Pussycat in Peril (Pussycat Death Squad Book 3)

by Roslyn Hardy Holcomb

  So he did have a point, even so, she knew her conclusions were more accurate. “They weren’t after me. They wanted you. The question is why.” They were both silent for a long moment as they each went over the facts as they knew them. Finally Astaria spoke again. “Boulos. They had to be from Boulos,” she said.

  “I thought we agreed that Boulos was probably dead or at least in prison,” Kaeden said.

  “Boulos? Who the hell is Boulos?” Halil asked from the front seat.

  “Yeah, but he had to have someone working for him. Probably lots of someones. You don’t steal two royal orphans and smuggle them out of the country by yourself,” she said.

  “Royal orphans? What the hell are you two talking about?” Halil shouted.

  Kaeden finally answered him, giving Halil an a pithy update on their current situation. Then there was a long silence in the vehicle. Not the deadly silence from before, Allah be praised, but a tense, quiet one nonetheless. She waited to see what would happen next.

  Halil laughed. He paused, and then began whooping with merriment. “Amazing Astaria you still have a talent for it. Mama always said you could attract trouble in Janna itself,” he said once he caught his breath.

  Astaria just rolled her eyes at him. “Never mind, baby brother. Right now Laritrea is about as far from paradise as you can get. And while questions are being asked, you might want to tell us, who is that,” she said nodding toward the big blonde man who was driving the utility vehicle with the intensity of a fighter pilot in a dogfight with the Red Baron. “And where you’re taking us.”

  “That’s Berg,” Halil said. “Better known as the Flying Dutchman.”

  “Seems apt. With the way he drives we’re all liable to be ghosts,” she said. “Isn’t he a mercenary? I think I’ve seen him before.”

  “Hardly a mercenary. More like an adventurer. LOV couldn’t afford my going rate,” the big blonde man laughed, then took a turn so steep it seemed the vehicle was only on two wheels. They were speeding rapidly out of the city.

  It was always disconcerting the way Laria went so rapidly from a dense urban landscape to remote desert within just a few kilometers out of the city. The road connecting Laria to Amaru the next largest city was full of ruts and potholes from having had little maintenance in the past thirty years. Colonel al-Fariq had always pleaded poverty but everyone knew he had kept the roads in disrepair as a way to hamper the military. He never got over his fear of being overthrown in a military coup. Even with all the hazards they hadn’t traveled long before they reached the LOV camp. Astaria was surprised it was so close.

  They climbed out of the vehicle and followed Halil and his driver into a large tent. The LOV camp itself wasn’t large, though it was orderly. There were only a dozen or so tents. This one was clearly set up for meals, with four large tables and accompanying chairs, though currently it was empty. At one end was a larger table that looked as though it was used as a buffet line. It too was cleared and had been washed down recently as it glistened wetly in the low light inside the tent. Astaria and Kaeden took seats across a table from Halil and his Dutch friend. Halil got right to the point.

  “Amaru fell to the LOV two days ago. We’ll be taking over the government here as well.”

  “Wha…What? How can that be?” Astaria asked, stuttering from shock. “We’d heard the LOV was gaining the upper hand, but we didn’t believe it would happen so quickly.”

  “We’re forming a coalition with the two governments against IJIWO. They’ve agreed to our terms. This crazy quarantine will be lifted and you will be able to leave.”

  “Oh Halil, you know that will never work. They hate the LOV. The fighting will be awful. Why is General Isa doing this?” she said. General Isa was the LOV leader.

  “General Isa keeps his own counsel, you know that. It’s not for nothing that they call him Ghamid Isa,” Halil said.

  “Mysterious indeed,” Astaria said. “The most mysterious thing about the man is that he’s still alive.” Isa had once been a close confidant to Colonel al-Fariq, but had been exiled some years before under mysterious circumstances. “The Colonel wasn’t well-known for sparing the lives of those who crossed him.”

  Halil nodded in agreement. “You know he’s as clever as they come. I assume he figures they hate IJIWO worse than they hate the LOV,” Halil said with a shrug.

  “Well, who doesn’t?” Kaeden said with a sardonic smirk.

