“Let’s get some more light in here.” Chase dropped his helmet into a folding chair suited more for a Hollywood director than a tent in Afghanistan. Spotting an LED lantern the size of a large flashlight, he turned it on before setting it on a small table holding a variety of toiletries.
“I need to get back to the girls.” Tessa’s voice showed impatience as her arms crossed across her chest.
The camo fatigues hugged her body a little tighter than the loose garb she’d worn when he’d found her in the mountains. She’d lost weight and in all the right places. His heart hammered with such intensity he rubbed a spot on his chest. She dropped her hands to her sides. “You’re rubbing that spot again.” Tessa cocked her head and frowned. “Did you ever go to the doctor about the pain?”
She remembered. “Yeah. Said I was a mean SOB with a guilty conscience.” One corner of his mouth turned up in hope she’d note the humor in his voice. But the moment evaporated.
“I want to go back to the girls. Now.”
“We need to talk, first, Tessa.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you either. I told Dr. Wu the same thing.”
He could never remember her sounding so snarky. “Apparently you told him something. He’s very concerned about you.”
“I imagine he’s concerned I’m damaged goods and no longer any use to Enigma.” She took a deep breath as she reached over to a wooden table and fingered a metal cup stuffed with tea bags. When Chase didn’t comment, she cut a wounded-animal glare to him, iced with contempt. “Nothing to say? I’m sure your mind bender doctor has already updated my file as to my mental state.”
“Rumor has it you’ve been breaking commandments again.” It was cruel, but a risk Chase wanted to take.
Tessa chewed her bottom lip, her body turned rigid. “Commandments?”
Chase dared take a step closer, forcing her to take one back, her retreat stopped by a plastic dresser. “Commandments. You married another man. Adultery.” He ran his hand across his face, feeling the throbbing on his bruises. “Thou shalt not kill.” He lowered his voice in hopes she would feel comforted rather than threatened. “The Taliban said you killed someone.” Tessa spread out both her arms to brace against the dresser.
She snarled like a cornered feline facing a pit bull. “Yes,” she snapped. “I killed a man. Maybe two. I shot the second one, but Massoud may have finished him off. I don’t know. I hit my head.”
He blinked at her callous disregard for her actions. “I’m sure you had a good reason. Care to share what happened with me?” He resisted the temptation to gather her in his arms to comfort and reassure her the pain would pass.
“The Taliban are vile, evil men.”
“I know, Tessa.” He kept his voice calm even though he feared hearing her story might destroy the last bit of sanity he owned. “We fight them for that very reason. What did they do?”
She fidgeted, staring past him into the darkness. “He was going to rape Shirin. She’s a little girl. A little girl!” she yelled. “I sank the knife Zoric gave me into the back of his neck.” She shifted her gaze back to him. Did she expect him to be outraged, repulsed, or sorry for her? When he said nothing she diverted her eyes and spoke softly. “I couldn’t let that happen.”
“And the other man?”
“The soldier gave me a gun. When Massoud’s man went after Bonnie, I shot him. They’d beaten and shot the poor soldier who tried to help us. They dragged him away.” Her voice turned melancholy. “He was so young.”
“Tessa, the soldier is alive.” At least Chase could give her some good news. “The Kyrgyz must have gotten there in time to save him. One of Darya’s men was helping to get him back to the Americans. That’s how I found out you were missing. We ran into him while on patrol. He’s in Germany, being well taken care of. He has a long road ahead of him, but he’s going to make it.”
“Darya never told me.” Her eyes widened as she spoke with a little more of the old Tessa showing through. “Thanks for telling me.”
He’d managed to give Darya a set of wings and a halo. He wanted to steer the conversation back to the subject at hand. “Tessa, what you did saved a young girl from a brutal attack. The other children saw how you stood up against some of the worse scum of the Earth. In a way you saved their lives, too.” He made a conscious effort to sound respectful. “I know what that feels like.” Her eyes lifted to him in suspicion. “You saved me, too, you know.”
