“I’m sorry, Corporal. I don’t remember seeing you.”
“Part of the backup team following you. You wouldn’t have noticed me. I like it that way. This guy”—he blinked at the switchblade in her hand—“wanted to make sure you had protection. Said you’d understand.” He appeared to wait for a clue as to the meaning.
Tessa slipped the ugly weapon under her robes but offered no explanations. Enigma didn’t like a great deal of talking about what they did. Now forced to work for them, she wondered if she might be ill equipped to handle this situation. She wondered if God and Enigma used her for comic entertainment to see how badly she could screw things up without getting killed first.
“Thank you, Corporal. Are you thinking I’m going to need these weapons?”
The soldier took his index finger to move the curtain open enough to make another evaluation of the street. “I’m thinking we need to be ready to run to the chopper when it comes.” He turned back to her and leaned in closer. “You seem to have more of a level head than Cruella de Vil over there,” he whispered then a smirk spread across his face. “I thought if I kept the gun much longer, I’d have to shoot her.”
Tessa snickered but covered her mouth when Bonnie jerked her head up toward the two. She cleared her throat to whisper. “I promise to show restraint, Corporal.”
He glanced at Bonnie standing like a statue of some investment broker. Tessa thought it must be comical to see someone like her in a place like this.
“Don’t do it on my account,” he whispered.
Tessa choked on a snicker then diverted her attention to the floor.
“I’m not kidding,” he insisted.
As she eased away toward the children, Bonnie grabbed her arm. “What did he say?”
“Wants us to be quick about it when the helicopter gets here. I think that means run.”
“Why? What does he think is going to happen?” Bonnie’s frown deepened. “This is your fault. We should never have come here in the first place.”
“I know. I should never have fallen for the sad story you and the ambassador waved in front of me. Now your photo op is going to turn into a fiasco which could embarrass the State Department.” Tessa arched an eyebrow as she growled her response, making Bonnie take a step back. “I’m not sure what you and Jarvis are up to, but I doubt, after observing your behavior here, either of you care one iota about these children.” Tessa changed her voice to a sweet, non-confrontational tone because the girls now watched with interest.
“When we get back, I’m going to have to file a report on your behavior. You’ll change your obstinate attitude when President Austin hears of this.” Bonnie sounded pretty sure of herself.
Tessa chuckled before walking off. “I’m sure when President Austin hears of this; you’ll be the one with a changed attitude.” She didn’t bother to tell Bonnie the president thought she could do no wrong and felt indebted to her. How many people could say they had the personal phone number of the most powerful man in the world? Tessa thought she heard a curse slip out of the undersecretary’s mouth.
“Who are you, Melanie?”
She ignored Bonnie at the sound of an approaching helicopter. Both women joined the corporal at the window. He pushed the curtain back.
“Get ready to move,” he ordered.
The girls scrambled to their feet and reached for their bundles but were ordered to leave them by the corporal. Arzo whimpered until he bent down to pat her head.
“Tell her I will replace their bundles when we get to Kabul.” He spoke to Shirin so she could translate. They didn’t protest further but paired up, taking one another’s hands.
As the helicopter came into view, the soldier swung the door open and Tess peered over his shoulder to see an empty street. Not a good sign. Even if local adults didn’t find the military activity very interesting, their children always did. So where were they?
“Okay. Melanie, start the children out after me and we’ll jog at a steady clip toward the bird. Got it?” She gave him two thumbs-up.
“Right behind you,” Tessa responded. Body hunched and weapon lowered, the corporal stepped out into the dusty street.
At a jerk of his chin, Tessa led the girls out, Arzo in her arms and Bonnie holding the hand of one of the other children. The soldier kept turning to check around them as they crossed the street into the grassy hillside scattered with chunks of rock. They trotted faster as the helicopter grew louder. It hovered, preparing to descend.
Then a swooshing whistle split the air followed by an explosion about thirty feet from where the helicopter would land. The Black Hawk darted upward like a dragonfly on a pond. Sounds of rapid gunfire aimed at the Black Hawk were met with a missile from the Americans.
