Page 37 of Protecting Josie
“Blink!”
“Holy shit, man, good to see you!”
“You’re an ass. Can’tbelieveyou ran off to Iran without us!”
The comments came fast and loud as Nate was pulled away from her, hugged, clapped on the back, and greeted warmly by his friends.
“Easy,” Nate complained. “I already have enough bruises, don’t need you assholes adding to them.” He then turned andre-introduced everyone to her, which Josie appreciated. She’d forgotten who was who.
“God, you stink,” one of the other guys said when he’d finished.
Nate rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Smiley. You think you’d smell any better after spending the better part of a week on a mission?”
Everyone laughed, but talk of being smelly made Josie self-conscious about her own lack of hygiene. And she’d been away for much longer than a week.
“Speaking of…we need showers. And Josie needs something to wear. And food and water,” Nate announced.
“I’ll go to the exchange and find something for her. Not sure if they’ll have anything small enough, but I’ll see what I can do,” Safe said.
“And I’ll head down to the canteen and get something for you both to eat,” Preacher offered. “Bring it back here, so you can eat in peace. Too many people know about what happened. At least that you were in Iran and had to be extracted. Won’t be comfortable to eat in public for a while.”
“I’ll set up a bunk for her,” MacGyver offered.
“As for a shower, the women’s head is just down the hall,” Flash said.
Nate nodded. “Appreciate it, you guys.”
“Of course.”
“Any time.”
“Be back soon.”
Nate then turned to Josie. “Right, so, as much as I wish I could tell you that the showers onboard are luxurious, they aren’t. There should be hot water, but it’s not guaranteed.And it’ll have to be fast. I’m sorry. When you get to California, you can take as long as you want, but here…” His voice faded off.
Josie put her hand on his arm and mouthed,It’s okay.
“I wish I could give you a lot of things right now, a long hot shower being one of them. But I can give you soap, a safe place to lay your head, food, and hopefully the reassurance that everything is going to be good from here on out.”
She nodded at him, grateful for every single thing he’d done for her now, before, and in the future.
“Guys, you should’ve seen our girl type. Shit, I swear her fingers were smoking on the admiral’s keys. Oh! And the way she snapped her fingers at him, and heactuallydid what she wanted?” Kevlar laughed. “If I wasn’t already in love with someone, that would’ve done it.”
MacGyver chuckled as well from behind one of the lockers, where he was grabbing blankets, presumably to make a bed for her.
“Come on, I’ll show you where you can shower. I’m sure Safe will be back with some clothes for you before you’re done. When he sets his mind to something, he gets it done fast,” Nate said.
Looking at one of the bunks longingly—she suddenly felt as if she was about to pass out from exhaustion—Josie followed Nate out the door and back down the hall. He stopped in front of a metal door that said WOMEN in big bold letters.
“Are you going to be all right?”
She nodded.
“Okay, I’ll stay out here until you’re done.”
Josie frowned at that and tilted her head at him in question.
“I just don’t want you to be self-conscious or be bothered by anyone. They can wait until you’re done.”
