Page 57 of Warlord’s Empire

“Us too,” Leeza said, wrapping her arms around Saskia and holding her tight. “We were afraid we’d be too late.”

Saskia sat up and slid off the bed, turning on the bedroom light. She hugged Shaun who looked a little more than worse for wear. Her shirt was so torn there would be no salvaging it. Her hair was an unholy mess sticking out all over her head. She had scrapes on her cheek, chin and forehead. She was in much worse condition than Leeza, who looked super cool in her combat gear.

“Radik would never hurt me,” Saskia reassured them. “You didn’t need to worry about my safety.”

“We know,” Leeza said, leaving the bed with a long, reluctant look at the plush pillows. “I didn’t mean in time to save your life, I meant for the wedding.”

“Wedding?” Saskia tried to sound like she had no idea what her sister meant but she knew her rosy cheeks were giving her away.

“You love him.” Leeza gave her a soft look and, digging through her backpack, came up with a book. Welcome to the Congo. “It took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, I knew you’d be safe.”

“You didn’t come here to rescue me?” Saskia wasn’t sure if she should be miffed or impressed with her sister’s deductive skills. She took the book, hugging it to her chest.

“Well, sort of,” Shaun said, slumping into a chair, her exhausted body folding in on itself. “We wanted to beat Jozef and Havel here. We knew it wouldn’t take them long to find you, but unlike us, they aren’t often reasonable when confronting a situation. We thought we’d better get here to help diffuse tensions.”

Saskia stared at them, absorbing what they’d just done. They’d gotten away from their security details, flown to the heart of Africa, and made their way deep into the Congolese rainforest, all for Saskia. It was humbling.

“How did you get here? This place is so remote.”

“Don’t ask,” Shaun grumbled, fingering her torn sleeve.

Saskia sat next to Leeza, taking her hand and squeezing it. She swallowed the tears threatening to well up. “Thank you both for coming for me. I can’t tell you how much it means. I missed you so much.”

Leeza covered her hand. “We missed you too. We were afraid Radik wouldn’t let you see us again.”

“He said he wouldn’t, but he’s changed his mind. The more he comes to care for me, the more concessions I seem to be able to get from him. I already have unlimited spending access.”

Leeza let out a short laugh. “Where are you going to spend it all? I think you got the raw end of that credit card deal.”

Saskia giggled but felt compelled to defend Marifiya. “Radik has built an entire town here. It’s mostly soldiers for hire, but there are some refugees and families here as well. Several have set up shops.” She went to her bookshelf, pulling a couple of packages down. She handed one to Shaun and one to Leeza. “I got these for you.”

“It’s so pretty!” Shaun exclaimed, opening a hand-painted silk scarf.

“Thank you,” Leeza sounded both pleased and surprised as she opened her package, a leather-sheathed hunting knife with a finely carved bone handle.

Noticing the other package Saskia was holding, Shaun said, “Who’s that for?”

“Ayaan. I’ll put it away and give it to her when I see her. Maybe I can send it back with you.”

Leeza and Shaun shared a look, then grinned at her. “You won’t have to wait,” Leeza said. “She’s downstairs talking to Radik right now.”

“Oh my god,” Saskia exclaimed. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go find her!”

Radik had been alerted an hour earlier of three female travelers heading toward Marifiya. He had Nuani track them until they were inside the compound, reassuring his second-in-command that they weren’t a threat.

“They’ve separated,” Nunai said into Radik’s earpiece. “Two are climbing the house to the second floor and one is coming through a kitchen window. Are you positive you don’t want me to send people to intervene and arrest the intruders?”

Nunai sounded incredulous that Radik would allow unknown entities to approach his home. Only these weren’t unknown. “They’re friends,” he told Nuani, hoping he was right and that he wouldn’t end up with Leeza Tsotsorov’s knife in his gut.

He stood silently in the shadows of the kitchen, watching as his sister climbed through a window, grunting as she hit the floor. He wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the intruder. Another set of eyes watched, a hunter in the shadows, as Ayaan crept through the kitchen.

“Identify yourself,” the female voice demanded. Ayaan stiffened, her hand going to her sidearm. “Don’t touch it or I will kill you.”

“You must be Shola,” Ayaan said, raising her hands. “My brother has told me about you.”

Shola stepped toward Ayaan, her gun still trained on her. “And you must be Ayaan, the General’s sister.”

“I am. You can put your weapon away.”