“Ha! You’re the poster boy for some apocalyptic soldier saving the world. When did I save you?”
Chase took a deep breath. “You save me every time you walk through the damn door, Tess. I thought you knew that.”
She pushed away from the dresser and covered her face. An anguished howl of pain escaped from deep in her throat and tears burst forth. When her knees buckled, Chase scooped her up in his arms, pulling her tight against his body. The fight dissipated as she circled his neck with her arms, sobbing. With one hand, he rubbed her back from top to bottom, but remained quiet until her tears abated.
Holding her so close evoked a sense of guilt because he craved this moment of intimacy, albeit at the expense of her deep pain. Her hands touched the back of his head then slid to his stumbled jaw. Pushing her back, he could see the raw pain in her bloodshot eyes. A ghost of a genuine smile spread across the delicate mouth he dreamed of in the middle of the night.
“Come on.” He took her hand and led her to the cot. Motioning for her to sit, he pulled up the chair to join her. Chase reached for her hands. As her breathing returned to normal, he rubbed his thumbs across the back of her knuckles before lifting one hand to remove a damp curl from her forehead.
“Tell me everything. From the beginning. I, of all people, have no right to judge you for anything you did to survive. You know me. You know about my demons. I will understand.”
“Okay,” she sighed raising her face to him. Chase braced himself against hearing about events which forever changed the woman who owned his heart. It was useless to deny it any longer. He loved her. Whatever happened between her and Darya could be forgotten as long as she continued to exist.
~ ~ ~
Darkness allowed Chase to take Tessa’s hand as he led her across the compound to her tent where the children waited. Shadows skittering across the ground forced her to step closer to him. She searched the depths of darkness with nervousness as they stopped.
The doctor waited outside her quarters. “Dr. Wu, I owe you an apology.” Tessa released Chase’s hand. “I was rude and uncooperative.”
Dr. Wu’s eyebrows rose as he glanced to Chase. “To begin a treacherous journey is never easy.”
Zoric, half hidden in darkness, waited, too, without acknowledging her. She’d feared him once but knew without his knife, saving Shirin would have been impossible. Tessa stepped toward him, noticing his face remained void of emotion. He had practiced a lack of empathy for so many years that it was hard to know if he even had a heartbeat. Most people found it difficult to confront him in the light, much less at night. Yet Tessa moved closer to him. The Serbian’s face grew void of interest or emotion. She knew of his demons that remained unconquered, yet he survived.
“Zoric,” she whispered as he shifted his gaze to her. They hadn’t spoken since he and Chase found her. He quickly glanced away as if losing interest. The Zoric she remembered would not avoid eye contact. She moved to push past him to enter the tent when he reached out to lift the door flap. When she flinched he withdrew his hand and stood rock still. She turned to him and remembered all the nightmarish atrocities he’d committed to those who would do the weak and innocent harm. Did he suffer as she did? Was he showing her that even he could feel the uncertainty of moving on with your life?
“Zoric,” she breathed again. When she took a step toward him, his eyes turned cold and sterile. She searched his face with a new kind of understanding. “I’m happy to see you. Thank you for coming for me.”
Zoric blinked then bobbed his head
in acceptance. He appeared to hold his breath as she once again stepped closer. With a gentle embrace she wrapped her arms around the man she knew to be a coldhearted killer and felt him stiffen. “I’ve missed you. Maybe Chase can tell you how your gift saved my life.”
As she backed away, Zoric circled her waist and pulled her body to his chest so his rough face rubbed against hers. He smelled of cigarette smoke and his hair felt damp. He stepped back and released his touch without a word and opened the door once more for her.
Joyful voices cried, “Miss Melanie” or “Mother” when she appeared inside. Tessa scooped Arzo up in her arms as the others scampered up from the floor where they played games with two female soldiers. It appeared they were playing something like Old Maid or maybe Go Fish. They giggled and talked all at once, sometimes pointing at the two women or the cards on the floor. Shirin stood patiently until Tessa stretched out her one free arm toward the girl. She moved under it and leaned in as it came down around her narrow shoulders. Tessa kissed her on the temple.
