“There’s a lot of fear and desperation riding the air,” Dakota said. “Anyone in a desperate situation with firearms is a risk factor. It makes sense that our warning systems are pinging. Not just us. After Ares got off the phone with you, Bravo heard the news and went into turbo mode. They weren’t exactly lollygagging before. So it’s a significant push.”
“How should I handle this? I think you being there puffed up like GI Joe would be a mistake.”
“You might be right about that. We don’t need anymano a manoshit, and my Arabic isn’t great. I speak Pashto and Dari.” They’d made it to the hangar. Quebec had done a good job of setting up a clean, efficient space to provide care for the injured until Egypt could get there. Villagers were staffing it, and apartfrom the sounds of human distress, it was as good as one could hope for under the circumstances.
Dakota walked through the door, peeked into the shower room, the toilets, then stood and listened at the stairs. “Rylee, release Tank. Tank, forward,”
Tank clattered up the stairs.
“As soon as Bravo has their count, they can take off and get their people out. I think that’s their plan. When they go, you go. You have a date in London.”
“You?” she said.
“I’m going to work with Bravo. So for right now, we need you to be our oversight. If there were a satellite, Iniquus would have it up and be advising. That is not what was happening when I came back to the camp.”
“I looked earlier, we’re in the wrong location right now, it’s north of us. Time should change that and another satellite will come in line.”
At the top of the stairs, Dakota dropped the bags and nodded at the man sitting by the radio.
The controller looked from Dakota to Rylee to Tank to the bags.
In Arabic, Rylee said, “The train isn’t able to get through today.”
The controller’s face hardened.
“Are you expecting a plane?” she asked.
“No.”
“Perhaps you’d like to go home?” she asked. “I can manage here.”
Again, he looked from her to Tank to Dakota, then nodded and hustled down the stairs.
“You have money, Rylee.”
She patted the strap of her backpack.
“Leave the pack here, put a strap of money in your hoodie pocket. Take Tank with you if you go and talk to their leader. Trust Tank, he’ll do the right thing. Okay? So if the men come, you apologize. You explain. You tell them the new timetable. You give them the money and say that perhaps this would help them find resources already in the area. That’s the only thing of value that you have right now.”
“I agree that’s a good plan. And you’re going to go and help get the students. Then, our duties here will be complete.”
“What did George say?” Dakota asked. “What does Quebec want to do?”
“He said this is nothing new. They’ll just keep at their job. It was a village of thirteen hundred, so it’s a monumental job for a team of fifteen. But the villagers have been exceptional.”
“Agreed.” He pressed a kiss into her forehead and held it there. “I am so damned impressed by every damned facet of you. I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have met you.”
She laughed, and the stress eased.
She had this.
She did. She had it.
“It’s hard to hear him walk away, Tank. For now, it’s just you and me all alone in the tower. Shall we take a look to see what we can see?” She picked up the binoculars, and there it was, the cloud of dust coming over the horizon.
She picked up her phone to tell Dakota, “Company’s coming.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
