Degree of Risk

by Lindsay McKenna

  “Well,” Mustafa said, his gaze drifting back to Sarah. “I could not bruise her flesh. Bruises take two weeks to disappear.” He rubbed his chin, considering options. “Perhaps tie her down? Arms and legs spread? That way, I could pleasure myself with her and leave her beautiful white skin clear of any marks?”

  Shattering fury rose through Sarah. Khogani was like a deadly spider, slowly weaving a web around her. And now Sarah could feel his energy, his evil intent as he looked at her with a thoughtful expression in his dead eyes. This man had no soul. Neither did Bill. They were dead men walking, no emotions, no honor, no integrity or social awareness of right or wrong. Just their hideous world. Their games. Their rules.

  Sarah swallowed hard, her mouth growing dry. He was going to attack her. She could feel it. It was only a question of when.

  *

  “Dragon One, this is Dragon actual. Two minutes.” Master Chief Gil Hunter sat crouched just outside the cave entrance. Hawk and Trace were beside him, M4s ready for the assault.

  “Dragon One, Roger.”

  “Dragon Two?”

  “Dragon Two, Roger.”

  Ethan heard everything. He felt the adrenaline leaking into him, making his head clear, making him alert. The snipers had reported off and on throughout the afternoon to the master chief about the comings and goings of people. They were all unarmed servants. The snipers were snapping photos, sending them to Hunter’s laptop.

  Ethan thought of Sarah. Where was she? How was she? Earlier, near dusk, the snipers at entrance B had seen a tall man in a white robe and turban come out of the cave with a small child, dressed similarly. Hunter had sent the picture to Bagram intelligence. It had come back that it was a Saudi physician name Anas. The child could not be identified. The snipers had watched through their scopes as the physician had taken the child over to a flower that had bloomed near a bush, despite the desert heat and lack of rain. The child had picked the flower and held it to his nose, smelling it.

  Ethan, like the rest, was prepped on the photos and who they were, if they could be identified. Anas was of great interest. He was from Saudi Arabia and the father of five children. Al Qaeda had recruited him after his family had been killed in an A-10 Warthog bomb blast in Baghdad. That was when the physician went to Pakistan and offered his medical services to them. The Taliban soldiers stood in twos at each entrance. But they appeared lazy and not alert. Some talked with one another, their AK-47s slung over their shoulders. Others leaned against the cave wall and nodded off. There was nothing but men in Khogani’s group that the snipers could see. No women. Ethan wished fervently that he could have seen Sarah. He bowed his head, struggling to contain his anxiety.

  Sarah, we’re coming for you. I love you so damn much I hurt. Just hang on. We’re coming in less than two minutes…

  He couldn’t get the terrible images out of his mind. Sarah could be raped. She could be tortured. Her beautiful body marred, bloody. It ripped him up inwardly and he didn’t know what to do with the violent emotions rolling through him. He’d kill whoever laid a hand on her. He swore he would.

  Master Chief Hunter looked at the Rolex on his thick, hairy wrist, watching the second-hand dial.

  Ethan shifted from a crouched position to one knee on the ground, his M4 barrel high. In a moment, two SEALs would appear out of the blackness, each man taking a guard. They would grab them from behind and with a quick snap, break the enemy’s neck, slowly lowering the body to the ground. His heart began to hammer in his chest, feeling the tension, feeling the hyperalert state that came from the gift of adrenaline surging through his system.

  The minute dragged on, each second feeling like an eternity to Ethan. Never had he wanted to rush an assault more quickly than this one. He’d suffered all afternoon, waiting for the sun to go down in the west. His stomach felt raw and burning in his gut. Bile coated the back of his mouth more than once. He’d gone off the hill, in the opposite direction from the team, to be alone, to vomit. Right now his gut ached continually, as if acid were eating his stomach lining away.

  “Ready and on my mark,” Hunter said in a low growl into his mic.

  Ethan’s gloved hands gripped his M4. The waiting was almost over.

  Chapter 12

  “Tell me, Chief,” Khogani whispered, “what would you do if I gave you a choice?”

  Sarah tensed, his voice a whisper. His eyes were hard and narrowing up on her. “Choice?” she asked, making her voice strong. The only thing a monster like this understood was strength. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. She knew how to protect herself.

