he turned to leave her, she reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Dash,” she said.
He liked the way her hand felt on his arm, almost as much as he’d liked the way her body had felt pressed against him in her sleep. His groin tightened. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Thanks for being here for me.”
He nodded, lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the backs of her knuckles. “My pleasure.” Then he grabbed his rifle and handgun and joined the driver in the front of the vehicle. He hoped that by being in the front of the vehicle, he could ignore the fact he had a hard-on for the woman behind him.
The convoy moved out of the forward operating base and onto the road leading southwest to the next concert venue.
Used to getting in and out of areas by way of helicopter, Dash was uneasy about traveling by road. The Taliban liked using IEDs to target convoys. He worried about his friends in the lead vehicle. They would be the ones to take the first hit, which would stall the convoy and allow the Taliban to attack.
All in all, he wasn’t happy about the situation. Still, he was glad his team was with him.
For the first twenty miles, the road was flat with no vegetation or buildings on either side. They could see for miles. Then they entered a hilly area where the road curved in and around hills and valleys.
Dash tensed. Along any one of the curves, the enemy could be waiting to ambush them. He glanced over his shoulder to discover that Sunny was awake, sitting up with her guitar on her lap.
After a few random strums, she settled into a song and hummed, making notes in a pad in front of her. She played the tune over and over again. It took shape with more humming and more note jotting. Slowly, she added words to the notes…a haunting melody about being lost in the dark and being found.
With his focus on the road, he allowed the music to soothe him, much like the lullaby had calmed the child in the tent.
Sunny most definitely had a gift, and she was much better off singing solo. Her partner hadn’t been half as talented as she was. It took him dying for her to come into her own and for her talent to shine through.
Dash refused to let her light be snuffed out or lost to the rest of the world. She had so much to give in her life.
The hills became more rugged, the valleys narrower and tight.
When they rounded a curve or climbed to the top of a pass and looked down, Dash strained his eyes to see ahead.
In one particular canyon-like area, the caravan of vehicles came to a sudden stop.
Dash’s hands tightened around the stock and barrel of his rifle. “What’s going on up there?” he asked into his mic.
“Got a herd of goats clogging the road,” Tank reported from the lead vehicle.
“Could be a diversion,” Dash suggested.
“Keeping our eyes open,” Rucker promised.
A hand touched Dash’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” Sunny asked.
“Goats on the road.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You might want to get down and stay down until we make it through these hills.”
“Goats aren’t going to hurt us,” she said and then frowned. “Are they?”
He shook his head. “No. But if they were put there to slow us down, we might be in for a fight. Please, get down and stay down. But first, double-check the side door to make certain it’s locked.”
She nodded. “Okay. Will you come back with me?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. If we get into a firefight, I want to see it coming and help, if possible.”
Her hand tightened on his shoulder. “Be careful.”
“I will be. I’m more concerned about you. If bullets start flying, the walls of this coach won’t be enough of a shield. That’s why I ask that you stay down. We don’t want you catching a bullet.”
“Or you and Marcus, our driver.” She gave Marcus a tight smile. At Dash’s pointed glance, she raised her hands. “Okay, if it makes you feel better, I’ll stay back here and hunker down.”
As Sunny backed away, Dash stared ahead and to the sides, looking up at the rugged bluffs rising up on either side of the caravan.
He didn’t like sitting still. The lack of movement gave terrorists the opportunity to lock in their aim and take out their opponents like a bunch of sitting ducks.
“Status of the goats?” Dash