Serving the Soldier - Part 5 (An Alpha Military Romance) by Helen Grey Read Free Book Online Page B

felt was the right thing, in spite of what it cost him. He was shunned by many of his own people, disowned by his family, cut off from his financial inheritance.”
    He glanced over at me and I saw the sadness in his face.
    “But you know what? He didn’t care. After someone threw a grenade into his home, the Army let him move into one of the base camps set up in the southern region of the province.”
    “A grenade? How awful! Were they hurt?”
    He shook his head. “Luckily, Aleema was at a local souk, or store, and David was visiting with a neighbor. At any rate, when he realized that neither he nor his bride was safe, they received permission to move onto the base camp. They also gained the protection of the Army, especially since he was acting as an official interpreter.”
    “Were you stationed at the same camp?”
    He shook his head. “We were on the move too much,” he explained. “But David joined us on several of our forays, especially ones into the more remote tribal areas up in the mountains, to try and gain support for the Americans. I guess you could say we were on a peace mission of sorts, trying to form agreements, pacts, and treaties with some of these tribal leaders, many of whom didn’t want to have anything to do with the war whatsoever.”
    I said nothing, listening to the sound of Jax’s deep voice as he explained a part of his life that I couldn’t even come close to understanding.
    “Needless to say, the guys and I trusted David. He was a good guy, just trying to find his own path in life, and do what he felt was right. In fact, he saved my life once.”
    My eyes opened and I stared at Jax. “He did?” I hoped he would tell me the story, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued to drive, his eyes continually sweeping the road in front of us, the mirrors, and side roads that came and went. I couldn’t exactly say he was being paranoid, just extremely cautious. I appreciated that caution. I had no wish to go through a repeat performance of my latest horror-filled experience.
    “So what happened?” I finally asked.
    Jax offered a slight shrug. “One day, our vehicle was hit by an IED. Long story short, David didn’t make it.”
    “That’s terrible,” I commiserated.
    “Life in a war zone,” he said.
    The Jeep continued to eat up the miles, a little slower in speed now, the road a little more winding, the trees growing denser, the underbrush thicker. I had a feeling that we would soon be nearing our destination.
    “Anyway, after David was killed, his family wanted Aleema killed—”
    “Why?” I asked, startled, sitting upright in my seat now.
    “According to their culture, she had shamed her family and brought shame to David, because they felt that she was behind his loyalty to the Americans all along. In their eyes, she had brought shame not only to their family, but their entire tribe.”
    He glanced at me as I stared at him wide-eyed.
    “You ever hear of honor killings?”
    I nodded. I knew that in the Islamic culture, many families, especially in countries where the concept of women as the foundation of family reputation and honor were prevalent, killed family members in an effort to regain their honor. Unfortunately, I also knew that hundreds, perhaps even thousands of women were killed every year by their families in the name of this “family honor”, most prevalent in the Middle East, but also common in India and even in developed countries where large groups of ex-pats lived.
    “That’s what this is all about? You’re protecting Aleema, and they’re going to kill anybody who gets in their way of killing her?”
    Jax shook his head. “Not exactly, Angie.”
    He said nothing more for a while. I felt exhaustion pulling at me, but resisted the urge to succumb. The danger wasn’t over yet. Finally, he continued…
    “Anyway, we… the squad I mean, found out about the plot to kill her, and in saving her, ended up killing two males of David’s household.”
    “So