“Like hell we are!” Chase followed and, this time, he stepped in front of Darya. “I know who you are, Darya. The mask doesn’t fool me. You’re AWOL and have been for five years. Military Intelligence has been looking for you. I’m taking you in with Massoud.”
“You are not taking me anywhere.” They were nose to nose. “I told Tessa I would get these girls and her”—he tilted his head at Bonnie—“to Kabul so they can go to the US. I intend to keep that promise. Then I’m going back to the Wakhan Valley.”
“At this point I don’t care where you go after you talk to your CO. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Their voices reached a fever pitch.
“And how do you think you’re going to take me back? From where I stand, you are a little outnumbered.” Darya shoved Chase’s chest but barely budged him.
Tessa pushed in between the two men, facing Darya. “Listen to me. You caught Massoud. This is your ticket to freedom, Darya. You saved a State Department employee. All that will go a long way on your behalf. Bonnie will tell them. You’ve got to face whoever you’re running from. Do you want to keep hiding the rest of your life?”
“Is this what you want?” he whispered, his mask covering any emotion that might tip his hand to Chase.
“Yes, Darya.” She stroked his arm. “Freedom.”
Before he could respond, screaming came from near one of the buildings. Chase and Darya both took off at top speed, their guns drawn. They rounded the mud brick building to find several Kyrgyz wrestling Massoud to the ground. A couple of horses stomped nervously then shied away revealing a young man lying on the ground.
Chapter 22
C atching up with the men, Tessa saw Shirin kneeling on the ground next to Rashid. His chest, covered in blood, hinted at what lay ahead. The young girl cried, inconsolable sobs racking her body. She kept repeating the boy’s name over and over.
Tessa fell to her knees beside her, gathering the girl in her arms. “Bonnie, keep the children back. Don’t let them see this.” Bonnie herded the little girls away from the young man they’d come to trust.
Massoud struggled against the two men holding him. He shouted insults at Darya and continued to twist against his restraints.
“What happened?” Darya joined Tessa as the young man struggled to roll toward him.
Toiluk shook Massoud violently before speaking. “Rashid helped Massoud from the horse. The son of a dog managed to slip out of his ties. He took Rashid’s knife from his belt then grabbed the girl. Rashid rushed in to save her and…” Toiluk frowned down at the boy. “We tried to stop Massoud, but he stabbed our young Rashid before we could get to him.”
Shirin turned back to Rashid, slipping her arm under his head. “Don’t leave me, Rashid,” she demanded through her sobs.
He reached up and touched her cheek then looked to Darya. “Take Shirin to school,” he choked.
Darya placed his hand on Rashid’s head and agreed to his wishes.
Tessa remembered the grim-faced Chase. “Do something,” she demanded. “You’re a medic. Help him.” Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.
Chase got down next to the boy and opened his shirt. With every pulse, blood poured out. He shook his head at Darya with the verdict. In seconds, the boy took his last breath. Darya squeezed his eyes shut as if he were the grieving father. Shirin became hysterical and Tessa had to pull her away. She led her around the edge of the building where the other little girls waited. Together they cried, holding on to one another. Even the hardhearted Bonnie let tears trickle down her face as she picked up Arzo who struggled to run to find Darya.
“Dear God in Heaven,” she whispered. “He was a kid.” Bonnie shook her head.
“Let’s move the children away from here, Bonnie.” Tessa motioned for the children to move toward the empty house they’d been given by one of the men in the small village of six mud houses. Bonnie led the way. Arzo wrapped her arms around Bonnie’s neck but followed Tessa’s every move. She spoke a few words of comfort to the little girl, hoping she would settle down for Bonnie.
By the time the men came to the house, darkness blanketed the land. Leading their horses to a lean-to attached to the back of the house, the Kyrgyz took care of their horses before coming inside. Even Chase and Zoric remained with the tribesmen to help with the animals. A woman dressed in Kyrgyz attire came to the hut to start a fire and put on a pot of something which smelled like stew. A dozen tin cups of various sizes were brought by another woman along with some unleavened bread and wooden spoons. Tessa didn’t care at this point how clean they were. The food smelled too good to her rumbling stomach. When the woman left, Tessa dipped up cups of food for the children, Bonnie had them sit down against the wall.
“How do you know Captain Hunter,” Bonnie said with caution as she passed out the food. “Is he the man you visited the day before we left Kabul?”
Tessa shrugged. “I’m not sure. He is so familiar.” She walked over to Shirin to hand her some food before turning back to Bonnie. “I think I know both of them.”
Bonnie whispered with a smirk, “Captain Hunter is quite the good time. Am I right?”
It sounded more like a probe than a question. “Good time?”
“Come on,” she coaxed. “Captain Hunter has a reputation with the ladies falling at his feet.” Her grin widened. “I’ll have to say I’ve had the pleasure of his company a time or two.” Her glance went to the door. “Married or not, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t want to be all over that. Besides”—she leaned in to Tessa’s ear—“we both know you have a taste for roughness or you wouldn’t have taken up with a mountain Neanderthal.”
