“I see it, my friend. An American soldier is on the back of the horse.”
Chapter 12
I t took several hours to maneuver themselves to a position where Chase and Zoric could cut off the progress of the tribesman moving through the valley below. They discovered another hiding place to wait. As luck would have it, the Kyrgyz headed toward them so they could intercept him. At first, they’d worried the Kyrgyz slipped away until they heard the crunch of rolling pebbles.
They watched from a distance to evaluate the target.
“He’s Kyrgyz, all right,” Chase mumbled as he lowered the binoculars. He pointed with an upraised chin. Zoric took the field glasses again. “See the head covering? It’s more of a scarf than a turban wrapped tight around the skull. The Mongol-shaped eyes, dressed head to toe in black…he has tribesman written all over him.” He glanced over at Zoric to make sure he listened. The Kyrgyz now rode the horse instead of walking alongside.
“He put the reins of the horse in his mouth to reach back and adjust the soldier.”
“Kyrgyz, all right. Those guys can run their horse full speed like that while throwing around a headless goat. Called Buzkashi or kid grabbing. It’s a national sport in Afghanistan. Sometimes they even carry a whip in their mouth. Tough SOBs.” Chase took back the binoculars.
“What’s on the soldier’s head? Not government issue.” The soldier sat lopsided behind the Kyrgyz. He appeared to be tied to the tribesman for safety.
“Some of the men wear those pillbox-shaped hats. I’m not sure how they’re decorated with bright colors, but I’m guessing it’s embroidery. Not much color in your life when you live on the rooftop of the world.”
“Trying to make the soldier appear Kyrgyz, maybe.” Zoric checked his weapon.
“Let’s go.” Chase felt his body demand to stretch his tall form after being scrunched in such a small space but decided to also check his weapon.
The two slipped off their perch to hide behind a boulder until the Kyrgyz rounded the bend of the trail. Zoric circled back behind the rider to ward off a sudden retreat. If the tribesman pulled a gun on Chase, he wanted to neutralize the threat.
When Chase stepped onto the path, leveling his AR-47 at the tribesman, the horse spooked then shied causing the man to tighten the reins. When the horse settled down, the tribesman stared down at Chase with no emotion. He evaluated Chase through eyes that resembled slits. His head turned when Zoric came up from behind. All three remained quiet at first until the soldier moaned.
“American soldier.” Chase spoke in Pashto now. The Kyrgyz pursed his lips in silence. “What are you doing with him?”
The Kyrgyz stared up in the rocks. He dug his heels into the animal’s side, causing the horse to buck at Zoric who managed to jump back so fast he fell to the ground. This time the Kyrgyz took on an amused expression then turned his attention back to Chase.
“Zoric, you all right?”
Zoric grunted a few colorful descriptions of the rider and joined Chase but raised his rifle at the tribesman. “Captain Chase Hunter. American.”
“Look like Taliban,” uttered the Kyrgyz as he jerked his chin toward Zoric.
“The American soldier is hurt. Where are you taking him?” The captain ignored the reference to Zoric.
“Try and find help.”
Chase and Zoric lowered their weapons. Zoric took the bridle of the horse in his hand as Chase walked around to the soldier.
“What happened?”
The Kyrgyz turned toward the soldier as Chase untied the belt holding him against his back. “Taliban go to village where he hides. They shoot down helicopter.”
Zoric and Chase exchanged concerned looks. “Helicopter? When?”
“Two days ago. We run them off so not hurt women and children.”
Chase pulled the soldier down into his arms. “Are the men on board the helicopter dead?”
The Kyrgyz shrugged then admitted they were all dead. “No one came to help so we shoot the Taliban. Found this one.”
“Thank you. He’s been shot, Zoric. Go up on the ridge and call for help. This boy is in bad shape. I’m not sure how long he’s got without immediate attention.” Even before Chase finished the sentence, Zoric headed to climb the rocky outcropping to use his radio. “How far is the village?” Chase continued.
