by M A Comley
“Okay, don’t do anything to make me regret my decision, Kayli. That’s a warning.”
Kayli nodded and smiled broadly. “I won’t, I promise.”
The three of them left the vehicle and used the shadows of the buildings for cover as they ran down the street to join the others. They heard a gunshot ahead of them and stopped briefly in their tracks until Jacko shouted, “Come on, let’s shift it up a gear.”
They surged forward and found the two guards propped up against the wall, both dead, their throats slit open. Lying ahead of them in the road was Abdul. He had a gunshot wound in his head and the blood was seeping from the hole.
“One of the fuckers shot him before he had the chance to open his mouth. Guess they realised he was up to something and decided to wipe him out,” Mac said, eyeing his contact with a look of resignation.
“Pat them down. They must have a key for the lock,” Jacko ordered.
Kayli gasped and stared at the door.
Giles swiftly ran to her side and flung an arm around her shoulders. “What is it?”
Her gaze met his, and she whispered, “It’s the door in my dreams. He’s in there... he has to be.”
“Don’t worry, Kayli. We’ve got this,” Giles reassured her.
Bandy handed Jacko a key for the lock. He opened it and removed the rusty metal, tossing it aside in the road. He inched the door open. Beads of sweat broke out on Kayli’s brow.
Giles squeezed her shoulder. “Stay strong, love.”
Her palms were clammy, and she wiped them down her leggings. Her fear of confined spaces reared its ugly head when she least needed it.
“Watch there’s not a booby trap inside, Jacko,” Bandy shouted.
Jacko gave him a thumbs-up and eased the door open wider. “Shit!” he shouted and stepped back to address his men. “There are two cobras in there guarding him.”
Mac laughed. “Is that all? I can deal with them. I have a python at home.”
The other men stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. He squeezed past Jacko and stepped into the cave. Moments later, he emerged with a wicker basket in his hands. “They’re safely tucked up in bed now. Maybe they would have been better using a couple of Rottweilers instead.”
“Except they can’t stand dogs in this country.” Giles chuckled.
“Guys, can we stop with the crap and get in there and save Mark?” Kayli shoved Giles towards the cave.
“After you,” Mac called out.
She shook her head. “I can’t. I have a phobia of confined spaces.”
“Crap. Okay, he’s alive. However, you need to prepare yourself, Kayli,” Mac warned.
“What the hell does that mean?” She rushed forward and pushed open the door. Her eyes took a little while to adjust to the dark within the cave. “Mark, baby, we’re here.”
“Kayli... Kayli, is that you?”
The sound of his voice was enough for her to forget all about her fears. She swiftly ran into the cave and knelt beside him. “Quick, get me some water.” His lips were cracked almost to the point of bleeding. His hands were chained to a large ring in the wall above his head. He wore trousers but nothing else. His chest had deep gashes as if he had been whipped by the bastards, and his ribs were visible under his dirty skin.
Giles knelt beside her and passed her a water bottle. “Hello, mate. I see you’ve been hanging around, waiting for us to arrive,” her brother joked.
His quip earned him a dig in the ribs from Kayli before she placed the bottle to her lover’s lips.
When Mark nodded for her to stop, she lowered the bottle and ran a hand down his grubby cheek. He flinched at her touch.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, searching his face for injuries.
“The bastards yanked out a couple of my back teeth,” Mark replied, his voice sounding a little more like normal since his vocal cords had been moistened.
“Fuck. That’s tough, mate,” Giles said. “Never mind, at least it won’t affect your smile.”
Mark grinned. “That’s a relief. Kayli would tear my nuts off if I didn’t have a decent set of gnashers for the wedding.”
She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Ain’t that the truth?”
“Okay, lovefest over. Step aside Kayli. Let’s rid him of these chains and get the fuck out of here before anyone else turns up,” Jacko ordered.
Kayli left Mark’s side and stood guard at the entrance as the men unshackled him. Even though her heart felt much lighter now that they’d found him, she doubted if she would feel a hundred percent happy until they were safely back on the plane heading home.
She almost jumped out of her skin when a pair of arms circled her waist. Turning, she saw Mark smiling down at her. He whispered, “Can we go home now?”
Kayli kissed him. The other men cheered before Jacko broke up the party by ordering them to get back to the car.
“Where do we go from here?” Kayli asked once they were all squashed into the car.
Jacko held up a finger, telling her to be patient, and called someone on his mobile. “That’s brilliant. We’ll be there in fifteen to twenty.” He ended the call and swivelled in his seat to talk to Mark. “I’ve arranged for an army doctor to check you out, mate. I doubt you’ll be given the all-clear to travel until they’ve done that.”
“I understand. Any chance we can stop off and get some grub on the way? My fuel tank is empty. As soon as that’s replenished, I know I’m going to feel tons better.” He smiled at Kayli and placed her hand to his lips.
