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Chapter 14
Just as it had the night she’d arrived, the sharp edges of the rocks on the slope cut her palms. Bruised her knees. Scraped her arms. But a few bruises were better than discovery by the Taliban sleeping close by. Jase might take out a bunch of them with his deadly-looking rifle, but the odds were against surviving if she and Jase were spotted.
So she crawled slowly beside him, refusing to let any groans or yelps of pain escape.
He glanced over at her every few minutes but didn’t say anything. She didn’t speak, either. She knew sounds would travel far in this thin air.
It felt as if it took forever to reach the last cave in the row. She’d lost track of how many there were, but it felt as if she’d crawled over miles of stones. Her knees were probably bleeding through her pants. She might be leaving a blood trail, but by the time it was discovered, she hoped they’d be far away.
Finally Jase put out one arm, stopping her. She flopped onto her belly on the rocks, rubbing her hands together to soothe the scrapes. He put his mouth close to her ear. “We’re gonna turn around and back down,” he said. His soft breath fluttered her hair near her ear and made her shiver.
“I want you to turn around first, so I can grab you if you start to slip. Go ahead.”
Laila stayed on her belly and tried to swing her legs around. Her tunic caught on an especially sharp rock, and she felt the tug at her neck. She fumbled with the material, trying to free it, until Jase brushed her hand away. “I’ve got it,” he breathed.
His fingers danced over the material, occasionally brushing against her side. The touch of his fingers raised goosebumps on her arms.
Finally he freed her shirt. He ran his index finger around its hem, making sure nothing else was still trapped, then he eased away. “You should be good to go,” he murmured.
Shuddering at the touch of his finger, she nodded and began backing down the slope. It was harder going backward, because she couldn’t see the next foothold. But Jase kept a loose grip on her arm. “You’ll be fine. Just move slowly. Make sure you can feel your foothold before you shift your weight onto it.”
She nodded instead of speaking. She needed every bit of concentration to maneuver down this uneven, treacherous slope.
She glanced over at Jase and saw him moving confidently beside her, using only one hand. As she watched him, she took another step down. Missed her foothold and began to slide. Jase tightened his fingers on her arm and steadied her. Waited for her to find her footing again. “Okay?” he asked
She nodded. “Fine. Wasn’t paying enough attention.”
“We’re almost there,” he said in a low voice. “Stop and take a look.”
She gripped the rocks tightly and glanced over her shoulder. They were about fifteen feet from the ground.
She could do fifteen more feet. She glanced at Jase. Nodded, grateful he’d suggested she look. If she fell now, she’d be bruised and sore as hell. But she wouldn’t die.
She started to move more quickly, and Jase tapped her wrist. Shook his head and leaned close. “Slow down,” he breathed against her skin, making shivers erupt. “Stay safe.”
“Yeah. Okay,” she muttered.
It felt as if it took forever, but finally her feet touched the sand. She glanced over her shoulder and realized she’d made it to the bottom of the scree. Closing her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then stood up slowly.
Jase stood up along with her. “Good job,” he murmured. “Now let’s go catch our bus.”
She started to walk toward the crease in the mountain, but Jase grabbed her hand. Tightened his fingers around hers for a long moment then finally let her go. “Me first,” he said, his face so close that wisps of her hair blew across his cheek. Caught on his stubble. “Stay close behind me.”
She walked inches away from him, so close that his scent wafted back to her. Surprisingly, he still smelled like fresh air instead of a man who hadn’t bathed in a few days. How had he managed that? She was pretty sure she was a little ripe.
The sand was firm beneath her feet, hard-packed by the wind that scoured the mountains and the plains between them. Thank God, because she wasn’t sure she could trudge through shifting sand. Even though she’d slept for hours, she wanted to curl up and sleep again.
Would she have been able to walk to Al Kamen if Jase, Cody and Dev refused to drive her there?
She would have tried her best to get there. But she knew her chances of succeeding would have been very slight.
Grateful that the three men had agreed to drive her there, she drew a deep breath. Blew it out and breathed deeply again. Maybe more oxygen would help her stay awake.
It took only a handful of minutes to hike to the crease in the rock. The black hole of it yawned in front of her. Unwelcoming. Scary. The light from the moon and the stars illuminated only the first few feet. The rest was nothing but blackness.
Jase pulled out his phone and typed in a message. A few moments later, footsteps hurried toward her. Two men emerged from the darkness, one dark-haired, the other blond, both wearing the same desert camo as Jase. Both men studied her as they approached.
“Laila Burke,” the dark-haired man said as he held out his hand. “I’m Cody Parker. Damn glad to see you.”
