The Edge Of Courage

by Elaine Levine

  “You can speak any language you like, son. If you don’t know it, I will teach it to you. If I don’t know it, I will learn it with you.”

  “I can speak Pig English?”

  “You mean Pig Latin?”

  Zavi thought about that, his little face frowning with concentration. “No. It isn’t Latin, is it, Papa? I’ve heard that before, and it doesn’t sound like that. So it can’t be Pig Latin.”

  Rocco laughed and pulled his son in close for another hug. “Where did you hear Latin?”

  “Kelly and a man took me to a church where the man was speaking it. That was the day they taught me Pig English.”

  Rocco’s hackles went up at the realization that the Army had apparently been casually testing his son’s ability and now knew about his linguistic capabilities.

  The sound of gravel crunching alerted him to Mandy’s approach. He drew a breath, forcing himself to remain calm as he reached up for her hand.

  “He’s home, Em. He’s really here.” Rocco drew her down to kneel beside them. “Zavi, this very special lady is Mandy Fielding.”

  Zavi straightened and pushed away from Rocco. He made a polite bow, as regal as any village elder. “How do you do? I’m Zaviyar. I’m pleased to meet you.”

  “What a polite young man you are. It’s lovely to meet you as well.”

  Just then, the dogs came charging out of the house. Max stopped at the porch, watching from a distance. The dogs greeted the trio enthusiastically with wagging tails and wet tongues.

  “You have dogs!”

  “Yes. This is Yeller and this is Blue,” Mandy said, pointing out the Golden and then the Heeler.

  “I never had a dog before. Other boys did, but I wasn’t allowed.” He sent a dark look over his shoulder at Rocco.

  “Oh, that is a shame. Every boy should have a dog,” Mandy laughed.

  “She has a horse, too,” Rocco told him.

  Zavi looked from Mandy to his father. “She is a special lady.” He patted Yeller, who was leaning against his side. “My family had donkeys. And sometimes my uncle would bring camels to our village. We loved riding them.”

  “You rode a camel?” Mandy asked, her eyes widening at the thought of so tiny a person on so large an animal.

  “Papa took me. Sometimes we raced them.”

  “Then I think you’ll like riding horses. I’ll have a few here soon that you’ll be able to ride.”

  A black SUV pulled up into the turnout area. The windows were rolled down, letting them see that it was Kit and Kelan. Kelan jumped out to park Rocco’s truck. Kit nodded to the soldiers waiting by the SUV, then joined their group. Seeing him, Zavi moved closer to his father, wrapping his arms around Rocco’s neck.

  Kit gave Rocco a sad smile, as if realizing all he’d been insisting Rocco walk away from. He knelt next to Rocco and Zavi, who seeing him, turned his face away, burying it in Rocco’s neck. “I should have trusted your instincts. I told Mandy once they were never wrong.”

  Rocco smiled at him. He offered Kit his hand. “It’s done, man. We’re cool. How long have you known?”

  “Got the call while you were inspecting Mandy. That’s why I sent you home.”

  Rocco laughed. “Zavi, this is Uncle Kit. Can you please greet him politely?”

  Zavi saw Kit’s flattop haircut, his height, his weapons, and shook his head. “He is a dushman, Papa,” he whispered into Rocco’s ear. “Be careful.”

  Rocco sighed. Everything his son had been taught was backward now. The people he now needed to be wary of were some of his countrymen and fighters from the region of his homeland-not the coalition troops the warriors from his village had fought. It could be a difficult transition for a child. He hoped he could help Zavi learn without deepening his hatred for one people or another.

  “He’s not an enemy, son. He’s my friend. He’s a good man. I would like you to meet him.”

  Zavi turned in Rocco’s arms, still leaning back against him. “Hello, Uncle Kit.”

  Kit grinned at him. “Hello, Zavi. Your father’s missed you something terrible. I’m so glad you came here to find him. Was the trip very hard?”

  Zavi straightened and glared at Kit. “I was not afraid.”

  Kit laughed and looked at Rocco. “He growls like his daddy.”

  “Zavi, would you like to go meet my horse, Kitano? I can see him watching us. He’s either very curious about what’s happening or he’s just hungry. You can help me feed him.”

  Zavi nodded and reached for Mandy’s hand. “Do you speak Pig English?” he asked as they walked away.

  Rocco heard Mandy answer, “Pig English? You mean Pig Latin?”

  “No. I mean Pig English. It isn’t Latin. You take an English word and change it around. It’s a word game.”

  Rocco and Kit stood and watched the two walk away. “He has my faculty with languages,” Rocco commented.

  “Looks like it. He’s quite gifted.”

  “I want him protected, Kit.” He nodded at the soldiers who brought Zavi. “The Army already knows what he is capable of. They will exploit him. Why else would they challenge him to speak Pig Latin?”

  “It isn’t a skill that can be easily hidden.”

  “I’m not raising him to be a warrior.”

  Kit sighed. “Rocco, what you can do linguistically, what Zavi can do, is rare. It’s something extremely valuable to our country.”

