by Ethan Jones
“And we were the wrong target?” Carrie said.
Paryan nodded. “Yes. We don’t look like the army, so they mistook us for one of the local warlords.”
Carrie peered at his face in the rearview mirror. “Really? Since when do warlords drive in battered vehicles?”
“When they don’t want to be noticed, like us,” Paryan said.
An explosion came from behind, but it was in the distance, a hundred yards or more. It seemed the team had left the ambush behind. But it gave Carrie no comfort. She wanted to believe Paryan’s version that the Toyota happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she had spent enough time in Afghanistan and other warzones across the world to know such coincidences were rare, almost nonexistent.
She shook her head. No, someone sold us out. But who? She thought about the people who knew about her operation, her route from Kabul to Kunduz and the time of travel. It was only a handful of people, and two of them were with her in the SUV. That fact did not make them any less suspect. The other three included her boss, the commander of a Kunduz City police station, and one of Carrie’s local contacts in Kabul.
But who is the traitor? And how do I find out?
This work would have not been possible without the great support of my wife and son. I would also like to thank CaryLory, Denise Gardner, Fiona Whiting, Frank Paine, Kristen Lewendon, Linda Cunningham, Linda Rutland, Rose Demainins, and Sanjoy Choudhuri for their helpful suggestions.
THE BELGIAN BAGMAN. Copyright © 2017 by Ethan Jones
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover design: Kim Killion
First edition: June 2017