No one’s claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. Not credibly. Which is leading our intelligence agencies to strongly lean toward this being an inside job, probably some far-right group. If it were any of the usual suspects, like an overseas terrorist organization, they would have already been crowing about it and quickly taking credit.
That…hasn’t happened.
Oh, there have been a couple of posts on social media celebrating what happened, but the scope, sophistication, and coordination of these attacks speaks to domestic origins.
What especially has me worried is that none of my “experts” can give me any answers right now.
Of any kind.
That they’re all so obviously stumped has me worried that there’s a more disturbing goal afoot.
That’s what my gut’s telling me, anyway.
The last time I had a feeling like this and ignored it, bad things happened. That was when I was still overseas. Right now, it feels like we’re absolutely at war, something I hoped to never experience again, in any capacity.
There are a lot of things I wish I could forget about my time in-country. I did a lot of things I can never take back.
Doesn’t matter that it was in the course of my duties, that I was following orders.
I killed men.
I also got men killed. I thinkthat, even more than the other things I’ve done, hurts my soul the most.
Mostly because it was my selfish, greedy desires that got them killed.
* * *
Then
It’s a miserably hot, dusty day. The only kind of day there seems to be, outside of winter. Then, it’s cold and fucking miserable.
The only thing I’m looking forward to today more than returning to base and grabbing chow is the possibility that I’ll catch a glimpse ofhimtoday.
Over the past three weeks I’ve spotted him every time we’ve been in the village.
The way he smiles at me when our gazes meet.
I’m probably wrong but I think he’s flirting with me. He’s got these gorgeous green eyes, too. At least it’s not weird for me to ask Pazir, our interpreter, what someone’s name is when we patrol in the village.
The guy’s name is Bahiri, and he’s starred in countless shower fantasies I’ve had since that first day I laid eyes on him near the market.
Except…
Let’s be honest that I know in my heart nothing more than fantasies will ever happen. For starters, helllooo, I’m deeply closeted.
Secondly, the local closets here are even deeper than the one I currently inhabit. If he’s even gay in the first place. Which, he probably isn’t.
But a guy can dream, right?
He has gorgeous black hair and his jaw’s shadowed by scruff that’s too short to be a beard and too sexy to allow on a man with a smile as beautiful as his. Today’s patrol through the village might provide me a chance to add another chapter featuring him to my spank-bank.
Unfortunately, today feels…off, for some reason. Pazir even acts edgy.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as my head swivels, taking in our surroundings.
He slowly shakes his head where he walks next to me. “I don’t know anything is wrong.” But his gaze slowly roams the distance, skipping over rooftops and along shadowed doorways.
“Then why are you acting so freaking jumpy?”
