Rescued (The Marine's Love 3)

By Alexandra Bell

With Sienna and Oliver speeding towards the Kenyan border, trying to get Sienna to the safety of the American Embassy in Nairobi, they have to manage a foreign culture, a civil war and the uncertainty every day brings.

With their separation looming, will their desire for different things in life drive them apart and leave their time together as nothing but an oasis in the desert of time?

This 15,000 word novella is the third part of a trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Star Publishing
• Release date: Oct 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502292803

Book preview

Rescued (The Marine’s Love 3)

When Hawa woke Sienna and Oliver up with a cup of tea, they both woke up with a sense of dread. This was border crossing day, and that promised to be problematic and quite likely dangerous. Sienna had no papers at all as they’d been lost when she was kidnapped. Neither did Oliver. Since he’d entered Somalia with a platoon of Marines on a secret mission, they didn’t exactly come in advertising who they were. They had considered trying to get Sienna through disguised as a Somali in a burkha, but some Americans they’d met on the road had strongly advised against that. They’d worn Arabic dress to go through the border and it had pissed off the border officials and made things worse. All in all, Oliver and Sienna thought their chances of facing real trouble were high. They might be refused entry into Kenya, in which case they didn’t know what to do, or worse, they might be detained by the Somalis and sent to Mogadishu. Who knows how they would get out of that? Oliver had slept reasonably well, but Sienna had tossed and turned most of the night, memories of her kidnapping and rape by Somali soldiers plus her imagination creating pictures of real horrors to come.

While they were drinking, Abdi came in with a cup of tea in one hand and a plate of canjeera in the other to join them for breakfast. He asked them how they were, and noticing that their response was unenthusiastic, asked them what the matter was.  Sienna saw no reason not to tell him. It had been clear in the conversation they’d had the night before that though he was a government supporter, like most village Africans he wasn’t averse to bending written laws when the circumstances required it. Besides he held Oliver in very high regard because of his role in capturing the rebel Juma whom Abdi loathed, so he would be most unlikely to make things more difficult in any way, let alone betray them to the border officials.  So she explained the situation fully to Abdi and was somewhat taken aback to seeing him to begin to smile broadly before she finished.

That’s no problem, he said. "Only ferrenghi worry about such things. There are miles of border that aren’t policed at all.  When we don’t want to go through the border post, we just walk around it. Now if you were in a car, that would be a problem, but with a motorbike, there are many tracks you can follow.  I can show you the easiest one as far as the border, and once you’re in Kenya, you can just follow any track that looks promising so long as it’s going in the right direction." Sienna was overjoyed and thanked Abdi profusely.

Oliver was still worried. I was planning to get gas at the border.

You would have failed, replied Abdi, They haven’t had any for more than a month. That’s a problem, but you’re still better off going around the border.  If you run out of gas, you can either abandon the bike or wheel it, whichever is easier. At least you’ll be in Kenya. Oliver, without being exactly pleased with the plan, saw that it was the best alternative. 

So as soon as they finished eating they said farewell to Hawa and the children. Isak, who had quite fallen in love with Oliver, hugged his legs and wept. He had few friends because they lived in an isolated place and he didn’t want to lose his new one.  Oliver, on his part, seemed reluctant to leave Isak behind, but there was nothing for it.  He squatted so he could look into Isak’s face and told him that he was a very good boy who would be sure to find another friend soon.  He gave Isak the steel chain bracelet he usually wore to remember him by, and that dried up Isak’s tears instantly.  Sienna, who had enjoyed the visit quite a lot, and not only because it was a respite from hardship and danger, thanked Hawa fervently. She wished that she could offer to pay for their food, but knew enough to know that she couldn’t do so without giving offence. She embraced Hawa warmly and said she would remember Hawa’s generosity as long as she lived. Hawa in return offered a large bundle of food for the journey.

When everything that could be said had been said, Sienna, Oliver and Abdi set off on the road toward the border. Since Abdi was on foot, they walked, wheeling the bike beside them, taking turns.