by Dale Mayer
And she scrambled into the back seat where she’d been sitting before.
*
Cooper didn’t need to see that the others were staring at him with smirks on their faces. He understood the awkward silence well enough. He sighed and was about to climb in beside Sasha when Markus opened the front passenger door and asked, “Sweetie?”
With a glare, Cooper got in and slammed the door.
There was an odd silence inside as well. He turned his dark gaze on Evan who was desperately trying to hold back a raucous laugh. Sasha, however, seemed completely calm. She fussed over Jamel.
“They won’t hurt me, will they?” Jamel asked.
“Nope,” she said cheerfully. “They just want to talk to you. It’s important we catch these guys. They shot Dr. Ron because he went to your aid.” Her voice deepened. “I still don’t know if he’s pulled through.”
“He’s a good man,” Jamel said with tears in his eyes. “I only wanted to save my family. They kept saying they would kill my little Jakel. She’s only eight. They said they take them for the men at that age.” His shoulders started to shake. “I couldn’t do that to her. Not to my baby.”
Sasha’s lips turned down, and Cooper could feel his own anger rising. It was so typical of an army particularly the ones they were facing in the Middle East now. The little girl wouldn’t likely have survived and would have died a horribly slow death.
He could understand Jamel’s actions, though he couldn’t condone them.
But he could sure get behind Sasha’s exuberant show of affection.
Chapter 9
Sasha watched and wondered at the speed they were traveling through the camp. Or rather the lack of speed. What was Mason looking for? And why wasn’t he finding it. The stares were getting uglier the deeper they went. The camp was full of issues and tolerance was needed. A lot more than tolerance.
“I’m not really looking forward to seeing Yalta’s family,” she whispered to Cooper, not wanting Jamel who’d slumped down on the seat beside her to hear.
“You won’t be alone this time,” Cooper said in a low tone showing that he’d understood what she meant.
“Well, Jamel was with me,” she added. “So I wasn’t really alone then either, still…”
The lead vehicle pulled to a stop up ahead. Swede parked behind it. Sasha loved to see these men do everything so…effortlessly. They were so capable and wore their self-confidence like a mantle of power.
Very sexy.
She waited for Swede to turn off the engine and for Cooper to let her out of the vehicle. She motioned to Jamel. “We need him.”
“No, we don’t,” Cooper said.
“I think we should get his help anyway. He knows them. If he were to say anything wrong, then Markus could tell us.”
Cooper frowned. He turned to look at Jamel but the man had shrunk deeper into the SUV.
“See,” she announced. “He needs to come.”
“Jamel, come with us.”
He shook his head, but the door at his back opened and Swede tugged him out. With Jamel between Markus and Swede and looking more terrified than she could remember seeing him before, he led the group forward. She walked behind with Cooper and Evan. There were a couple more men around, but she didn’t know their names. Cooper had spoken to them earlier but hadn’t introduced her. He was always making eye contact as if they had a way to communicate silently.
She wished she did. She also wished she understood the underlying threats going on.
Why did Jamel not want to come here? She normally wasn’t a suspicious person, but there was something about the way he was acting. As if he were afraid but not so much of the men they were going to see but…well she didn’t know.
As they approached, men stepped out of the shelters. She could understand.
She’d brought a large group of strangers all dressed in military gear, and they appeared threatening. Many of these people had fled persecution in their homeland and came by fear naturally – particularly of the military.
“Yalta is okay,” she cried out.
The men stood arms across their chests, their hard gazes on her.
As she was about to step forward, Cooper grabbed her arm to hold her back. Together, they stepped up beside Markus. “Tell them please, Markus.”
He immediately started speaking. The men stared at him in surprise. One gestured to the large group and Markus shook his head. He seemed to be explaining the group’s presence and obviously convinced them that they weren’t in trouble because they all eased back. She studied their faces, but the one young man she’d seen holding Yalta’s hand wasn’t there.
“Ask for Yalta’s husband,” she said.
Markus spoke again. Two men stepped back and pointed to a shelter beside them. She bolted inside, Cooper and Markus on her heels. Inside lying down in the shadows was a young man – the one she’d been looking for – despondent and grieving.
“No,” she cried, dropping to his side. “Yalta is fine.”
But he wouldn’t listen.
Markus crouched down beside her and grabbed the young man’s shoulder and gave it a shake. He snapped at Markus and Markus snapped back. Then spoke slowly and carefully.
She waited and watched.
And finally the young man sat up, shock on his face. Words poured from his mouth as he grabbed Markus’s shoulders and gripped them so tight his knuckles turned white.
And finally he seemed to believe – his face lit up in joy and he shouted out. Just as suddenly he burst into tears and hugged Markus.
Markus grinned at her over the young man’s shoulder.
“It took a bit,” he explained.
She looked up to see a half a dozen men and then an older woman slowly enter. And she realized that with the father crying, they thought Yalta was dead. She motioned to Markus. He slowly stood up and helped the father to his feet.
