“Camos head to foot.”
An MP nodded. “That fits everyone on base. Okay, then, listen up. If anyone comes in contact with her, he is to notify Base Command as fast as possible. Is that clear?”
Steve nodded and frowned. What is going on? he wondered.
The MP seemed to read his mind. “She shot and killed a member of the Blackbrier Unit, man by the name of Sokolovic,” he said. “We know she and Sokolovic have ties to Bosnia and Serbia. That blood feud between the two may have something to do with the shooting tonight.”
Steve stiffened at the name. So she did it, he thought. He looked around at the bustling activity, listening without hearing to the excited babble in the room. After searching through Alina’s bunk, the MPs left. He walked outside to see the stream of Blackbrier Hummers racing for the gate.
“Oh, Alina,” he said aloud. “What have you gotten yourself into?”
Chapter 28
Morning found Alina asleep on the couch. The sound of pots clanging caused her to rise with a start, the gun instantly in her hand.
“Oh, I am so sorry to wake you,” Dersima said from the adjacent kitchen. “I was about to make breakfast. Would you care to join me?”
Alina put the gun in her back waistband and went into the kitchen.
“I trust you slept well, Alina.”
She shook her head. “I wish. Tossed and turned all night. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
“With all that has been happening to you, I can understand that. Here, have a seat. I will get you something to eat.”
Alina sat at the table. She noticed pictures of a child on the wall. “Is this your son?”
Dersima continued cooking when she nodded. “He was killed when the Americans started bombing our city.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you hate the Americans for what they did?”
Dersima shook her head, turned around and smiled. “No. Hatred is not the will of Allah. There is no room for hate in our lives, only love and peace. That is Allah’s will. That is the way Ramyar and I try to live. The war took our son, not the Americans. Yes, we grieve, but no amount of fighting will bring our son back. That would just bring more death. And with more death, more pain. There is enough death and pain in this world already.”
“If it were my son, I would be fighting the Americans to the last breath.”
Dersima shook her head again. “Did you not learn anything last night? No peace or satisfaction can come from bloodshed. The best way to deal with loss is to find a way to accept it and move on. Killing will not bring back my son. Killing cannot provide peace in any form. Peace can only come from within. That is what you truly seek—peace. You thought you would find it with a gun, but you haven’t, have you? No, the only road to peace is to love first, then forgive.”
Alina looked at her. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
“With all my being.”
Dersima poured Alina some black tea then turned back to the counter.
“How can you love someone who took your family away? I don’t understand that.”
“Love has many meanings. There is love between a man and a woman, and there is a love that embraces all human beings. We treat all we meet with the same respect. That is why we embraced you when you came into our house. That is why we have not joined the rebels. They kill just to kill. As Ramyar said last night, they are but sheep that have been led astray. They have been brainwashed into thinking anyone that is not like them should be put to death. This is wrong. It is wrong in the eyes of the world. It is wrong in the eyes of Allah.”
“And you think I have been led astray, is that it?” Alina said.
“You have been led to believe the only way to slake your thirst for justice is to kill them. I believe Allah sent you to us so we could tell you of the other way.”
Dersima set an assortment of flat bread, honey, and yogurt on the table.
“Sent to you,” Alina said. “God sent me to you? Is that why I barged through your door?”
“And not another. Allah brought our paths together for a reason.”
Alina took a piece of bread and broke it. “Don’t you think that killing is sometimes justified? I think there are times it is the only way to achieve justice.”
Dersima shook her head. “That is so sad for a person to think that way. There is so much love to be had in this world for you to be so bent on hate, so much to live for that you should be focused on death. You are willing to die in order to kill your enemies. Yet your dying will not avenge your family’s death. Murdering your enemies will just bring you more pain.”
“That man I mentioned yesterday said the same thing.”
Dersima gave a sad smile. “Then he is a wise man indeed. It is written, one must forgive their enemies in order to find the kingdom of Heaven, and so we have forgiven the Americans for taking away our boy.”
“You forgave them? I bet that took a lot.”
“Not so much as you might think. For us, forgiveness comes easily. There was a time when I had a hard time forgiving, but Ramyar taught me how. And that is what we try to teach everyone. You don’t know how to forgive because you never tried. When you learn how to let go of your hate, to stop blaming your God for how life has treated you, then you will understand. Accept your circumstances, build on them, and move on. Accept that bad things happen to good people. It is not Allah’s doing. God does not make bad things happen. It is just the way of the corrupt world in which we live. Only with the proper attitude can you find true happiness. Only when you let go of your current self can you find that peace within you so desperately want. Only then can you find your God. Perhaps that is why he lets the adversity happen, to see what we will do, how we will react.”
Alina said, “So I should just let it go, then?”
Dersima shook her head. “Do not to stop bringing these men to justice. You must do that.” She placed her hand on Alina’s. “You must find a way to find yourself in all of this. I believe you must stop those men, but in accordance to your law.”
“You mean I should put them in jail.”