With a frown, Tessa took a step back. “Everything is not about sex, Bonnie. Maybe if you’d remembered that we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Bonnie chuckled satanically. “Touché, Mrs. Darya.” She cocked her head as she offered a flippant gaze at Tessa. “And how are you going to wiggle out of this? Are you going to let the captain save you from the brute?”
“Stop it,” Tessa snapped. “Darya isn’t a brute. How can you be so insulting after seeing the way he treats these girls?”
“You aren’t exactly a little girl, now, are you, Tessa?” Bonnie scooped herself up a cup of food then sniffed it. She took the edge of her shirt and wiped along the rim of the cup before taking a sip. “I think you really care for him. Granted, he is easy on the eyes when he isn’t hell-bent on killing people.” She took another swallow then examined Tessa a little closer. She set the cup down and moved toward her. Although she tried to step away, Bonnie grasped her arm. “Listen to me, Tessa. I’m not sure what you promised Darya to get us back, but all bets are off once we get to Kabul. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You’re an American citizen and, as strange as it sounds, he may be, too. You can’t be bought and sold like cattle. I appreciate what you’ve done here but…”
“But what I did, Bonnie.” Tessa knew she sounded helpless.
“What you did saved Shirin and me from being raped and tortured. I will never tell anyone, just like you asked. I will always owe you. Whatever you did with Darya is your own business. If it doesn’t give you nightmares who am I to complain. We both have secrets. Remember?”
Tessa dropped her eyes to stare at the dirt floor.
Bonnie reached out to raise Tessa’s chin. “We’ve got to protect each other. Nobody gives a fig about a couple of dead Taliban. Your biggest problem is getting away from Darya. With any luck, the military will throw his hide in jail until after we leave.”
“You’ve got to protect him, Bonnie.”
“Not until I’m in airspace over the Pacific Ocean. Then I’ll call the State Department and one of the joint chiefs I know. Don’t worry. Your rooftop-of-the-world Romeo won’t go to jail for long. I’ll see to it. Promise. But I need you to keep your mouth shut about me and the ambassador. Agreed?”
“How are you going to keep Massoud quiet about the ambassador?”
&nbs
p; “No one is going to believe him. When headquarters get finished with him he’ll be crying like a baby for a deal. He’ll spill his guts about every terrorist group from here to Islamabad. Then they’ll pack him off to Gitmo if he’s lucky. If not, then he’ll be vulture bait.”
Tessa shook her head. “You’ve got it all worked out, don’t you?”
“Don’t take that tone with me. Not only do you have some poor sap back home waiting with the kids for his little sweetie to return to domestic bliss, but you managed to marry a renegade military intelligence officer and maybe even have an affair with one of the sexiest men in Delta Force.” She clicked her tongue. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about when I speak of Captain Hunter.” Bonnie bowed her head and cooed. “You are the master.”
The sudden urge came over Tessa to knock Bonnie to the ground, but Captain Hunter, Zoric, and Darya pushed the half curtain door aside to walk inside. Tessa grabbed another cup to fetch Darya some food. He showed his appreciation by offering her a pat on her back.
Tessa met his gaze as he removed the mask then handed it to her. The rough world he chose made his body beautiful. His stealth movement resembled the snow leopards roaming the mountains. She reached up to touch the dark-brown hair falling over his ears. He removed the brown hat and black scarf. She reached for it as he snatched it back with a tease. This made her chuckle as he handed it to her again. In Pashto he asked her to sit with him against the wall. For a split second she stole a glimpse at the other two Americans.
“Get them food, Bonnie Finley,” Darya ordered with his eyes narrowed to slits. She hurried to obey, but not without mumbling a few insults. “We sit.” He walked to the wall and slid down to a sitting position.
Tessa joined him but kept her attention on the captain.
“How did you know he was a medic?”
Tessa shrugged. “I’m starting to remember him. I do work for him. I’m not sure what exactly I do.” She turned to Darya who watched her with mistrust. “He’s protective.”
“He your lover?” Darya could’ve been asking about the weather with such a nonchalant tone.
She didn’t know for sure but decided to take the high road. “No,” Tessa. “I never cheated on my husband.”
Darya smirked. “Which one? Me or the first one?”
Tessa opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She felt mortified. Then Darya smothered a chuckle as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Relief washed over her as she jabbed him in the side with her fist.
“How is Shirin?” He waved toward the teenager who sat with her knees drawn up under her chin. “We buried him outside the village. It needed to be done right away.”
Arzo moved toward Tessa then flopped down in her lap. Darya accepted her kiss then offered her a bite of his food. When she held up her bread he took a large bite from the edge. He laughed at her surprised giggle.
Soon the little girl snuggled against Tessa, before drifting off to sleep. Darya set his cup down before removing the blanket from his shoulders to cover the three of them. He, too, soon fell asleep. She understood his leathery hand lay atop her thigh to mark his territory.
~ ~ ~
Chase and Zoric had taken the first watch along with one of the men who had been their guide. The Kyrgyz waited outside for his replacement so they could go inside for some sleep. Zoric found a spot along the wall and stretched out his legs. Chase moved toward Darya and paused to loom over him until his anger quieted. He kicked the boot of Darya.
