Dark Return

by DV Berkom

  Could it have something to do with Leine sniffing around as a reporter, looking for clues about the missing children? That theory had some merit. Had she gotten too close?

  Alternatively, it could have been because of Chessa. A long shot, although not much time had passed since she’d delivered the teenager to the SHEN office in Tripoli. Izz Al-Din leaders would be furious at having lost a recruit, especially one they’d invested so much time and resources in, not to mention one who was meant as a gift for a major supporter. If the terrorists succeeded in tracking them to the office, then they would have had no problem figuring out who Leine was and why she was in Tripoli. There weren’t that many American women operating independently in the Libyan capital—she would have been noticed. According to Lou, Leine was getting a reputation.

  The woman who dressed her wounds walked into the room carrying a plastic bottle of water. She smiled and twisted the top open before handing it to her. In her late twenties, she had the look of resilience and resignation Leine had seen in a majority of refugees. They had to be resilient after losing their homes, their families, their communities. The resignation came with the realization that they would have to start anew and it wouldn’t be easy.

  Leine took small sips from the bottle, acutely aware of the stares she was getting from the peanut gallery in the doorway. When she’d had enough she handed the water back to the woman.

  “Where am I?”

  The woman set the bottle on the floor beside Leine. “You are among friends.”

  Leine smiled, hiding her frustration. No sense getting off on the wrong foot with a friendly. “But where am I? How close to the refugee camp are we?”

  “Not close. Just under an hour driving time. You are safe here.”

  More children crowded the doorway, pushing the two boys who were already there into the room.

  “Who are they?”

  The woman turned to look at the whispering, giggling group and said, “Children from the camp.” She added, “No one can know they are here.”

  Leine frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. These are children from the refugee camp?”

  She nodded.

  “But where are their parents? Their families?”

  The woman shook her head. “They have no families. That is why they are here.”

  “Are they the ones who are missing?”

  “Not all, no.”

  “But why haven’t you told the people at the camp? They’re extremely worried.”

  “Because then the children will disappear.”

  At that moment, a scuffle broke out behind the group standing in the doorway, and several of them spilled into the room.

  “Out of my way,” came a familiar voice. It wasn’t long before Jinn muscled her way through.

  “Jinn.” A wave of relief flowed through Leine when she saw the young girl.

  A huge grin split Jinn’s face. She ran to Leine, pushing the other woman aside. “We saw the explosion, I was so worried.” She collapsed on the bed and threw her arms around her, just missing the tubing and bandages. She lifted her head and looked meaningfully into Leine’s eyes. “I saw Rami...in the car.” She finished the sentence quietly.

  Leine nodded, stroking the young girl’s hair.

  “I’m glad you’re all right.” Jinn buried her face in Leine’s lap.

  “You don’t know how glad I am to see you too, Jinn,” Leine said, surprised at the depth of feeling she had for someone she’d met such a short time ago. Santa’s warning flitted through her mind: They know just what to say to play you.

  The woman inspected the dressing on Leine’s arm and nodded. “You were very lucky. The shrapnel only penetrated the dermis.”

  “I was very lucky I didn’t end up dead.” Leine leaned her head against the wall and sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

  “I am Doctor Arissa Dahmani,” she said. “I live at the camp, presently. Assistant Director Hakim brought me here to attend to your wounds.”

  “That explains the great job you did. Thank you.”

  “I’ve been assisting the camp’s doctor with overflow.” Dr. Dahmani went on to explain that she was one of countless refugees who had been a professional before the war. She had no practice to return to—not after her home and surrounding city had been reduced to rubble by the fighting between the Libyan Army and Izz Al-Din. She was eager to start a new life somewhere else.

  “Somewhere there is peace.”

  There was a slight commotion at the door as Kadeem Hakim entered the room. He walked over to the bed, concern creasing his forehead. “How are you feeling, Ava?” he asked. At his approach, Jinn lifted her head. Pressing close to Leine, she scooted to a sitting position.

  “I’ll live,” Leine answered. “Thank you, Doctor. And thank you, Kadeem. I’m in your debt.”

  “I’m glad we could help.” The assistant director sank onto the edge of the mattress. “But how did this happen? Yusuf said there was an explosion?”

  Leine nodded. “Our vehicle was attacked by an RPG. My driver was killed.”

  “But why would someone want to kill you?”

  Leine shrugged her good shoulder. “I’ve been wondering that myself. It might have been because I was snooping around, looking for answers regarding the missing children.”

  “I hope not,” Hakim said. Deep lines etched his anxious gaze.

  “Am I correct in assuming that you’ve been the one responsible for the children’s safety?” Leine asked.

  “Someone had to do something.”

  “Why not alert the director? I’m sure she would have done everything she could to keep them safe.”

  Hakim’s gaze shifted to the floor. “I think someone has compromised the office.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because no matter what precautions we put in place to safeguard the children, they were still taken. Ever since they’ve been coming here they’ve been safe.”

