“Reza, ask the man what he wants, tell him we’ll give it to him—tell him I have a jade Buddha.” Bernadette pulled the small packet out of her jacket and unwrapped it. The figure sparkled as a beam of sunlight hit it.
Reza repeated Bernadette’s words.
The man began to shout at Reza, he pulled the knife closer to Chris’s throat.
“He says this is an idol of the infidels. All of these should be destroyed,” Reza said. “I think we made it worse.”
Almas crept up behind Chris’s captor. Bernadette kept her eyes on the man, and tried to not look at Almas. One misstep, one glance, and the man would slash Chris’s throat. There was no triage for such a wound. They wouldn’t be able to save him.
Almas brought the barrel of the handgun to the back of the Afghan’s head. He pulled the trigger. The gun clicked—a misfire.
The Afghan threw his head back to look at the noise. Chris felt his hold release. He threw an elbow in his face and hit the floor just as Jason shot the Afghan in the head.
Bernadette rushed to Chris. They collided into each other’s arms, ignoring the dead Afghan who lay on the ground beneath them.
“I knew you’d get here, baby,” Chris said.
“I was almost too late,” Bernadette said.
Chris kissed her forehead, then her lips. “They were about to take me back to Kandahar.”
“Where is the rest of your unit?” Jason asked.
“In the next building. I haven’t heard much from them in the past few days, but I know they’ve been kept there,” Chris said.
Jason left the hut and crossed to the building. He walked into the room and at first saw nothing. Then, looking at the dirt floor, he saw mounds of earth. He walked to them and moved some earth with his hands, revealing the faces of three dead men.
“You’d better come and take a look at this,” Jason motioned to Chris.
Chris followed Jason. When he stepped into the building, he stared at the corpses, and then sat on his heels, putting his head in his hands. “They murdered them,” Chris said with a heavy sigh. “These were good guys, they didn’t deserve this.”
He stood up and looked around the room, “but Lund, he isn’t here.”
“Wasn’t he captured with you?” Bernadette asked.
Chris stood beside her. “Yeah, we were all taken at the same time. They separated us right away. I spent all my time in solitary. The past few weeks have been a bit lonely.”
“You’ve been captive for a month,” Bernadette said.
Chris shook his head. “My, how time flies.” He looked at Reza, Almas, and Jason. “How big a team did you bring?”
“This is it,” Bernadette said with a weak smile.
“Holy shit, are you serious? You know how many fighters this warlord has and how pissed he’s going to be when he finds me gone?” Chris said.
“Speaking of that, we need to get gone,” Jason said. “I think the fighters have figured out there’s no NATO force coming. We best steal a truck and get moving.”
Chris nodded. “Right, let’s go.”
“Wait,” Bernadette said. “What about the robe. Isn’t it here?”
Chris came beside her. “It was never here. The last I saw it was with Lund. The Imam had given to him to look at then he handed it to me for a second outside the museum, the lights in the square went out. Then he grabbed it back.”
“Perfect move to frame you,” Bernadette said.
They moved into the courtyard. Machine gun bullets strafed the wall behind them. They returned fire. Chris picked up an AK-47 from a dead fighter, racked it, and began firing.
“Get to the trucks,” Jason commanded.
The four Toyota Land Cruisers were loaded with weapons. Jason opened the back hatch of one of them, taking out three grenades.
“Get in the lead truck,” Jason yelled.
Chris jumped in the driver’s seat, Bernadette got in beside him, and Almas and Reza got in the back. Jason pulled the pins on the grenades and threw them into the other Toyotas.
Jason jumped in the back seat, “Go!”
Chris threw the truck in gear, punched the gas, all four tires bit into the earth. They shot out of the courtyard as more explosions rocketed through the village.
“What the hell was in those things?” Chris asked, looking at the fireball coming from the village.
“They were loaded with RPGs and landmines. Those bastards meant business. Keep sharp as we leave the village. There may be some stragglers out there.”
The truck left the safety of the village walls and came under fire. Bernadette, Jason, and Reza returned fire until they made it into the hills.