  He shrugged. “I like situations where morals and values come into play, Chief,” he began softly, giving her a smile. “So often, when we capture villagers, we take the family. The father refuses to talk, so we bring out his wife and we hold a gun to her head. And if he doesn’t cooperate—” he shrugged, waving his hand “—we shoot his wife in front of him. It’s amazing to see a skull split open, the brains like a pink spray splattering in all directions.”

  Sarah stared at him. Unblinking.

  “So, the man cooperates.” His voice hardened. “And what if I gave you a choice, Chief? What if I said, choose the boy or choose yourself to go with me? I wonder what you would do? You Americans think you are so upstanding and always right. Your arrogance sickens me.” Khogani shifted in the chair, stretching his legs out before him, watching her now. His eyes never leaving hers. “You see,” he whispered, “there is no right or wrong. Only shades of gray and how you want to interpret them.” He appraised her thoughtfully.

  “Have you killed, I wonder, Chief?”

  She stared at him, wondering where he was going with this question. “I have, but it’s against my beliefs.”

  “How so?”

  Her mouth compressed. “I’m a medevac pilot. I’m charged with saving lives, not taking them.”

  “Ahh, another piece of the puzzle falls into place.” He smiled triumphantly. “So, you are like one of Allah’s angels, swooping down from heaven to save those who are dying.”

  “More like a Valkyrie in Norse mythology,” she said. Valkyries were warriors, not angels.

  “Yet, I know you carried a .45 pistol in a shoulder holster. I saw it when we tracked you into that wadi.”

  “I’m required to carry it,” Sarah said quietly. She watched Khogani drum his long, greasy fingers against the arm of his chair.

  “And I wonder, would you have used it if you had awakened and heard us stalking you?”

  “In a heartbeat.” His teeth showed.

  “So, under what circumstances does the angel of mercy become the demon of death, I wonder?”

  Sarah stared at him, a lump of rage in her throat. She could see the lethal expression in his eyes, the pleasure in stalking her.

  “You pretend to be a merciful person, Chief. Yet, on the day I ordered that missile attack on your helicopter, you were carrying a load of ammunition. The explosion after you crashed told us that. So while you say you do not take lives, you are more than willing to hand Army soldiers the bullets and shells to kill us.” He smiled before suddenly standing and stalking across the rug. He jerked the boy out of her arms.

  Sarah gasped, caught off guard by his swift, unexpected movement. She heard Jamaal awaken, frightened, suddenly finding himself in Khogani’s arms. Two guards came and stood next to Sarah, their weapons pointed at her. She was breathing raggedly, watching Khogani lift the child gently into his arms and sit down on his throne.

  “Hush, hush,” Khogani soothed as the boy struggled. Jamaal’s eyes were wide with terror. He smiled and gently ran his fingers through the child’s silky black hair. “I will not hurt you,” he whispered softly.

  Sickened, Sarah sat tense. Her fingers curled into fists. She shot a look at Anas. The physician’s face was white, his mouth open in a silent scream. And yet, he did not move. Neither did she.

  “Now,” Khogani said, smiling over at Sarah. “What will you do, Chief?”

  The ch
ild struggled, crying piteously.

  “Will you volunteer to take his place or not? Hmm?”

  Sarah held on to her disintegrating control. She wanted to kill him. “You know I will.”

  Mustafa straightened, a pleased look coming to his face. He got up, walked over and placed Jamaal in her arms again. When he snapped his fingers, the servants went into a flurry action.

  Chest tight with tears, she couldn’t cry. Sarah held Jamaal tightly in her arms, the child’s tears wetting her neck. He clung to her as if she were the last refuge on earth.

  Khogani swaggered confidently over to his throne, turned and sat down, a triumphant look in his eyes.

  “We will now have dessert.”

  Servants swiftly brought in small cups of coffee and honey cakes. Sarah shook her head, refusing them, trying to calm down the child. She continued to smooth his hair. He quit hiccuping and stared up at her. He might be only six years old, as she had been when she was thrown into Bill’s world, but he knew. Jamaal knew as she had known. Anguish washed over her as she forced a smile for Jamaal’s benefit. The boy gave her a tremulous smile back, relief in his small face.