  “I admire your commitment,” Leine said, choosing her words carefully. “But this arrangement can’t go on indefinitely. This building is a dangerous solution. Have you checked for explosives?” Izz Al-Din, in an attempt to slow its enemies’ pursuit with one last salvo, would often booby-trap buildings they were forced to abandon, hoping to kill additional troops.

  “We have scoured the lower floor. No one is allowed upstairs.” Kadeem sighed. “I haven’t had time to find a more permanent solution. I can’t trust anyone with this location.” He gave her an imploring look. “Please don’t put this in your article. Many lives would be endangered.”

  “Of course not,” she said. “I think I have an idea that could help. With your permission, I’d like to contact an organization I’m familiar with that would be able to take these children in and find them a safe place to stay. There would be no questions asked.”

  “You can do this?” His expression brightened, the relief palpable. “Yes, please. I would be so grateful.”

  “As soon as I can get to a phone I’ll put in a call to them. They should be able to arrange pickup within hours of my notifying them.”

  “Praise Allah. Perhaps, instead of waiting to get to a phone, I can contact this organization myself when I return to camp?”

  “It’s better if the call comes from me.”

  Jinn touched Leine on her good arm. “Here.” She pulled Leine’s satellite phone from her pocket and handed it to her. “I found this inside the Toyota.”

  Leine took the phone and turned it on. There was still a charge. “You’re a lifesaver. Did you find anything else in the vehicle?” The weapons and ammunition would have to be recovered if they hadn’t been already. There were enough guns floating around in this part of the world.

  The girl nodded. “We took everything out of the car and brought it here. That’s when I saw Rami.” Tears brimmed in her eyes.

  “How did you end up here?”

  Jinn sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Ahmed s
howed me a secret way out of the camp.” She leaned in close and whispered, “I saw the man from the souk.”

  Leine narrowed her eyes. So it had been the gunman she’d knocked unconscious. How did he find them? “Did he recognize you?”

  Jinn shook her head. “I don’t think he saw me. As soon as I knew it was him, I ran. I told Ahmed to find you and tell you that I left. I was going to go back to the car, but there were other men there and I was scared, so I went back to the secret place in the fence. I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I got a ride here.”

  “A ride? Is there a vehicle nearby?” Leine moved to get up, but Dahmani held her back and shook her head.

  “The wounds will break open and you’ll start bleeding again.”

  With an exasperated sigh, Leine leaned back against the wall. She’d do as Dahmani asked.

  For now.

  The doctor shooed Yusuf and the other children from the room, telling them the patient needed peace and quiet. Jinn remained behind.

  I must look rough, Leine thought.

  “There’s a motorcycle outside, with a trailer,” Jinn answered. “That’s what we used to bring you here.”

  The memory of the choking smell of exhaust and being transported beneath a brilliant night sky surfaced. So that was how they did it. They must have belted her into the trailer.

  “Ahmed’s brother Yusuf drives the motorcycle back and forth between this place and the camp,” Jinn added. “He’s been teaching the others to drive, too.”

  “How often does he go to camp? And how does he manage without being seen?”

  Kadeem Hakim cut in. “He goes late at night or when someone needs something other than food and water, which I provide. No one pays attention to a boy on a motorcycle.”

  “We should let her rest,” Dahmani said to Hakim. She turned to Leine. “If you need anything, I will be in the other room.”

  “You aren’t returning to camp?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. I want to monitor your progress for a few hours.”

  “Thank you for your help, Doctor. I am grateful.”

  Dahmani bowed her head in acknowledgement. She and the assistant director walked into the other room, leaving Jinn and Leine alone.

  “Where are the things you found in the Toyota?” she asked the girl. “I’d like to see what’s left of the equipment.”

  “There were guns and a pair of binoculars, and bullets to go with the guns. Yusuf had us put them in a cupboard over there.” Jinn pointed at a three-foot-high door set into the wall near the back of the room. “He said it would be safer to have them in here instead of in the room with all the other kids.”

  “Good thinking.” Leine winced as she rose from the bed. She slid the needle from the transfusion out of her hand, secured the tape over the puncture wound, and draped the tubing over the almost-empty bag. Then she picked up the lantern and walked over to the storage space to peer inside. Jinn followed her and knelt on the floor as Leine studied the contents.

  The cupboard was the depth of a dorm-sized refrigerator, about as wide and twice as high. The suppressed MP5 submachine gun stood against the wall with three full magazines and a pair of night vision binoculars stacked to one side. The semiauto lay next to the binoculars. Leine handed the lantern to Jinn and picked up the pistol. Using her left hand, she checked to make sure it was loaded and slid the gun into her waistband. Wincing, she tucked the MP5 under her wounded arm and used her other hand to eject the spent magazine before jacking in a full one and putting it back. She closed the door.

  Surprisingly weak, Leine made her way back to the mattress and sat down. Jinn stuck to her like used gum under a school desk, apparently afraid that if she didn’t she’d lose Leine again.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t find your family,” Leine said.

  Jinn stared at the floor, her cheeks reddening.

