Page 1 of Guarding Truth

ONE

REMOTE VILLAGE IN THE HINDU KUSH MOUNTAINS OF AFGHANISTAN,

NEAR THE TAJIKISTAN BORDER

THURSDAY, 4:00 A.M.

“Time’s up. Hostile vehicles spotted. Approaching in less than five minutes.”

Caleb Styles nodded to his fellow Army cyber intelligence analyst, Lazlo Thomas, without taking his eyes from the screen in front of him. “And…done. I just uploaded the last software patch. Time to get out of here.” He powered off his laptop, shoved it in his backpack, and followed Laz out of the makeshift tent that served as a command center for the Army outpost.

Not that he could miss the man’s dark curly hair with a length that tested the boundaries of Army standards. Caleb preferred his dark-brown hair trimmed with military precision, never knowing when he’d be called into the field on trips such as this.

“Slow down a bit, would you?” Caleb caught up and matched Laz’s warp-speed pace. Dirt swirled around his feet, the moonlight illuminating the path through the camp. He matched two steps to every one of Laz’s long strides. Despite Caleb’s six-foot fit and toned frame, Laz had a good four inches on him.

They walked past four other identical brown temporary structures used to house a contingent of soldiers and supplies. Men hustled, preparing to help defend the nearby villages from the impending Taliban forces.

“Sorry, I’m not slowing down until there’s plenty of space between us and the Taliban.”

“Yeah, I’d like to get out of here before the fighting erupts.” Even though they’d both made it out of basic training alive, Caleb spent most of his days behind a computer screen, keeping cyberterrorists from taking down the Army’s system. It meant being in the field on special assignments on occasion to make sure communications hadn’t been compromised.

Laz slowed to a normal pace. “I can only imagine the kinds of torture devices the enemy would use on intelligence analysts if we got caught here.”

Caleb glanced at his friend through glasses fogged from the sweat dripping from his brow. Despite being shielded by mountain ranges on both sides, in the valley, sweltering temperatures ruled the day and night. Even in October.

“Don’t worry,” Caleb said. “I’ll do everything in my power to get you back to base so you can ship out. I know you’ve got a girlfriend back home. Ready to propose yet?”

Laz’s pearly whites lit up under the moonlight at the mention of his girlfriend. What would it be like to have someone waiting for him back home? The trajectory of Caleb’s life didn’t include a wife and kids. However, one glance at Laz’s face, and for a second Caleb reconsidered.

But he’d never been able to risk his heart for a chance at happiness.

“You know,” Laz said in a singsongy cadence, “I heard the Rangers have made a special trip to pick us up. And do you know who made it out of Ranger School in one piece?”

Oh, he knew all too well.

Juliette Montgomery.

Caleb would have elbowed Laz in the ribs if the man hadn’t been moving at the speed of a cheetah. “You just had to go there. Juliette and I will always be friends. There are lots of Rangers in the area. I’m sure she’s?—”

“Caleb?”

His heartbeat ticked up at the sound of his name from the voice he knew instantly. He slowed and turned.

“Jules.” His basic training days came flooding back to him. They’d partnered up on many assignments, partly because most men didn’t want to be on duty with a woman. But the other part of him had volunteered because he’d enjoyed spending time with her.

Juliette stood with three other men, dressed in fatigues. Despite her petite five-foot-three stature and shoulder-length dark-blonde hair, she looked every bit the part of a warrior.

Her golden-brown eyes twinkled in the moonlight for a fraction of a second before going into soldier mode. “No time to catch up. We’ve got to move.” She motioned to one of the three vehicles, and just like that, they were a team again, as if no time had passed since they’d last been together.

Caleb and Laz helped hoist supplies, duffel bags, and weapons into the trunks of the vehicles, as four aid workers were also being evacuated because of the expected danger.

Once loaded, Laz, Caleb, and Juliette took the middle of the three-car caravan. Laz took the front passenger seat, leaving Juliette and Caleb in the back seat.

“Buckle up,” Juliette said. “Our driver is Sergeant Hank Williams, better known as Hank the Tank. He’s got a lead foot. That’s why we’re in the second car. To slow him down.” The bucket car seat looked like a child’s dollhouse chair when Tank’s muscular frame slid under the steering wheel.

“Better watch it,Hazard Pay,” the driver said, adjusting his mirror to smirk at Juliette.

“They still call you that?” Caleb tried to stifle a laugh but it came out as a snort. Laz joined in. “At least some things never change.”

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