by Becky Harmon
The old truck made a grumbling sound as the engine fired. She slid behind the wheel. She hated stealing someone’s vehicle, but she would make it up to them when this was over. Right now, she had to get Ellie out of this town.
She glanced at the dashboard gauges and saw there was barely a quarter of a tank of gas—assuming the gauge worked. It wasn’t enough to take them back to Nouakchott. But it was enough to get them to Atar. Plan B it was. She would share the first phase with Ellie.
“I don’t know what we’ll face in Atar, but if we can get ahead of Farook and his friends I’m hoping we’ll be able to clear the checkpoints. What sort of communication do you think they have between checkpoints?”
“I’m not sure. There’s no cell service, so a GPS phone would be the only thing that might work out here.”
Ellie grew silent and Angel knew what was coming. The one thing that might prove to be her biggest mistake in the end. She maneuvered the truck onto the sandy road.
“Did you bring a GPS phone?” Ellie asked softly.
Communications should have been the first thing on her mind when the first shot went off, but Ellie’s safety had blurred all logical thought.
“Montgomery had one, but it wasn’t on him when I went back to the car.” Neither was his rifle, but she skipped mentioning that.
Ellie nodded.
“I’m hoping the marines from the rear car picked it up and have already called in the situation. For now, though, I’m afraid we’re on our own.”
“So…they weren’t killed too?” Ellie asked hesitantly.
“No. Only the two marines in front of us and Nasri.” She gave her thigh a quick squeeze. “Let’s concentrate on one task at a time. Miller gave me a map. It should be in my bag. Can you get it out?”
She turned down a side road running parallel to the main street.
“N1 is the main road and that runs directly in to Atar. If there are any side roads they don’t show on the map.” Ellie’s voice was muffled as she fought with the paper map.
They hadn’t passed or seen any vehicles on the road before the explosion, and it didn’t appear that anything was moving in Akjoujt either. She pulled the truck slowly to a stop on the eastern edge of town where their path connected with N1.
“I see four men standing in the street,” Ellie said, looking into Akjoujt.
“All clear my way.” She pulled onto the sand-packed road heading east.
“Maybe they’ll keep looking for us in Akjoujt,” Ellie said as she unwrapped the fabric from around her face. “Are you hungry?”
She wasn’t, but she let Ellie take back some control, even if it was small.
“Yes, and water, too, please.”
Ellie handed her half of a sandwich and an open bottle of water. She ate the sandwich in three bites, barely chewing. It was like sandpaper going down, and she quickly downed half of the bottle of water before handing it back to Ellie.
“I only brought six bottles of water so we should try to pick up more in Atar if we can.”
“There are two in the café bag as well,” Ellie added.
“That was good thinking. And on the food, too.”
Ellie smiled apologetically. “Thanks for the change of clothes.”
She stretched her hand across the seat and took Ellie’s. “One step at a time.”
“Okay, then what’s our next one?”
“We should have enough gas to get us to Atar. If we can refill the truck, we’ll keep moving.”
Ellie squeezed her hand. She took that to mean the plan had met her approval. The road in front of and behind them remained empty. She held her breath and let it out slowly. She had been in worse positions before. She couldn’t let herself dwell on the bodies she had left behind. Her responsibility was to keep Ellie safe.
She glanced at Ellie. Her jaw was tight as she studied the map folded in her hands. The panic they had both felt earlier had been replaced with a resigned acceptance of the position they were in. She drew strength from Ellie’s calmness. Together they would do whatever it took to survive.
The desert view was changing fast as they traveled farther into the Adrar Region. Two brown and pink mountain ranges stretched north to south, standing tall above the vast desert. The huge rocks gave way to occasional glimpses of thicker vegetation to the south.
“What are you doing?” she asked when Ellie began placing the items from their bag on the seat between them.
“I’m moving all the necessities to one bag in case we have to leave the truck. We might be able to use some of the food to barter for safety or travel.”
“You speak the language here, right?”
“I speak French and Hassaniya Arabic, which is mostly spoken in Nouakchott. There are many dialects of Arabic as well as three other national languages. I think we can get by with what I know, though.”
“I hope so because I see a gendarmerie checkpoint coming up fast.”
“I was afraid of that,” Ellie said, glancing up.
“We’re still a good distance from Atar, so sort the food and see what we have to offer them.”
“I have some money, too. That’ll probably work best with the gendarmerie.”
“We’ll try both.”
Angel’s mind raced with scenarios about what they were going to face. She shifted slightly and felt the cold steel of her weapon through her shirt. She didn’t want to have to use it especially on the gendarmerie or national guardsmen who were only doing their job. It had taken all of her willpower not to pull it when they were attacked, but if she had they probably wouldn’t have gotten out of Akjoujt.
“Okay, here we go,” she said as she began to slow for the checkpoint, a small green shelter at the side of the road that was barely large enough for two men to sit inside. Only one man appeared as they approached.
She put her hand to her forehead as if to block the sun and tilted her head away from the man. She stared straight ahead and let Ellie lean across the seat in front of her.