“What road do I take?” Chris asked.
Jason had the map out. “Once we cross that small mountain we’re almost in Almas’s old village. From there we will find a little used road that will lead to Shindand. There’s an airbase there. I can get us a heli lift back to Kandahar.”
Bernadette put her hand on Chris’s leg and squeezed it. They could be back in Kandahar that evening. She’d get all the charges against him dropped and she’d have him all to herself.
Chris looked at her and smiled. “It’s great to see you too, baby.”
The ground in front of them exploded. Chris threw the truck to the right. An explosion erupted twenty meters on the left.
“We’ve got company,” Jason said, looking out the back window.
40
Bernadette and Chris whirled around to see four trucks with Afghan fighters. One was aiming a rocket propelled grenade launcher. Chris hit the accelerator, the Land Cruiser lurched forward making the crest of the mountain.
“Which way from here?” Chris asked.
“Head to the dry riverbed. This will give us speed, then we find a road on the right two kilometers ahead.” Jason said.
The Land Cruiser bounced over rocks and become airborne several times heading downhill. When they reached the riverbed, Chris put the pedal to the floor, making the engine roar.
Their pursuers were falling behind. The fighters couldn’t aim their RPG’s with any accuracy as they bounced over the terrain.
“Only five hundred meters before we reach the next road to the right,” Jason said.
“Is that what I think it is ahead?” Bernadette asked.
Jason looked up to see two armored vehicles seven hundred meters ahead of them. “Oh shit. It’s the Iranian army. We must have come too close to their border.”
“Will they let us take the road we need to get over the mountain pass?” Bernadette asked.
“Not bloody likely,” Jason said, shaking his head. We get any closer, they’ll put a warning shot through our windshield.”
Two trucks appeared to the right of the Iranians, blocking their escape. Chris brought the Cruiser to a stop. He pulled over to a collection of rocks that could act as a shield from all their threats.
“We need to head for the rocks,” Jason said. “Everyone take as much ammo as you can.”
They clambered out of the vehicle, Chris, Bernadette and Jason pulling out AK-47’s and Reza and Almas following with rockets for the RPG.
Jason scanned the trucks behind them with binoculars. “We got Mirwais and his fighters behind us. Oh, and he’s met up with the two that were following us.” He handed the binoculars to Chris. “You recognize any of the guys in front of us?”
“Yeah, that’s Rasul, our happy camp commander,” Chris said.
A megaphone came on, first from Mirwais, then Rasul. There seemed to be much discussion over them.
“What’s up?” Bernadette asked Reza.
Reza listened intently shaking his head. “They’re fighting over us. Mirwais only wants Almas back. He’d like to torture the rest of us to death, but he’ll leave the rest to Rasul if he gets Almas. Rasul only wants the infidel Chris to take him back to Kandahar. He’d like to take part in the killing and torture of us as well but has a deadline to meet.”
Jason pulled out his satellite p
hone. “It’s time I phone a friend.” His phone rang four times until Kaufer, his NATO contact, answered. “Hey Kaufer, you have a few helis free? I’m in some serious shit and could use a pickup.”
Kaufer was in NATO’s command room. “Jason, do you have the guy you told me about?”
Jason was taken aback. “Yeah, if you mean the guy who was accused of stealing the robe. Yeah, I got him, but not the robe. We don’t have that.”
“How many for extraction?” Kaufer asked.
“There are five of us. How soon until you get here?”
“I’ve got helis in the area,” Kaufer said.
“I’ll give you the coordinates.”
“I got them, my guys are twenty mikes out. Stay frosty.” Kaufer said.
Jason put his phone back in his vest. He turned to Bernadette. “I have some help coming. Strange thing is—they knew our coordinates…and Kaufer sounded strange.”
“Someone’s been tracking your phones. Any idea who?” Chris asked.
“If they’re in league with NATO, it’s got to be top level government, maybe Homeland Security or CIA,” Bernadette suggested.
“We’ll have to see who shows up. Look, they’re twenty minutes away. We need to stay alive between the warlords and the Iranian Army,” Jason said.
