Range did not like the answer and knew she’d like it a lot less. “South.”
“South?” she yelped, shuffling in front of him. “But our deal! I would—”
“Deal’s amended due to unforeseen circumstances named Taweel.”
She blinked. Faltered. Didn’t seem to be able to process things. “But our deal … I … I have nothing in the south. I cannot—”
“Great.” That was the opening he’d hoped for. “Tell me the name, and you can go wherever the heck you’d like. My infuriating self will be out or your hair.” He tucked his chin. “Perfect, right? You get what you want, I get what I need. Just speak the name.”
She looked pale. Like she’d be sick. She slumped into a stone wall that bordered the small village and touched her forehead. “What am I going to do …?”
She said that like she’d had something planned.
Which of course she had. They’d been escaping when the team had interdicted. So there’d been an escape plan … a way for her to get off scot-free. “You expected to slip into anonymity after … all that you did?”
Jazani didn’t look up. Her gaze darted over the rocks and tufts of grass at her feet. As if she hadn’t heard him. Or didn’t care. Probably a master at that.
“Like I said,” he interrupted her thoughts, which he read as regret that she’d get caught or that things wouldn’t be as easy she’d hoped for, “speak the name, go free.”
Her gaze stilled. She looked frozen. Swallowed. Then stood, her face very close to his and set in determination. “I have friends in the city who can help with supplies.”
“No friends,” he growled, not willing to put his life in her hands or trust anything she said. Wasn’t going to come out of this in a pine box or with extra holes in his cadaver.
“How much money do you have?” She shrugged, her dark hair still loose around her shoulders. “I have none.”
He wanted to curse her. “There are other ways—”
“If you are caught stealing, they will cut off your hand, but when they realize you’re an American, they will cut the rest of you in pieces.” She cocked her head. “And I will get to watch.”
“That’d make you happy.”
“Deliriously.” But there was no smile or amusement in her expression. “My friendswillhelp us, I assure you. This is my city, and I know how to move through it so as not to draw attention.” She arced an eyebrow and cocked her head. “Now, you will need to put your life in my hands.”
“Keep dreaming.” He shouldered his ruck.
“Hard to dream when you can’t sleep.”
He frowned. “You dreamed last night.”
“No, I never slept—”
“You did.”
Defiance glinted in her eyes. “I watched you the whole time.”
What did that mean? Scratch that—he didn’t care. “Then who’s Atia?”
Jazani jerked. Stepped back, her eyes wide. Then she rushed at him and clamped a hand over his mouth. “Never speak that name again.” She pushed harder. “Swear it!”
He was so startled by her desperate vehemence, he froze for a second.
“Swear it!”
Instinct said to put her on her backside, knee in her throat. Instead, he flipped her grip and twisted her around, then gave a nudge. Before she could come at him again, he turned toward the city, all the more curious about this Atia.
“Stow your backpack or they will know,” Jazani said. “That is too Western.”
Irritated that she instructed him, Range knew she was right. But this was all he had. Weapons. Emergency supplies. Clothes. They ducked along one of the walls and he dug a hole while she slipped around a home for a burqa. He was covering the ruck when she returned with the black material and a couple of other pieces.
