Desert Secrets

by Lisa Harris

  Then, as quickly as they had started, the violent winds began to calm.

  She opened her eyes and saw Colton’s solid form beside her.

  She felt his hand against her arm. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. The past two days had left her in a constant state of uncertainty.

  “I’ve heard about sandstorms, but this…” She could barely describe it. The terror and fear that had swept in along with the wind.

  “What about Bret and Issa…?” She let her voice trail off.

  There was no movement from the front seat.

  Colton grabbed her hand and helped her out of the vehicle. Bret’s door was open, and there was no one in the front seat.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Why would they have left the vehicle?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She tried to shove away the looming panic. She wasn’t sure how long they’d sat, waiting for the storm to pass. Five minutes? Ten? The two men had to be nearby. Neither would have risked moving out of the vehicle in the storm. And yet for some reason they had. She glanced out across waves of sand surrounding them. Now that the winds had died down the sun was shining just above the peaks of the dunes. She knew how confusing it had been when the storm had hit. And with Bret so weak, he could have woken up and panicked.

  She turned back to Colton, feeling a sense of urgency grip her. They needed to get as far away from the men after them as possible and yet they couldn’t leave without finding Bret and Issa. “What if Bret tried to escape the sandstorm? Issa must have realized it and went after him.”

  “It makes sense. He was groggy and confused.” Colton jumped up on the hood of the car in order to see farther. “They still couldn’t have gone far.”

  But there was no trace of Issa and Bret. And the wind had erased any footprints. She glanced back in the direction they’d come from. Neither were there signs of the men after them.

  Colton jumped out of the car, then headed for the back of the vehicle, pausing beside a flat tire. “We definitely hit something back there.”

  Lexi felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her. If the other men were still behind them, they now had no way of escape.

  “Should we try to go after Bret and Issa on foot?” Her heart was pounding. She needed something concrete to do.

  Colton shook his head. “I’m afraid we’d get lost looking for them. If Issa’s out there with Bret, he’ll be okay.”

  “You don’t know that.” She shouted back at him, tired of constantly trying to prove she could handle everything that was going on. Tired of always trying to be okay. “We don’t know that any of us are going to make it out of here alive.”

  Lexi pressed her lips together, regretting her sudden outburst. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You have nothing to apologize for.” He walked back around the car to where she stood. “Nothing at all.”

  She bit her lip so she wouldn’t cry. She was exhausted. Bret and Issa were missing. There were men out there looking for them. And now they were stranded in the middle of the Sahara with a flat tire on top of everything else.

  Colton pressed his hands against her shoulders. “I’ve seen your strength, Lexi. Don’t give up now. Issa knows this desert well, and is also extremely resourceful. And he would have been prepared for a situation like this. We need to make a quick inventory to see what we’ve got, and I need to change this tire, so that we can go as soon as they come back.”

  She nodded her head and took a deep breath. He was right. Panicking wasn’t going to help.

  “He’s better prepared than I imagined,” Colton said, opening up the back. “Besides the spare tire, there are several jugs of water, a shovel, a few jerry cans full of fuel, a first aid kit and a couple blankets.”

  “Okay. We’ve also got the backpack you brought with you from the plane.” She grabbed it out of the backseat and started digging through it. “There are some water bottles, a first aid kit and a few power bars, along with yours and Bret’s passports.”

  “At least we’ve got some food and water,” Colton said, pulling out what he was going to need to change the tire. “What about the sat phone?”

  “I think Issa had it with him in the front seat.” She hurried back to the front of the car and pulled it out, then paused to look under that driver seat. Issa’s handgun was gone.

  “His gun isn’t under the seat,” she said.

  “He must have taken it with him when he went to look for Bret.”

  Lexi heard the hesitation in Colton’s voice. Something seemed off.

  She looked down at the sat phone she was carrying. It still amazed her that Issa and his family could live in the middle of the Sahara and yet be so connected to the world. But she knew how important modern technology had proven to her. At times it had been her only link to the outside world. It gave her a chance not only keep in contact with the aid organization she worked for, but also with friends and family back in the States.

  And gave Issa the ability to contact Salif or one of his men and strike a deal to trade Bret.

  “How well do you know Issa?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Is there a chance that he’s not the friend you think he is?”

  “Why would you say that? He’s done nothing but protect us since he first found us after the crash.”

  “I know, but think about it. If he were to make a deal with Salif’s men… All he’d have to do was hand over Bret for a percentage of the ransom. Ten…maybe twenty percent. That’s a lot of money.”

  “No way.” Colton shook his head.

  “Just think about it, Colton. Issa and Bret disappear in the middle of a sandstorm. Issa’s weapon is also gone. Something doesn’t add up.”

  “He gave me a weapon, and there was no way he could have known about the storm or any of this. And if he wanted to turn us over to Salif’s men, he could have done that back at the Kasbah, or even better when we ran into the men on the way to the Kasbah.”