“My horse takes one day with extra weight of man with me. Faster to go back.”
“Are the Kyrgyz still there?”
Chase understood the tribesman protected his friends by not offering an answer.
“I would like to thank them. What can I do to help you and your people?”
The man shifted in his saddle. “The khan wants a road. Can you build us a road to the mountains?”
“No. Your country must build a road.”
“Then you cannot help us.” He jerked the reins of the horse to turn and galloped off back in the direction from which he came.
It was absurd to try and call him back so he didn’t try. He sat down on the ground to cradle the soldier in his arms to evaluate his injuries. He might lose the leg. Gunshot wounds on several parts of his body where the bulletproof vest didn’t cover left him lifeless. His black-and-blue face, showed signs of a beating with one eye swollen shut and blood matted at his hairline.
“Corporal, what the hell were you doing in the village when the bird went down?”
~ ~ ~
The helicopter came in quick. A medic jumped out even before the rotors stopped. They would grab the soldier and head back to base as soon as possible.
Even though Chase had trained as a medic in the Rangers, his skills were rusty after spending several years with Delta Force. Besides, he had nothing to alleviate the suffering of the corporal. The soldier was loaded onto the bird with the same care they’d give a newborn.
“Another bird ten minutes out, Captain Hunter. They’ll pick you up. Lucky you came across this guy. We couldn’t find the downed chopper. We had them in a different quarter. Ambassador Jarvis sent the second crew out to pick up some aid worker. The crew headed out on their second swipe when they didn’t call in.”
“Couldn’t the aid worker help?”
“Negative. The ambassador took her to the hospital after she arrived. Complained of chest pains. Died two hours later. She brought in some teen girls slotted to go to the States. They are already on their way with several chaperones. They’re safe for now.”
“Jarvis didn’t know where they were?”
“Negative,” he yelled over the sound of the helicopter. “Another politician who couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag. Either way, they’ll bring back those guys now we have some idea where they might be. Don’t worry.”
Chase remained silent then ran back a safe distance while the helicopter took off. In minutes, the second one arrived to pick them up. Soon they were flying over areas very much like the villages he’d lived in with other groups of clans who always treated him well. Sometimes he caved in to becoming one of them until duty dragged him back into the fight. They were good people caught in a lawless land.
“There!” Chase almost missed it but then he spotted something long sticking up out of a pile of boulders. “I think I saw a rotor blade.” The helicopter swung around and went back. “I see it,” he called out. “Still smoldering.”
“Got it, Captain. I’ll set us down over there. Looks like it isn’t the first time a bird landed there.” The pilot cocked his head toward the spot.
Once on the ground, the soldiers onboard made haste to get to the downed helicopter. Zoric and Chase stood guard, uneasy with the village some one hundred feet away, downhill. The rise could be a problem if you had to run up the slope. They carried their weapons ready. Moving forward they saw the village men come out of their shacks. As the two soldiers approached, the villagers backed inside their dwellings but peeked out windows or doors.
“I don’t see any women and children, Chase.” Zoric continued the safety scan.
“I’
m guessing they have them hidden away in case the Taliban are watching.” Chase searched around him. It wouldn’t be hard to hide on a rooftop or in the low, rolling hills circling the village, void of much vegetation. “Maybe they can tell us what happened.”
One of the soldiers ran back. “Three dead. Recovery now. Then we blow the bird. Don’t want anyone getting some sensitive electronics. We won’t be long, Captain.”
“Care if we go down and check things out? Might find out what happened.”
“My guess is a stinger, sir. No mystery there.”
Chase tilted his head to survey the surrounding area again. “Why did those guys come back? I thought they got the aid worker and the girls.”
“No, sir. There were more children. Couldn’t take them all the first time. Came back for the rest. Orphanage, I think. The word I got, they came for two more women from Kabul who came out to assist in the transfer. Can’t verify for sure since the commander left for Pakistan to smooth some ruffled feathers soon after. I understood them to be Afghans, but the ambassador seemed more than a little vague about who our guys dropped off. Truth be told, we got caught up in finding our guys and didn’t think twice about any Afghans. We got your call and took off.”