“Back! Back!” The corporal stumbled backwards, firing his weapon.
The little girls screamed and ran, arms flailing, back toward their abandoned home. Arzo’s grip tightened on Tessa, wailing. Bonnie dragged the girls in her care as they neared the street. Shirin fell, trying to hurry her sister. The soldier scooped them both up then gave them a shove and they were running once more. He returned to firing his weapon. At the next explosion, everyone dropped to the ground then jumped up again to race toward the house.
Tessa turned her head in time to see the helicopter burst into flames, spiraling out of control. It disappeared behind a rocky outcropping. In seconds, another explosion shattered the already-chaotic scene.
The ability to run like a gazelle while carrying a three-year-old choking her to death amazed Tessa even more than being able to see through the flood of terrified tears gushing down her face. Every stumble brought her closer to collapse as she neared the door of the building they’d exited moments earlier. With one last burst of speed, Tessa rammed herself into the door, forcing it open with a rickety snap. Gasping and sobbing, the children hunkered down in a corner.
Tessa waited to close the door as the soldier rushed toward the orphanage while firing his weapon. Just steps away from the building, a bullet found his leg, throwing him backwards. Running outside, Tessa grabbed him by the collar and pulled with all her might. Pushing with his feet to help, the soldier got off more shots, keeping the enemy at bay until Tessa got him inside.
Bonnie slammed the door shut then latched the flimsy lock. She panted, staring in horror at the bloody leg of the soldier. Tessa’s chest heaved as she bent over to touch her knees.
When she caught her breath she swallowed hard and straightened. She took stock of the girls. “Everyone okay?” Shirin shook her head like a bobble head doll then pulled her little sister close. With labored steps, Tessa moved toward the window to pull the curtain over the opening.
“Get me up,” the soldier demanded. He sat up with a grunt. Tessa and Bonnie reached down to assist him into one of the few chairs in the room. “Melanie, it’s going to be dark in a few hours. Tell me what you see out there.”
Tessa eased back the curtain. “Smoke where the helicopter went down. Some men standing, looking over the ridge. I think they’re watching it burn. Not much talking going on.”
The corporal thought for a second then spoke. “Anything else?”
She twisted her body to be able to see down the street. “Several men carrying guns. Long beards. Black turbans.”
“Well, what does that mean?” Panic laced Bonnie’s voice.
The soldier shook his head. “Taliban.”
Chapter 9
T he darkness felt thicker as the fire died down. Shifting embers became smoky as the water gurgled over the sound of the occasional snort of a yak. Tessa couldn’t sleep after hearing Bonnie’s rendition of events leading up to whatever took her memory. She felt fear. The mere mention of the Taliban caused her heart to beat so fast, she thought she could be having a panic attack. When Bonnie trembled with a fit of uncontrolled tears, the conversation stopped until another time. The woman calmed down after Tessa silently slipped an arm around her shoulders.
After Bonnie fell into deep
breathing on her pallet, Tessa edged away then stood, pulling her furry blanket around her. The temperature had dropped, but she continued to enjoy the crisp, clean air. She inhaled the sweetness in hopes of purging the memories Bonnie stirred to life inside her. She moved away from the camp to where the horses were tied. They shuffled their hooves then tossed their heads with nervous recognition.
Darya, deep in conversation with the other men, hadn’t showed any interest in sleeping next to her this time. The others had eventually meandered off to find a good spot to sleep and Darya had rolled out his bedding near the fire.
“Shh,” she whispered, reaching out to pat the neck of Darya’s white horse with gray speckles. The pat turned into a rub as she realized it felt therapeutic to do such a simple task. The troubling story Bonnie told unsettled her ability to conjure up a rational thought. As she laid her face against the horse’s neck, his smell made her sneeze. A soft laugh escaped her as the horse jerked his head up. “I know. I know.” The horse calmed down quickly enough when Tessa pivoted to return to camp.
