"That’s all I get after thirteen years? Fine. Is it somethingthat you could tell me, but you'd have to kill me?" Hannah joked.
"I’ve been in the military for thirteen years and going on frequent missions. I don’t have much time for a social life," he said closer this time.
Hannah turned around, he was right behind her. How had he moved so quietly? He was so close she could feel his body heat. If she lifted her hand, she could touch him.
Ben reached out a hand to touch her wet strands but stopped mid-motion. He quickly stepped away from her. "Ready to go?”
Hannah was speechless. He had been about to touch her, well her hair but he stopped himself. "Yes," she whispered. She needed food desperately and needed to warn them aboutthe girls. Ben was obviously not planning on reacquainting himself with her.
~
The chow hall was empty except for two of Ben's team members. They all looked up at her as one. Ben placed a reassuring hand on her back and urged her to keep going.They nodded in greeting to her when she was next to the table.
"Hannah, this is Sunshine and Doc.” Ben pointedto each guy in turn. “Cricket, Hound, Tiny and Hawkare out guarding the shipment we brought back but I’m sure you’ll meet them soon."
"Call signs? Like Top Gun. Where’s Maverick?" Severalof theguys turned away to hide their grins.
"Movies hardly do the militaryjustice. Top Gun was also Navy, we’re Army."
"Rangers? SpecialForces?" Hannah guessed. She knew little about the military or their branches. Her Grandpa was in the Army, but shedidn’t remember muchabout his stories or what he did. She knew Ben joined the Army at eighteen, but this group seemed so much more than the average soldier. Something covert.
"Or something," Sunshinechuckled.
"We can’t talk aboutwhat we do," Ben told her simply. His voice was calm, but his words cut like a whip. They told her she wasn’t important enough to know. That she wasn’t important to him.
Hannah shrugged with indifference; she would let him keep his secrets. It wasn’t like she meant anything to him. Doc indicatedfor her to sit next to him and set a plate down. Hannah sat down forgetting about Ben and his icy demeanor towards her and started spooning giant spoonsfulof food on her plate. Everythinglooked good and smelled delicious. Hannah dug her fork in and blocked out the rest of the worldwhile she ate. She blushed a little when she saw everyone looking at her funny when she had finished her plateful of food. She touched her face wondering if she had somethinghanging off her.
"Sorry," Doc said. "I’ve just never seen anyone eat so much and so quicklysince training. Don’t be embarrassed, I’m sure it’s been awhile since you’ve had a full meal."
"Hannah," Ben said and paused. She turned to face him wonderingwhat he was tryingto say or ask. "Hannah,howlong have you been in Panama?"
Now she knew why he was struggling to find the right words. Now it was her turn. But first, she had to know something. "What’s the date and year?"She heard a few curse wordspassed around the table but kept her focus on Ben.
Ben told her the date not changing his facial expression. His face could be carved from granite. The man wore a permanent scowl. Didn’t he laugh anymore? Given what he did for a living she guessed there wasn’t much to smile about.
Hannah gasped in horror.She lost so much time? "I don’t know exactly how long I’ve been withAlejandro. A few weeks, I think. Days bled togetherthere and with no windows, I could never tell if it was day or night, but I do know I was originallycapturedSeptember23, 2015."A date she would never forget.
Ben'seyes turned murderous,he clenched his fistson the table. She supposedit was better thanpity.
"Where are the girls you rescued?" She asked. She needed to tell them about the girls before it was too late.
"In the infirmaryresting."
"Has a doctor looked them over?”
"I don’t know why?" he sounded exasperated that she kept asking him about the women.
"You need to give them all an x-ray,” she said without preamble.
“I don’t understand. Why?" His brows drew together and formed little creases that her fingers itched to smooth out.
"The shipment," shestarted to say,but Ben cut her off.
"Don’t trouble yourself over the shipment. We have it in custody. Cricket, Hound, Tiny and Hawkare guarding it as we speak."
"No, you don’t understand," Hannah pleaded. "That’s not the shipment. It’s a decoy."
They all instantly went on alert. "How do you know that?" Sunshine accused her.
