Page 33 of Protecting Josie
Soon they left the brown dirt of the desert landscape behind and there was nothing but water beneath them.
“It’s okay. We’re safe,” Nate said, obviously seeing her discomfort.
Josie nodded but still couldn’t relax.
At least not until Nate took her hand in his. Looking down, Josie should’ve been embarrassed at how disgusting her fingers looked. There was so much black dirt encrusted under her nails, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get it out. But Nate didn’t seem to mind.
“There she is. Can you see her?” Buck asked, turning to look at Josie, then pointing out the front window.
Sitting up as straight as she could, Josie could just see a speck in the distance, getting closer and closer as they flew toward it.
It didn’t take long before they were hovering over the deck of the huge warship. The food Josie had eaten threatened to come up when the chopper bumped as it landed.
Then something struck her, and she squeezed Nate’s hand tightly.
“What? What’s wrong?”
It was stupid. She didn’t need it anymore, but the thought of it having been left behind made her feel panicky and sick.She reached forward to pat Nate’s pocket but felt nothing inside. A choked noise worked its way up her throat.
“Your cup? I’ve got it here. In my other pocket,” Nate told her through the headset. “It’s okay, Spirit. I’ve got it.”
Relief hit her so hard, she felt dizzy. It was just a cup. There were probably hundreds more like it on the ship. She didn’t need it anymore. And yet she still felt attached to the damn thing. It had kept her alive. Without it, she’d be nothing more than a heap of rotting flesh in that damn prison cell.
She managed to nod. The others were taking off their headsets, so Josie did the same, the noise from the outside world pressing in on her all at once. People talking, yelling orders she didn’t understand back and forth, the rumble of the chopper engine.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Nate said, tugging gently on her hand.
Looking out of the helicopter, Josie saw a wave of people, all looking in their direction.
She was suddenly overwhelmed. Glancing down at herself, she realized how ridiculous she probably looked. Socks, a huge T-shirt, a pair of boxers. Not to mention she was covered in dirt, and her hair was matted and disgusting. She had no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed after everything she’d been through…but somehow, she still was.
Nate seemed to understand how she felt, because he turned and grabbed a blanket that had been folded neatly into a small cubby inside the chopper. Without letting go of her hand, he wrapped it around her shoulders, assisted by his brother. She clutched it against her chest with her free hand.
With Nate on one side of her, and Tate on the other, they stood. Kevlar hopped out then turned, holding out his hands to steady the trio as they exited the chopper. Suddenly, she was standing on the deck of the huge ship.
She heard a woman yell, “Casper! What the hell did you do to my helicopter?”
Looking over, Josie saw a woman in her mid-thirties, about five-five or so, dark hair pulled back into a neat bun, dark eyes sparking as she marched up to Tate and poked him in the chest. She wore a pair of coveralls with what looked like grease smeared down the front of her right thigh.
Tate smiled at Josie and Nate. “Good to see you, bro. Don’t be a stranger. We’ll get together back in the States.”
Nate nodded at his brother, and Josie watched as Tate walked off with the woman right at his side. But even as she gave him grief, Josie could see the relief in her eyes that he was alive and in one piece. And Tate certainly didn’t look upset by whatever she was saying. He actually looked pleased to see her.
“Guessing that was Laryn,” Nate said with a small grin.
Before she could even nod, someone approached them.
“Blink!” the man exclaimed, giving him a one-armed man-hug before they’d taken more than two steps away from the helicopter.
“Good to see you, MacGyver,” Nate said. Josie recognized him from the short amount of time they’d been with the man after getting out of their cells.
“Come on, the guys are waiting to see you.”
“To interrogate me, you mean,” Nate said with a small laugh.
“Naw, we’re saving the ass-chewing for later,” Kevlar piped in, and both he and MacGyver laughed.
“For now, we’re just glad to see you alive and kicking,” MacGyver told him.