“If that is what your law decides, then yes.”
“And death?”
“That is not for you to decide. You are but the messenger.”
“Yes, but if it came right down to it, him or me, I’ve got to kill him, don’t I?”
Dersima looked Alina in the eye and said, “After all that you have learned, you will know the answer when that time comes.”
~~~
Delic and his men pulled over on the street where he had lost Alina during the night. He looked at his monitor from the drone feed. With it, he could see four blocks in all directions.
“Anything?” the driver asked.
Delic shook his head. “It’s still too dark. Hard to scan from this altitude.” He picked up his radio and pressed the key. “We’re going to have to do this the hard way. Get out and form two squads, one on each side of the street. We’ll do a house-to-house search. She must be hiding in one of them.”
The men dressed in black put on their helmets and goggles. They adjusted their gun belts and piled outside their cars, forming two lines.
Delic addressed them. His sleeve was ripped off. White gauze wrapped his damaged arm. “All right,” he said. “This is where I lost her. You all know what to do. Take each house one by one. Search everything. If anyone resists, shoot them. They’re probably insurgents anyway. The woman we’re looking for cannot be far away. She must be in this one-block radius. We have one hour before the base commander gets involved. The colonel is taking care of that. He’s buying us time to do this ourselves, to pay back blood for blood. So let’s get to it.”
The men split into two groups and headed to the houses at the beginning of the street. They did not bother to knock, opting for kicking in the doors and panning the interiors with rifles up and ready. They shouted basic commands of “get down” in Arabic. Women’s screams of terror filled the morning air.
“Are you sure we’r
e doing the right thing, Captain?” the driver asked. “If word of this gets back to Johnson, we’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“Not if our search turns up that woman. It all depends on if we can find her in time.”
The men reported negative results on the first two houses and were preparing to enter the adjacent ones. Delic acknowledged them and then put down the radio. He grimaced, holding his left arm. It was the first time he acknowledged his pain.
“Why don’t you let the doctors give you something?” the driver asked.
Delic shook his head. “I want to be clear when we find her. Believe me, I’m going to enjoy watching this one die. The pain will only make my revenge that much sweeter.”
~~~
Alina was the first to hear the sound of shouting. She went to the front window and parted the curtains. She retrieved her gun and came away quickly.
“They’re outside. They are looking for me.”
“You stay here. You are safe here,” Dersima said.
“You don’t understand. These men would just as soon kill you—especially if they find out you helped me. They will have to assume I told you of their drug operation, and for that you will die.”
“If we die this day, it is the will of Allah,” Ramyar said. He entered the living room buttoning his shirt. “Dersima, put her in the room. I will deal with these gentlemen.”
Dersima hurried Alina to the back of the house. She stopped in the hallway and used a hammer to pry a piece of plywood from the wall. It covered a doorway.
“Get in here,” she said. “Hurry!”
Alina went inside. Dersima closed the opening with the plywood board and hammered it shut.
The room was dark, lit only by a small window located at the top of the far wall. There was no furniture, just a bare concrete floor. Alina concluded this must have been their son’s room when he was alive. She sat on the floor and closed her eyes, listening to the outside world. It was not long before the men arrived.
Ramyar must have had the door open because there was no crash of splintered wood. The Blackbrier group yelled their commands. Alina imagined Ramyar and Dersima obeyed.
Then came the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Alina tensed and pulled out her gun. She waited for the plywood panel to be ripped off, but the footsteps faded to the back bedroom.
Closets creaked open. Doors slammed shut.
“Anything?” a voice said.
There was no answer. On instinct, Alina headed for the window. It would be a tight fit, but she could make it.
She jumped for the window ledge and pulled herself up. Holding herself aloft with one hand, she pried the window open. Then she hopped down, regaining her strength from the one-arm exertion.
The footsteps stopped in front of her hiding place.
“What’s this plywood for?” a man’s voice said.
“There is a hole in the wall,” Ramyar said. “We put it there to cover it.”
“Open it up.”
“I assure you, there is no need. It is only a hole.”
The soldier did not ask again. He kicked the panel.
Alina jumped and pulled herself up again. Hooking one leg over the windowsill, she wiggled through. She was in the backyard. Sitting beside the window, she quickly closed it.
The thin piece of wood splintered and cracked.
Alina pulled back from looking into the room. Then she waited, hoping the men would not come around the house. She checked the magazine in her gun. Digging in her front pocket, she pulled out a handful of shells and fed them into the clip, then gently closed it.
“Anything there?” a man asked.
“All clear,” the soldier replied.
“All right. Let’s pull out.”
Alina lingered as long as she dared. The house sat at the corner of the street, and there was no telling if or when the men would turn the corner. If they did, she would be in plain sight. She opened the window and crawled back inside. Ramyar stood below and helped her down.
“I am so glad you are safe,” he said. “I was worried for you.”
“I can’t stay here,” she said. “I’m putting you and your wife in so much danger.”
