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“It was a one-off moment where our tempers and fears got the best of us. I won’t hold it against you.”
Iceman laughed softly. “I’m sorry about being distracted with Rose and getting her and Karasu and Celeste back. It was a legitimate focus, but now it’s come to my attention that you developed feelings for that AFP agent, Kaiya. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.”
Hazard.
Kodiak nodded, walked over to a bench, and grabbed up a towel. Big-mouthed teammates meant well, but in this case, talking about Kaiya was still utterly devastating. He wiped his face and neck, sending the terry over his chest.
“So, what are you planning?”
Kodiak took a long swig of water. “What do you mean?”
“All the guys are talking about it. How her interpreter got stuck over in Afghanistan. How she was at Abbey Gate, how he saved her life by sacrificing his own and his family.” Iceman’s eyes narrowed. “I know you, big man. I remember what we went through and the dozens of injustices that happened on our watch. How that doesn’t sit well with any of us.”
Kodiak didn’t respond. Getting Iceman involved would be like getting the whole team involved, and this was something he wanted to do alone.
“Fuck that, man,” Iceman said. “You’re not alone and going over there without us isn’t an option. You’re our brother.”
His chest got tight, and he looked away. Iceman was right. He was never alone, and that knowledge filled him with so much satisfaction and comfort. He had the team, and they would never let him down. There was inherent danger in what they did. He understood that he or someone he knew might get killed along the way. There was nothing morbid about it. It was just business. This is what they did.
“You are a scary fucking bastard,” Kodiak said.
“Yeah, I am.” Iceman stepped closer, his expression hard as steel. “You want to go after this guy. We’re going to do it together like we always do. Hoo-yah!”
“Hoo-yah!”
The team had been deployed most of the last year. The brass didn’t blink an eye when they all asked for personal leave. They encouraged them to relax—to take a vacation. They spent that time planning a trip to the sandbox. Kat worked her magic and got the off-the-books mission sanctioned by the CIA. Through Iceman’s contacts in Washington, they got entrance into Pakistan, and through a shipment of much-needed medical drugs, made their risky way to Kabul. The whole thing was three months in the making with the help of the Australian High Commission in Pakistan once they acquired Afsoon and his family. They all wore beards and dressed in patchwork uniforms and local dress with no indication of nationality. Swathing themselves in headscarves gave them anonymity. They looked and traveled like the Taliban. From a distance they resembled a merchant truck, which gave them a small but critical advantage should they be spotted from afar by a shepherd or farmer.
Holed up in a house on the outskirts of the city, Kodiak watched from a window as their neighbor beat a female out in broad daylight in the street. He looked over at Iceman, the tense situation in the room making all of them edgy.
It was hard to hear her cries for help, but they couldn’t intervene. They had to maintain a low profile while they carefully inquired about Afsoon. It had been two years, and if he and his family were still alive, they would be in deep hiding.
Luckily, as a Tier 1 group who had made many friends among the populace while they were deployed here, Iceman mined everyone he knew. After a week of facing dead end after dead end, there was a knock on the door.
Everyone in the room went into action, weapons were drawn, and stances taken in case this turned deadly.
Iceman went to the door and opened it. “Firash Shah, get your ass in here.”
The man entered, saw all the bristling weapons, smiled broadly, and put his hand over his heart. “I come in peace,” he said, his English flawless.
“You have some good news for us?” Iceman asked.
“Yes, I have found a man who knows Afsoon. He is still alive and living here in the city with his wife and two small children.” He accepted a bottle of water from GQ. “They are being harbored by a brave soul who refuses to give in to the intimidations and threats of the Taliban.”
Kodiak grinned, his spirits lifting. The man who had saved Kaiya was still alive. Their next step was to get him and his family stashed in the truck for the return trip to Pakistan where they would cross the border and get to Islamabad and the Australians. The Aussies had fast-tracked Afsoon and his family’s Australian VISAs.
“Can you set up a meeting so that we can talk to Afsoon?” Kodiak asked. Firash focused on him and smiled again. “Tell the man who is sheltering them this is Afsoon’s best chance of saving his life and the lives of his wife and children. Eventually, he will be found out and executed without mercy.”
The man nodded, his face sad. “This is true. I will do the best that I can, my friends. Stay safe.”
He slipped out the door, the sound of the beating still going on. Kodiak walked to the window, pulled up his sniper rifle, and aimed. He found the man’s head in his scope and pulled off a shot.
The bullet passed by his right ear and the man stopped, abandoned the woman, and ran for the hills. Kodiak watched him flee, kicking up dust. The situation here was unbearable for men who hailed from a country that cared about its citizens. Here, the Taliban wanted to rule, but they didn’t give a damn about anyone but themselves. They were in the midst of a total country collapse. If that happened, what the hell would the Talis have to govern?
Time passed slowly and day turned into night, then day again, until finally three days had passed. The knock on the door gave Kodiak hope that a plan was in place for Afsoon to see them.
Firash entered with a figure swathed in a female burka, and he greeted them. “I have been successful.” He turned to the person. “Afsoon. It is safe.”
The man pulled off the burka and looked around the room, his face a mask of confusion. “Why have you come to rescue me? Americans? I don’t know any of you.”