  “Will you be ready in a day or so to leave the country?” Halil asked.

  “What about the children?” Astaria asked.

  “Are you determined to take them with you?” Halil asked.

  “I don’t know what else we could do,” she said. “Their parents are dead. I have no idea about other relatives, but they’re probably either dead or on the run. Either way, we stand a better chance of finding the relatives back in the States, than leaving them here.” She refused to acknowledge the catch in her throat at the notion of handing the children over to anyone else. They’d barely had them ten days, but, well, she wasn’t going to think about that.

  Halil swore for a full minute. “You know the General Isa would love to get his hands on those children. They’d be a powerful bargaining chip and might tip the power balance totally our way.”

  “Over my dead and decaying corpse,” Kaeden said.

  “If you insist,” Halil said with equal intensity.

  “Ya Allah. Both of you be still. Halil are you really threatening my husband so you can use innocent orphans as political pawns?” Astaria asked with a baleful glare.

  “Astaria, you know…” Halil began but Astaria cut him off.

  “In that case you can kill me too.” Astaria had no delusions about the LOV. She’d fought with them and agreed with them in principle, but they were a ruthless organization and she knew they wouldn’t hesitate to use anyone to gain their ends.

  “I wouldn’t say that too loudly, if I were you,” Berg said. “Dead bodies are a dime a dozen these days.”

  Astaria raised her eyes heavenward. The whole world had gone mad. “I don’t care. These children have been through enough. They need to be somewhere safe where they can grieve their parents in peace. ”

  Halil rubbed his eyes like a tired child, forcing Astaria to remember that he was a young man not even thirty who’d just lost both his parents and was now engaged in a fight to the death for his country. “I agree, Astaria. You must take them with you. Inshallah—”

  “They can return to a peaceful country, Inshallah,” she agreed. After a pause she changed the subject. She gave Berg a questioning look. “Your Dutch friend—can he be trusted? Or is he just another adventure seeker?” she asked her brother.

  “I’m an adventure seeker for sure, but I have very good reasons for being here,” Berg’s rugged face lost all animation for a brief moment, before resuming what she was beginning to see was a mask of good humor. “Besides, you already survived my driving, and that’s my preferred killing method.”

  “I’ll vouch for him. He’s saved my life more than once. He’s proved himself,” Halil said.

  Astaria shrugged. “I didn’t mean to be offensive, but this is very important. I suppose we can use an extra gun in any case. Do you have a little more time? There’s someplace I think we should go. It’s not far and it won’t take long.”

  Kaeden gave her a puzzled look, but didn’t comment. Halil’s expression was confused as well, but only briefly before recognition dawned.

  “You know where they are?” he asked in a reverent voice barely above a whisper.

  “Yes. Do you have a tablet? I have a map here,” she said reaching up to remove her necklace.

  “Here,” he said after pulling the device from his backpack.

  Astaria deftly dismantled the obelisk pendant to reveal a thumb drive, which she deftly inserted into the USB port in the tablet.

  Kaeden leaned forward. “You told me—”

  “I told you Mama had a lot of jewelry. She did. I never said t
his necklace was hers, though.” With a few taps on the screen she pulled up the map. “Here it is,” she said giving the device back to her brother.

  “You’re right, that’s not far from here. But that’s farther into the desert. I thought all the ruins had been found near the ocean,” Halil said.

  “You’re right and that’s what makes this one unique, and less likely to be found. Babba believed there’s a whole city. A colossal city, but you know what will happen if it’s discovered,” she said.

  Halil nodded obviously as troubled by the notion of the ruins being destroyed as she was.

  The drive to the site of the ruins was a silent one. She didn’t know how he knew she needed it, but Kaeden took her hand in his. She sighed. This is what her father had lived for. Had ultimately died for. The preservation of Laritrean heritage. It was right to share it with Halil, but the emotional cost would be high.