“Ish haal li-mgiil.” Good afternoon, Ellie said.
The guard nodded and reached out his hand.
Ellie responded with a stack of bills rather than their papers. He frowned but stepped back inside the small shelter.
“He’s checking with his supervisor,” Ellie said softly.
She watched Ellie’s face as they waited for the guard to return. Her ambassador persona was in place. Regal and stoic. It was a side of her Angel had grown to love. And hate. It was the ability to care about people and still hold them at a distance. To argue for a cause that might not be your own. She was a part of Ellie’s embassy family now. She was on the inside looking out. She had seen both sides of Ellie and she felt nothing but admiration for her.
She heard the tent panel flap beside her and was careful not to look in his direction. With any luck, he would assume she was a male companion since women wouldn’t normally travel alone.
“Go,” Ellie said urgently. “Slowly but go.”
Angel dropped the truck into gear and began to pull forward.
“He gave us a wave so I’m going to assume the money was acceptable.”
She was glad she hadn’t pulled her weapon or even rested it on her lap. The checkpoint had been easy. If the gendarmerie had been advised to watch for two women, they had either fooled them or the men didn’t care. Ellie stared out the side window. She reached over and grasped her hand again. It was the only comfort she could offer.
Ellie pulled the map from her bag and spread it across her lap. Never releasing Angel’s hand, she studied it like it held all the answers. A few low, sand-colored buildings and lots of shiny objects began to grow out of the desert in front of them.
“That’s not Atar, is it?” Angel asked.
“No, that’s the solar panel farm.”
She watched for any movement inside the chain-link fence. There was nothing and the stillness felt sinister. A ghost town of flat panels where buildings should be. She could feel Ellie’s body stiffe
n beside her.
“Looks like no one is there.”
Ellie sighed. “They give everyone the day off when outsiders visit. I wish we could use their phones.”
“Not a chance.”
Ellie didn’t question her decision. The surprise of seeing Farook and the words they had overheard had quashed any thoughts of this attack not involving the ambassador directly. Angel wished she had taken the opportunity to be harder on Farook back at the embassy. There would be plenty of time to beat herself up over her actions later. She caressed Ellie’s hand with her thumb, a simple reminder that they were in this together. Ellie took a deep breath and settled back into staring at the map.
The comfortable silence returned between them as they left the solar panel farm behind. Before long the land around them began to rise, giving way to flat-topped mountains with layers of serrated rock. The heat was stifling under the intense sunshine and it created a misty blue effect on the horizon. She watched the landscape change and couldn’t help appreciating its beauty. It wasn’t the first thing Ellie was right about, and she was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last.
The truck began to stutter as they reached the first buildings on the streets of Atar. She quickly swung the wheel to the right and pulled them to a stop at the side of a small block building. It appeared to be a store, but the lot was empty. A few vehicles moved on the road farther into the city, and she could see the ripple of people walking in the distance. Nearby, a small group of people in robes stood with a national guardsman.
“They may not be letting anyone pass.”
“They’re nomads,” Ellie explained. “The guardsmen shouldn’t have a problem with them. Probably just chatting.”
“Yeah, maybe. Let’s see if we can find another vehicle,” she said as she pulled Ellie away from the main street.
Atar was a city of about twenty-five thousand people, and she had expected more activity. She wondered if the quietness they were encountering off the main street was normal. They kept walking until the larger block buildings gave way to a scattering of small wooden huts. Behind one, they found a sand-dusted truck. It was even older than the previous one they had borrowed. She pulled open the door and lay across the floorboard. There wasn’t even a grind when she tapped the wires together. She tried it a few more times with no success. As she climbed out of the truck, she saw an old man standing at the window of a nearby hut. He slowly shook his head. She gave him a smile and a shrug.
“This isn’t going to work. Let’s start walking.”
She straightened the fabric around Ellie’s head and then took one of the bags she carried. The door on the small hut screeched open, and she quickly stepped in front of Ellie. The old man from the window shuffled out and held up a robe. Angel stepped forward and took it from him. Ellie reached around Angel’s body and handed him a few bills. He took the money and shuffled back into his house.
Wrapped inside the robe was a bright blue skirt, which Ellie immediately pulled on over her jeans. Angel slid into the robe and then Ellie wrapped the mulafa around her upper body like a scarf, covering Angel’s face.
“Do I look okay?”
Ellie took a few steps back and then walked around her. “A little more like a man. That might be good.”
Though Ellie’s mulafa looked okay, Angel couldn’t resist the chance to touch her. She straightened the cloth around her head, covering her blond hair, and then slid her hand inside, stroking Ellie’s cheek. Time seemed to stop as she stared into her eyes.
“You have a new plan?” Ellie asked softly.
“Of course.”
She touched Ellie’s lips with her fingertips and then adjusted the fabric across her face, masking her lighter skin as much as possible. Pulling a blanket from her bag, she wrapped both of their bags inside it. In hobo style, she swung it over her shoulder and took Ellie’s hand.
“Let’s blend in with the nomads.”
Ellie nodded. “Maybe we’ll be able to walk right out of town.”
