by Mary Alford
Jax took the lead. She and Dawoud followed him out into the open. Just a few more steps. They were almost at the forest’s edge.
“I see them,” someone yelled.
Her legs threatened to buckle. They’d been spotted.
“Run,” Jax yelled, and they scrambled for the trees.
By the time they reached the first set of trees, bullets rained down on them from multiple weapons.
Erin dove for the tree coverage with Jax and Dawoud close behind.
“We’re outmanned, and we can’t fight them. We have to escape,” Erin said as they charged through the forest shoving branches aside as they ran. Her breath burned in her lungs.
Dawoud was agile and fast. He passed her easily. Jax caught up with her quickly. “We can’t outrun them, and we can’t fight them off.” The desperation in his voice was hard to take.
“Don’t give up on us, Jax. We have to keep fighting.”
She’d barely spoken the words when the gunshots fired in their directions were met with return fire.
Erin stopped abruptly. “Wait, is that . . . ?”
Relief flooded Jax’s expression and he grinned. “It is. The only question is who?”
“Let’s find out.” She glanced around looking for Dawoud. “Where did he go?”
“He’s probably still running. The boy certainly knows how to look out for himself. Let’s see if we can give assistance to the people who are helping us, then we’ll go back and find him.”
With Jax close, they eased back through the trees. From where they stood, it appeared the entire town was ablaze with gunfire. The people pursuing them had now retreated far into the woods. Dozens of armed men advanced on them.
Shock rippled through her when Erin spotted someone familiar. “That’s Al Hasan.” She pointed to the leader whom they’d once believed to be a terrorist. He was there to save their lives. Again. Maybe it was the fact he’d been framed by the same people that made him sympathetic to their plight.
As the men continued firing as they retreated, Al Hasan’s troops soon gained the upper hand.
Erin and Jax left their spot and inched toward the firefight. They’d taken only a few steps when the shooting suddenly stopped, followed by an eerie silence.
Her gaze shot to Jax as they entered the forest where the shots had come from. Right away, they were met with armed soldiers.
“Drop your weapons.” Erin recognized the speaker as one of Al Hasan’s men.
“Leave them be. They are friends,” Al Hasan ordered, coming to where they stood. “So, I saved your lives again,” he said without expression, yet Erin believed he was teasing.
Erin smiled. She was never so happy to see anyone in her life. “You did, and we’re grateful.” She watched Jax extend his hand toward Al Hasan. Once Al Hasan shook hands with him, he glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sorry to say the men who were following you are all dead.”
Shocked, Erin couldn’t believe it. “All of them?”
Al Hasan nodded. “There were six in total, but they aren’t the only ones tracking you.”
Her heart sank. This wasn’t the news she wanted to hear.
“My men checked. They are all Afghans. Mercenaries for hire, paid by your people, no doubt. The others are still out there somewhere. They’ll keep coming. It’s not safe for you here. You have to leave immediately.”
She and Jax were both dead tired and running out of options. She’d managed to get a couple of hours’ sleep. It would have to do. The safe house in Peshawar was no longer an option. If Coleman was the one who ordered their deaths, he’d anticipate their next move and have men waiting for them there.
“I still can’t believe this is all because of heroin,” Erin said.
Al Hasan’s stone expression didn’t change. “I now believe it’s more than just the heroin. The money made from the drugs can buy a lot of weapons. The heroin is a means of funding other far more malicious activities, and the people behind this do not care about the consequences. The drugs hit the streets of your country, where they bring premium prices. The money is then funneled back to our country to buy weapons for men who are determined to keep our country in turmoil for their own gain.”
And the deadly cycle continued year after year. Erin could understand why Al Hasan and others like him were fed up with the ramifications that resulted from a few men’s greed. They wanted their country back without the interference of thugs.
“I have a friend who lives outside Peshawar. He can help you arrange passage out of Pakistan.” Al Hasan gave them his friend’s name and cell number. “I’ll call him and tell him to watch you. You have to be careful, though. There are . . . many dangerous people in that part of the country. Allegiances lie with some of the worst terrorists around. Some who would take pleasure in handing you over to the enemy for the right price.”
Erin shivered as she thought about what lay ahead. The walls were closing in around them and she had no idea where to turn for safe harbor. She prayed Al Hasan’s friend was trustworthy.
“I have supplies that will help make the journey easier.” Al Hasan snapped his fingers and one of his men came forward carrying a backpack. Al Hasan handed it to Jax. “There is food and water. Medical supplies. Extra weapons and ammunition. You have a long road ahead of you, and, as you can see, it won’t be easy.”
Jax nodded their gratitude. “Thank you.”
Movement behind them had Erin whirling around. Dawoud slowly emerged and joined them.
Al Hasan had proven himself more than resourceful. Perhaps he could help locate the boy’s family. She said, “This is Dawoud. He lost his family to the airstrikes that destroyed his village a few years back. I wonder if you can help him out. Dawoud has family near Peshawar. His mother’s people.”
Al Hasan stared at the boy for the longest time, his expression deadpan as always. “I can help. I know people in Peshawar. I’ll ask around. In the meantime, he’ll be under my protection,” he assured them.