The rest of the evening remained lighthearted for the children’s sake, Tessa careful not to mention Darya or where he might be, even though her concern grew with each passing hour. She hadn’t noticed at first the bruises on Chase’s face or the cut on his cheek. Now as he sat on the floor with the girls, letting them win at cards, she imagined the probable source of those injuries. Darya didn’t compare in size to Chase but his strength matched the ex-Delta Force captain’s.
“Time for bed, girls.” Tessa’s Pashto came so easily now she found herself thinking in the language. What little English the girls knew, they used with Chase although he spoke their tongue. He made funny faces at them and pretended to be clueless to their mischief. “You have them all stirred up, Chase. Go outside until I get them settled. We can say goodnight then.”
Chase stretched one leg then the other, and became solemn faced. “I’m staying in here. Zoric will be by the door all night.”
Tessa felt a wave of concern wash over her as the girls climbed onto their cots. “Are we in danger?”
Chase helped cover one of the little girls who had a case of the giggles. He wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue at her. This made the entire group burst into laughter.
“They didn’t find Massoud’s body when the helicopter went back for it.”
Tessa covered her mouth in horror. “Someone stole his body.”
“Or he got out in time. Could he have done that?”
“Darya shot him, but it wasn’t a kill shot. He wanted Massoud to suffer and know his death would be imminent. I’m sure he was still alive when we left.” Tessa covered Arzo then kissed her cheek. “Why would he come here? There are so many soldiers and weapons.”
“Pride.” Chase moved toward the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Zoric will be outside if you need anything.”
“Chase?” Tessa followed him to the door. “Where is Darya?” She whispered so not to alarm the girls. “I want to see him.”
“No.” He turned his back to her and strode out into the darkness.
~ ~ ~
Bonnie Finley gazed on Darya in what the base used as a makeshift jail. The mud walls took on a grayish tint in the dappled light given off by an LED lantern hanging from a hook outside the room. Inside his cell, the size of a walk-in closet, a cot held his outstretched body. It took up half the enclosure. His head rested on an arm tucked behind his head. Staring at the ceiling, the tribesman appeared to be lost in thought until he spoke.
“Come to gloat?” He continued to stare at the ceiling.
Bonnie grasped the bars and grinned. “Doesn’t seem like you have much of an accent anymore, Darya, or whatever your name is. You fooled me with all that ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane’ routine. Turns out you’re an embedded operational officer for military intelligence.”
Except for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, she couldn’t make out any movement. He remained in his tribal garb which in some ways flattered his sinewy body. Remembering his rise out of the stream to grab Tessa as she fled brought back the image of his naked body. No wonder Little Miss Perfect didn’t protest much at having to marry the rogue agent. Combine Russian with Kyrgyz DNA and Bonnie could imagine the sparks flying on their wedding night.
Taking a deep, impatient breath, she continued, “You can pretend you don’t hear me, but I won’t be silenced. You kidnapped the Undersecretary of State, a close personal friend of the ambassador. I’m sure you were very persuasive getting information from Tessa about my extra-curricular activities with the ambassador and”—she paused as he turned his head toward her—“as I was saying, perhaps I can help you.”
Darya swung his legs to the floor then took one step to the bars. The mask of silence remained on his face. It reminded Bonnie of the ragged covering he’d worn the day of her rescue.
“You’re in a lot of trouble. Tessa and I know the risk you took rescuing all of us then taking out Massoud.” As an afterthought, she added, “At this point, we’re not sure if he survived. His body is missing. Any chance he could have survived the gunshot wound?”
A look of pleasure formed on Darya’s thick lips, drawing Bonnie’s eyes, yet he remained silent.
“This place is pretty much on high alert because you didn’t finish him off. If my information is correct, he’ll probably come after me and your precious wife.” Arching an eyebrow, Bonnie offered a cynical tilt of her head. “By the way, Captain Hunter is with Tessa this very minute. I believe he plans to keep her safe by staying in her tent tonight.”