“What’s the plan?” Bernadette asked. Looking up and down the riverbed she could see the men milling around the trucks unloading weapons.
“I doubt if they’d attack in broad daylight,” Jason said. “Remember, Mirwais wants Almas alive. He’d rather have us dead, and Rasul only wants Chris—I assume that’s alive?”
“—He wants me alive, bringing a dead scapegoat won’t be well received.” Chris said.
Jason looked at Mirwais’s men getting out of their trucks. “I agree. I think they’ll want to wait us out, do some feint attacks to get us to use up our ammunition then pick off the ones they don’t want and each of them gets their prize.”
“Sounds pretty cruel and straightforward to me,” Bernadette added.
Almas tugged on Reza’s arm and whispered in his ear.
“Almas says that he will die fighting rather than be captured by Mirwais,” Reza said.
Bernadette knelt in front of Almas, putting her hand on his shoulders. “Tell him I will not let him fall into their hands.”
“You must make that same promise to all of us, and to yourself,” Reza said. “Being captured by the Taliban is automatic torture before death.”
Bernadette looked up at Reza. “Is that why those women soldiers back at the NATO base said we needed to save one last bullet for ourselves?”
Reza nodded and his eyes went misty. “Yes, my sister. If you would do me the honor of shooting Almas and me before they capture us we would be eternally grateful.”
“Inshallah, I hope it does not come to that,” Bernadette said.
“If you two are finished with your suicide pact, I suggest we get to killing some Afghan fighters that are approaching,” Chris said. He had his AK-47 trained on three fighters climbing into the rocks above them.
The three fighters Jason saw included the forlorn figures of the two men who had been tracking them. They ran up the hill above them, one of them trailed as if he was being pulled along against his will. The unlucky Din and Dost had met Mirwais and been told to join in the fight or be shot on the spot.
“I hate situations like this,” Jason said. “They’re doing a flanking maneuver. I guess I was wrong about them attacking in broad daylight—I’ve got to stop it.” He ran to the base of the rock, picked up the RPG and shouldered it. “Okay, now, my boys, this is what happens when you stay too close together.”
He pulled the trigger. The grenade made a whooshing sound out the back of the tube. The fighters looked up in surprise as the rocket approached. They had seconds to duck. They were too late. The rocket exploded in their midst.
Dost felt the explosion tear through his body. He fell to the ground beside Din, who was mortally wounded.
“We are lost my brother,” Din said. “But we will go to paradise.”
Dost shook his head. “No my brother, we will go to the place that Allah reserves for those who do stupid things.”
Dost made an effort to reply, he couldn’t speak from loss of blood.
Jason did a fist pump. “There you go, three down, a whole shit load to go. Everyone get to a position. Keep them at a distance.”
Bullets ricocheted off the rocks behind them. They returned fire. A mortar round exploded near their truck. The fighters spread out, making them harder targets. Jason shot off three more RPG rounds, hitting one fighter and taking out a truck.
“I’m out of RPG grenades. I need to run back to the truck. Give me some covering fire,” Jason yelled. As he started toward the truck, it exploded and Jason was thrown against the rocks with the force of the blast.
Bernadette looked around the rock. “What the hell was that?”
“Sounds like a shell from the Iranian armored vehicles. Looks like they’ve joined in,” Chris said.
“Damn, I hate an uneven fight,” Bernadette said. She let off a burst of her AK-47 at a fighter, who jumped back behind a rock.
“Reza, check on Jason,” Bernadette yelled over the gunfire.
Reza ran, crouching by the rock and put his hand on Jason’s throat. “He is okay, just knocked out.”
“Excellent. That really helps.” Bernadette looked up to the sky, “Okay, here’s the deal God, I need either a miracle or a helicopter. If you want, call the heli a miracle and I’ll go to church when I get home.”
In the midst of the gunfire, they heard the distinct thrumming of helicopters. Bernadette ran to Jason, took out his satellite phone, and pressed redial of the last number.
“Kaufer, here.”
