubt he’s still alive.”

  Olivia looked up at her, understanding the flat voice. It was a way they all had learned to try to protect themselves from emotional hurt when they lost a patient they knew. “We did what we could for him,” she said, gripping Baylee’s arm.

  A tear slipped down the other woman’s cheek, and she rubbed it away on her shoulder. “I know. It’s just…”

  “I know,” Olivia whispered. She tensed, readying herself to get up. “I need to pee.”

  “I already asked. I was told I can go in the corner.”

  Olivia grimaced and held her hand out, requesting help to sit up. Baylee clasped it strongly and levered Olivia up. Her head swam, and she thought for a moment she was going to be sick, but she dragged in a few deep breaths, and it faded away. “Remind me not to piss him off again. I have a concussion.”

  Baylee nodded, her emerald eyes dark with worry. “I know. I’ll try.”

  “Have you seen Rex again, or any of the others?”

  Baylee shook her head again. “I can’t think about it,” she said firmly. “They might just be in another room.”

  Olivia nodded, trying to be reassuring, though she doubted it. Fuck, if they were the last ones alive…

  The two men standing at the door watched them as Olivia stood and looked toward the corner. She was going to pee her pants if she didn’t relieve herself. “Maybe we can use a sheet to shield each other when we go. And there’s a small trash can over there.” She pointed at the desk on the far side of the room. Baylee crossed over and got the can, then returned to their corner. “I can grab one of the sheets and hold it up while you go.”

  Olivia nodded and they moved together. Baylee held the sheet up as she peed, and it was such a relief. The rim of the trash can didn’t feel nice, but it was better than squatting in the corner and peeing on the floor. She finished her business and took the sheet from Baylee. “Your turn.”

  Baylee dropped her drawers and sat on the can, sighing, and started to relieve herself. That was when the men made their move. They ripped the sheet from Olivia’s hands, shoved her to the floor and grinned down at Baylee. Stoically, she finished what she was doing and stood, pulling her scrubs pants up as quickly as she could. Her cheeks were flaming, and she stared at them defiantly.

  The men leered down at her and tossed the sheet away. One shook his head at her as he pulled his mask down, obviously telling her not to do it again. Then he reached out and cupped her ass. Baylee instinctively swatted his hand away, and the man’s face went dark with fury. Quicker than a snake, he punched her in the mouth. Baylee staggered, but didn’t go down, and Olivia prayed she didn’t do something rash.

  The second man was watching the commotion, his head turned away from her. Was there a chance they could get away? Or at least get their weapons? Could she kick his knee out or something? If she got to her feet, he would look at her. Right now, he expected her to stay beaten down.

  Baylee had a fight or die expression on her face, and Olivia had seen it before. The woman had grown up on a farm and knew what it was like to do hard work. During training, she’d always been the last woman standing in everything, and Olivia admired that in her friend. She was afraid it was going to get her into trouble now, though. She didn’t always think before she acted.

  The man that had ripped the sheet away and punched her had a look in his dark eyes that didn’t bode well for Baylee. No sooner had the thought entered her mind than the man struck out, slapping Baylee across the face and spinning her around. Quicker than a snake, he wrapped his arms through hers, pulling her elbows to meet at her shoulder blades. Now he had the leverage. He wasn’t that much bigger than her, but the way he had her back arched, she couldn’t get her footing. Then he shoved her across the room to the gurney and bent her over it. While one hand held her arms, a second fumbled to pull her elastic-waisted pants down.

  “No,” Baylee screamed, kicking and fighting like a wildcat.

  Olivia wouldn’t let them rape her friend. Before she could second guess herself, she kicked out at the second man, catching him in the side of the knee. She was a nurse. She knew how painful that could be if done right. But he moved a mere inch before she connected. The hit was lame, at best, and the man turned in anger. He backhanded her across the face, sending her back to slam against the floor. Her head swam again, and she immediately started to throw up, rolling to the side. Then the man brought his booted foot down on her calf.

  Olivia felt the bones break and pierce the skin, and that was all before her world went dark again.

  Olivia had moments of lucidity, then the darkness would swallow her. She knew she needed to wake up, because Baylee needed her, but she couldn’t manage it. She could feel pain, though, that rolled through her in waves, making her shudder. And she could feel hands doing something to her. Manipulating her body. Then she faded away.

  Then, suddenly, there was a percussive blast around her, and her eyes fluttered open. Someone was wrapped around her, and she had a mouthful of hair. Then Baylee pulled back, and Olivia realized she had been shielding her from falling debris. Dust swirled in the air, and it seemed like it was night. There was light coming from somewhere, but it wasn’t bright.

  “W-what’s going on,” she gritted out. Her mouth was so dry…

  Baylee gave a cry and gripped her hand. “My god, I didn’t think you were going to come back to me. Do you know where you are?”

  Olivia snorted and shifted, then gasped in pain. Her back was screaming. And her head. “Yeah, I think so. Is the Taliban still here?”

  “Kind of,” Baylee whispered.

  Olivia looked through the gloom, trying to see her friend’s face. Her attention sharpened as she began to remember. “Wait, they…” She forced herself to sit up, fighting at a tube in her arm. Was she hooked up to an IV? “Are you okay?”

  Baylee nodded, but there was a huge wad of gauze wrapped over half her face. “I’m okay, but you’ve been out for hours. I had to do it, Olivia. I had to.”

  Then, shocking Olivia to the core, Baylee broke down into great, gulping sobs. Olivia wrapped her arms around the woman, trying to comfort her. “What, honey? What did you do?”

  Baylee pulled back far enough that Olivia could look down her body. Her right leg wasn’t right. There were strange dark bulges around her calf. And that was when she saw the tourniquet. It was above her calf and below the knee a few inches. Her body chilled.

  “You have a double compound fracture of your lower right leg, just above the ankle. By the time t-they…” Baylee’s voice stuttered and stopped, and she took a breath. “By the time they finished, and I found you, you had gone into shock from blood loss. I had to stop the flow of blood.”