Behind Enemy Lines by Cindy Dees Page A

it. It’s not fit for a lady’s ears.”
    She couldn’t argue with that. If he thought she was a lady, far be it from her to disabuse him of the notion.
    He interrupted her thoughts. “Okay, it’s my turn to ask a question.”
    “I suppose that’s fair,” she replied.
    “Why this career?”
    “You mean why did I join the Air Force or why did I become a pilot?”
    “Both.”
    “I joined the Air Force to get away from home. I come from a teeny little town in Iowa. I was expected to marry my childhood sweetheart, become something safe and traditional like a schoolteacher, have some kids and die there of old age or boredom, whichever came first.”
    “So you rebelled against your hometown?”
    “I rebelled against my father. He’s a retired army colonel and controlled every detail of my life. He only had daughters, and he always complained about not having a son to follow in his footsteps. I suppose on some level I joined the military in hopes of gaining his approval.”
    “And did you?”
    Annie sighed. “Not hardly. Girls don’t belong in the military according to him.”
    “Why did you choose to fly?”
    She laughed. “I like roller coasters.”
    “Come again?”
    “I like being upside down and going the speed of heat with my hair on fire. Flying’s fun.”
    He commented dryly, “Except when you’re getting shot at.”
    His words were a cold slap across her face. Flying also was no fun when she was faced with life-and-death decisions that terribly wounded another human being.
    They needed to change the subject. Now. She said lightly, “It’s my turn, again. So, tell me about yourself, Tom.”
    “What do you want to know?” he asked cautiously.
    “Where are you from?”
    “Norman, Oklahoma.”
    “Brothers and sisters?”
    “One of each.”
    “You’re the oldest.”
    “How could you tell?”
    Annie laughed. “You’re joking, right? You’ve got responsible eldest sibling written all over you. Let’s see. What else?” She adopted what she hoped was a breezy tone. “Are you married?”
    “Nope.”
    “Ever been married?”
    “Nope.”
    “Did you ever want to be?”
    He answered indignantly, “You don’t have to ask that in the past tense. It’s not like I’m too old to get married, you know.”
    “Sorry. Do you want to be married someday?”
    “Maybe someday. I can’t see doing it with my present career. It’s not fair to ask a woman to love a guy who may die tomorrow.”
    That silenced her. A girl would be foolish, indeed, to fall in love with a guy who might die tomorrow. But a guy like that wasn’t bad to be with on the floor of a dark room, in the middle of the night, while a revolution raged outside the window.

Chapter 6
    S unlight shone painfully in Tom’s eyes, bringing him abruptly awake. He shifted his arm under a strange weight and realized it was Annie’s head.
    He ached from head to foot, as if he’d been worked over with a baseball bat. He was really going soft in his old age. Sleeping on a floor had never left him feeling quite this lousy before. For the first time in his career, doubt coiled in his gut. Was he going to be able to get his team and Annie out of this one alive?
    He suppressed the thought violently. Thinking like that would certainly get them killed. There was no room for hesitation in his world, no mercy for those who looked back over their shoulders. They would make it out…somehow.
    But meanwhile he felt like death warmed over.
    He must’ve groaned because Annie popped up on her elbow beside him.
    “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
    “No, I’m just a little sore this morning.”
    “I know the perfect cure for that.”
    “Oh, yeah?”
    She started to sit up but stopped partway. “Is it safe to sit up now?”
    “Yup. The shooting stopped a couple hours ago. All the toy soldiers have gone to bed. They won’t come out again until tonight.”
    “Tonight? You mean we have to go through that hell again?”
    “’Fraid so.”
    Her look