  Rocco looked at Kit but could not pursue their conversation because the lieutenant was approaching. She handed him an envelope. “Here are your son’s papers-his birth certificate, passport, vaccination records, and such. I’m sorry it took us so long to get him to you. We had to do a paternity test to be sure he was yours. I put his carseat and suitcase on your porch.”

  “How did you find him? What happened to him after the explosion?” Rocco remembered the small body he’d held so tightly thinking it was his son. Whose lost child had he held then?

  “A shepherd who was a friend of yours turned him in. He said he tried to get you to come with him after the explosion, but you resisted. He had his wife guard Zavi and went back for you, but by then your shock was so bad, he could not make you understand. When Halim’s men came for you, he began to fear for Zavi’s life, and then for his and his wife’s lives as well. He wasn’t sure if the things they said about you were true, but your son put his entire family at risk. He fled with the boy and his wife to hide at a cousin’s home several villages away.

  “When some of our guys came to that village for a shura that was being held with the elders, he met with one of the officers and explained that he had Zavi. Fortunately, that captain knew about the search your team was conducting for your son. He gave the man a substantial reward and took the boy.

  “Zavi was hidden and moved from fort to fort until he could be flown out of the country. And then in Germany, we had to wait for the results of the paternity test. I regret it took us so long to bring him home to you, but we couldn’t do anything until we were certain. Everyone who spent any time with Zavi fell in love with him. He’s a special kid, sir.”

  Rocco shook hands with the lieutenant. “Thank you.” As the SUV pulled away, he and Kit crossed over to the house. Rocco sent Max to stay with Mandy and Zavi while he and Kit went inside.

  “What did you find out about Blade?” Rocco asked as he set the packet on Mandy’s desk.

  “Owen and I covered several miles of rock formations. We even sneaked onto the WKB’s property to examine the ones there. We did find several fissures, but all were empty. The Forest Rangers know the area intimately. Val and Angel are working with them closely. Kelan and I are going to keep a watch on Blade’s house, see if the bad guys come back.”

  Kit put a hand on Rocco’s shoulder. “We’ll find him soon-if the information Amir gave us was valid. I’m not convinced it wasn’t a distraction to let them get to Mandy. Had we not run off this morning, she wouldn’t have been taken. It’s interesting that we haven’t heard from Amir again. I think he�
��s playing us, and I don’t like being such an easy target. We may have to wait for Blade to check in.” Kit looked at Rocco. “He will. He’s too ornery to stay down for long. Go spend the afternoon with your son and my sister. Put this day out of your mind.”

  * * *

  Ty held himself perfectly still as he listened to the small sounds the rattler made in its slow approach toward him. The viper’s head was wide and its body long. He knew he’d have one chance to capture it, but every second he waited thickened the air in the dark pit. A rock with jagged edges pressed against his back. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold his pose without his body beginning to resist, but he didn’t dare move until he had control over the snake’s deadly mouth.

  The rattlesnake appeared to consider the dark opening of his jeans by one of his ankles, no doubt sensing the warmth of his skin. Christ, he hoped it would see the opening was too short and narrow to be of use.

  He was not so lucky. The viper inched closer to his leg, then stopped, testing the air with its tongue. Ty wondered how much it relied on its sight versus its other senses as it eased over his ankle to lie against the warmth of his skin. He had to resist all instinct to hop up and dance away from the cold feel of the snake against his skin.

  The beast moved slowly up his shin, almost to his knee, where the pant leg was too tight to go farther. It drew as much of itself inside as it could, leaving a good two feet of its body outside, its rattle up but not sounding. Ty watched the fabric move as the snake settled inside his pant leg. It grew still, resting where it was, comfortably absorbing the heat of his leg.

  His back cramped painfully as he watched the shadows shift across the pit, marking the day’s progression. When the sun was directly overhead, the air began to warm up, and the snake slowly reversed its position.

  Ty leaned forward, hoping the snake’s movement would camouflage his slight change in position. When the spear-shaped head popped out of his pants, he grabbed the snake. Its mouth opened with fangs drawn. It looked big enough to swallow an adult prairie dog.

  Ty had been in this pit for a night and a day without food or water. The viper in his hand looked like his salvation, right about now. He pulled his knife from its sheath and cut the snake’s head off. His stomach growled in anticipation of the coming meal.

  Chapter 22

  Mandy was sitting on the sofa, having a quiet conversation with Fee later that night. Rocco had spoiled her the whole afternoon, first with a hot bath and tea, then getting Fee and Zavi into the kitchen to help him make dinner. Mandy joined them, but was only allowed to sit at the table and call out instructions. The house was quiet now. Zavi was asleep in Ty’s room. Owen and Max were downstairs. Greer was at the hospital. Kit and Kelan were staking-out Ty’s house, while Val and Angel were still searching for their lost teammate.

  Mandy reached up to hold Rocco’s hand as he stood beside her. “What an awful, wonderful day this has been.”

  “That about sums it up,” he said with smile.

  “Has there been any word on Ty?”

