Hold On (Delos Series Book 5) by Lindsay McKenna Read Free Book Online

set up. You’ll be doing your medical rounds for women, children, and babies in the village, and I’ll be handing out shoes and winter clothing to the children.”
    “Are Matt and Beau going with us, I hope?”
    “Yes. You worry too much, Dara. I don’t think Matt would let you go out there without him.”
    “I know,” she admitted ruefully. “I never feel safe here, Callie. I mean, I want to volunteer my time with you and the Hope Charity. But I’m never relaxed. Well, I take that back. Last night, I was very relaxed.”
    Callie snickered, shaking her head. “Well, if nothing else, keep going to the Eagle’s Nest every night with him and you’ll be loosey-goosey by the time we drive that twenty-five miles to the village.”
    Dara’s eyes became huge. “Callie! How did you know about the Eagle’s Nest?”
    “Gimme a break, Dara. I’ve been on Bagram six months out of every year for the last five years. You get to know the base and how it operates.”
    “So, have you been to the Nest?”
    “No,” Callie said pertly, “but I’ve heard about it from other women who have been there. They say it’s like an apartment.”
    “It is. And it’s soundproof.”
    “Good thing,” Callie said drily, giving her sister a wicked grin.
    And then they both laughed, their hands over their mouths, looking more like teenagers than women who could, at any given moment, be putting their lives on the line.
    *
    Beau was swamped by the children the minute he and Matt arrived inside the orphanage. They had made their cursory inspection outdoors, and seeing the children warmed Beau’s heart as he and Matt moved into the mudroom. They kept their M4s against their chests so a child couldn’t accidentally bump into a barrel and get hurt on the cold metal of the weapon. The boys gravitated to Matt, and the girls flowed around Beau. In part, it was because they both spoke their language, which created trust. The children’s openness and their happy chatter made the men smile.
    Beau greeted Maggie and watched Callie disappear into the kitchen, where breakfast was being prepared for the children. He called the girls to accompany him to the big room, and they followed him like little ducklings. They all knew he brought wrapped candy, and their small hands reached for it when he patted the stuffed pockets of his cargo pants.
    Matt had taken the boys to one corner of the big room, and Beau took the girls to another. In Afghan society, if an American soldier gave a little girl a piece of candy or food, the boys would come and attack her, beating her up until she gave up her prize to them. The boys were vicious when it came to intimidating a girl. They let her know from the time she took her first steps that she was valued far below any goat or donkey in the village.
    As Beau sat down on a chair, he pulled his weapon to his back, getting it out of the way as the girls crowded excitedly around him, their eyes shining with eager anticipation, their small hands opened toward him, begging him for some candy. He smiled, spoke softly in Pashto to them, and pulled out a bunch of wrapped candies. As he held his large hand down toward them, he saw how different the girls were from the boys.
    The boys would have charged forward, fighting and hitting each other, grabbing for as much candy as they could get. Instead, the girls waited, their eyes large with excitement. Beau told them he would start with one girl and allow each to take one piece in turn.
    The girls were patient as Beau handed out all the candy to them. Then he called them over, asking them to sit down around his feet and eat their prizes. Across the room, he saw Matt had his hands full with the shoving, pushing boys. All it took was a deep growl from him in Pashto to stop the tussles, and they backed off, thinking they were going to get cuffed or struck with a belt or a switch.
    Instead, Matt told them to sit down and be still. And they did.
    Beau smiled and watched his charges