She slammed into a wiry body. As a hand came across her face and dragged her deeper into the darkness, Tessa realized it wasn’t one of the Kyrgyz tribesmen.
His thin body kept Tessa from fighting. In spite of their similar heights, she couldn’t connect her wild punches to the scruffy face that rubbed against the back of her neck. As he jerked her around, she caught her hand in his beard and flailed her arms to protect herself. He threw her on the ground and jumped on top of her, knocking the wind from her lungs and preventing her from calling for help. He jammed a rag in her mouth and she gasped for breath. The sound of his snarl against her ear reminded her of someone else who forced her into submission for the sake of training.
She grew still even though her chest rose and fell with heavy breathing. His grip on her wrist left room for her to move her arms on the ground where he pinned them above her head. As he leaned forward, Tessa whimpered a submissive croak to calm down when his beard touched her throat. It smelled sour as she jerked her restrained hands to her side then pulled up her knees, a tactic that felt familiar. The sudden movement toppled the man to the ground on his face. As he flipped over, Tessa aimed her elbow where she thought his Adam’s apple would be, but he dodged in time for her to make contact with his shoulder.
With one swift movement, he jumped up. One second later he’d jerked Tessa to her feet and raised his fist back to pound her face, but something caught his fist in midair then twisted it so hard he spun around to face Darya.
The next thing Tessa knew, the attacker stumbled backwards with Darya still gripping the man’s fist. In one swift movement, Darya dislocated the man’s arm. Before he could scream, the Kyrgyz landed a punch to his head, knocking the intruder out.
As the man collapsed to the ground, Darya turned in slow motion to Tessa with his brooding eyes now uncovered. She managed to remove the rag from her mouth and sniffed back any tears of weakness. The light of the fire glowed in the distance behind him, causing his image to cast a foreboding image.
“Darya,” she whispered, taking a step toward him. Although he no longer wore his mask, she couldn’t make out any distinct features in the darkness. “Thank you.” In a split second, Tessa sensed she remained in danger but wanted to believe Darya, the lesser of two evils. “Who is he? Why would he come here?” She stumbled over her Pashto words but felt confident she’d communicated her meaning.
Darya reached out to touch her hair. Tessa dodged his hand, but he grabbed it anyway. She froze but he didn’t seem to want to hurt her when he pulled on her long blonde strands. He seemed to want to feel it between his fingers.
“Man is Taliban, a scout for others who track us. Your hair glows in the dark. He wanted you.”
“Yes. But you saved me, Darya.”
With one quick jerk, he folded her into his muscled arms. “I save you for me. Not for Taliban.”
Tessa made a halfhearted effort to push away. “No. I-I…” She knew at some point the fear she exhibited needed to be controlled. “I belong to no man.”
The moon had risen and now made enough light for Tessa to see Darya smile so wide his teeth shone. “Not to worry. I marry you when we reach my home.”
With one burst of strength, she managed to pull free. “No. You don’t understand. I didn’t mean I belong to no man so you’d marry me. I meant you can’t have me.”
Darya turned his head as several of his men came rushing up. “You talk much for a woman.” He gave some orders for his men concerning the attacker then scooped Tessa up in his arms. He marched back to camp and set her down next to three of the little girls. “Sleep now. We take care of Taliban. Leave early. You and children safe with us. No worries. All good.”
Then he disappeared into the night.
It didn’t take long for Tessa to shiver at the possibilities facing her. What if Darya hadn’t shown up? What am I going to do? She snuggled under the covers with the little girls. Soon one of them molded her backside into Tessa. The added warmth made the ground feel less uncomfortable.
The memory of being powerless in Darya’s arms added another layer of uneasiness with the knowledge she enjoyed it. She tossed and turned to block out the memory of his earthy smell when his warm embrace foretold a message of desire with his declaration of marriage.