  It was twilight now and they drove through a dune-filled landscape that was occasionally punctuated by craggy stone outcroppings, Astaria was amazed that anyone had ever found anything given that there was little to differentiate one site from another. Then Halil pulled off the road to a set of rock formations she recognized from the photographs her father had sent. She couldn’t get out of the vehicle quickly enough. She and Halil walked up to two massive rocks, set together like sentinels guarding history. They passed through the narrow opening between two rocks, and there it was below them. A Roman amphitheater, only partially exposed, it had been hidden in the rocks. Her father’s notes indicated that they’d excavated a great deal more, but had covered it up out of fear of discovery.

  They quietly explored the site, then as the light faded, they sat side by side on a large boulder. It was too dark to see anything more, but they were reluctant to leave. She could feel her father’s presence here on a level she hadn’t experienced since he died. Knowing that when she left this time, she might not ever return nearly broke her.

  “Ya Allah,” Halil said. “I can’t believe it.

  “I know. Babba did everything he could to hide it from IJIWO and some of the other rebel fighters.”

  Kaeden and Berg had both remained near the entrance to watch for intruders, now he walked up to stand behind her, after a moment he placed both hands on her shoulders. She leaned back against him taking comfort in his presence.

  “I’m sorry, but we’ve got to get out of here, habibti. We’ve lost the light and using flashlights will just make us a target,” Kaeden said.

  “I know,” she said rising from the boulder. She turned to give the ruins one last parting look. “Goodbye, Babba,” she whispered. “Goodbye.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Astaria followed Kaeden down the dock, carefully picking out her way in the early dawn light. She held Ravia’s hand firmly while Kaeden carried Abdullah and an overstuffed bag, which held all their possessions and some snacks for the journey. Just as Halil had said, the two feuding governments had formed a coalition with the LOV two days prior, and the quarantine was immediately lifted. Kaeden had made contact with a ship and they were leaving the city. Though no one said it aloud, the probability of the truce holding wavered between slim and none and they weren’t the only ones trying to depart despite the early hour. The dock was severely crowded, just as they’d anticipated, and she’d had dart out of the way a couple of times to avoid collisions with overeager passengers. There was a brisk wind and the briny air was refreshing after several weeks of stultifying heat, but with the pressing crowd there was no time or space to enjoy it.

  From the moment the quarantine had been lifted people had begun boarding ships. boats, really any and all flotation devices in a desperate surge to escape the city. More than a few vessels had capsized from being overloaded. Had it not been for Kaeden’s contacts with smugglers they probably would have had to risk one of those death boats or wait for an extraction. And given the unlikelihood of the truce holding they didn’t want to wait any longer than they had to.

  She sighed and pulled Ravia closer when she felt a presence behind her. Just as she turned to ask the party to back off she felt a sudden hard shove, and Ravia was pulled away from her grasp. The scream she let out was choked off immediately as she fell to the ground, but it was enough to bring Kaeden rushing back. He came to an abrupt stop when he saw what she did; a man holding Ravia by the neck with a gun pointed at the child’s head. Ravia eyes were filled with tears and despair.

  For that alone Astaria vowed to kill the man, even if she had to do it with her bare teeth. Abdullah had been asleep as they left so early in the morning, now he stared at the vignette, but he too made not a sound. Compounding Astaria’s determination to kill the man too. Terrified children should scream. Cry. The fact that these children had been so traumatized at their age that they knew crying was pointless was horrifying.

  Still lying on the ground she looked up the man. Al Hakam. The Judge. How could she have forgotten him? Somehow she’d assumed he’d died or somehow been neutralized in the fall of Amaru. She really was losing her touch. Making assumptions was a rookie mistake and she’d been making a lot of those lately. Al Hakam would be a desperate man now that Amaru was in the hands of the LOV. IJIWO would no longer protect him; indeed he was probably on the outs with them for executing her father, who would have been a valuable hostage. And for losing her as well. Fortunately she was experienced enough to know that desperate people are prone to mistakes.

  “Give it to me. I know you have it,” he said now, his voice whisper soft.

  “What? What do you want? You’ve taken everything I have,” she said rage bubbling up full force as she stared at this man who had eaten at their table only to betray her family utterly. This man whose life her father had spared. He was going to die today.

