Cover of Darkness

by Kaylea Cross

Tehrazzi wondered again how trustworthy this contact was. If money could buy his loyalty for the Americans, then it should be easy enough for Tehrazzi to buy his loyalty back. But how much did he know?

  This game Fahdi had involved himself in was dangerous enough without knowing everyone’s dirty secrets. He would be wise to turn a blind eye to everything and simply be the messenger he was being paid to be. But perhaps Fahdi could do more for their Muslim brothers and sisters suffering under this terrible occupation.

  “Move in,” Tehrazzi transmitted to his bodyguard.

  “With pleasure,” Assoud responded.

  Fahdi picked up his pace when footsteps sounded behind him, and Tehrazzi knew why. Sunni death squads prowled the area at night. Fahdi must know anyone could have followed him here. And sometimes, those you thought were friends were more dangerous than your known enemies.

  On screen, Assoud closed in and laid a heavy hand on Fahdi’s shoulder.

  Fahdi whirled around. “Jesus and Allah,” he breathed, recognizing Assoud. He placed a trembling hand over his heart. “I am unarmed, as always.” He handed over the paper bag containing the required money.

  Assoud stared hard at him then systematically frisked him, stepping back only when he found no weapons. “You’re early.”

  Three more of Tehrazzi’s men stepped out of the shadows, menacing with their silence and rifles. Fahdi swallowed and glanced between the newcomers and Assoud.

  “The woman. Is she here?”

  Fahdi nodded. “They brought her this morning.”

  Yes, right after they escaped me in Damascus. Tehrazzi zoomed in.

  Assoud grunted. The thin scar on his chin stretched as he smiled. “You know what happened to the Syrian and his informant last night?” His hand idly stroked the jeweled hilt of a dagger sheathed at his hip, reminding Fahdi that Masood had been assassinated, and his spy had returned without a tongue, courtesy of that very same knife.

  “Y-yes.”

  “You would not do anything to deserve such a fate, would you?”

  “No.” He took a step back.

  “Your family would be very glad to hear you say that.”

  Fahdi paled. “You swore,” he croaked. “You swore you would not hurt them if I helped you.”

  Tehrazzi was unmoved by the fear in his voice.

  With a jerk of his head, Assoud called the other three men forward, and gripped Fahdi’s arms to propel him toward the steel door of the third building down the street. Another camera followed their progress. Fahdi struggled for a moment, but the attempt was useless. He was trapped, and had nowhere to run if he did manage to break free.

  “My employer is most anxious to meet you,” Assoud said.

  “T-Tehrazzi?”

  “Keep your mouth shut.”

  On screen, Fahdi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to swallow his terror. Tehrazzi knew what he was seeing in front of him. The shadowed building he occupied lay ahead, its beige concrete walls bleak. Most men who saw the inside of it never came out again.

  Despite the informant’s resistance, Assoud muscled him toward his fate.

  “I-I only work with the Americans to provide money for my family.”

  Exactly. And thus he would do anything to save his loved ones. Anything Tehrazzi wanted.

  Assoud shoved him. “If you walk out of here alive, know that you are being watched wherever you go. No place is safe for you to hide from us.”

  “Bring him to me now,” Tehrazzi commanded, growing impatient with the way Assoud toyed with his victim. Timing here was critical, as he had an important meeting to attend in Najaf that evening.

  He had no doubt the interview with this Iraqi civilian would be quick. Within a few minutes of the bodyguard’s questioning, they would know exactly where Fahdi’s loyalties lay and how best to exploit them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Day 11, Baghdad

  When Luke came out of the office early next morning, Bryn was waiting for him, munching on a banana. The furrow in her brow told him she had something on her mind.

  She tossed her hair back. “Does Tehrazzi know I’m here?”

  Luke took a sip of his steaming coffee. They’d been so goddamn close to getting him in Damascus. He’d been stunned to see Tehrazzi in the club doorway with his bodyguard. The closest he’d come to him in six years, and Luke had failed to get him. It drove him nuts. “Yes, as of last night.”