Although she and Jax had a long way to go before they could find peace, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about Dawoud’s safety.
Erin faced the boy again, his fear easy to see. She wanted to put his mind at ease. She smiled at him. “You’ll be safe now. You can trust this man. He’ll protect you and help you find your family.”
Dawoud wasn’t convinced, but he managed a weak nod. Erin couldn’t imagine the horrific things he’d witnessed at such a young age. He’d lost his ability to trust. To be a kid. Maybe with Al Hasan’s help, he could get trust back.
Jax came over and clasped Dawoud’s shoulder, smiling down at the boy. “Take care of yourself, Dawoud. Let Al Hasan help you find your family.” He glanced back at the deserted village. “This is no way for you to live.”
With tears in his eyes, Dawoud took Jax by surprise and hugged him close. Erin witnessed the wealth of emotions in Jax’s eyes as he held the boy tight a moment longer before letting him go.
Erin nodded to Al Hasan while Jax shook his hand. With a final look at Dawoud, they headed away from the village. She prayed that Dawoud would find his mother’s family and he would find a happy ending in the future. For her and Jax, the future was something they couldn’t afford to hope for yet. Too much was at stake. Their own people were coming after them, and the only person they’d found trustworthy so far besides a young boy was the CIA’s most wanted terrorist.
◆◆◆
Jax stared at the map once more. “It’s best if we keep as far away from Peshawar as we can. If we stay to the east, there should be enough tree coverage to conceal us from anyone on the lookout.”
They’d put several miles between themselves and Al Hasan and his men before taking a much-needed break.
Erin barely glanced at the map. “I hope we can trust Al Hasan’s friend. After everything we’ve been through, trust is something that doesn’t come easy anymore.”
She obviously had her doubts. He did too. “So far, Al Hasan is the only one I do trust. Hopef
ully, that will prove true of his friend as well.”
With a hint of a nod, Erin folded the map and put it away before looking around. “I still can’t fathom Coleman being behind all of this. He’s a hero. How could someone like that become involved in smuggling drugs? Murder?”
Jax had been struggling to reconcile the hero he looked up to with someone capable of killing his own people for money. “I guess everyone has their price, and when you’re threatened, who knows what any of us are capable of doing.” Still, the thought of Coleman arranging the deaths of his own agents sickened Jax.
He studied Erin. She was barely hanging on, as was he, and he wasn’t sure how much farther either of them could go. He hoped Al Hasan’s friend proved helpful.
One of his favorite verses from the Bible popped into his head. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. A message sent to his heart from God. On their own, they could do nothing, but with God, all things were possible. They’d get through this by trusting Him.
Jax clasped her shoulder, and she turned to look at him. Weariness marred her beauty. “We’re going to be okay,” he whispered with a faint smile, their gazes tangling.
She wanted to believe him, he could see. “I hope you’re right, because I can’t see a good ending to all of this.”
Jax pulled her into his embrace and held her close, his chin resting on her head.
“Right now, you’re all that I believe in besides God,” she murmured, and his heart soared.
“Then believe me when I tell you we’re going to make it through. We’re not going to let them win. We’ve lost too many good people to let them win this time.”
She nodded against his chest, still holding him tight. “I can’t believe they’re all gone. And Peter—he has a family!” She jerked her head to peer into his eyes. “Two young kids. How are we going to tell Sarah that her husband is dead?”
Jax had no answer. If Coleman was truly behind this, then he’d already begun to spin the story to frame them. Jax didn’t want to voice his concerns aloud. He didn’t want Erin to stop fighting. “We’d better keep moving,” he said instead. “If Al Hasan is correct, we don’t have much breathing room.”
Erin hugged him tightly then let him go, staring up into his eyes. “You’re right.” She shook her head. “I’ll be so glad when this is over.”
He managed a smile because he couldn’t tell her his darkest thoughts. The bad outcome she’d mentioned churned in his stomach.
As they continued to watch each other, she drew in a breath, her eyes growing large. He knew he was giving away all sorts of things. His heart was hers to take. He loved her and he was certain about where he wanted their future to go, if God blessed them with a second chance to have one. It was up to her to figure what she wanted.
He framed her face. Saw the uncertainty in her eyes, then leaned down and gently kissed her with everything he felt inside reflected in his touch.
With a strangled whimper, Erin ended the kiss and clung to him. He wrapped her in his arms and held her close. Just for a second, the world with its troubles faded away and it was the two of them, and he was so in love with her. She sighed deeply, then let him go, touching his cheek briefly. “We’d better go, it’ll be dark soon. It would be nice to reach Al Hasan’s friend before nightfall.”
She was right. Traveling at night into unknown territory was dangerous. Al Hasan had warned them about the area being unstable. Would they be walking into a whole different set of bad men before they had the chance to figure out what was really going on?
Chapter Sixteen
They crested a hill as twilight settled in. The city lights of Peshawar spread out before them. Somewhere inside the city was a CIA safe house, yet they didn’t dare go there for protection.
“Al Hasan said his friend lives east of the city,” Jax said.
