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Coming back to the war-torn country was stupid in so many ways, but if we wanted any chance of a future together, it was necessary.
*
At the outskirts of Samangan, the so-called escort specialists dropped us off and zoomed away, a cloud of dust rising in their wake.
“Fucking assholes,” Jade said, wiping off her baggy white blouse and jeans.
“I’m sorry. It’s the best I could get on such short notice. We’re here now. Let’s find out what this old man claims to know.”
“Thanks for supporting me with this,” she said.
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s you and me. We’re in this for the long haul.”
“I’d kiss you, but my lips are full of sand and dirt.”
I smiled, squeezing her arm briefly.
“Let’s do this.”
We walked side by side into the city which had only begun to awaken. Everyone who saw us stared. I gripped Jade’s hand tightly, increasing our pace.
At the center of the city, we arrived at the market, already bustling with vendors setting up shop and locals arriving for early bird specials and the freshest produce.
“It’s this way,” she said, leading me toward the left side of the plaza.
She stopped a few stalls down. We both peered inside, seeing nothing.
“Where is he?” she asked.
I had already turned to glance around the plaza.
“What the hell?” she asked.
“I told you it was a trap,” I said, scanning the crowd still increasing in size. “There…”
Her gaze followed my finger as I pointed across the market.
“Isn’t that Max?”
“Yeah. I should’ve known he was behind this.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked, holding onto my arm.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get us out here.”
“I’m sorry, Cooper…”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, trying to reassure her. “You need to keep it together now, okay?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go this way,” I said, taking her hand.
We only made it a few steps before two Afghan men with AF-47’s stepped out from an alley and pointed their weapons at us. I pushed Jade to the side, sliding in front of her in case they shot.
I stared into their eyes, knowing they were hardened mercenaries and did not give a fuck about anything, let alone Jade or myself. Think fast, I told myself, weighing all the risks.
The only way out would be to overpower them, but if I tried, they would likely shoot Jade. She had no training and would be a liability if we tried to run. Our only other choice was to cooperate and hope for the best.