  He couldn’t tell her any more, though. Fahdi had made brief contact to say he’d delivered the message to Tehrazzi, then hung up. Odd, since he was usually a gregarious sort.

  The plan was to clear up a thing or two about one of his team members. Davis and Ali were out there now, sniffing around for more information. In case Bryn was right and Tehrazzi had known she was going to be at the club in Damascus, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  Davis and Rhys had both reported Sam acting suspiciously. Little things. Nervous behavior. And she was friends with Fahdi and his wife. Luke doubted it meant anything important, but he wasn’t willing to risk not following up on it. Besides, he had one other person on his radar as well. Both of them were being watched carefully.

  Bryn pitched the peel into the garbage and folded her arms. “And what does that mean for me?”

  “Nothing, yet.”

  She blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not a machine, you know. I have feelings, nerve endings. I don’t want to sit around waiting like a staked goat for Tehrazzi to come and get me. So what am I supposed to do? Sit inside twiddling my thumbs? Is it safe for me to go outside at all?”

  He shrugged, though secretly he was impressed by her grit. “As safe as you going anywhere in Baghdad.” If someone as observant and paranoid as Davis could get caught up in a suicide bombing, then anyone could.

  “I did agree to come along for the ride,” she allowed. “And while I understand your need for secrecy, I would appreciate you letting me know where I stand in terms of your current plans for Tehrazzi.”

  He tried not to let his amusement show, admiring the way she stood up to him. Few people attempted it. “That was a polite way of asking me what the hell I’m doing.”

  He had her. He could tell she was fighting back a smile.

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Nothing’s changed. As long as you’re covered by one of us, you can come and go as you please. Stay with Sam if you want. Hell, go shopping. Tehrazzi’s not in the city, or we’d have found out about it. For now, we wait.”

  Until they discovered whether they had a mole, or located Tehrazzi. Which might not be comforting, but at least he’d given her an honest answer. He didn’t have any firm plans for her yet.

  “Okay.” She studied him. “By the way, I have a business proposition for you.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “What kind of proposition?”

  “I know you’re thinking of starting your own contracting firm.”

  “I am.”

  “And you know I’ve inherited my father’s estate.”

  His attention sharpened. “Yeah.”

  “Thing is, I’m not sure what to do with it. I don’t intend to live in Beirut, but I don’t want to sell, or rent it out to someone I don’t know and trust.”

  “So what are you telling me?”

  “I wondered if you might be interested in renting the place from me to use it as your headquarters. I mean, Beirut is a pretty good place for a guy like you to set up, don’t you think?”

  “You’ve obviously given this some thought.”

  “Well, since you’re Rayne’s dad and Emily’s ex and a friend of my father’s, it feels right to ask you. I think he would have approved.”

  No wonder she got along so well with Rayne and Emily. She had spunk in spades. He smiled, a genuine eye-crinkling, teeth-flashing smile. A rarity, these days. “I’ll think about it.”

  ****

  That evening Bryn lay on her bunk staring up at the ceiling. Dec and Luke were in the next room going over some new intel, and the twins were w
ith Sam and Fahdi somewhere in the city. Ali was out on an expedition, prowling for information. That Davis guy had come in for a private meeting with Luke. Everyone had a purpose here but her.

  She’d spent most of the day with Sam, helping her out with mundane tasks. Bryn wondered if Ben had noticed Sam’s sidelong glances. Probably. When it came to female interest, Ben was a human radar.

  Bryn sighed. If she didn’t find something to do soon, she was going to go crazy.

  She found Dec and Luke in the nerve center, bent over some maps, three computer screens glowing. Dec straightened to look at her, and that damned flutter went off again in her belly.

  “Hey.”

  She blew out a breath, silently scolding herself for her reaction. “Can I help with anything?”

  The two men looked at each other.

  “Filing? Sorting?” She felt stupid. She’d done worse than intrude on them, she was an annoyance. She wanted to shrink into herself. She hated having nothing to contribute.

