"No," I said, shaking my head. "I want to be there."

"No, you don't. You don't want to see that." Derek's eyes were gentle, but filled with pain. "I'm sorry you had to see the other one die."

Quickly, the thought of the twitching insurgent dying silently on the ground filled my mind. "Derek, you can't protect me from this. Not from everything. I'm tougher than you think."

A half smile lit his lips as he looked at me with pride. "I know," Derek said, pulling me ...