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‘What’s going on, Dean?’
‘Conversation with the project coordinator,’ Dean imparted. ‘Message in on the charity radio is that Lawian village has just been hit by the renegades. Probably the same group that hit Luerina.’
For a moment, she had to think where Lawian was. A satellite clinic in a small town northeast of Jukrem and southeast of the main city and charity camp in Rejupe.
‘Casualties?’ Hayden asked.
‘No serious casualties, just been roughed up a bit. However, some shots were fired.’
‘Okay, so they’re really moving around, and that’s also an escalation,’ Hayden said, waving her over. ‘Did you catch all that, Birdie?’
She nodded grimly, hurrying over.
‘Last time they just waved the guns in the villagers’ faces and beeped horns.’
‘Anything else?’ Hayden asked Dean.
‘Yeah, everything Mandy has gleaned suggests that they are heading south and they’re getting more desperate.’
‘Do we know if they’re heading to us?’ Hayden asked, his eyes flickering to her for a split second, and her heart gave a tiny leap at the idea that his instinct might have been concern for her.
Even if he’d then pushed it aside and focused on his task in hand, as he was meant to do.
‘We’ve no way of knowing if the bandits are going to keep coming south, or if they’ll veer off more southeast when they realise that we’re in the area. We as in the British Army.’ Dean swiftly turned to her. ‘Not we as in your charity.’
‘I understand that,’ she assured him. ‘What about the local police? Didn’t you just say they were patrolling in case anywhere else got hit?’
‘I said they were still patrolling up north of Rejupe,’ Hayden confirmed. ‘We didn’t anticipate the rebels moving so far or so fast. If they hit Laiwan, that would make the police one or two days out by now.’
‘Which is why they’re hoping we can help,’ Dean added.
‘We might not need to do much more than look menacing,’ Hayden said thoughtfully. ‘The criminals are hitting small villages that can’t really protect themselves, stealing what they can but leaving before anyone can get to them. It doesn’t seem likely they’ll attack this camp with us being so close by.’
‘I thought the same thing,’ Dean confirmed. ‘Our mere presence might be enough to make them stay away.’
‘We can hope.’ Hayden looked grim. ‘For now let’s keep it between us and Mandy, no need to alert the rest of the staff and panic anyone. But is she prepared to evacuate the staff on short notice, like Camp Luerina did?’
Again his gaze flickered to her, as if he couldn’t help himself. Dean, mercifully, didn’t seem to notice.
‘Mandy wants your assessment before she makes her recommendation, sir.’
Bridget opened her mouth to argue then closed it again. The charity would be legally obliged to err on the side of caution, but none of the staff would want to leave. But better to let Mandy tell Hayden that they would be staying put—after all she was the project coordinator.
Besides, that wasn’t what was playing on her mind the most. The simple fact was that last time, back at Rejupe, she’d been daunted enough by the prospect of him heading out to face rebels, but she’d managed to quash it. She’d managed to convince herself that this was his job, just as the nursing was hers.
But this time, somehow, it was different. Perhaps because Dean had already confirmed that the scale of the attacks was escalating, and she knew that would put Hayden and his guys into greater danger.
It made it all the more real. All the more frightening. As she could lose him.
As if she was in a position to lose him.
‘Okay,’ Hayden decided, making her jump slightly as she listened to his commands to his captain. ‘Let’s put out a warning order to the guys to prep for escorting the charity vehicles in any potential emergency evacuation.’
Hayden began jotting down names.
All business. No time for emotion.
‘They need to ready a DROPS to carry an MGB, and let’s have these guys tasked with constructing that on the route out, and two four-by-fours. You’re going to need to put them on driver rest so scrap any tasks they’ve got lined up over the next couple of days.’