“No problem, mate. We’ll make a slight detour up ahead,” Jacko replied.
Kayli held hands with Mark, unable to let him go until they reached a small market area. Bandy and Mac left the vehicle to gather supplies. Everyone was hungry, but that was an understatement to what Mark must have been feeling.
“Hey, you need to slow down and savour your food,” Kayli warned him.
Mark tore into the chicken and shrugged at Kayli. “It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve had a proper meal. They fed me on scraps, tortured me by eating their own meals in front of me.”
“The bastards. You’ll never go through that again, Mark. You’re safe now.”
With sticky lips, he kissed her on the cheek before tucking into the chicken again. No matter how many warnings they gave him about slowing down, it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen.
~ ~ ~
They arrived at the military base in Kabul and ushered Mark in to see the doctor. Giles told Jacko and his men to head off, but they insisted on staying around until Mark had been given the all-clear.
Kayli was by Mark’s side during his examination. “So, what’s the prognosis, Doctor? Will he live?”
The doctor smiled. “There are a few more tests I’d like to run, possibly keep him in overnight just in case he relapses. However, I don’t think that’s likely to happen. His blood pressure and heart are near normal, remarkable considering what he’s been through. I’ll get one of the nurses to clean up his wounds and check in on him later this evening.”
Mark tutted and puffed out his cheeks. “Hey, Doc, I was hoping to get out of this shithole today. Umm... by that, I mean the country, not the hospital.”
Kayli patted his hand and smiled. “Another twenty-four hours isn’t going to hurt, Mark.”
“I suppose.”
The doctor nodded. “Twenty-four hours maximum, I swear. I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I released you before we had a chance to study the test results. You’re safe here.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Kayli shook the doctor’s hand. When he left the room, she hugged Mark tightly. “He’s right. What’s another twenty-four hours? It’ll give Giles time to organise the trip back home.”
Mark smiled. “You’re right. I’m glad you’re here, babe.”
“So am I.” A nurse appeared. “I’ll leave you in safe hands and bring the guys up to date.” She kissed him on the cheek and left the room.
The
four men were pacing the hallway, eager to hear the news.
“Well? What did the doc say, sis?”
Kayli walked over to her brother, her eyes misting up with tears. “He’s not prepared to give him the all-clear for another twenty-four hours. He has a few tests to run, but he doesn’t see them being a problem.”
Giles let out a relieved sigh and gathered her in his arms. “Thank God.”
She pulled out of his grasp and turned to face the other men. She placed a hand over her chest as she spoke, “Guys, I want to thank you with all my heart for helping us to free Mark. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Aww shucks,” Mac said, “does this mean you’ll be putting us on your Christmas-card list from now on, Kayli?”
She laughed. “Ever the wise guy. Hey, I owe you all a steak dinner.”
Jacko, looking serious, took a step towards her and reached for her hand. He held it between both of his. “It was our pleasure, little lady. We never leave a man behind. Giles has our number. Let us know when the arrangements have been made to take you home.”
“We will. Thanks again, guys. You’re genuine heroes in my eyes.”
Bandy winked at her. “Hey, you’re not so bad yourself, love. Not many wives or girlfriends would leave Blighty to fly out here to rescue their man.”
“I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing that if Giles hadn’t agreed to accompany me. I’m so grateful to you all.”
Giles slung an arm around her shoulder. “I couldn’t let my kid sister down.”
Jacko cleared his throat. “We better get a shift on. Ring us with an update, mate. It was good to see you again.”
Kayli and Giles hugged each of the men before they set off down the hallway. “I can see why you and Mark loved being in the army so much now.”
“Yeah, maybe it’s something we should both consider going back to in the near future.”
Her head snapped round to look at him. “I hope you’re winding me up?”
His face was deadly serious for a second or two, then he punched her in the arm. “Of course I am. Glad we managed to get him back, love. He seems okay. Not sure if that’s because you’re here, though.”
“I’m so relieved and grateful to you guys for your support. I guess we’ll have to see how Mark recovers over the coming weeks.”
“There’s one good thing.”
Kayli frowned. “There’s more than one, but what are you getting at?”
“He didn’t even notice you’d chopped your hair off.”
Kayli chuckled. “I’m not sure whether to be upset or thankful about that.”
~ ~ ~
The hospital had a couple of spare beds for Giles and Kayli to use that night, and once Kayli’s head hit the pillow, she slept soundly for the first time in weeks. After the doctor gave Mark the all-clear the next morning, they boarded the plane and flew back to England via Turkey.
Giles had volunteered to ring their parents to share the good news. She was overjoyed to see her mum and dad waiting for them in the arrivals lounge, along with Annabelle and Bobby. It was a tearful reunion for everyone.
Her mum and dad insisted on taking them all out for a meal on the way home. Despite wanting to get reacquainted with each other properly, Kayli and Mark agreed. It turned out to be a wonderful family evening and proved to Kayli once again, how lucky she was to have such a caring and loving support network.