“After midnight.” Chase kept his voice to a low growl, a trait known all too well to his team members. It meant a slow burn fired deep inside him. “Still quiet.”
The moonlight coming through the window highlighted Darya’s face as the mask of sleep fell away. It reminded him of the intensity of a hungry leopard. Even his movements reflected the animal as he rose, dropping the blanket back down on Tessa and Arzo. Chase blocked his way, but Darya slammed into the captain’s shoulder to push past him.
Chase followed him, noticing Toiluk had already joined the other Kyrgyz outside. “Darya.”
Darya turned his head but continued to walk.
The night sky sparkled with stars. He came alongside Darya. “We need to talk.”
Darya came to an abrupt stop. “About what?”
“Tessa.”
“What about her?” In the moonlight, the cold determination etched on Darya’s face sent a message of an obstinate man used to getting his own way. Not all that different from himself.
“Why can’t she remember? What happened to her? It has to be more than a bump on the head. Something traumatic has affected her.” Darya glared at him. “Is it because you did something to her or something else?”
“Something else.”
“What?” Chase swallowed hard. He shuddered at the thought of what the Taliban may have done to her. “Did the Taliban…”
“No. I got there in time.” Darya turned to leave, but Chase closed his hand around his arm, hard enough to spin him around. He spit out the words. “Why did you come here? To find Bonnie or Tessa?”
“Both. I wouldn’t have even known she was here if I hadn’t stumbled across Abdul taking the soldier back, another thing in your favor.”
Darya jerked free. “How do you know these women?”
“Bonnie works for the State Department. We’ve crossed paths in D.C. Not all that trustworthy, as I remember. Tessa works at a university in California as a geography analyst for an independent group working for the government wanting a safer America. I’m not sure how she got to Afghanistan. She has a husband and three kids who love and need her.” Chase paused to let the information sink in.
“The husband?”
“What about him?” Chase hated making Tessa’s husband out to be some kind of hero.
“Do you know him?”
“Met him. He’s an okay guy. Don’t like him.”
“Why?” Darya’s voice showed interest.
Chase shrugged. “Hard to say.”
Darya raised his chin in defiance. “She told me you were like a big brother, always protective.”
Chase chewed his bottom lip. “She’s a bull in a china shop. Trouble follows her everywhere.”
“So which is it? Big brother or something else?”
Chase leaned in close with a snarl. “Something else.” He gave Darya a warning shove and turned on his heel.
Chapter 23
C hase didn’t know how long he stood in the doorway watching Tessa. Moonlight spilling through the window highlighted the wide-open eyes staring back at him. Several times her gaze strayed to one of the children, but it always came back to him.
With quiet steps, he moved toward her, careful not to appear threatening. She seemed frozen except for the startling blue scrutiny following his movements. The toe of his boots touched the heel of her foot beneath the blanket. She pulled up her legs without a word.
“Can I sit down? Here? With you?” Chase pointed to where her feet had rested. When she didn’t protest, he squatted in front of her. “Tessa.” He whispered her name loving how it lingered on his tongue. “Are you all right?”
Silence. She nodded, pulling the blanket to cover her mouth.
“I’m taking you home.” The absence of emotion on her face ruptured his heart. Tessa had always worn her feelings on her sleeve. She cried at the drop of a hat and loved to spout Christian philosophy at him when he broke the rules of civilized people. She’d made him feel human, given him laughter, and branded him her hero even if she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. He’d experienced her gratitude on more than one occasion along with her devotion and friendship. Tessa was the girl next door in the house he’d never own in his lifetime. Her very existence kept him from falling off into the abyss of depression and rage.
Something had broken inside her. Darya had taken over as her protector. She allowed him to get physically closer than Chase ever dared. The Kyrgyz created a family unit with Arzo for the three of them. Tessa loved
her own kids beyond reason. Darya must have sensed a yearning in her as she connected with these girls.
Tessa laid Arzo against Shirin, propped against the wall with her little sister Pamir in her lap then crawled forward to Chase and rested on her knees.
“I remember you. Chase,” she whispered. Chase fought the urge to touch the tangled hair and smudged face.
He wanted to reassure himself she existed in front of him instead of spinning in his dreams. “What do you remember, baby?”
“You sometimes call me baby. But I don’t know why.”
Chase edged closer, his gaze exploring her face now cloaked in shadows. “I never told you why. I call you baby because you are special to me.”
Tessa wrinkled her nose in confusion. “Are we lovers?” He smiled at her.
“No. We are not lovers. But we are very close friends, Tessa.” Chase sighed. “You have a husband back home who loves you very much.”
“What’s his name?”
“Robert Scott. He’s a good man.”
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. “I know.” She moved forward on her knees. “What else? I have children. I know I have children.”
“Yes.” Chase reached toward her face, but, when she jerked back, he held his hand suspended in air. “Three. Two rowdy boys and a little girl who is almost identical to you. Her hair is brownish red, but curly like yours.”
The Enigma Series Boxed Set Page 92