More conversation, then the father turned to his friends and family and beamed. He shouted out something and the chaos started.
She was picked up and hugged several times as the place came alive with joy.
The shelter filled with well-wishers.
It was all she could do to sneak out.
And came face to face with Jamel as he slipped around the back of the building.
*
Where had she gone now? Cooper raced outside, there were so many damn men cheering and slapping each other on the back it was impossible to maneuver. And impossible to keep track of Sasha. The do-gooder who always seemed to find trouble. And not for doing anything wrong, just for trying to help. That was the problem. For all he knew she’d found someone else in need and raced over to give aid. He could just imagine what her life was like here. For three months she’d have worked herself to the bone and never taken a break.
Until the kidnappers stopped her.
American she might be and therefore a prize to the terrorist, but if they were smart they’d have taken her for her medical skills. She was a doctor sure, but she was a hell of a surgeon too. He stood outside the shelter and made his way to the SUVs, his gaze whipping from one corner to the other. When he reached the vehicle and realized she wasn’t there, he roared. “Sasha!”
His men turned to look at him.
“I can’t find her.”
The group spread. By now the joyful news had spread with even more people arriving. It was possible Sasha was in the middle of it, but Cooper couldn’t see her. Anywhere.
Ten minutes later his worst fears were realized.
“Damn it.”
David and Theresa were out of the vehicles and standing beside the SUV. Theresa was crying quietly as a grid search was quickly organized.
“Where’s the driver?”
Markus came outside, his face dark.
Cooper said in a hard clipped voice, “He’s gone too.”
“And likely with Sasha. The men here say he’s well-known for selling medical services. That’s why they’d been angry when Sasha
came the first time to check on Yalta. Jamel wanted payment or he wouldn’t return with the doctor when Yalta really needed her.”
“Oh, Jesus,” David said. “That’s despicable. Everyone struggles to survive here. Jamel is probably not alone in his actions.”
“Well, if he’s got her now, then we’ll make sure he’s stopped.” Cooper’s gaze never stopped surveying the crowd. “Markus, I think we need to let everyone here know what’s likely happened and see if they will help.”
“We don’t know that he had anything to do with her disappearance,” Mason cautioned. “She could be anywhere.”
“True, but the men want to help and they know the area, so ask if anyone has seen her. We have to find her fast. If it’s the same people that kidnapped her then it could already be too late.”
Chapter 10
Sasha stared at Jamel while inside she realized that by sneaking out back she’d left herself alone and exposed to trouble. The look on her Jamel’s face wasn’t that of a man seeking medical help.
“What’s going on, Jamel?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to do this.”
“Then don’t do it, whatever it is,” she countered. “And definitely don’t do it if it’s wrong. You’re already in trouble, don’t make things any worse.”
He gave her a hangdog look that made her even more suspicious. “I need you to come over to another house. To help someone else.”
“No. I can’t do that,” she said firmly, her feet already moving backwards. “I have to leave. You know that.”
“No, these people need you,” he cried.
She frowned and studied his face. He looked beat up, bruised, but more than that he looked different. Or maybe she was different. Because he had a slyness to the furtive way he looked around as if expecting someone to jump out from the shacks. And she realized he likely was. He definitely wasn’t acting like normal. She gave a quick glance to the quiet area as everyone was still partying on the other side of the row, and without giving herself any chance to think, she bolted.
But wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed her, a gun suddenly appearing from nowhere, and he pointed it at her head.
She took a deep breath and let it our shakily. “Jamel, what are you doing.”
“What I have to do,” he cried. “Do you think I want to do this?”
“I don’t know,” she said in a soothing voice, needing him to stay calm. If he got frightened then his finger would get trigger happy. And she’d be history.
She groaned. “How the hell do I always end up in the shit?”
“Move. I need you to come with me,” he said, tugging on her arm. He kept glancing around knowing that she’d be missed any moment. When the SEALs found her, she was going to get it. She shouldn’t have snuck out the back. Especially not telling anyone… But it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Of course knowing what she knew now…
She could scream for help but the noise from the front was loud, boisterous. “You only pretended to be dead, didn’t you?”
He shot her a scornful look. “Of course I did, what would you do in that situation, stand up and let them shoot me again?”
“You could have done something to help us,” she said, feeling the sting of more betrayal. “Did you do anything after you escaped?”
“What would you have me do?” he cried. “I saw there was a rescue happening, so I stole a truck and came home.”
“Just like that, you stole a truck?” Still being tugged in the direction he wanted to go, she said, “That’s not good.”
“I was just trying to get home.”
And she realized he likely made that excuse any time he was caught doing what he shouldn’t be doing. It somehow justified his actions. As if doing anything for his family made it okay.
“Where are you taking me?” She recognized the sudden silence behind her. Her absence had been missed. Good. The sudden pause in the noise was then broken by a shout followed by sounds of confusion.
“We must hurry.”