  Resigning herself to an evening climbing the walls, she pivoted on her heel. A cell phone rang and after a short pause, Luke spoke to Dec.

  “Ali’s got a lockdown on Tehrazzi.”

  Bryn froze in the doorway. Her heart bumped hard. Would Luke use her now?

  His face was relaxed, but his eyes were intense as he listened to whatever Ali said. “Roger that,” he replied. “I’ll contact you once we’re airborne. Rendezvous at the insertion point.”

  Disconnecting, he said to Dec, “Helo’s meeting us at the airfield in twenty minutes. This intel is perishable, might not last more than a couple of hours.” Then he studied her thoughtfully.

  Her stomach clenched.

  “What are we gonna do with you?”

  She didn’t know.

  “You can’t stay here without someone to guard you. You’ll have to come with us.”

  Her eyes widened, shot to Dec. His jaw was taut. “I—”

  “If Tehrazzi’s not in the village we’re going to, he’s somewhere close by,” Luke said. “If he finds out you’re there…”

  He might come out of hiding. “You want me to go into the village with you?”

  “If necessary, yes.”

  Her heart rate doubled. “But I’m not—”

  “If you have to go in, I’ll go with you.”

  She glanced at Dec.

  “Up to you,” he said. “No one’s going to force you if you’re not comfortable with it.”

  Meaning he wished she’d say no. She might have, but going along could mean finishing this off tonight. If it worked, she could be on her way home tomorrow. And her father’s death would be avenged.

  She was tempted.

  “Think about it during the flight,” Luke coaxed. “If you decide not to go in, you can stay on the chopper after we insert, and then one of the guys can pick you up at the airfield. But right now we’ve got to move.”

  “Okay.”

  Dec pulled an armored vest over her and donned his web gear, then from the gun lockers collected two pistols, ammunition and a rifle. As her brain finally figured out that they were going downrange, her whole system buzzed with nervous energy.

  In the Hummer she found herself speeding through the darkened streets, Dec on his radio to Sam and the twins. At the airfield a helicopter awaited them, rotors turning. Dec helped her aboard, settling her into her seat and fixing her up with a helmet and earphones. Within seconds they were loaded and airborne, the ground falling away beneath them until the lights of Baghdad twinkled below.

  Over the radio Luke and Dec planned the mission with the backup team at the TOC. Trained to be calm and capable under pressure, Dec smeared camo paint on his face and throat, the backs of his hands.

  The men synchronized their watches, discussing things with too many abbreviations and acronyms for her to grasp more than the basics, which was probably a good thing. The helo banked to the left, the desert below a darkening landscape of shadows, a sea of sand illuminated by the thin crescent moon.

  “Well,” Luke said, “you coming or not?”

  Bryn chewed her lip. Tehrazzi didn’t know they were coming. They had the element of surprise on their side. Dec and Luke would protect her. Besides, if Tehrazzi was where the intel said he was, she wouldn’t even have to go to the village.

  Do it, Bryn. Get the job done and you can go home.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes.”

  Through the earphones Dec started briefing her. “Luke can take point, and you can stay back with me. It won’t take that long to hike in and out—way less than you did with me in Syria.”

  Oh yeah, she felt so much better about this. Where was an airsick bag when she needed one? She didn’t know the first thing about the kind of mission they were supposed to execute. What if she did something wrong? Blew their cover, slowed them down? She twisted her chilled fingers together.

  She flinched when Dec took her by the shoulder and pulled her toward him, his warm fingers smoothing something cool and moist on her face. Cammying her up, so her fair skin wouldn’t give them away. She shivered, realized she’d clamped her hand around his hard forearm, and closed her eyes.

  “You’re going to have to touch down,” Luke said to the pilot. “She won’t be able to fast-rope in.”

  “Roger that.”

  Oh, God. She was already compromising their safety, wasn’t she?

  “Bryn, look at me.”

  Her eyes swung up to Dec’s face, his golden eyes emphasized by the dark greasepaint.

  “This’ll be a piece of cake. You’ll see.”

  He always tried so hard to convince her she wasn’t a burden. “Okay.”