  “Not hungry?” Mustafa inquired silkily, quickly eating one of the three honey cakes on the platter. He sipped his coffee.

  “I will eat this dessert,” he told her, wiping his mouth of the crumbs, “and then I will have my second dessert—you.”

  Sarah refused to look at him. Her mind was racing. The guards who remained were just one foot away on either side of her. Anas looked relieved in one way, but anguished in another. She knew the physician didn’t approve of any of it. Neither did she. Khogani gobbled the cakes down like a starving wolf and then tipped the cup, draining it, before he turned to her. She shivered.

  It was now or never. Her heart arced into a hammering pulse within her chest. Adrenaline screamed through her. She placed her hands on Jamaal’s slender waist.

  Khogani rose slowly, holding her glare. “Are you ready to fulfill your promise, Chief?”

  His voice was like rough sandpaper against her flesh.

  “You’ll never rape me,” she growled, tensing.

  Instantly, Khogani cursed and leaped at her. Sarah shoved Jamaal away. The child cried. Khogani launched himself at her, his one hand outstretched toward her neck. Sarah twisted and fell backward off the cushions. In seconds, Khogani had straddled her, laughing, his hand wrapping around her throat.

  “Whore!” he roared at her. He looked triumphantly up at his guard.

  Sarah clenched her left fist and put every bit of rage and power behind it. Khogani didn’t expect her to fight, but to submit. Her breathing was being choked off. She gasped. And she threw a left cross meant to smash the bones of his nose directly up into his brain, killing him instantly. Only, he turned at the last moment. Her fist struck him in the side of the nose breaking it. The snapping sound could be heard around the room. Blood gushed out of his nose. He jerked up, surprise and agony in his eyes.

  He’d loosened his grip on Sarah’s throat, both his hands flying to his misshapen nose. He was screaming in pain. With a grunt, she used both her legs and threw him off her. Khogani crashed into the anxious guard. His AK-47 went flying out of his hand. Both men fell down into a tangled heap.

  Sarah leaped to her feet, lunging for the rifle. She had seconds. Gripping it, she rolled onto her back and fired at the second guard raising his weapon toward her.

  The guard screamed and was jerked backward, landing with a thud.

  Just as Sarah leaped to her feet, the AK-47 still in her hands, two huge explosions rocked the entire cave system. What the hell? And then, she heard the short, rapping sounds of M4s being fired.

  It was the SEALs!

  Gasping, she leaped beside Anas, her AK-47 pointed at Khogani, who was struggling to get to his hands and knees. The guard on the floor saw her aim at him. With a cry, he threw himself in front of his leader. The rifle roared in her hands. The guard screamed and buckled, falling into a slumped heap.

  “Look out!” Anas cried, pointing another direction.

  Whirling around, Sarah noticed another Taliban soldier racing into the room, confusion on his face.

  She fired. He fell. Jerking around, she looked for Khogani. Breathing hard, she rasped at Anas, “Where the hell did he go?” Anas had the boy, who clung to him, crying.

  “That way! The cell cave!”

  Sarah hissed a curse and ran as fast as she could on her wounded leg. She skidded to a halt, quickly taking one side of the small cave. It was empty!

  Turning, she heard more and more rifles firing. The throaty pop of the AK-47 was answering the SEAL’s M4s. They were coming for her!

  Sarah ran out of the cell cave. Anas jerked his finger toward the other cave exit.

  “This way! This way!”

  “To what?” Sarah demanded, her gaze nervous, flying around the cave, looking for more Taliban to arrive. Where the hell was Khogani?

  “There is a tunnel that leads outside, into the open. We must go! The Taliban will kill us! Run!”

  *

  The flashbangs went off. With both Taliban guards killed near the cave entrance, the two SEAL squads moved like silent apparitions toward the mouth. Master Chief Hunter crouched, gave the signal for Ethan and Trace to follow him. They had trained for this so many times it was like breathing. The SEALs peeled off to the right and to the left. Immediately, there was a pop, pop, pop of M4s engaging.

  Hunter moved swiftly straight ahead down the tunnel, his other two SEALs flanking him. Trace brought up the rear, always watching in case an enemy suddenly appeared from behind them. The noise of the rifle fire, the screams of Taliban and the acrid odor of the flashbangs filled the darkness.