As she succumbed to sleep, another larger-than-life shadow of a man moved back and forth through her dreams. His dark stare spoke of some ethnic diversity. He called her name. Sometimes he laughed low in his throat. There were flashes of his entire face but then they disappeared as he turned away. A dark alley in some city, rain pouring down over her as he forced his mouth on hers then a gunshot shattered the scene.
Another one sprang up to replace it. A man in her bedroom wearing a smirk as she held a gun pointed at his chest. Another gunshot. The intruder wore a mask like Darya but also a uniform. He did not frighten her like Darya.
I will find you if you are in trouble, always concluded the dreams. He remained a mystery. Bonnie mentioned someone from the military base in Kabul being the reason she stayed behind the day the Marine’s car exploded.
When the light of day spilled across her face, Tessa had a headache. She touched the bump on her head from a couple of days ago. How did she get it? Why couldn’t she remember? Could it be she suffered from a psychological trauma?
Something inside her clicked. Scales of blindness fell from her memory. The day the Taliban kicked in the door, her safe, sheltered world had shattered into a million pieces. Everything she ever believed about herself turned to a fiery inferno of anger. “Vengeance is mind, saith the Lord,” now meant kill or be killed. There were no other options.
The scenario played in her head like a horror movie.
~ ~ ~
The corporal reloaded his weapon. Sweat poured down his face. Tessa removed a first aid kit from her backpack then rushed to the soldier’s side. She kneeled beside him.
“Ma’am, I don’t have time for your fussin’.”
“Corporal, you’re no good to us like this. It will take a minute.”
He agreed, but continued to make himself ready. “It’s gonna get ugly, ma’am.” Tessa ripped his pant leg where the wound continued to bleed. “These guys don’t respect human life, so don’t think you can sweet-talk them.” He cringed as she poured something into the wound then applied a bandage. “Don’t make eye contact.”
She listened to him and realized for the first time he should be home playing football or taking his best girl to the movies.
“Keep yourself covered. Be submissive.” She trembled until he laid his free hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do what I can. When they breach this place…”
“When?” Tessa whispered in horror.
“Yes. When. I’ll be the first target. You need her”—he jerked his head toward Bonnie who stared at them with both her fists up against her mouth—“and the children to be quiet, respectful.”
Tessa put her hands on each of hi
s thighs. There would be no happy ending here. “Thank you, Corporal.” She paused. “For everything.”
“Now help me over to the window. Maybe I can hold them off for a while. With any luck, the chopper got off a distress call before they crashed.”
It took both women to pull him up on stiff legs. He did one hop then walked forward, dragging the wounded leg. No complaints. No sign of pain, but an abundance of determination.
The soldier lifted the curtain with his finger. Tessa came up behind him.
“They’re close,” he whispered. “Can you block the door with the furniture?”
Tessa and Bonnie piled the rickety furniture in front of the door. It wouldn’t take much for men bent on entering to force the barricade aside. But it would be something to prolong the inevitable.
Voices grew closer. They heard gunfire but none seemed directed toward their hiding place.
“What’s happening?” Bonnie’s voice grew frantic as she retreated to the corner where the children were, collapsing on the floor next to them.
“Shooting up in the air. Intimidation. Crazy hajis.” The soldier’s voice showed no increased level of concern, but Tessa imagined it had peaked about an hour earlier.
“What’s a haji?” Bonnie moaned as if she were about to hear more bad news.
“Soldiers call the Afghans hajis. Haj means they’ve gone to Mecca so they call all of them hajis,” she explained in a whisper before turning back to the corporal. “How many?”
Tessa remained at his side in case he needed assistance. In this situation, she could offer nothing more than moral support. Her feet remained planted behind him.
“Maybe ten. That’s all I can see. Doesn’t mean there aren’t more nearby. They’re in no hurry. Probably hoping someone will come to rescue us and they’ll get another shot at taking one of the big birds down.” He turned his head to evaluate her. “I’m not sure how long we can hold out if they decide to come in.”
Tessa shivered. Her throat constricted so she couldn’t swallow without making a large gulp. “What will happen to us?”
The Enigma Series Boxed Set Page 79
