CEO MILITARY

artina Chavez and I grew up side by side and actually attended kindergarten and first grade together. Even after skipping two grades, we remained friends.

I swallowed quickly, ready to trust my friend. - First, I have to thank you for letting me stay and not forcing me to talk. - You won't escape this time. - She pointed at me, her obsidian eyes narrowing. - You need to deal with these things. I raise my hand. - You're right, and I'll tell you what happened. I just wanted to thank you first for not trying to get it out of me sooner. She smiled. - Yes, I'm an incredible friend. I rolled my eyes, but appreciated the provocation. I was going to tell her everything, and it wouldn't be pleasant, but she was trying to make it as easy as possible for me. -Did you see the story on the news the day before Thanksgiving about the hostages in Iraq who were rescued from being sold? - It seemed as good a place to start as any. She remained completely still. - Yes. - Four of them were taken in Iran weeks before. - I pressed my hands together to keep them from shaking. - I know why I was caught by them too. The color drained from Martina's face, her normally honey skin as pale as I'd ever seen it. - Freedom had to have an emergency appendectomy last week in Iran, so she went straight from the hospital to the airport where I was supposed to meet her. On my way there, some armed men stopped the taxi, grabbed me, threw me into a van and took me somewhere on the outskirts of the city. - How come it wasn't national news? International? Hell, same location? - Martina looked like she was going to vomit. - Freedom kept everything a secret because she wasn't sure what had happened to me at first. She was trying to get the police to look for me when she received a rescue video. - I still got cold every time I thought about what it must have been like for her. No matter how upset I was with her, I knew she loved me, and it must have been horrible for her. - She knew our parents could pay the ransom, but she didn't trust the kidnappers to honor their agreement, so she called an old boyfriend who runs a security agency and hired him to find me and get me out. The story became easier to tell with each word, and soon they were flowing. I told Martina everything. From being sure she was going to be raped when I was