  Ethan breathed hard, his eyes forward, gun in position. They raced down the passageway. They suddenly came into a large, lit cavern. It instantly destroyed their night vision. Flipping up their NVGs, they moved into the position of clearing the cave.

  Ethan could see a dark blue Persian carpet, a number of scattered silk cushions. As he moved toward a smaller cave, he spotted a cell in it. Sarah? Was she in there? Heart pumping, he cleared it, swinging his M4 muzzle from one position to another.

  Nothing.

  Gunfire was sporadic now. “Clear,” Ethan yelled. Master Chief Hunter signaled him to join them. The huge cave was empty. Four of the SEALs poured into the cave from the two other tunnels. There was another tunnel on the opposite side and he strode toward it, M4 ready. They discovered it was tunnel C. Moving swiftly and silently, making sure there were no intersections, they were soon outside, swallowed up by the night.

  Ethan breathed hard, sweat streaming down his temples as he turned and saw the other SEAL platoon taking prisoners. There were at least twenty people milling around. He heard the wail of a child. Where the hell was Sarah?

  “Anyone seen Chief Sarah Benson?” Hunter growled into his mic.

  Ethan was breathing hard, his chest pumping up and down. He waited, in anguish.

  “Over here, Master Chief,” a SEAL from the Bagram platoon replied. “She’s with that Saudi physician, Dr. Anas, and a little boy.”

  “Roger that.”

  Hunter gave Ethan a nod, which was the okay for him to take off running. His boots dug into the sand as he skirted the circle of SEALs who were now flex cuffing everyone, servants as well as what was left of the Taliban contingent.

  As he turned, Ethan spotted her.

  “Sarah!”

  Sarah turned, hearing Ethan’s hoarse cry. She was standing with Jamaal in her arms, and Dr. Anas was being cuffed by a big SEAL. Startled, she saw him in his balaclava, throwing up the NVGs on his helmet. She’d recognize Ethan’s body, the way he moved, anywhere. Tears jammed into her eyes as she walked, as if in a dream toward him. Jamaal’s legs were hanging against her hip, his arms tight around her neck, fearful.

  Ethan halted, taking off his helmet and pulling off his balaclava. He anxiously searched Sarah’s eyes. He didn’t give
a damn who was looking. He took a step forward and hauled her into his arms along with the young boy.

  “Are you all right?” he gasped, kissing her hair, her temple.

  “I’m fine, fine,” Sarah managed. And she turned, lifting her chin and meeting his mouth. Ethan kissed her hard and fast, his breath ragged against her nose and cheek.

  Stepping back, his hand on her arm, Ethan quickly looked her up and down. “Were you shot?”

  “Yeah,” she admitted. “Left calf. I’m okay.” She was sounding like a SEAL now. “I’m good. I’m okay.”

  Ethan knew that wasn’t true because even in the dark, he could see the terror in Sarah’s eyes, the adrenaline streaking through her. He looked at the boy.

  “Who is this?”

  Sarah quickly explained. She heard helicopters roaring in from the south. Reza joined them. He gave Sarah a big, welcoming smile.

  “Allah has protected you,” he said, joyfully shaking her hand.

  Sarah felt exhausted, the adrenaline crash coming. “Reza? Can you take Jamaal? He was kidnapped by Khogani from his Shinwari village. Could you talk with him? See if he can tell you where he lives and then take him home? He’s been through so much….”

  Reza nodded and smiled up at Jamaal, speaking softly in Pashto to him. The boy was unafraid of him. Reza held out his hands toward him, asking if he’d like to go home to his mother and father.

  Jamaal looked up at Sarah

  “It’s time for you to go home,” she told him softly, kissing his damp cheek. “Reza is a good and trusted friend of mine. You will be safe with him, Jamaal.”

  The boy stretched his arms out toward Reza.

  Sarah stood with Ethan and watched as the Afghan carried the boy toward the cave.

  “Did you get Khogani?” she demanded.

  “I haven’t heard. You’ve seen him. Can you recognize him in the group we’ve cuffed?” He pointed toward the people all sitting down now, hands cuffed behind them.

  “Give me your NVGs,” Sarah said.

  Ethan handed her the helmet and she put it on her head, bringing the NVGs down and flicking them on. She stood viewing the fifteen people sitting on the ground.