  “What’s wrong?” She lifted the kid’s chin to peer into her eyes. Misery stared out from their depths.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice a whisper.

  Puzzled, Leine cocked her head. “Why be sorry?”

  For the second time since their reunion, tears rimmed her eyes. “I lied to you.”

  For the second time that night, Santa’s words sifted through her mind. Here it comes. She’s been lying all along. Pushing aside his warning, Leine softened her voice. “What about?”

  “I don’t have a family.” Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. “My mother died two years ago. I never told anyone. I thought they’d make me live in an orphanage.”

  “Oh, Jinn.” Moved by her confession, Leine opened her good arm and Jinn crawled across the mattress into the warmth of her embrace. “How did she die?”

  “She was sick for a long time. We didn’t have money for a doctor.” She wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “You’ve really been through it, haven’t you?”

  Still sniffling, the kid relaxed into Leine. They sat like that for a while, savoring the moment. Jinn pulled a gold necklace from the neck of her shirt and held it in her hand.

  “Your necklace is beautiful,” Leine said.

  “It was my mother’s.” The kid’s voice broke, but she cleared her throat to cover it up.

  I’ve got to find a good family that will take care of her. Let her be a kid again.

  If that was even possible.

  “Now that I know the assistant director is involved in trying to help the kids in the camp, I’m going to work with him to see if we can get to the bottom of the disappearances.”

  Jinn raised her head and studied Leine. “But what if it’s dangerous?”

  “I won’t take any chances, I promise.” That seemed to mollify her somewhat. “How about we make a pact?”

  “You mean like best friends?”

  “Yeah, just like best friends. If we ever get separated again, I want you to go to a special place on the internet where you can leave a super-secret message that only I will be able to see, all right? You can use your phone.”

  “My phone?” Her eyes grew wide as a look of panic flashed across her face.

  “I saw it when you were asleep in the backseat of the Land Cruiser.”

  A guilty look replaced the panicked expression. “I can explain—”

  “I don’t care if it’s stolen, Jinn. I won’t tell anyone.”

  The kid nodded, obviously relieved. “Okay.”

  Leine told her the address and password, and Jinn recited it back to her. “Perfect. You won’t forget, will you?”

  “No, I won’t forget.”

  “First things first. We need to get you out of this place.”

  “But—”

  Leine silenced her with a look. “It’s not safe here. These kids are hiding out because children who are close to your age have been disappearing from camp. And, according to the director, girl abductions outnumber boys. I won’t risk losing you.”

  “But I’m practically eleven,” Jinn protested.

  “You know that excuse doesn’t play. You’re close enough to the age range. I’m going to call my friend Lou and we’ll have you and the others taken back to Tripoli to SHEN headquarters where you’ll all be safe.”

  Jinn didn’t say anything for a long moment. “What will happen to you?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m much more worried about what’s going to happen to you.” Leine wrapped her arm tighter around Jinn. “You’ve had a hell of a life, kid. I want to help you enjoy the rest of it somewhere safe.”

  She looked up at Leine and smiled before snuggling closer. Leine maneuvered the sat phone onto her thigh and pressed speed dial to call Lou.

  “Where the hell are you?” he asked.

  “I’m at a safe house in an abandoned village in the desert, approximately one hour from the refugee camp. I’ll give you the coordinates in a minute, after you’re up to speed. Rami and I were attacked while driving through the desert. Rami’s dead, and so are the gunmen. I don’t know their affiliati
on, I had to terminate before they could be questioned.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “I was wounded, but I’ve been rescued and have received treatment from one of the camp’s doctors, so I’m good as new.” It wasn’t completely the truth—but there was no sense worrying him. “You’ll need to send someone to pick up Rami so his body can be returned to his family. I’m also requesting pick up and relocation for a dozen children ASAP.”

  “You found the orphans?”

  “In a manner of speaking. The original eight are still missing. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.”

  “I’ll send a chopper. Give me the coordinates.”

  She checked the GPS on the phone and gave him the information.

  “ETA should be no more than a couple of hours as long as I can rouse Robbie.” Robbie was Robert Ferguson, co-owner of Ferguson Private Security, the privately held company that occasionally partnered with SHEN.

  “Copy that. I’ll make sure there’s a clear place for his team to land. There could be landmines.”

  “I’ll let him know.” Lou paused before adding, “You’re coming home after this, right?”

  Leine sighed. “Yes, Lou. I’m coming home.”

  15

  OMAR RETURNED TO the camp and parked the truck in the employee lot before letting Caleb know he had returned. Then he walked through camp to the director’s tent.

  “Director La Pointe,” he called from outside the entrance. “It’s Omar.”

  There was a long pause before she answered. “Yes?”

  She sounded cross, as though he’d awakened her. He hoped he wasn’t mistaken about the assistant director. There’d be a steep price to pay for bothering the director without a sufficient reason. But what else could it be? He’d seen at least eight children in the building, maybe more. Perhaps he should have questioned Kadeem Hakim before coming to La Pointe.

  It was too late now.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Director, but I think you need to hear this.”