* * *
Ellie’s breath caught as Angel pushed her against the building, covering her with her own body. They were on a side street waiting for the opportunity to slide into the group of nomads. Her pulse quickened at the sudden movement and pressure of Angel’s body. Knowing her actions were not meant to affect her libido, she tried to push the reaction of her body to the recesses of her mind for later analysis.
“Was that Farook?” she asked softly, holding in the panic.
“Him or his men.” Angel relaxed her hold on Ellie and took her hand. “Let’s move farther down before we try to merge with the group.”
Angel led them quickly down the alley and onto the back street that ran parallel to the main road. Peering around Angel, Ellie could see two people in the distance, both dressed in traditional robes. She was pretty sure neither of them was Farook. Following the sandy path behind the stores, she waited as Angel carefully checked each opening before they crossed.
Movement caught her eye as they passed between buildings. There wasn’t anywhere for them to hide. She felt protected with Angel in front of her, but she hated that Angel was left exposed.
She watched the man walking toward them. He wore pants and a T-shirt covered by a traditional boubou. The boubou was a bright green and looked like a large sheet wrapped around his body. His dark hair and the stubble on his face made him appear more menacing than Ellie wanted to believe he was. Even after everything she still wanted to believe that these men weren’t willing to harm her.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped around Angel and went face-to-face with the man. “Why is Farook doing this?”
The man chuckled. “Farook is not giving any orders.”
His English was broken, and she could hear an Arabic accent. Angel’s arm stopped her from walking any closer to him and she grasped it for support. Her pulse quickened as he pulled a knife from his belt.
“Thanks for making my job easier,” he sneered.
“Why are you doing this?” she demanded. “I’m an ambassador. I’m here to help make things better. What can I do for you?”
“Do for me? You can keep your nose out of our business. Killing you will make things better.” He waved the knife in the air as he moved toward them.
A cry escaped from Ellie’s throat as Angel pushed her against the building. The scene unfolded faster than anything she had ever watched and yet time seemed to slow. Angel was behind him, grabbing his hand and sliding his knife across his throat. Before she could utter another sound, Angel dropped his bleeding body to the ground.
She had seen death before and even been the one responsible for it, but as a CIA analyst she had never been on the scene as it transpired. Thankful that the man’s face was planted in the sand, she watched him, waiting to see if he would stand and come at her again. Angel stepped between them and turned Ellie’s body away, giving her a nudge to begin walking.
“We need to get out of here before his friends find him,” Angel said firmly.
“Is he dead?” she asked softly, turning back into Angel.
Angel pulled her into her arms, holding her tight.
“He was going to kill me,” she mumbled into Angel’s neck. The truth of her statement hit her as she said the words and her body shook.
“I won’t let that happen.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a breath. That man, a man that didn’t even know her, had wanted her dead. And without Angel, she would probably be. Sinking into Angel’s arms, she counted to ten and then took a step away. She said the only thing she could at that moment. “We need to move.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Angel’s head ached. Her body was tight with tension and adrenaline was the only thing keeping her moving. She remembered every detail from the one other time she had been forced to kill with her hands. Fight or flight. Kill or be killed. Faced with a deadly situation, protecting herself had been the only option. This time was different, though. There was no doubt in her mind that he wo
uld have killed Ellie. Even incapacitating him and letting him live would have meant risking Ellie’s life.
To ease the pain in her head, she focused on getting as far away from the deadly scene as possible. She took Ellie’s hand without looking at her. She couldn’t stand to see the disgust she knew would be displayed in Ellie’s face. Ellie might never be able to forgive her. Her heart was crushed even though she knew she had done what had to be done. She focused on that, allowing only the thought of protecting Ellie into her mind.
She led Ellie in a circle as they watched the nomads from a distance. The small group they had seen earlier had grown significantly. Animals and people moved together at a meandering pace. The national guardsmen were walking toward the southeastern edge of town away from the group of travelers. She tightened her grip on Ellie’s hand and pulled her forward. For the moment, she was thankful for the silence between them. She needed time to work things out in her head.
She had heard her team talking about the ore train that ran along the northern border of Mauritania from the mining city of Zouerat, which was mostly unreachable by car, to Nouadhibou on the west coast. One passenger car was available, but purchasing tickets would draw attention. The locals rode on top of the iron ore, which wasn’t ideal, but the ride was free. It would be the safest way for them to travel back to Nouakchott. It would avoid all checkpoints and in Nouadhibou she would have cell service again. She wasn’t sure Ellie would agree to her plan, but she felt good about it.
Now, she just had to figure out how to get them sixty miles over harsh terrain to the city of Choum, where they could catch the train. She adjusted her scarf and noticed Ellie doing the same thing. They quickly emerged from the alley and slid into the middle of the group. Receiving a few nods from the other travelers, she studied their faces for someone that might refuse their presence. No one seemed concerned and she relaxed her grip on Ellie’s hand. An elderly woman patted Ellie’s shoulder consolingly and gave her a soothing grunt. Keeping her face hidden under the scarf, Angel was relieved to see others in the group protecting themselves from the blowing sand as well.