Chase headed toward the village. “We won’t be long.”
“Yes, sir.”
Zoric walked beside Chase with caution, evaluating his surroundings as if his life depended on it…which it did. They entered the street. A slow walk, turn this way then back around, check the roofs, down streets, and in the windows for a pointed gun. Even a barking dog looking away from them could mean trouble.
A woman covered in a blue burqa stepped out of her doorway and pointed to a house ten feet from where Chase and Zoric stood. Then a man reached out and jerked her back indoors.
The door had been busted in. Smears of blood streaked down the wall below the window. Piles of horse manure were evident in this area but not down the street. Shell casings lay scattered everywhere they looked. A couple of discarded weapons and a variety of footprints, both animal and man blended together to show chaos. The Kyrgyz must have had their horses here when they made a stand, Chase surmised. The two stepped over debris into the dim room.
The smell of woodsmoke and urine reached his nose. Splintered furniture had either been burned or just pushed aside in a hurry. Either way it was a mess.
“Looks like it could have been used to block the door.” Zoric moved objects with his foot. “This must have been the orphanage.”
Chase agreed. They inspected both rooms before the task of picking it apart. Lifting some drawings off the floor, Chase examined them. “You don’t see people drawing in this part of the country. Taliban frown on such frivolous activities. This must have been where the children were, all right.” He dropped the drawing as something caught his attention on a shelf hanging lopsided on the wall. “What the hell?”
Both men moved toward it.
“Don’t you have a knife like this, Zoric?”
“Not anymore.” Zoric pulled it out from some debris as his suspicions grew. “This is dried blood, my friend.”
The shelf fell to the floor sending up several pieces of paper into the air which Chase caught.
“What is it?”
Chase turned one of them around. “This one is Massoud.” Then he stared at the last one before handing it to Zoric. “Tessa.”
Chapter 13
Inside Badakshan Province
N ow here she stood, remembering the nightmare. How long ago? Yesterday or the day before? When did the Kyrgyz save them? Tessa staggered forward and leaned against one of the horses. It neighed in protest. Without hesitation, she laid a gentle hand against his neck, adding several strokes. Then she rested her forehead against the animal in hopes of taking a normal breath. The explosive realization she had indeed killed a man, paralyzed her with incredible grief.
Kyrgyz tribesmen went about the process of breaking camp as children milled around. Tessa could hear their laughter. Even Bonnie appeared to be more relaxed, or maybe she’d lost her fear of the men. Tessa listened to her teach the girls “London Bridge is Falling Down.” But Tessa didn’t care. She felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach.
After slipping between the horses and avoiding the yaks, Tessa came to the shallow end of the river’s edge. Large smooth stones jutted out creating a kind of dam backing up the water into deep pools reflecting the blue of the sky. The gurgle of the stream, pushing between the stones managed to calm Tessa.
She dropped her robe on the ground then removed her scarf. With slow steps, Tessa walked out onto the flat stones, letting the sounds of nature refresh her. The temperature must have been close to fifty, Tessa guessed. The breeze brought goose bumps to her arms as she rolled up her sleeves and untucked the blouse from her jeans. She squatted down to scoop icy drops into her hands. Splashing it on her face, Tessa felt refreshed or at least embraced the attitude she survived and so did the children. Being thankful kept her from throwing up.
Something moved in the deep pool, causing her to leap to her feet. A man rose up out of the depths with a roar. The sound bounced off the nearby cliffs, a flock of birds taking flight, combined to startle her. With a scream, Tessa realized Darya jumped up from the deep pool in front of her. He stood naked in the icy stream up to his navel. He shook his dark hair like a dog then slapped the water with his hands, splashing her.
“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.” Tessa turned to hurry back across the rock formations. She could see Darya approaching in her peripheral vision. The closer he got, the faster she scampered. When her ankle twisted, her weight shifted and threw her sideways. Her arms went up as her body went down.