  “I don’t know. If they offered him more money…convinced him to help them. I don’t want to be right, Colton, but none of this makes any sense.” She glanced at the weapon next to him, knowing that any second now Salif’s men could come into view and that they would barely have a fighting chance.

  “I think you’re wrong.”

  “Okay. Then tell me what we should do.”

  “Try to get my team on the sat phone while I change the tire. They need to be warned not to show up at the airstrip.”

  She sat down outside in the shade of the car and powered up the phone. Having something to do was the distraction she needed. The first time the connection failed. She tried again a second and third time, but again, both connections failed.

  “Are you getting through?” Colton asked.

  “No. So far I can’t get a signal.”

  He continued to work on the tire, avoiding the obvious questions. Where were Issa and Bret? And where were the men who’d come after them at the Kasbah? It was clear that her words had upset him, but while he might not agree, she couldn’t just dismiss the possibility.

  Lexi brushed aside a loose strand of her hair from the corner of her mouth. “The battery is charged, so that’s not the problem.”

  “I do know that the atmosphere can interfere with the reception from the satellite, and after the storm that just hit,” he said, “honestly, I’d be more surprised if we did get through.”

  She worked on trying to get through for a couple of minutes.

  “Tell me about the town you grew up in,” he said, tugging on one of the lug nuts. “Big city or small town?”

  Her brow rose at the question. She wanted to know more about him. But not here. Over dinner at some nice restaurant, or at a picnic in a park.

  “Small town on the coast of California. My grandparents owned a local five-and-dime store, then sold it to my parents when they retired.”

  She tried the connection a
gain. If they didn’t get through, his team most likely would walk into a trap.

  “Wait… I think it’s finally connecting.”

  He hurried over to her and she handed him the phone.

  “This is Colton,” he said putting it on Speaker.

  “Colton… This is Jake. We were just getting ready to send someone after you.”

  “I need you to hold off on that.”

  “Hold off? I don’t understand. I was told your plane went down.”

  “The men who took my brother-in-law…they’re watching the airstrips. If you land, there’s a good chance they’ll be there waiting for you.”

  There was a short pause on the line. “But what about you and Bret?”

  “We’re going to try to get to Morocco and the embassy by car.”

  “That sounds risky. There’s got to be another airstrip these guys aren’t watching.”

  “But we have no way to know. They’re already spread out across two countries.”

  “I still don’t like the idea of leaving you on your own.”

  “I’m not sure how long the battery on this phone will last, so I’m going to need to keep it turned off, but we’ll plan to check in every six hours.”

  There was nothing but static in reply.

  “Can you hear me?” Colton asked.

  Silence.

  He let out a huff of air. “We lost the connection.”

  “Do you think he understood?”

  “I hope so.”

  “Maybe meeting your team was worth the risk. They can’t be at every airstrip across the desert.”

  “Before we do anything, we need to find Bret and Issa. I’m almost done changing the tire.”

  The sound of an engine roared behind them. Lexi turned around. Another 4x4 came over the ridge of a nearby sand dune headed right toward them.

  “Any chance these are good guys out on a morning drive?” Lexi asked, taking a step backward.

  He grabbed his gun off the top of the car “I’m not going to count on it.”

  She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go.

  Three men stepped out of their vehicle, guns pointed at her and Colton.

  NINE

  “Lexi…” Colton grabbed her arm and pushed her behind him in a desperate attempt to keep her from being injured, then disengaged his gun’s safety and aimed the barrel at the men. He’d lost his brother-in-law somewhere out there in the desert. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Lexi, as well.

  There were three men, dressed alike in fatigues and berets to block the sun. The tallest, took a step forward directing his own weapon back at Colton.

  “If you hadn’t noticed there are three of us, each with a loaded weapon, and only two of you and one weapon,” he said in a thick accent. “So I’d advise you to not even attempt to play hero.”

  The man was clearly the leader, but the other two had the same look of arrogance in their eyes. They were in control and they knew it.

  “What do you want?” Colton asked.

  “We’ve have orders to bring you to see Salif. He’s not happy about what happened at the camp yesterday.”

  Losing out on both two million dollars and a number of his men had to have been quite a blow to Salif. But nothing was going to change this time. Even if they kidnapped the two of them, coming up with two million dollars wasn’t going to happen. And he had the feeling Lexi’s brother wasn’t going to be able to resolve the situation either, even if they did found him.

  “And if we’d rather stay here?” Colton asked.

  “This isn’t a negotiation. It’s an order.”

  Colton hesitated as he tried to weigh his options. But at the moment they didn’t have any. They were outnumbered and outgunned. And if Lexi’s theory was correct, then Issa wasn’t going to show up and rescue them.

  Unless Issa really was the friend he believed him to be.

  Colton stared out at the rolling desert beyond the men. Issa was the only backup they had at the moment. Which meant there was only one way out of this. He needed to stall and pray that Issa showed up.

  “Where are you planning to take us?” he asked, squeezing Lexi’s fingers gently with his free hand.