  “Nothing so far.” He picked up the quilt that lay across the back of the sofa. “Let’s go outside, Em,” he said as he drew her to her feet. On the porch, he led her to the swing that hung from one end of the rafters. He wrapped the quilt about them both, keeping her close as they sat down. She leaned her head against his shoulder and folded her legs against his thighs, melting into him.

  So much had happened today, he didn’t know where to begin with what he wanted to say. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’ll be fine. It’s wonderful having Zavi here. I’ve been thinking that, like it or not, you’ll need to raise him in a way that prepares him to be your son. He has the same rare ability with languages that you have.”

  “I know. And that scares the hell out of me. I don’t want him to be a warrior. I want him to be a thinker, a scientist, a writer. Something that adds to the world rather than taking from it.”

  She leaned back to look up at him. “That’s not a fair assessment of yourself and what you do. You are a kind, honorable, and brilliant man. Warriors like you and Kit and Blade, and all others like you, keep me and Fee and those of us who aren’t warriors safe. When I told you I wanted you to stop fighting, it wasn’t because I think what you do is bad. It’s because I’m selfish. I don’t want to risk losing you, and I want to keep you to myself. If your son wants to be a warrior like his dad, the world would be a better place for it.”

  Rocco savored her words, humbled by her opinion. “I realized this afternoon why I had been so certain that he was alive.” Mandy looked at him, waiting for what he would say. “Kadisha had second thoughts about blowing up the compound.”

  “Your wife blew it up?”

  He nodded. “With help from Ehsan. She was clearing everyone out. She brought Zavi out and handed him to me, then went running back in for her other relatives. Ehsan had filled the village with enough bombs to make it look like an American airstrike had hit the town.” He looked at Mandy. “He also strapped a suicide bomb around Kadisha, exactly like the one he made you wear. I handed Zavi off to a local shepherd, then went after her.”

  Mandy straightened. “But the blood and the burned flesh?”

  “After the explosion, I didn’t remember I’d handed Zavi over for safekeeping. There was a child’s burned body next to me when I woke. I assumed it was Zavi. But it was someone else’s child. I said prayers for him, and the villagers buried him. He was mourned. It was his phantom flesh I kept seeing on me.”

  “Oh, Rocco.” She touched his cheek. “I’m so sorry that you and Zavi and the village had to go through that hell. How could Kadisha do something like that?”

  He sighed. “She was a product of her culture, her people, her time. She wasn’t allowed to think for herself. And perhaps, she was a woman scorned. I think she knew I wasn’t in love with her.” Rocco rubbed his thumb across the back of Mandy’s hand. He thought about telling Mandy that Kadisha had been pregnant with their second child when she died, but that was a wound he didn’t need to share. Mandy’s world was dark enough now. Kadisha was gone. His time in Afghanistan was done. They both needed to look to the future.

  “Em, do you want Zavi and me to find other quarters?” She started to object, but he interrupted her. “You and I have happened so suddenly. What we have is special. I don’t want to rush it, rush you. I don’t want my burdens to fall on you. Having Zavi here changes things.”

  “Zavi is not a burden. He’s a gift.” She threaded her fingers with his. “If you need room and space to reconnect with your son, then go and do what you must. I’d prefer we stay together. I’m afraid without you, and I’d like to work through this with you. But I understand if you need time to get situated. After what you’ve both been through, you deserve to do what you must to feel settled and safe.”

  Rocco blinked, relieved. “I’d prefer to be here with you as well. I can hire a nanny to watch him when I have to go out. She could help with chores.”

  Mandy smiled. “How about this? When I need help, I’ll ask for it. Right now, with this house being the nerve center of your operation, I think it would best not to have someone from town come in-I don’t want to expose another person to the danger we’re all in. Zavi and I will get along just fine if you need to pop out. I’m sure Fee will help, and the other guys, too. There’s plenty here on the ranch to keep him occupied.”

  She leaned against his shoulder again. “He does need some toys. And I need to do some studying about early childhood development. I suspect that boy will be three steps ahead of us all the time.”

  “He will. I’ll have to teach him Spanish.” He looked at her and grinned. “Then Pig Spanish, just to challenge him. He already knows Pashto, English and Pig English. Probably a little Latin as well.”

  Mandy smiled at him as she squeezed his hand. “Are you happy, Rocco?”

  “Immeasurably.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “Everything I dreamed about, and everything I di
dn’t dare hope for, has come true in you and Zavi. You are my world, Mandy. I would do anything for you. I will spend my life making your life what you wish it to be.”

  Mandy sighed. “I like that.” She touched his cheek and looked into his eyes. “I’ll do the same for you. How about we start by going to bed? You need to get some rest before you join the hunt for Ty tomorrow.”

  He lifted her and started across the porch. “I was thinking about getting you to bed, too-but not to rest.”

  About the Author

  Elaine Levine lives on the plains of Colorado with her husband, a middle-aged parrot, and a rescued Bull Mastiff. In addition to writing the Red Team Contemporary Western series, she is the author of several books in the Historical Western series, Men of Defiance.

  Visit her online at www.ElaineLevine.com for more information about her upcoming books. She loves hearing from readers! Contact her at elevine@elainelevine.com.

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