  “Your father’s site. He covered it over. Ibrahim kept meticulous records, but I can’t find them. Where did he hide them? I must find the site, it is the only thing I have left. If I can tell IJIWO…” he broke off and Astaria understood that he planned to use the site as a bargaining chip, a means to get back into IJIWO’s good graces. Never mind that they would immediately destroy the site. Her father’s greatest accomplishment and life’s work. He’d already killed her father, she’d be damned if he was going to destroy his legacy as well.

  Astaria spared a quick glance at Kaeden and saw he was ready for action; poised on the balls of his feet despite holding Abdullah in his grip. She looked back at Al Hakam who had not paused in his maniacal screed.

  “Those ruins are a symbol. The evidence of centuries of conquest. The degradation and despoilment of our country. Of our people. We were colonized. Humiliated and debased. They must be destroyed. Laritrea will no longer be colony. A slave to western imperialism.”

  Astaria almost rolled her eyes at the man’s self-serving speech. She doubted he had a political bone in his body, but he could rationalize destroying their country’s heritage by claiming a political motive. The country was falling apart around them and he was worried about an archaeological dig? Destroying it to serve his own ends. Babba, why didn’t you do us all a favor and put down this mad man when you had the chance? But even as she asked the question she knew the answer. Her father, despite having produced two warriors from his loins was not a killer. Thankfully she suffered no such qualms. This man had to be exterminated like the vermin he was. Killed now before he shed the blood of any more innocents.

  She started to speak, then shook her head. What was the point? She looked over at Kaeden, who had switched Abdullah from his right hip to his left and she knew why. Her gaze met his hazel eyes, which were intensely green in the morning light. She blinked once, then turned to look at Al Hakam again.

  “Okay, I’ll give it to you. Will you let her go?” she asked, though she knew he would kill the child, kill all of them the moment he had the information he needed.

  “I have no need for any of you. If you tell me where the dig is I will let her go.”

  Astaria knew he was lying, but it di
dn’t matter. She reached up and grabbed the necklace she wore around her neck. With a sharp yank she broke the chain and tossed it in Al Hakam’s direction in one motion. Just as she expected, her movement distracted him so that he dropped Ravia. The girl fell to the dock and lay motionless as though trying to make herself invisible. Good girl. The necklace slipped through the slats in the boardwalk and into the murky waters below. In that same instant Kaeden threw his knife in a gesture so swift and smooth it barely registered until she saw the bloom of blood at the front of Al Hakam’s throat. The man looked startled and raised his hands to reach for his neck, but they never made it before he keeled over face-first into the wooden planks of the dock. Half of his body fell onto little Ravia and for the first time she screamed. The little girl kicked at the body as Astaria raced toward her.

  “Get it off me! Get it off me! The blood. The blood. So much blood. The blood. The blood. Mama’s blood. Help her! Mama’s bleeding. Mama’s dying,” the child child’s heart-wrenching cries echoed in the morning air as Astaria pulled her into her embrace.

  “It’s okay, little one. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay,” Astaria whispered into the child’s hair. She watched as Kaeden retrieved his knife. Despite the violence that had just occurred and the body lying prone on the dock, most of the passers-by kept moving, many even turning their heads as they walked by. That wasn’t surprising. Calling the police these days could result in the caller going to jail before the perpetrator did. Even so Astaria and Kaeden knew they had to get out of the area as soon as possible.

  “Come on, we must go before the police arrive. I don’t want to try to explain this to them,” Kaeden said.

  “I’m not sure we can explain it, but I definitely don’t want to try,” she said rising to her feet bringing Ravia with her. The child was still sobbing, but seemed to be quieting. Kaeden picked her up, and Astaria did the same with Abdullah.

  Fortunately Kaeden was right and they didn’t have to go much farther to locate their ship. It was a 120-foot fishing vessel of surprisingly recent vintage. Many of the boats docked there and taking on passengers didn’t look seaworthy, even for such a short passage. Theirs was a welcome exception. Boarding was easier than she’d anticipated considering they were carrying a pre-pubescent girl who was covered in blood. Astaria didn’t want to spend too much time considering the implications of that. People were rushing to board the ship, and most were single men. Astaria eyed them warily noticing that Kaeden did the same.