AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sure enough, it only took a few hours of travel to get to the small village on the outskirts of Karbala. Keller hadn’t wanted to stay in the larger city and I was in full agreement. It was safer to stay in smaller places for now. We got off the camels and led them down the bustling main road.
Keller led us to a building where we began unpacking the camels. While we brought all our supplies inside, Rush took the animals to be boarded while we were here.
Everything was so new and exciting right now. I knew that shine would wear off as we kept traveling. I worked alongside the guys, setting up one of the rooms to hold everything Alden had brought with us.
It was early afternoon before we finished and sat down in the furnished house Keller had secured for us. “Is this a CIA safe house?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he responded. “I might need you to set us up with them as we go along, but Brandon had this one ready to go for us.”
I nodded and pulled my satellite phone out of my pack. “No problem. With this baby, I can contact anyone I want to,” I told him in a smug tone.
His lips twitched at my antics. “Good. We’re going to need a reliable form of communication. Our cell phones won’t work in most of the places we’ll be going.”
I watched him silently for a moment, willing him to talk to me. When he remained stubbornly mute, I sighed to myself. I was trying to talk myself into having the courage to confess everything, let it all spill out, when the door slammed open.
CHAPTER19
Keller
My body jerked as Rush burst through the door. “Keller. I found something.”
Shoving to my feet, I followed him out the door. I glared at Zinnia as she crowded behind me in the doorway. “Stay here.”
“Not a chance,” she muttered and stayed hot on my heels as Rush brought us to a small house.
He gave me a grin as he knocked on the door and waited.
Frowning at him, I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to be patient. If the situation were dangerous he’d have his gun out, but my fingers still itched to draw mine. Especially with Zinnia here. My protective instincts were out in full force.
The dilapidated wooden door creaked open and solemn brown eyes blinked up at us.
“That’s a kid, Rush,” I growled at my teammate.
He waved a hand, shushing me, and spoke to the boy in Arabic. The kid blinked at me and Zinnia like an owl, before he stepped out of his home, closing the door behind him. My guess was he was about eight or nine years old. His clothes were tattered and he was too skinny.
I listened without comment as he and Rush had a conversation. Zinnia stepped closer to my body and I had to grit my teeth to keep my dick under control. Her eyes were trained on the boy as she listened. I knew from her file that she was fluent in Arabic. I knew enough to follow a conversation.
“Tell me again what you saw,” Rush requested, kneeling down next to the boy. He cut us a worried look. “Don’t worry about them, they’re friends.”
Zinnia smiled softly at the child and I worked at wiping the permanent frown off my face. It wasn’t easy.
“I saw The Lion.” His voice was hushed, not revenant, but terrified that just saying Roj’s nickname would make him appear.
I couldn’t figure out why they called Roj ‘The Lion’. He wasn’t brave or loyal. He should be named snake or pond scum, but that wasn’t up to me.
“When?” Rush asked.
The boy shrugged and whispered something to Rush, while giving me the stink eye. I wasn’t sure how he’d managed to befriend this bedraggled kid in such a short amount of time. He’d only left to lodge the camels fifteen minutes ago. It was a skill of his. Almost everyone he met liked him immediately. He was open, honest, and had a huge heart. It was ideal for times like this, trying to intimidate a kid never really got you anywhere. The vibe I’d gotten from him when I’d first met him had made me accept him onto our team after the first day.
“Okay, show us,” Rush said, patting his head.
We followed the boy through back alleys. Anytime Zinnia got out in front of me, I’d grab her by the arm and haul her behind the protection of my body. She just rolled her eyes at me. I would love to argue with her over it, but we had more pressing matters.
Rush and the kid stopped and knelt down at the end of one alley and spoke in low tones. I knelt down next to them. “What is it?”
Rush pointed to a door across the way. “He saw Roj and some of his men coming out of that house.”
The boy backed up, away from me, his gaze darting between us.