Darya rushed forward and caught her in mid-flight like she weighed as little as a child. Tessa found herself staring into the unmasked face of the mountain tribesman who’d rescued her from the Taliban, not once, but twice. Not handsome but ruggedly beautiful. His narrow eyes were light-hazel brown with a few specks of green. A wide nose led down to his thick lips. It made his eyes narrow until they appeared to be no more than slits. The icy water dripped from his hair and ran down over his bare chest, soaking into Tessa’s clothing. The press of his hard body against hers told Tessa Darya might be as strong as one of the yaks he herded.
He moved forward to put her feet on the rocks then backed up so the water covered him again. Tessa lowered her head but couldn’t resist stealing a glance at him sideways one last time as she escaped toward the riverbank. The splash of water warned her Darya moved toward the riverbank. She wanted to acknowledge him but tried to put more space between them. In her haste, her feet hit some gravel which sent her sprawling on her stomach then down the slope into the deep end of the river. She went under, feeling her clothes weigh her down.
When she stopped splashing like a beached whale, Tessa could hear Darya’s laughter. She lumbered out of the water before falling on her knees. She didn’t care if he was naked. He didn’t have any business scaring her. Whirling around she noticed Darya tying a belt around the top of his trousers but his chest remained bare. He stood glistening in the morning sun. Tessa couldn’t resist gazing at him. She experienced a reckless feeling as her need to gaze at his chest then his arms increased. The tattoo on his upper arm of a Chinese character and a dragon created a strange sensation. It reminded her of someone else with a tattoo on his arm. When Darya slipped his shirt over his head, Tessa’s trance broke.
Darya walked up to her. “You need wash now.”
“What? No. I’m not stripping in front of you to take a bath.” Tessa turned to walk away, but Darya grabbed her up in his arms. She kicked and punched her way toward freedom. “Stop,” she demanded as he moved to the water’s edge. “Put me down.”
Darya stopped and chuckled. Were her eyes violet? “Put down?” he asked as if he understood.
“Yes. Do it now.”
Darya tossed her out into the deep water and laughter erupted from deep in his chest. The thought occurred to
her he also needed to be taught a lesson so she held her breath until her lungs felt as if they’d burst. Breaking the surface of the water, she saw he had jumped in and frantically searched for her. She crawled out onto the bank, watching with amusement as he scanned the bottom. “Mel-E! Mel-E!”
“Looking for me?” Tessa wobbled to her feet and put her hands on her hips in a show of victory.
Darya slapped the water then flailed his arms about and growled words she didn’t want to interrupt. Tessa gasped. He grabbed her from behind, lifting her off the ground before swinging her around to march back to the water. She did her best to escape but found herself being thrown back into the water. She grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him in after her. In seconds, they were both laughing.
When Tessa’s teeth chattered, Darya led her out of the water. He grabbed her robe then her hands to lead her back up to the camp. The children and Bonnie were standing on the incline watching the whole escapade. Little girls covered their giggles with small hands while Bonnie crossed her arms with a lemon-sucking expression.
Since she hadn’t been able to bring any extra clothes with her, Tessa felt grateful for the black Kyrgyz pants and shirt Darya pulled from his saddlebags. His fellow tribesman pieced together a change of clothes for him. Even her boots got tied together with their laces and thrown over one of the yaks replaced by a pair of warm boots being taken back to someone in their village. Their furry inside went a long way toward returning warmth to her body.
“You need to grow up, Melanie, or Tessa, or whoever you are,” Bonnie scolded. “What do you think you’re doing flirting with that throwback to the Stone Age?”
Tessa continued to lace up her shirt then slipped the robe speckled with blood back onto her shoulders. She glanced over at Darya who readied his horse. His gaze met hers, followed by an amused lift of one side of his mouth before he walked away to check on the yaks.
The Enigma Series Boxed Set Page 82