AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Talib and the American team spent the next half hour working out their plan. The American men would travel to the closest village via helicopter. They would set up satellite feeds, a com station, and monitor the situation from there.
Talib would take PJ with him, and they would take a shortcut through the desert, cutting in front of the kidnapper and his most likely path into Sumari. They would then appear to be nomads traveling back to Jawhara via camel. Talib knew of a small group of Jawharan nomads who happened to be in just the right location for them to rendezvous with.
PJ listened as Talib outlined the plan, and she stiffened at the mention of having to wear full cultural dress, which would include a veil. Talib pointed out that at least it wouldn’t be the oppressive black one favored by the Islamic extremists.
“I don’t suppose you’ve ridden a camel before?” Talib asked her, knowing the answer was probably no.
Adjusting her hair, she nodded. “Once, sort of. As a kid. It was part of some cultural awareness day, but I shared the saddle with two others, so I’m not going to say yes. I have ridden horses, both in saddle and bareback. I’m hoping that will help, but I’m not looking forward to spending time on the back of a camel.”
“Well, it’s not the most comfortable ride you’ll ever have, but where we’re going, it’s the most efficient,” Talib told her.
PJ shook her head ruefully as the men elbowed her and made jokes. Talib wondered if he should intervene, but then realized that she was responding with her own jokes, so he watched, enjoying their camaraderie.
Raising his hand to quiet them, he asked, “I understand that Slade sent along some special equipment for us?”
Brock immediately rubbed his hands together and directed everyone over to the back of the Humvee. Carlos jumped inside and pushed two boxes to the open tailgate, and Brock opened the lids and began pulling things out, many of which Talib recognized, others he didn’t.
“Most of this will be going with us to set up coms. Since we can anticipate being without cell service once we’re away from here, we’ll be using radio for short-range contact, but we will have satnav and will be monitoring your progress across the desert along with our target,” Brock told them as he handed PJ two radios and a satellite phone.
“As to weapons,” Carlos said, “if need be, we do have the option for a weaponized drone—”
“Negative,” Talib interrupted him. “We cannot risk endangering Miss Malone any further.”
“Drone tech has come a long way, and we have the capacity to take out single targets in a crowd,” Carlos pushed, but Talib shook his head and then held up his hand as Brock started to speak.
“Since you’ll have it with you, any drone usage should be as a last resort. As I said earlier, I do not want to risk notifying the kidnapper of our presence before we are in a position to take him down.” Talib looked around at everyone and waited until they nodded in agreement. “Good. What else do you have?”
6
ERIN
Erin battled the nausea as long as she could, finally becoming desperate for fresh air and a stop to the side-to-side motion of the donkey.
“Stop! Please, I need to stop for a moment!” she called out, not caring if she angered Amir or not.
Amir stopped walking, halting the forward movement of the donkey before turning to face her.
Erin struggled to remove the heavy veil, her breathing harsh and uneven. Finally, she threw the veil off and sucked in deep, slow breaths of air, closing her eyes to block out the frowning visage of Amir. A wave of dizziness rolled through her, and she resisted the urge to touch the back of her head, sure that she had a golf ball-size knot where that painful throbbing was emanating from.
“What is wrong with you?” Amir growled.
“I need a break. The baby has made me very sick for the last few weeks, and the motion of the donkey is making it worse. How much farther are we going?” Erin opened her eyes, looking up to see the sun already beginning to descend towards the western horizon. It felt like they’d been traveling for hours now, and she was hot, thirsty, and very tired.
He looked at Erin with disdain, speaking to her in Arabic. Erin could only assume his words were as hateful as his tone of voice. Amir clearly thought she was a weakling, and at this point, she didn’t care. Groaning, she squeezed the fabric of the burqa she wore and attempted to will the rolling sensation away. She felt as though she might just tip right off the donkey while she waited for it to pass.
“Sumari women would never complain about the heat or bemoan feeling ill because they were with child. Bearing their husband’s children is their greatest accomplishment, and any discomfort is to be borne in silence so as not to belittle the blessing bestowed upon them,” he told her.
I feel sorry for the woman who marries this guy!
“Well, perhaps if you hadn’t given me a concussion on top of my pregnancy, I would be better able to do just that.” Erin regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Amir stepped closer to her with a glare, his free hand—not holding the donkey’s rope—fisting at his side.
“We will travel for several more hours. If you would like, you may walk, but I will expect you to keep up.”
Erin slowly nodded. “Please, for just a little while, that would be much appreciated.” Erin pulled her leg across the back of the donkey and then lowered herself to the ground. Her legs were wobbly, and she clutched the donkey’s harness to keep herself upright. Her captor, of course, never offered any help.
Erin straightened, steeling herself for the next stage of the journey. Amir surprised her when he threw a small water skin to the ground in front of her and walked a short way off to relieve himself. The fact that he didn’t even disguise his actions disgusted her, and she turned her back on him and slowly sipped the warm water. If his actions were representative of how all extremist young men acted, it was no wonder rebels had risen up and overthrown the government. He was a barbarian.
The liquid refreshed her, and when Amir grunted a command to walk, she was ready to keep up with him. She took one last glance behind her, down the path they had been traveling, wishing for some sign that help was on its way.
