by Linda Conrad
She twisted to the right and caught sight of an ancient mud-brick, single-story building. “The children are being kept there?” It looked spooky and deserted.
“That’s what our intel says.”
“But why? What do they need with little kids?”
“You don’t want to know that. Keep concentrating on setting them free and getting your son back.”
She swallowed hard and nodded her head in agreement with him. His voice was quietly reassuring. It had always seemed to her that Shakir had an inner strength. Nothing rattled him.
But she was already so rattled that she could barely hold it together. She couldn’t help it. They were close, and in a few hours she might have William back.
Dark despair crawled into her mind. But she couldn’t let herself have any doubts. Shakir would definitely help her retrieve her son. By next week her baby would once again be home, sleeping with his stuffed bear in his own bed.
Nikki brushed away a tear. “How do we reach them?”
“There’s a series of abandoned mine shafts in the cliffs behind the plant. They were boarded up and forgotten long ago. But one of them has a second entrance on the other side of that ridge. It comes out under the fence line and beside that old chute next to the house.”
“Are you sure that shaft is still clear? Can we make it all the way to William?”
Shakir took her hands in his. “We will make it, Nik. We haven’t come this far only to fail.”
Chapter 10
Black as pitch, the mine shaft was steeper than Shakir remembered. He’d been negotiating the cavern and the old rail tracks fairly well using his NVGs, but having Nikki following in his footsteps with a small torchlight was becoming problematic. Every few feet she stumbled over a rock or fallen timber.
He’d needed her to accompany him on this mission. For rescuing the children if for nothing else. But the closer they came to the surface, to hostile territory, the more he wasn’t certain she would be safe. Had he made a mistake by agreeing to bring her along?
As they slowly moved ahead, not speaking unless necessary, he occasionally heard rustling above their heads. Most likely, the sound was coming from a colony of desert bats. If other mammals could live in the environment, it was a good sign. At least this shaft hadn’t filled with poisonous gases over the years.
But he was glad Nikki didn’t know about the bats. She had enough on her mind.
The slight tingling he’d felt under his boots every now and then disturbed him more. His gut kept warning him that those quakes had to be the rumble of heavy machinery digging deep within the mountainside.
He was glad Nikki didn’t know about that possibility, either. It concerned him because of the potential for structural damage that too much digging had on old mine shafts. He and Nikki certainly didn’t need this tunnel falling in on their heads before they reached the Taj facility.
“Ow.” Nikki’s whispered yelp made him turn back to reach for her.
She was on her knees with the heavy skirt material twisted around her legs like a lasso. Looking more like a goose trussed up for roasting than the gorgeous blonde he respected and loved, Nikki was helpless inside her dress. Something had to give.
He hunkered down beside her. “Are you hurt? Cut?”
Shaking her head, she rubbed a hand across her face. “It’s my ankle. I think it’s only twisted, not sprained. But it hurts like the devil.”
“Bedouin dresses aren’t made for this sort of mission,” he told her. “When we reach the end, we can do something about your clothing. But for now, I think I’d better carry you the rest of the way.”
“Is that safe? What if you stumble in the dark?”
He grinned, knowing she couldn’t see him with the low lighting. “Carrying you on my shoulders will be a lot safer than letting you stumble around. Remember how we did the carry before?”
She sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. I didn’t like it, but it made the miles go faster.”
Lifting her, he eased her up to his shoulders and draped her around his neck like a shawl. “Try to relax. I can balance better that way.”
Her head was facing his chest, but she mumbled anyway. “Relax. Sure.”
In a few moments, though, he noted most of her muscles going slack and her breathing slowed. He was proud of her efforts to be part of a team. She was one tough and determined woman.
After an hour of climbing, he turned a bend in the shaft and suddenly a soft rose-and-gold light shone straight ahead. Sunset. They’d reached the other end of the tunnel faster than he’d thought possible.
Shakir slowly lowered Nikki to her feet, but he kept her leaning against him until she got her bearings. “It looks like someone long ago fenced in the tunnel opening and salt bush has grown up along the fence. No problem for us, but I think we’d better wait until after sunset before we break through. Agreed?”
“Yes.” She took in huge gulps of air and rubbed her arms and legs. “What can I do about all this dress material?”
“I can cut the bottom yardage off. But that will leave your legs bear. You can’t be seen in public with no covering on your legs.”
She leaned back and glared up at him. “If I’m seen in public here at all, I’m a dead woman. What does it matter what I’m wearing?”
He nodded, knowing how much more difficult this journey had been for her wearing those skirts. “Maybe we’ll figure out something else once we’re inside the plant facilities.”
Setting to work with his hands, Shakir tore the material straight up a seam and then used the Ka-Bar to cut a horizontal line right above her knees. The edge wasn’t exactly straight and the dress not quite a miniskirt, but the length would be every bit as shocking to the backward civilization in Zabbarán. For his part, well, he thought she had a terrific pair of legs and was pleased to see them again.
“The sleeves, too, please. They’re hot.” She held out her arms and waited.
“Long sleeves are important in the desert sun.”