EPILOGUE
Over the next week, Kayli doted on Mark. It had taken nearly losing him forever for her to realise how much she loved him. He truly was her soulmate. Reluctantly, she kissed him goodbye and returned to work on the Monday of the following week.
The team made a genuine fuss over her as soon as she walked into the incident room. At just gone nine, she received a call summoning her for a meeting with DCI Davis.
Tentatively, she opened the door to the DCI’s office. “Safe to come in, ma’am?”
Davis gave her a sincere welcoming smile and gestured for Kayli to join her. Pushing her paperwork aside, she folded her arms. “Well, that’s something I wasn’t expecting to see.”
Kayli’s brow furrowed. “What’s that, ma’am?”
“You with short hair. How did that come about? Actually, I have a spare ten minutes. I want to know all about your mission.”
It was the last thing Kayli had expected to hear when she’d stepped into the room. Once she’d recounted every detail of her adventure, DCI Davis was left shaking her head. “That’s it in a nutshell. We swooped in and saved him.”
“You’re amazing. A seriously ballsy character, Kayli Bright. It’s an absolute privilege to have you on my team.”
She felt her cheeks warm. “Thank you. I must say I’m pretty proud of what went down myself, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Giles and his mates. If they hadn’t joined up with us, I dread to think what the outcome would have been.”
“Then don’t think about it. I’m so pleased for you. I’m also impressed that you managed to do it within your allocated two-week holiday.”
They both laughed.
“The consequences were always prominent in my mind if I didn’t succeed, ma’am,” Kayli admitted.
“That’s bullshit, Inspector, and you know it. Okay, now bugger off. You have a bit of catching up to do, I believe. You’ll be pleased to know that Dave has coped admirably in your absence.”
“I never doubted it for an instant, ma’am.” She left her seat and walked towards the door.
“By the way. I’ve arranged for us to have a drink after work to celebrate you all solving the Sarah Abel case. We never did get a chance to do that before you swanned off on your little adventure.”
“Oh? When?”
“This evening, at five o’clock smart at the pub across the road, as usual.”
Kayli’s heart sank. She knew that by the end of the day, all she would want to do was rush home to be in Mark’s arms again. Their time together over the last week had been very special, and she had hoped to continue spoiling him once she was back at work. “I’ll look forward to it, ma’am. Mind if it’s only a brief get-together?”
“Not at all. See you later. Oh and you’ll be pleased to know that I had a word with Gary Young, told him we’d caught the real killer. He accepted my apology and agreed to drop any charges against you that he was contemplating making.”
“That’s a relief. Thanks, ma’am.”
Kayli rushed back to the incident room to inform the rest of the team and announce the DCI’s plans for that evening. They all seemed excited by the prospect, which only made her thoughts about returning home quickly seem selfish.
While she was caught up on the paperwork piled high on her desk, Dave filled her in on the couple of minor cases the team had solved in her absence.
At four fifty-five, DCI Davis poked her head around Kayli’s office door, startling her. “Leave that, and yes, that’s an order. We have a celebration to attend.”
Together, the team entered the pub. Kayli was taken aback when she saw her family standing in the pub’s banquet suite. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Her heart sank when she looked around and noticed that everyone was there except for Mark.
The family beamed at her but said nothing. Suddenly, Bryan Adams’s voice flooded through the speakers. Her breath caught in her throat. Everything I Do was Kayli and Mark’s tune. She shook her head, puzzled. She saw Annabelle reach for something from the chair behind her. It was a beautiful cream wedding dress.
Kayli gasped. “That’s beautiful, but I don’t understand...”
The crowd before her parted to reveal Mark, standing alongside a woman in her fifties. Kayli’s legs faltered as she walked slowly towards him. He was wearing a grey wedding suit and looked devilishly handsome.
“Kayli Bright, will you do me the honour of being my wife?”
Tears slipped onto her cheeks. “Of course.”
She was suddenly swept up into a tornado of activity. Annabelle and her mother whisk
ed her off to the ladies’ toilet, where they tore off her work suit and dressed her in the bridal gown. Annabelle then applied her makeup while her mother tried to do something fancy with her short hair. Everything happened in a blur, and within fifteen minutes, she was standing alongside Mark as the wedding celebrant conducted the ceremony. She didn’t even remember uttering the words “I do,” but she must have, because now she was displaying a wedding band on her left hand.
The last two weeks her emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride, but this truly was the icing on the cake. To be Mrs. Mark Wren was all she’d ever wanted, and if it hadn’t been for her steely determination to bring him home, she doubted they would be standing here now, celebrating her dream.
THE END
Thank you for reading HIDDEN AGENDA; I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I loved writing it.
If you liked it, please consider posting a short review as genuine feedback is what makes all the lonely hours writers spend producing their work worthwhile.
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