“Hey, this is Callahan here with Jason, but he’s out cold right now. If those are your helis coming in, tell them we’re the ones in the middle of the cross fire by the large rock with the burning truck. We’d stand up and wave but we’d get our asses shot off.”
“Copy that,” Kaufer said. “You have three Blackhawk gunships coming in and two medevacs. I’ll let them know you have contact.”
“If contact means a shit load of bullets—sure. And tell them there’s Iranian armor on our three o’clock.”
“Copy that,” Kaufer said.
“Let’s see how the Afghans and Iranians like a whole bunch of air power,” Bernadette said. “Take cover under the rocks. There’s about to be fireworks.”
The Blackhawks came in low. They wasted no time in strafing the fighters of Mirwais. Rockets blew up their trucks, and the fighters ran for cover.
Turning towards the Iranians, the Blackhawks let off with their machine guns then fired rockets. One Iranian vehicle blew up, the other backed up in a hurry losing its taste for battle.
Rasul and his men needed no further demonstrations of the havoc the Blackhawks could bring. They jumped into their vehicles and sped away. Some had to run to jump into the trucks or be left behind.
Bernadette grabbed Chris, hugging and kissing him. “My God, we’re saved.”
“I never had any doubt that you had a backup plan, Bernie,” Chris said, wrapping her in his arms. “I couldn’t see myself having to put a bullet in your head to save you from those bastards.”
“Oh my god, I forgot I said that.” She buried her head in Chris’s big chest. “So happy we didn’t have to do that. I’m so not ready to be dead yet.”
“Me neither.”
“There’s just one more thing,” Bernadette said. “I had a call with your mother…”
“My mother. That’s a buzz kill. What did she want?”
Bernadette bit her lip. “She kind of wanted me to promise her that I’d leave you once I returned you to Canada.”
“Really? Did you swear on a whole stack of Bibles or spit?”
“Ah, no…”
“Then, it didn’t happen. The Greeks have to do that to make an oath real…so no problem
—you’re clear.”
Bernadette kissed him hard on the lips. “Thanks, because I was going to go back on my word anyways.”
“Works for me.”
The helicopters landed in the riverbed. A team of soldiers jumped out with their weapons ready. A woman with a helmet and flak vest was with them.
As Bernadette watched them approach, she recognized Sergeant Hammer leading the soldiers. Agent Lackey walked behind them.
“Don’t we meet in the strangest places,” Bernadette said as Lackey approached.
“Yes, we do. Is this Chris?”
“He sure is,” Bernadette said hugging him. “I found him safe and sound.”
“That’s great.” Agent Lackey walked towards Chris. “I’m here to take you into custody and deliver you to the Afghan authorities for the theft of their ancient religious artifact. You will be tried in their courts and sentenced accordingly.”
“Bullshit,” Bernadette said. “You know that isn’t true. You know he’s been set up. The Afghans need someone to execute for it. You’ve chosen him because he’s expendable.” She pointed her weapon at Lackey.
“You need to stand down,” Sergeant Hammer said. His team of soldiers surrounded Chris and Bernadette.
“It’s okay, Bernadette,” Chris said. “I’ll be fine. I’ll get a lawyer from the Consulate. I’ll be out in a week or two.”
“No you won’t. They’ll make sure they prosecute you so fast, and they’ll manufacture evidence. You know it’s a sham.”
“Sweetie. Drop your weapon. I don’t want this nice big sergeant to put a hole in your pretty body. I’m planning on doing all kinds of things with you when I get out,” Chris said with a smile.
Bernadette dropped her weapon and stared hard at Lackey. “You bitch.”
“I’m a bitch that gets things done,” Lackey said. “We’re taking Chris in the lead heli, you get into the other one. How bad is Jason hurt?”
Reza responded from beside Jason. “He has been knocked unconscious.”
Lackey turned to Hammer. “Get the medics to put him on a stretcher.”
Hammer pressed his throat mike, calling the medics from the heli. They came running out, putting Jason on a stretcher. Bernadette, Reza, and Almas followed Sergeant Hammer to the other helicopter.
Caught In The Crossfire: A Bernadette Callahan Mystery Page 20