“I won’t still be here at tomorrow’s sunrise. Will I?” She looked so hopeful, so trusting all of a sudden, that he couldn’t deny her request.
“All right. But just in case, let’s compromise at right above the elbow. Okay?”
She nodded and he complied, carefully cutting the material while avoiding her skin. “Now what?” she asked as she looked toward the daylight.
“Now we wait until dark.” He moved to the tunnel entrance and settled down on the rocky ground.
“I can’t sit still. I have to move while we wait. Maybe I can walk out the pain in my ankle.”
“Whatever you like.” Shakir wasn’t sure he could stand to have her sitting beside him or resting against him in any case.
The temptation to take her, any way he could get her, was far too great. No, he would be wise to remember his vow to watch out for her from a distance.
Starting right now.
Baghel, the captain of the Taj guards, rode into Kuh Friez along with two squads of men just as the sun was setting behind purple mountain peaks. Irritation rode with him in the horse’s saddle. Irritation, along with a growing, insidious fear.
His commission in Umar’s guard, perhaps his very life, depended upon his ability to safeguard all of the elder’s projects. That meant Baghel was responsible for security here in Kuh Frieze along with all his other duties. But the women prisoners in the fortress had already been stolen from Umar, and Baghel’s instincts were telling him that the plan to keep children imprisoned in Kuh and also the elder’s secret building venture were both in imminent danger.
Dismounting, he strode into the lone two-story security building at the project’s edge. A foreigner with a business suit met him at the front desk.
“You must be Captain Baghel of Umar’s guards,” the foreigner said with a smarmy smile. “I’m Anatolii Chapaev. I’m in charge here.” The man stuck his bare hand out.
Baghel stared down at the offending appendage and fought his first inclination
. Chopping off useless and insolent hands or heads was a big part of Taj Zabbar heritage. His ancestors had thought it necessary to take swift action when dealing with inferiors. But in this case, the captain refrained from doing what came naturally in order to learn more.
He stood at parade rest and folded his hands behind his back. “In charge of what, Mister Foreigner?”
The man withdrew his arm and scowled. “The special project your government is undertaking at this old iron ore facility. I am the project manager. What can I do for you?”
Without answering, Baghel looked around, then swiftly backhanded the asinine foreigner across his face. The man’s knees buckled. Silent, the foolish man put a palm to his rosy cheek and stared dumbfounded.
“You can do nothing for the Captain of Umar’s guards, fool. I am here to take charge of all security surrounding this special project.”
“But…” The man looked hesitant to speak, but finally straightened and dared to put voice to his words. “We already have security. Soldiers like yourself. The council of elders assured us that…”
“Be quiet. I saw no soldiers on the road into town. No guards at the gate. Even the house of the Royal Princess, Umar’s sister, is not outwardly guarded. Where are the weapons to stop intruders? Where are the towers to keep watch of the prisoners?”
A quick frisson of amusement passed through the foreigner’s eyes. It was all the captain could do not to draw his sword and cut the man down where he stood. There was nothing amusing about the situation that Baghel could see.
“In the first place,” the stranger began with feigned patience. “The prisoners, as you call them, are mere children. I can’t imagine why you are holding…” The foreigner stopped himself and looked contrite. “It’s none of my business. But I don’t think you have anything to fear on the babies’ account.
“In the second place,” the fool continued. “The Taj Zabbar council of elders wants to keep our entire undertaking away from prying eyes. They don’t want the world to know what we’re doing here at Kuh Frieze.”
The foreigner looked smug and kept talking. “It’s a secret project. Furthermore, we have our own methods of security. High tech surveillance equipment. We knew you and your men were heading into town an hour before you arrived. And without having to sacrifice any manpower to do it.”
The captain waved the man’s objections away. “Cameras? Nonsense. What good are cameras? If an assault is made, you need men and you need weapons. Not cameras.”
“An assault? But that’s ridiculous. The only real potential for assault would come from the air. And we have radar surveillance. We will know of any air attacks ahead of time. Your air force will knock whoever or whatever it is out of the sky.”
Captain Baghel unholstered his pistol and pointed it directly at the man’s forehead. “I am in charge of security for all the elder Umar’s projects. I say what will happen.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good. And I say we need more men with weapons to protect the projects in Kuh Frieze. I will place trained men at strategic points around the fence’s perimeter and in various spots on the facility grounds.”
“But then it won’t remain a secret. I don’t think…”
Baghel cocked the trigger. The foreigner lifted his hands, palms out, as sweat began to trickle down his neck.
Going on as though he had not been rudely interrupted, Baghel added, “I believe it would be smart to move the children out of that indefensible house. I want them put in a safer place where we can make sure they cannot be reached.”
“Where? We have no prisons. That’s not our job.”
“Are there finished rooms under the earth?”
The foreigner nodded. “Yes, several layers are complete, though…” He looked ready to make another objection, but thought better of it.
“It is settled.” The captain replaced his weapon. “We move the children tonight.” He turned and started for the door.
Before opening the door, Baghel turned back. “I have been notified that at least two foreigners are headed on foot through the desert to Kuh Frieze. I intend to find them. Stop them. And execute them.”
