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As the girls and their families trickled back to the truck, Jase hurried to the Humvee. “Everything good?” he asked Cody and Dev.
“Peachy keen,” Dev said. “Next stop Kabul.”
Jase nodded and returned to the truck. Counted heads. Everyone was there. But he still asked, “Anyone missing?”
They all shook their heads.
“Then we’re off,” he said. “But when we stop, don’t say anything or make any noise in case we run into a checkpoint.”
Everyone nodded, and he lowered the door. Secured it, then hurried back to the cab. Laila was already in her seat.
“All set?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “I’m good.”
The sky began to lighten after a couple of hours, and finally it was full light. Jase relaxed a little behind the wheel of the truck. He could see ahead of the Humvee now, and he’d be better prepared for any roadblocks or checkpoints. It had been smooth sailing so far. But he was pretty sure the seas would turn choppy before they made it to Kabul and the embassy.
* * *
Laila had been staring out the window intently, studying the villages flashing past and the herds of goats and sheep grazing on the desert vegetation. Nothing looked odd or out of place, but there was no way she could relax. Not until they were on the Embassy grounds and everyone was safe.
A sudden flash of light in the distance caught her eye. Straightening, straining to see what it was, she said, “Did you see that, Jase?”
“Yeah, I did,” he answered. “It’s too far away to see any details, but Cody will contact Mel and have her look at the satellite image. See if she can figure it out.”
Several minutes later, Laila ended the phone call from Cody. “Nothing there, Mel says. Maybe someone using binoculars, but no group of men on the road.”
She swiveled in her seat and put her hand on Jase’s arm. The warmth of his skin bled through the tunic he wore, and she wanted to curl her fingers into him. Hold onto him tightly. Instead, she said, “If we do run into a Taliban checkpoint, let me do the talking. Okay?”
Before she finished speaking, Jase was shaking his head. “No. I’m the man. They’d expect me to do the talking.”
“Yes, but my Pashto is much better than yours. They’d never believe you were Afghani.”
“Not enough reason for me not to speak,” Jase said immediately.
“I’ll give them a reason,” she said. “Just don’t open your mouth.”
“What are you going to say?” he asked, staring at her with a suspicious gaze.
“I’m going to tell them you’re mute. That you can’t speak.”
He snorted. “You think they’ll believe that?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” she asked.
“I don’t think it’ll work,” he said. And they’ll almost certainly make me open my mouth.” A smiled curved his mouth. “But I’m good with that. I can make them believe I don’t have a tongue.”
She frowned. “How can you do that?”
Jase turned to her and opened his mouth, and she recoiled. It looked like his tongue was missing. “How the hell did you do that?”
“I can, uh, curl my tongue into a roll so it looks like it’s not there.” He glanced out the window, then back at her. “A trick I perfected when I was a kid. Used it to, um, shock my... ah, people. Usually made them leave me alone.”
“What people, Jase?”
He shrugged one shoulder and didn’t look at her. “Whoever was bugging me at the time.”
There was more to the story than that. Laila had been a teacher for long enough to recognize evasion. But instead of pushing Jase to confide in her, she said, “Great party trick. Might come in handy.”
She saw his shoulders relax and knew he’d been afraid she’d push. Demand his story. It saddened her that he didn’t want to share his past. That he wouldn’t trust her with any details of his life.
He’d told her very little about his life before he became a SEAL. He’d talked about friends, about growing up in Seattle. But Jase hadn’t shared any important information. He’d skimmed along the surface, telling her about a couple of childhood friends but omitting anything more than easy, predictable tales.
He’d told her nothing she couldn’t have deduced for herself after knowing him for less than two days.
If he was unwilling to share any personal information, he wasn’t interested in anything more than a superficial relationship. A good time for a few nights, then they’d say goodbye. She’d go where Mel sent her and he’d do his job with Dev and Cody and the rest of his team.
The thought saddened her. She’d felt a connection to Jase that she’d never shared with anyone. But it didn’t count if it didn’t go both ways, and clearly their connection didn’t.
She squared her shoulders as she stared out at the desert rolling along in front of them. After a few days in Kabul, he’d disappear from her life. It wasn’t what she wanted, but that would have to be enough. She’d take what he had to offer, then let him go.
