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Chapter 7
When Jase reached the top of the scree slope, he crouched in the shade cast by the mountain and took a deep breath. Another. The mountain curved to the left, and he could no longer see the Taliban gathered further north.
Which meant they couldn’t see him, either.
Gulping half a bottle of water, he capped it and tapped it into the pocket on his pack. Then he grabbed his SAT phone and pulled up the tracking map. Used his fingers to expand it and counted the caves between him and the woman.
Seven. There were seven caves between them. He dropped to his belly. Piece of cake. He’d been a SEAL, for God’s sake. He had the skills to hide from assholes as he counted to seven.
He crawled along the open mouth of the first cave, listening for signs of life from inside it. Hearing nothing, he took a chance and shone his flashlight inside it.
The remains of a campfire sat in the center of the cave, but the ashes had scattered, as if it had been there for a while. He saw nothing else in the cave that alarmed him, so he moved carefully toward the next opening in the rock wall.
He moved past three more cave openings, keeping a careful eye on the men gathering on the ground north of him. As far as he could tell, none of them had looked up. When he’d noticed a few of them pointing at a cave close to where they gathered, Jase’s blood ran cold. The cairn of rocks built by the two effing kids from the village was very close to where the Taliban had gathered. He didn’t think that was a coincidence.
Three more caves, and he’d be at the one hiding Laila. He needed to be there now. Needed to make sure she was safe. But he forced himself to continue to move slowly. But not before slipping and sending a tiny stream of rocks tumbling down the slope. He dove into the cave, knowing the men gathered at the bottom of the mountain would notice the stones bouncing toward the ground.
Lying still on the uneven rock, he listened for signs of someone approaching to check out the disturbance. He lay there for a long time, waiting to hear footsteps. But he heard nothing.
Finally he edged to the mouth of the cave. Craned his neck to see past the curve of the mountain. The soldiers were all in the same place. Staring toward the village. Were they waiting for someone to arrive?
Perhaps the two kids who’d brought Laila here last night?
Crawling out of the cave, he headed toward Laila’s location. He really, really wanted to be in there with her when the ragged band of men below him became more organized and began searching for Laila. Because Jase was very certain she was the reason they were here.
According to Mel, Laila had thought the two boys were setting a trap. That was why Laila’d moved from the original cave. They wouldn’t find her in that cave, but how badly did they want her? Would they search all the caves for her?
If they did, he sure as hell hoped the cave she’d chosen was one they could escape from.
A movement in the distance, off to the east, caught his eye. A plume of dust rose from a dark sedan, driving toward the men gathered in front of him. Jase narrowed his eyes. The two boys? Coming to lead the Taliban to Laila?
Possibly. Hell, probably. He gritted his teeth and picked up his pace. He moved as quickly as he could without dislodging any of the larger rocks. Finally, when he was one cave away from the one that hid Laila, the car rolled to a stop in front of the group of men.
Two young men exited the car. Both of them had ragged, wispy beards. Young kids, then. No more than fifteen. Maybe sixteen.
He scowled down at them. Old enough to betray a woman to the Taliban, knowing what they’d do to her. He clenched his teeth. His task immediately became more urgent. Get to the cave. Find Laila.
He was almost at the cave entrance when the group of men turned in his direction. Jase flopped to the stones. Kept his face hidden. Their voices drifted toward him, but he couldn’t make out their words. He’d picked up some Pashto during his time in Kabul, but the men were too far away to hear what they said.
After a long moment, when nothing changed about the tenor of their voices or their urgency, he risked a quick look. The men weren’t staring toward him any longer. They were clustered around the two kids, waving their hands and asking questions.
Jase saw his chance and took it, crawling to the entrance to the cave. It was about thirty feet away. A short distance in reality, but with the Taliban below him, it felt like miles.
He kept one eye on the group and the other on the stones beneath him. He was almost at the entrance when the confab broke up. The men turned away from the two boys and pointed up the slope. Toward the cave where they thought Laila should be?
Most likely, but he wasn’t going to stick around to find out. He slithered over the rocks and into the opening of the cave. Drew the rest of his body into the cooler interior until he was confident he was out of sight. Army-crawled a little further in, just to be sure.
Finally, when he was certain he was no longer visible to the men below him, he stood up. Hand on his carbine, he let his gaze travel over the floor of the cave. The walls. There was enough sunlight now to see, but the cave was empty. Nothing there. Not even an empty water bottle.
Thank God. He’d hoped Laila was smart enough not to leave anything behind that would betray her presence. Apparently, she was. So far, so good.
Pulling out his flashlight, he moved to the far end of the cave. A small passageway appeared on his left. Was she at the end of that tiny crevice in the rock?
Letting go of his gun, he turned the flashlight on. Shadows bounced off the walls, and the beam illuminated tiny sections of the rock at a time.
The crevice was tight, its walls so close he had to remove his pack and drag it behind him.
Finally it widened into another, smaller room. He listened carefully and heard regular, slow breathing. In and out. If it was Laila, and he hoped like hell it was, she was still asleep.