She dragged back on his arm. “No. I don’t want to go with you. You’re the one that helped the terrorists before. Like hell I’m going to go with you again.” And she jerked on his arm hard and broke free. She fled around the first corner and kept weaving through the rows upon rows of temporary housing.
Jamel was weasel thin and small and now that she knew him better she understood it described his behavior as well. She kept trying to dodge behind the buildings and circle back and around to where the men had to be waiting for her. In fact, she damn well hoped they were out looking for her. If she could get close enough she’d start screaming, but there was no point in alerting the enemy to her position if she also couldn’t alert her rescuers.
She barreled around another corner, took a right and started running back toward safety.
And got two steps in before she slammed into a huge man. With her breath knocked out of her, she tumbled to the ground.
Before she had a chance to say or do anything she was picked up like a rag doll and squeezed.
*
Cooper was pissed. At himself. At her. At the little rat driver. He stormed through his section of the camp, one of the refugees who spoke a little English was at his side, asking anyone they came across if they’d seen Jamel or Dr. Sasha. They’d had a stream of nos so far and it wasn’t doing any good to panic, but he wanted to. Damn it. Where the hell was she?
She knew it was dangerous here. She had to know that it was possible the kidnappers lived here – still lived here. If they saw her…
He should never have let her out of his sight. He cursed yet again to let off a little steam, but his mind was organized and reaching for answers.
“Anything?” he said into his headset.
“No. No one has seen her. Most weren’t awake as it’s early and many were hiding as they didn’t understand the commotion, but not one has seen Dr. Sasha and she’s well-loved here.”
She was well-loved by everyone who’d been lucky enough to have her work on them too. She was just that kind of person. His translator stopped at a shack and sent out several questions.
A little girl with a cast on her arm smiled and nodded. The translator crouched down and talked to her. She nodded again and smiled up at him. Then she pointed past her home. Even Cooper understood that. And he ran down the direction she’d pointed out. The translator called up again, but Cooper’s feet didn’t want to slow.
“She turned left here.”
Damn it. He turned and backtracked a few feet and followed the man who was now heading down a different lane. This place was a maze. How could anyone keep track of it? There were tents everywhere.
“Did she say anything else?”
“Yes. Dr. Sasha is with Jamel.”
Of course she was. Well, she wasn’t going to stay that way.
“She was running with the driver chasing her.”
“So she’s trying to escape from him. Damn it.”
He studied the faces as they peered through the doorways. Sasha, where the hell are you?
The pathway ended abruptly and he came to stop. There was nothing ahead of them. Except tire tracks.
Shit.
“Mason?” At the quiet affirmative he quickly explained what he’d heard and found.
“Security gate is locked down. No one is going in or out. There aren’t many vehicles here at all and none will get outside.”
That helped but not by much. He turned to study the tracks. “Where’s Hawk?”
“Should be thirty-seconds away.”
Sure enough when he lifted his gaze a second time it was to see Hawk coming from the side, his gaze on the ground. “Her tracks stop here.”
“Likely after getting into the vehicle.”
Hawk nodded. But he didn’t stop reading the ground and what it would tell him. “No. She fell here.”
He pointed out a series of smudges on the ground that didn’t tell him anything. “Then she got to her feet, and bending over
she raced that way.”
“What way?”
Suddenly, Cooper could see her childlike footprints racing down the path. He took off in pursuit. Hawk right beside him.
“Let me go in front.”
Because that made the most sense, Cooper eased the pace back slightly and let Hawk take the lead. Hawk suddenly took a right then a left and came to a stop at another of the many identical tent homes. “Their tracks went in here,” he said in a low voice. “But I can’t tell if she’s still in here or not.”
“Not likely. She’d be trying to make her way back to us.”
Hawk went around to the back of the tent, gave a shout and took off. Cooper was right behind him.
Just as suddenly as they started this second chase it came to an end as they found her and a huge young man who was holding her.
Of Jamel there was no sign.
Not that he’d waste time worrying about him. Sasha cried out, “Oh thank heavens. Jamel forced me to go with him again.”
Cooper nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the massive man who held her in his arms.
The man’s gaze was hard, cold.
“Put her down.”
The man never moved.
“I said put her down.”
Nothing.
“I tried to talk to him, but I get no response either,” she said apologetically. “He won’t do anything.”
“Where is he taking you?”
“I don’t know.”
She struggled to free herself. And couldn’t move. The man held her tight.
Hawk shrugged. He walked closer as if to walk past. Then in a smooth movement he jumped and hit the huge man in the neck. Sasha tumbled to the ground. Cooper raced to help Hawk and between them they subdued the man long enough for the others to arrive. Camp security forces came swinging up behind them. When Cooper could, he stood up and spun around. When his gaze landed on her the tension eased. He swung her up in his arms and held her close. “Jesus,” he whispered. “I was so damn afraid.”
His heart slammed against his ribcage and the acid in his stomach threatened to overflow – especially now that she was safe.