  “Salif’s waiting at his compound. He didn’t take kindly to the ambush on his men.”

  “You give them too much information, Hamid. We need to leave.”

  Hamid laughed. “It’s not as if they’re going anywhere.”

  Colton frowned. He’d been told by the army that they were dealing with a small group of “work-for-hire fighters.” Which meant that not only had the army’s assessment of who they were dealing with been way off, they had also failed to carry out their job in taking down the group of insurgents. There had been no win-win situation. And they were now on their own.

  Where are you, Issa?

  He had to keep stalling.

  “How much does Salif pay you to do his dirty work?” Colton asked.

  “His dirty work?” The shorter of the men kicked at the sand in front of him. “What business is that of yours?”

  “The military is underpaid,” Colton continued, “so I’m assuming you make more than they do. And the average worker’s annual salary in this country is fifteen hundred American dollars a year, which is enough to scrape by. So I’m curious. Two million dollars goes a long way, but I have a feeling most of that doesn’t go into your pockets.”

  The men stared at him.

  “How many kidnappings has Salif been involved in this year? Five? Ten? When those families pay, that would be what…a minimum of ten million dollars? And yet it’s likely that none of you ever see that money.”

  “That is not your business.” Hamid took a step forward, the tension in his jaw evident. “Though he might pay us extra to shoot both of you, which I’d be happy to do if you don’t shut up.”

  Colton ignored the threat as he scanned the desert for any sign of Issa. He wasn’t going to be able to stall much longer. But Lexi couldn’t be right. Issa wouldn’t betray him. Not for money. His team had saved both Issa’s wife and his son, and since then, they’d continued rely on Issa to be a bridge between the mission organization and the villages scattered across the region.

  But if he was wrong…

  “Enough talk.” The leader took a step forward, his gun steady. “Put your weapon down, or I’ll shoot the girl.”

  Colton hesitated for another couple seconds, then laid the gun on the sand in front of him.

  Show me what to do, God.

  The men nodded for them to walk toward their Land Rover. There would be no more stalling. He grabbed Lexi’s hand to ensure she stayed right beside him.

  After two months of captivity, Bret hadn’t been killed by the insurgents. Which meant their hostages were worth more alive than dead. But how long could he and Lexi expect to keep their lives when the US wouldn’t pay the ransom? Their families couldn’t pay the ransom. There was a possibility that his mission organization would try to raise the funds, but that money wasn’t going to be easy to come up with.

  Colton stopped his progress toward the vehicle. There were still no signs of Issa and Bret, but they had to be out there. Waiting for an opportunity.

  “Let me just ask you one more question before we leave,” he said.

  Hamid stepped up to Colton. Close enough that he could smell the other man’s foul breath. “What are you doing? Waiting for your guide to show up and rescue you again? Because it’s not going to happen.”

  Colton felt a wave of anger surge inside his gut. “What did you do with him?”

  “Colton, don’t—”

  But Lexi’s warning came too late. Colton felt the butt of the gun smash against his head. And then nothing.

  *

  Colton felt a stab of pain shoot across the side of his head. He forced himself to open his eyes, then tried focusing on a sliver of light in the darkness. He was lying down. Temples throbbing. Jaw tight. Small snippets of memories slowly began to surface. S
omeone had been chasing them. Their car had flipped. Bret and Issa had vanished. Salif’s men had shown up. And Lexi—

  Spots dotted his vision. His chest tightened as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Where was Lexi?

  “Colton?”

  He shifted his head at the sound of her voice, this time ignoring the throbbing pain. Relief swept through him as he found her sitting cross-legged beside him.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  He glanced around the dark space. He was lying on a mat inside a tent. He had no idea where, but at least they were together. “I feel like I’ve been hit over the head with a brick.”

  “Try the butt of a riffle.” Her voice was soft. On edge. “You were out the whole way here. I’ve been worried.”

  “I’ll live.” He pressed his hand against his temple and discovered the painful lump. “You didn’t happen to grab that backpack, did you?”

  “I did actually,” she said, pulling out the water and a couple of painkillers. “They took the knife, but surprisingly let us keep the rest.”

  “My throbbing head is forever grateful,” he said, downing the pills. “What about you? Are you okay? Or at least as okay as possible after being kidnapped by a bunch of insurgents for the second time in two days.”

  She shot him a half smile, but it quickly faded. “I’m scared. I don’t see a way out this time, and I’m pretty sure you have a mild concussion.”

  “But they want us alive, remember. At least that’s still in our favor.” He glanced at the streak of light coming through the tent flap. “So where exactly are we?”

  “As promised, they brought us to their compound to see Salif.”

  “How long have we been here?”

  “Not long.”

  He caught the fear in her eyes and felt a twinge of regret over his decision. He’d pushed the men too hard and in turn had put her life in danger. And yet what else could he have done? If Issa had been out there…

  But Hamid had been right. Issa wasn’t coming to his rescue. Not this time.