CHAPTERTEN
Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
“I do not needyou to take care of me.”
“Done.”
Kasra’s heart lurched into her throat when he turned away from her and banked down a side alley. She faltered, half stunned that he would leave her, half angry that he was so ready to be rid of her. She had a good mind to let him go.
Shots from behind whipped her around. She stared at the second-story flat.Please … no …Saw movements. Even as she reached for the small phone Gabina had secreted to her, she saw both Coman and Gabina moving there.
Oh, thank Allah!
When she turned back, she saw Rage had reached the end of the street and went to the left. Only as she rounded the corner and slammed straight into him, dropping the satchel, did she realize how panicked she had felt.
He flipped her around and pinned her to the wall. “Are you done with your games?” he growled in her ear. “Yes or no,Madam. Because if not, then go back. I can’t worry about whether you’re going to do something stupid and put me in danger.”
She shoved him back. “Get off me.” Wrested away from his touch and anger.
“Yes or no?”
Furious, she stared at him. Wanted to argue. Punch that smug look off his face. “Yes, only if—”
“No.” He was in her face again. “No conditions. Either yes or no. You say no—realize your decision affects the other girls’ lives.”
“For a man who is self-righteous and claims to care about the welfare of others, you threaten their lives easily.”
“Not me, Madam.You.Your answer affects them.” He lifted his eyebrows and nodded in the direction they’d just come. “They’re already looking for you, so decide fast.”
“I just want information to underst—”
He strode away.
Kasra caught his arm. Anticipated him shoving or pinning her, and hopped aside. Felt a jolt of exultation at deflecting him. But saw the storm move into his eyes again. “I am sorry.” She held up her palms. “I … It is not easy for me to trust a man.” Why on earth had she saidthat?
“We have a deal. I’ll keep it. And considering things, that’s saying a lot.”
“Things.”
Irritation made his jaw muscle jounce.
“I see.” She saw revulsion so clear. Feeling defeated, lost, hopeless, she shifted aside and inclined her head in surrender.
When his hand moved to her, she cringed, expecting to be struck.
“For the love of—” He growled in frustration. Took her bag. Slung it over his shoulder. “Stay close.” He crossed the road, streaming along parked cars.
What was happening in her life that she was following a man? No, not just a man, but anAmerican. As a young girl, she had admired the soldiers who came through with their weapons, candy, and the way things had changed. Thought them strong and handsome—heroes. But as a young woman, she came to know they were just as bad as Afghani men. Some were worse, far from home and feeling invulnerable to punishment.
She noticed almost too late that Rage had slowed, stepped back. “Wha—”
He opened a car door. Nodded her to the other side. “Get in.”
She stood there mute, confused. “We wouldsteal—”
He tossed the pack in the back, then sat behind the wheel, and reached beneath the dash. By the time she hustled inside and closed the passenger door, he had started the engine. They pulled away. At every crossroad, she felt the breath catch in her throat as they were forced to stop … then start again. Before long, they were out of the city. They whipped back to the village and retrieved the gear he’d stowed. In minutes they were racing southward, night quickly catching them.
Her thoughts were heavy as they drove, and her eyes all the heavier. But, worrying too much that they’d end up in some prison or something, she forbade herself from sleeping. Worried about the girls. About Razam and Fatina, Iamar. Were they okay? Rage said the other place had been compromised. How? He had mentioned Taweel. But what about the captain? It could not be a coincidence that he showed up at the safehouse, then it was attacked.
