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Chapter 3
Laila sucked in a breath. Reached for the Glock 42 concealed in a deep pocket of her tunic. As her fingers closed around the grip, the intruder crossed a beam of moonlight and Laila saw his face.
Bahram. Her student Amira’s brother.
Laila exhaled. Relaxed her fingers but didn’t let go of the gun. Bahram walked his sister to class every morning, then returned to walk her home every afternoon. He was barely a teenager himself, but he was a male. With Amira and Bahram’s father dead, Bahram had power over Amira. And the stiff way he held himself, the scorn he rained on Laila, made it clear how he felt about the school.
Her hand resting lightly on her gun, she said, “What are you doing here, Bahram?”
“Why weren’t you home when I came to speak to you?” he countered, staring at her through narrowed eyes.
Laila swept her gaze over him. Amira didn’t like to talk about Bahram. Laila was pretty sure she was afraid of him, but that wasn’t unusual in the village. Some older brothers bullied their sisters and kept them on very short leashes.
Bahram stepped closer, and Laila held up her hand. “That’s far enough. You can’t intimidate me like you do your sister,” she said. “Why are you here? What do you want?”
“Where were you?” he asked again.
She needed to answer him, or he’d become even more suspicious. Instead of telling him it was none of his business, she held up the book she’d been carrying. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was delivering a book to one of my students. Picking up the one she’d finished reading.”
“So late at night?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Not late for a woman who has work to do.” She knew that would piss Bahram off. Didn’t care. “I needed to prepare my lessons for tomorrow before I went out. And I stayed longer than I would have because my student offered tea. It would have been impolite to refuse. As we drank our tea, we talked about the book she’d read.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I got home later than I expected.”
Time to go on the attack. “Why are you in my house?” she demanded. Entering someone’s house without an invitation was a serious breach of manners. “I didn’t invite you in.”
Instead of looking abashed, Bahram puffed out his chest. “I was sent by a member of the Jirga council to warn you. There is a rumor that the Taliban are nearby. They are unhappy that women are being educated. If they know you’re teaching girls, they will come after you. Kill you.”
“Thank you for that warning,” Laila said, managing to speak politely. “But I have not heard any rumors of Taliban close by.”
“Do you think they advertise their presence?” Bahram scoffed. “They know that if word got out, the American soldiers would chase them away.”
“So why would they come to Al Kamen?” she asked.
Bahram shrugged. “The rumor is they are checking all the villages. Making sure there are no foreign teachers educating the girls.”
“I was sponsored by an American church group,” she countered. “They assured me this was a safe village. They wouldn’t have sponsored me if they thought otherwise.”
Bahram gave a very teenaged shrug. “Things change,” he said.
Laila nodded slowly. Was there any truth in what the boy said? Had he been at that meeting tonight? Had he signed up to work with the Taliban? Or was he merely harassing her? “Yes, things do change,” she finally said. “Thank you for coming to warn me. That was generous of you, since you don’t approve of what I’m doing. But I think I’ll stay here. Take my chances. I like Al Kamen, and I’m very fond of my students.”
Bahram scowled. “That is not a wise choice. You should leave now. I can arrange for you to be driven to Kabul.”
“In the middle of the night?” Laila scoffed, knowing Bahram’s family didn’t have a car.
“No, not tonight,” he said impatiently. “I’ll take you to a cave. You’ll be safe there tonight. Tomorrow, too, until I find a car to transport you.”
Did he really think she’d buy his story? What was going on?
Laila studied him carefully. “You want me to walk across the desert with you at night? When there’s a nearly full moon? It would shine like a spotlight on both of us. Make us targets for anyone watching for miles around. I don’t think so, Bahram.”
“Suit yourself,” he said. “I was trying to help you, since you’ve been kind to Amira. But if you refuse my help?” He turned his hands over and shrugged at the same time, a universal code for ‘I have no idea what you’re thinking’. “I’ve done what I can.”
“And I appreciate your effort,” Laila said immediately. She didn’t want to make an enemy of Bahram. “Thank you. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”
“You may not have much time to change your mind,” he said cryptically.
She frowned, as if confused and trying to understand. She needed to get more information from him. “How much time do I have?”