“But why are they coming here? Who are they?”
“Enemies of the Taj,” the captain told him lightly. “It doesn’t matter why. All foreigners are enemies of the Taj.”
He glared at the foreign project manager. “You would be well advised to do as I command. If you or your men see these two foreigners before they are found by my soldiers, notify me at once.”
Shakir was almost finished cutting through the rusty wire fence at the tunnel’s entrance when the satellite phone vibrated at his side. He stopped to answer his brother’s call.
“We’ve located the shaft’s eastern entrance right where you said it would be. Six men are starting in your direction,” Tarik said through the earpiece. “How close are you?”
“Nikki and I are already at the facility end. And I’m almost through the fence barrier covering this entrance. The tunnel is wide open all the way.”
“Good.” Tarik’s voice was loud and clear. “We’re staging the helicopters in that blind canyon on the side of the mountain that you mentioned. It was a tricky approach and landing, but I’m sure the Taj radar didn’t catch any sign of us.”
Tarik went on, “We’re close enough now to your position that you should be able to begin wearing the earbud and mouthpiece. All is ready for the operation on our end. But…” Tarik hesitated and the idea of his younger brother being unsure bothered Shakir. Still, he said nothing and waited.
“There’s been a change,” Tarik finally said. “One of our covert agents in Kuh Frieze reports the children are being moved out of the house as we speak.”
“Moved? Moved to where?”
“Hard to tell. But they haven’t been brought out through the gates. My guess is the Taj are relocating them to the interior of the plant facility in order to better protect them. All of a sudden this facility, the whole town, is swamped with Taj soldiers. They’re patrolling the streets and the plant’s fence line. I would tell you to be careful,” Tarik added. “But I know you will anyway.”
“Thanks,” Shakir grumbled as he tried to process the new information.
“By the way, brother, these extra soldiers all seem to be coming from the cavalry. Probably under Captain Baghel’s command. You realize that means they won’t be outfitted with any modern weapons or warfare equipment, don’t you?”
Shakir smiled into the dark. “Yes. Baghel is an old enemy. We know his style.”
And Shakir couldn’t wait to outwit his nemesis and retrieve Nikki’s son. The time had come to make a move.
Not for the first time, Nikki wished she had spent more time learning the Taj Zabbar language before she’d flown to Zabbarán to find her son. She and Shakir were squatting below the window of a tiny guard shack right inside the fence, eavesdropping on one side of a soldier’s phone conversation.
Though the moon was full and she could see fairly well, Shakir had assured her that her dark clothing would keep the soldiers from spotting them in the shadows. Straightening the black scarf on her head that covered her blond hair and trying to shrink down into the shorter dress length, she sure hoped he was right.
Shakir told her the children were being moved, and that the two of them needed to be careful not to run into the soldiers who’d been stationed around the plant’s fence line. But now they would have to search for the children throughout the whole facility. How were they going to avoid being spotted?
The soldier inside the shack quit speaking and she could hear him moving around the room. Within a few moments, the light went out and door on the other side of the building opened and then quickly shut again.
Shakir leaned close. “The guard has been ordered to a perimeter position. This is our chance.”
Chance for what? she wondered. When Shakir motioned for her to follow, she moved directly behind him and stuck to him like a second set of clot
hes.
But when he inched around the guard shack, opened the door, crawled inside and ushered her in, too, she was shocked. What was he thinking?
Leaving the light turned off, Shakir quietly closed the door behind them. “Listen for anyone coming. I’m going to look for plans to the new facility. It’s a long shot that they’d keep a set of plans in a guard shack but it’s a chance worth taking.”
Nikki blew out a breath of air and leaned her back against the door. They were in the belly of the beast, and she wondered if Shakir could really protect them as well as he imagined. She agreed that he was certainly good at survival tactics; he’d brought them here after all. But could he take on an entire squad of Taj soldiers?
As Shakir rifled through papers and file drawers, Nikki’s mind rifled through thoughts just as fast. If they were destined to die in this place, she wanted to make sure her son was okay first. Beyond that, she needed enough time to tell Shakir the truth.
She would hate it if he died before knowing he was a father. Confused and afraid of what he made her feel, of what would happen to her and William if he turned away, Nikki tried to be honest—at least with herself.
Her whole life had been a series of disappointments. She’d learned the hard way not to count on anything but her own efforts. At this point she was afraid to pin her hopes on loving Shakir. He had already disappointed her more than once.
And she didn’t want to raise her son’s hopes, either. She was doing her best to teach William not to count on anyone else. It would only hurt him in the end.
William. What was best for him? What was he doing right now?
Fisting her hands, she worked hard trying not to think too much about her son. They were almost there. She could already feel her arms around him. No sense working herself up too soon. William would need her to be on her toes. And ready for anything.
“Nothing here.” Shakir crawled back to where she was sitting, taking care not to move past the front window. “No maps or drawings. No computer. Nothing.”
He sat beside her. “I’ll have to make a recon tour around the facility. But I want you to stay here.”