“Not at all, Alina. This is the safest place to be. The men have already searched this house. There is no reason for them to come back.”
Alina nodded. He had a good point.
~~~
“We’ve finished conducting our sweep,” a soldier said to Delic.
Delic cursed, hitting the side of the black Hummer with a fist. “She’s got to be here. Where else could she be?”
He walked down the street, looking suspiciously at the row of simple adobe houses. He walked back and looked at his watch.
“We’re out of time,” he said. “Colonel Johnson will be calling in all troops. We better get back before he realizes we’re gone.”
They all loaded into their respective Hummers and drove away.
“I can’t believe it,” Delic said. “This is where I lost her. She must have doubled back on me. That means she could be anywhere.”
“Not necessarily,” the driver said. “A lone white woman in a sea of insurgents? It’s not likely she’ll last long out here by herself. She should be dead or kidnapped by now.”
“I hope so, but I’ve got to be sure before I proceed.”
“Proceed with what?”
“Uh, Javor and I had a side business going. That’s what we were doing off base last night, meeting with a client. That woman saw me. She knows who I am. As long as she’s alive, I’m out of business.”
“What kind of business are you in?”
A squawk on the radio interrupted the conversation. Delic answered. “Yes, what is it?”
“Uh, sir?” a soldier said. “You might want to take a look at this.”
Delic had the convoy stop. He walked back to the rear car and climbed into the back seat. A man watched the drone monitor. “What am I looking at, Private?”
“Here, let me run it back for you.” The private clicked a control button. The image on the screen ran in fast reverse. He clicked stop and then play. “This is a recorded image of the men entering this last house.” He pointed to the Ramyar’s on the corner.
“Yeah, so?”
“Just watch.”
About one minute after the men entered the house, a woman crawled out of a window and sat in the backyard. She waited, and then crawled back inside.
“That’s got to be her,” Delic said. “Quick! Turn this thing around.”
~~~
Ramyar and Dersima sat on the couch. Alina stood before them.
“I have to leave,” she said. “But I won’t forget you, nor will I forget what you taught me—and you are right. I promise I will find a way to find this peace you have. You both seem so happy. How you do that in this world of inhumanity I don’t think I will ever know, but I will try.”
“If you are truly on the path, then give me your gun,” Ramyar said. He held out his hand.
“My gun?”
“Yes. You will not need it anymore. By giving me your gun, your promise is sealed. Then promise me you will go to your base commander and tell him all that you know. He will do what it takes to put these men behind bars.”
Alina slowly walked to him. Hesitantly, she gave him her pistol. To her surprise, a sense of relief came over her. It was the first time in ten years she had felt like that. Everything within her let go. She was once again content.
“I’ll do as you say,” she said. “I’ll go to the colonel. As for me, it will take some time, but I will try.”
She was just sitting down when five men burst into the room. Instantly, Alina bolted for the back bedroom. She dove through the window head first. She rolled and came up running across the back yard.
Men shouted. Someone fired a burst at her, chipping the brick beneath her hand as she vaulted up and over the wall.
“No!” Delic yelled. “I want her alive.”
Alina
headed down the back alley.
The men gave chase. Delic and a few men stayed with the vehicles. The rest of the unit split up into two squads. One ran down the street parallel with the direction she took. The other ran after her, racing across the yard.
Alina sprinted to the end of the block and turned right, away from the soldiers on the street. Another gun burst erupted behind her. Bullets whizzed above her head.
The house at the corner had no perimeter wall. She cut through the dirt yard, looking behind her. The men were gaining. She tried to put on more speed. She had just checked behind her again when she reached the intersection. That’s when a black Hummer appeared as if from nowhere, cutting her off.
Two men got out.
Alina stepped in close and kicked one in the chest followed with a stiff right hand the jaw. The second man stepped back of her roundhouse kick and swiped with his rifle. The hard metal hit her just above the ear.
Alina went down. She tried to rise, but her foggy mind could not coordinate the action. The last thing she saw was the butt of his rifle coming at her face.
Chapter 29
Colonel Johnson approached a long table. Lining it were officers from the various units attached to the air base. He addressed the leader of Blackbrier. “Colonel Thomas, where are your men?”
“I don’t know. I can’t raise them on the radio. They must be out of range or switched frequencies.”
“I want them back here immediately. I’m about to conduct a city-wide search for this woman, and I can’t have a rogue unit acting as vigilantes.”
“I’m doing all I can, Johnson.”
“That’s Colonel Johnson.”
Thomas smiled. “But of course, Colonel. My apologies. As I was saying, I am scanning all the frequencies. I should be able to raise them as soon as we’re finished here.”
Colonel Johnson turned to address Lieutenant Lieberman. “And you. You asked for her to join your unit. That makes her your responsibility. I told you to put a lid on her, but apparently you can’t even do that.”
“Yes, sir,” Lieberman said, standing at attention. He was sweating profusely. “However, my men and I are ready and waiting to aid with the search.”
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