In the time it took to exhale, Darya lunged at the bars, grabbing Bonnie by her shirt then jerking her against the metal. She cried out, drawing the unwanted attention of the outside guard who rushed in to pull her free. The guard rammed his billy club between the bars, but Darya jumped back before he made impact. Rushing forward again, he grabbed the club and twisted it from the soldier’s hand followed by landing a karate move on his forearm. The young guard jerked his arm away and staggered back, surprise filling his eyes. Darya let the weapon drop outside the bars at Bonnie’s feet. The tribesman held up one hand in surrender and stepped back.
Bonnie told the guard to leave and that it was a misunderstanding. She shouldn’t have gotten so close to the bars. The young soldier picked up his baton and slammed it against the bars without causing so much as a flinch on Darya’s face. He backed out, color rising in his face.
Straightening her shirt and tan camo jacket, she took a step closer to the bars. “Don’t be so stupid. You’re not running with the wild bunch anymore. You’ll be expected to show a little civility if you want out of here. I can help you.”
“Where’s Tessa?” he asked in a flat voice.
“Not to worry. The children are with her. Chase’s ghoul is standing guard outside. The captain isn’t about to let anything happen to your bride.” She let go a soft laugh. “You know, of course, she is already married to some lawyer in California. I think that trumps whatever mumbo jumbo was spoken over the two of you in the Pamirs.” She sighed with dramatic flair. “It was entertaining, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful bride.”
Darya took a step forward before touching the bars with caution. His face continued to be solemn, but the hooded eyes filled with rage. “She wants to be with me so stop your taunts.”
“Ahh, Darya. She wanted to be with you when she didn’t know about her real life. Every minute you’re locked up in here, she reverts more to the old Tessa. With Dr. Wu and Chase prying out every tiny bit of information from her and reassuring her who she really is, Tessa will be her old self in no time. Dr. Wu is a miracle worker, they say. Chase, on the other hand, is no stranger to”—she put her hand over her heart—“winning over the ladies, if you get my drift. In Tessa’s weakened mental state, who knows what he can convince her of? Maybe the fact you’re a drug-dealing outlaw who committed treason against the US.” She put her finger on her cheek and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “He’ll send her back t
o her real hubby. Chase waits for her to decide hubby is not very exciting. He’s in and you’re out.”
“They work together. Nothing more.” His words held the slightest edge of disbelief.
She couldn’t contain her laugh this time. “Oh, honey, there’s more to it. We both know an operative doesn’t break protocol. The captain sure as hell didn’t come after me. He’s in as much trouble as you are. But he’s in a much better place than you. You know what they say. Out of sight, out of mind.” Again the cackling laugh. “Do you want my help or not?”
“Get me out of here and I’ll make sure your secrets remain that way.”
Bonnie turned to leave. “I knew you would be reasonable. Oh. And there’s a little matter of dealing with Ambassador Jarvis.”
Chapter 30
T he early morning sounds of dawn that fell across the base confused Tessa at first. She waited to hear the hollow tinkle of a yak’s bell, the neigh of ponies, or the bawl of a goat. No longer did the deep cold of morning force her to bury beneath scratchy blankets. The winds of the Pamirs failed to push against the yurt like giant lungs. The smell of boiling food mixed with the smoke of burning yak dung no longer teased her nose. Kaleidoscopes of colorful designs created by the Kyrgyz women were missing on the ceiling and walls. Now the dull colors of camo tan and olive were the fashionable décor. As the cobwebs of sleep vanished she remembered she’d left the Wakhan Valley.
Turning her head to the side, she saw Chase asleep in a canvas chair with his chin dropped against the bottom of his throat. He’d refused to leave the evening before as lights extinguished.
“I’m not taking any more chances with your safety, Tessa. When I know you and the children are on a plane and out of here, I’ll relax. Not until then will I let you out of my sight. Understand?”
Zoric curled up in a blanket just inside the door. If anyone came through, they’d have to cross him. The girls were frightened at first so he waited until they were all asleep.
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