They slowly descended the hill. Erin’s heart thundered against her chest. Al Hasan said his friend could get them safe passage out of Pakistan. If they could get to Punjab, and from there make it into India, they could reach out to some of their contacts and hopefully make it into the US undetected. It was a longshot, but, right now, the only one they had.
The village of Lowhadu was tucked between the bustling metropolis of Peshawar and the distant city of Kohat. As they headed toward the small town, every step she made had her jumping at the noise.
Despite the modern city close by, Lowhadu was still caught in the past. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. They stopped briefly to gain their bearings.
“Al Hasan said that his friend’s place is off by itself at the far end of the village,” Jax reminded her.
She drew in a fear-fueled breath, the hair on the back of her neck standing at full attention, not liking what she saw. It felt as if they were walking into yet another trap.
“Something feels off,” she said, glancing Jax’s way. The muscle working in his jaw proved he felt the same way.
“Let’s circle around behind to get to his house. That way we can stay hidden from sight.”
They eased around to the back of the village, weapons drawn. Erin found herself whirling at every little sound. Lights were on around town. Voices carried from nearby houses. Sheep bleated. Somewhere nearby another dog bayed.
Jax took out the burner phone and dialed their contact’s number. “There’s no answer,” he said, ending the call.
Where was Al Hasan’s friend? Why wasn’t he responding to their call?
“This looks like the place,” Jax said, pointing to the last house off by itself. “I’ll go inside and check it out. Keep watch. You’re right. Something about this doesn’t feel right.”
He barely got the words out when the burner phone in his pocket beeped. They hurried away from the house, hoping not to call undue attention to themselves. Jax pulled out the phone. “It’s a text from Al Hasan.” He quickly read the message. “We have to leave. His friend contacted him. They know we’re coming here, Erin. It’s another setup.”
Erin turned and took off running from the village to the wilderness close by. Jax caught up with her easily enough. As they continued maneuvering through the thicket, her breath burned in her chest, yet she couldn’t stop. The men tracking them knew they were here. How?
Once they’d put distance between themselves and the village, Jax stopped abruptly. She did the same, her gaze darting around the area, thoughts scattered. The enemy was always one step ahead of them.
With the phone still in his hand, Jax called Al Hasan. “What’s going on? Where’s your friend, and how did they know where to find us?” Anger mixed with accusation in his tone. She couldn’t blame him. Al Hasan was the only person who knew where they were going. Even though he had saved their lives multiple times, someone had alerted the enemy where to find them.
Jax listened to Al Hasan’s answer, his gaze latched onto Erin. “All right, what’s our best escape route from here?” After a minute, Jax said, “Okay, thanks.” He ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Al Hasan got a call from his friend a little before we arrived. He said that his friend spotted several Americans wandering around the village earlier in the day and he got nervous. He left for Kohat. When he arrived, he alerted Al Hasan to what was happening. According to Al Hasan, if we can make it to Kohat, his friend can still get us out.”
They couldn’t go back the way they’d come. Peshawar was too risky. Kohat was another thirty miles away, and the people coming after them were closer than she liked.
“We’ll have to do our best to stay out of sight,” Jax said, reading her thoughts. “The darkness will help, but they’re obviously looking for us.”
“If they were here earlier, where are they now?” Erin asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe when they didn’t find us, they moved on to Peshawar. If they’re CIA, then they’ll know about the safe house. They’ll be expecting us to head that way. Hopefully, they won’t think to look in Kohat.”
Erin ble
w out a frustrated sigh. “You’re right, they would expect us to be heading for the safe house.” She remembered something she’d read about in the past. “Didn’t the army seize a huge cache of weapons near Kohat last year?”
His gaze whipped to hers. “That’s right. Several dozen weapons as well as more than seven thousand rounds of various caliber ammo was recovered in that raid. . . . You think the weapons are the ones being funneled into Afghanistan through Kohat and the Mendiu Pass?”
“I think it’s likely, assuming Coleman is the one in charge of the operation, and he’s recruited agents to help him with the transport. Blake being one of them . . .” she stopped as a chilling thought occurred. “Do you think some of the others might have been involved?” She thought about her teammates. Dylan. Sam. Tyler. She couldn’t imagine them capable of such treachery, yet she hadn’t thought Blake capable either.
“I don’t want to think so, but until we know how far this goes, we can’t reject the idea,” Jax said.
“But why take them all out? If they were involved, why would Coleman kill them all?” It didn’t make sense. She went back to her original thought. “If Coleman is in charge and he coordinates the smuggling of the heroin out of Afghanistan, presumably with the help of the ambassador through the embassy’s plane, once the drugs hit the US, they would have to have dealers they relied on to move the product. Then, once the money is collected, they’d buy the weapons on the black market and funnel them back into Afghanistan to fund who knows what acts of terror. It’s a foolproof operation. So why kill Blake? The others?”
Jax considered her question. “Obviously, Blake was having second thoughts. Regretting his involvement. He might have threatened to blow the operation wide open, so Coleman had him killed.”
Erin swallowed back her revulsion. “How large is this operation? To pull off something like this, and to keep it secret for so long, you have to have a lot of people involved at different levels of leadership, both here and in our country.” She stopped as a disturbing thought occurred.