  A few minutes later the rotors whined and the helo slowed for descent. Dec and Luke checked their gear one last time, and then Dec placed a different helmet on her head, secured the strap under her chin and pulled something over her eyes. “Night-vision goggles. Wait ‘til you tell your friends.”

  Yeah. If she lived through this, it would definitely be a cool story.

  His hand landed on her shoulder again, his touch solid, lending her courage. “When we set down, keep your head low and jump out, then run until I stop you. Luke will be in front, and Ali will be waiting for us.”

  She nodded, making the too-large helmet bob, eyes adjusting to the goggles that lit the pitch-black landscape with a weird green glow. Luke maneuvered to the doorway, rifle in hand, and as soon as the wheels bumped against the ground, he was gone.

  Bryn leapt out and took off after him as fast as she could in her crouch. Her hair whipped around where it emerged from under the helmet, the wash from the rotors creating a miniature sandstorm that beat against her clothes.

  At a run, she followed Luke to a dune, the pulse of the helicopter growing fainter. When he went to his knees, Bryn felt a hand on her back, Dec right behind her. He placed a finger to his lips and motioned for her to get down. Trying her best to breathe slowly and quietly, she dropped onto her belly and held still while the two men took their bearings and assessed the situation. Without a two-way radio, she couldn’t hear their communications.

  “Clear,” Luke confirmed.

  “Clear,” Dec echoed.

  Letting out a relieved breath, she awaited further instruction. Where was Ali?

  Dec hunkered next to her. “Okay?”

  She nodded, afraid to speak.

  “Follow Luke, but stay back a little ways. Keep quiet unless there’s an emergency. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She nodded again, realized she’d grabbed his hand and let go abruptly. When Luke got to his feet she stayed a few steps back and copied his every move like a mime, careful to place her feet in his prints in the sand. Paranoia overwhelmed her brain, forming images of landmines and trip wires. Her heart drummed against her chest like a crazy metronome.

  Their feet swished through the sand as they moved, quickly now, her vision fixed on the back of Luke’s head as it turned this way and that, scanning the horizon, weap
on always poised. Unarmed as she was, if they did run into trouble she wouldn’t be any help unless she found rocks small enough for her to throw. She clamped her teeth together to stem the burst of hysterical laughter.

  Suck it up, Bryn. One foot in front of the other. Pay attention.

  They hiked across the desert for what seemed like a long time—long enough for blisters to form where the backs od her heels and baby toes rubbed against the insides of her boots.

  Coming to a rise, Luke slowed his pace, signaled for her to stop and crawled forward over the crest on his forearms. Dec came up beside her and laid a hand on her back, in reassurance or command, she wasn’t sure. After a few seconds, Luke disappeared from view. Dec’s hand pressed against her shoulder blades, keeping her still.

  Every fiber of her being tuned to the man next to her, the warmth of his body imbued with the scent of soap and musk that was all Dec. As impossible as it seemed, a sense of calm stole over her.

  They stayed like that for a few minutes longer, Dec’s hand warm against her spine. The instant his body tensed, she whipped her head around to look at him.

  “Copy that,” he murmured into his mic, peering down at her through his goggles. “Ali’s confirmed the target’s in the house. Luke’s going to order a drone strike and paint the target with a laser while we stay here for cover support.”

  House? Out here? She glanced up at the sky. Were drones flying around up there? Unreal. She’d seen stuff like this on CNN, but never dreamed she’d experience it firsthand. Now that she had a front row seat, she would rather have passed on the opportunity.

  “I’m going to creep a little further to keep an eye on things, but you can stay here if you want,” he added in a whisper.

  Oh. He meant she might feel better not witnessing the explosion, human lives being lost. How many people were in that house, anyway? And how did Luke know if they were all terrorists or not?

  He couldn’t know, and maybe he didn’t care. So long as Tehrazzi was killed, collateral damage was justified. Could he be that cold-blooded? So callous? Yes, he really could. The blood drained from her face.

  “Bryn? What do you want to do?”