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Where were they?
Following Mr. Al Shabib, Chloe was surprised to see that they were in some sort of camp. Without speaking to her, he snapped his fingers again and she quickly followed, not liking the way some of the people were eyeing her.
From the looks of things, these people looked like refugees. Maybe the Guardians of the Earth really were on the good side and Trent had been wrong. Walking behind him, she wished her phone was charged so she could take some pics to show him. They walked through the camp with the limo driver bringing up the rear, his body alert to the people around them.
Up ahead, she saw Trent waiting with two boxes on a table, and she wanted to run to him, but he frowned when he saw her. He turned away, but she thought she saw his lips moving as he did. Was he mad that she was here? As they got closer, his demeanor shifted, and by the time they reached him, he had an easy smile on his face.
“Dudes! Chloe, I didn’t know you were coming. Hoping to catch some waves while you’re here?” Trent asked as he laid the surfer attitude on thick. He wore a Hawaiian print shirt and jeans and looked as though he’d just rolled out of bed, but something definitely wasn’t right.
Mr. Al Shabib made some sort of snorting noise. “Did you bring the boxes?”
With a flourish, Trent waved at the boxes. “I did. That customs agent was the bomb. Just checked me through with no questions. Major points for speed there.”
Mr. Al Shabib reached into his pocket, pulled out some keys, and gestured for Trent to move. Chloe was about to join him when a heavy hand came down on her shoulder, holding her in place. She squeaked in surprise and Trent quickly turned, frowning at the limo driver, who had a firm grip on her.
“Hey, hey. No need to rough up the lady. Chloe, why don’t you come stand with me.” Trent held his hand out and when she attempted to join him, the grip on her shoulder tightened.
“Ow!” she cried out.
“The lady will stay where she is until our business is completed,” Mr. Al Shabib told him as he opened the boxes and pulled out a bunch of marketing materials for the Guardians, which he set aside. The wind picked up the ones on the top and they blew off the table. He pulled out some smaller boxes and sorted through the contents quickly, tossing whatever it was he didn’t want. Once he had everything narrowed down, he put the remaining items into an empty bag he was carrying. “This is everything?”
Trent shrugged. “It’s everything Brad gave me. Was I supposed to bring something else?”
With the bag in hand, Mr. Al Shabib turned to leave, but Trent stopped him. “Hey. I thought you were supposed to give me a tour so I could take pics? If these Jawhara dudes are polluting the environment, the world needs to know.”
The older man barked out a laugh that made Chloe cringe. Pointing to the limo driver, he said something in Arabic and the man pulled out a gun and shot Trent twice. Once in the leg and a second time in the chest. Chloe screamed and tried to pull away from the driver, but he held fast. Trent clutched at his chest, making small choking noises as he dropped to his knees, breathing fast.
Finally pulling free, she ran to Trent and got to him as he hit the ground. The driver tried to grab her, but Mr. Al Shabib barked at him, “Leave her! Someone here will find a use for her.”
Chloe reached out to hug Trent to her, but he grabbed her wrists to hold her back. “Trent?” Lifting his head, he gave her a wan smile, and that’s when she saw the scar on his forehead. “Travis?” she whispered.
“The one and only.” Looking over her shoulder, he spoke quickly. “Al Shabib and the driver are headed back to the limo. Assume both are armed.”
There were shouts from behind them along with gunshots. Travis grabbed her around the waist and pulled her behind the table, which he flipped over. Leaning against the thick wood, he unbuttoned his shirt to show a bullet lodged in the vest underneath it. Pulling the shirt off, he bunched it around his leg.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be. Bullet went through the leg. Thankfully, the vest did the job. Still hurts like a mother, though, but all in a day’s work, if it means we stop these folks.” Travis paused and Chloe realized he was listening to something on an earpiece.
“And Trent? Where is he? Is he okay?”
Before he could answer, they could hear someone running toward them just as more gunshots rang out. Leaping over the barrier, Trent landed in front of them. Grabbing Chloe by the arms, he looked her up and down. “Are you okay? Please say you’re okay?”
“She’s fine. I’m not. Save the reunion for later,” Travis groused, and Trent grinned at him.
“Forget to duck again?” he quipped, and Travis reached out to punch him but missed. Opening the bag he had with him, he pulled something out. “One pressure bandage coming up.” With what looked like practiced ease, Trent wrapped the bandage around Travis’s thigh and pulled it tight. “That should hold you until we can get to civilization.”
“Where are we?” Chloe finally asked, and Trent squeezed her hand.
“One of the refugee camps. Al Shabib tried to make a run for it, but we’ve got drones running grid patterns over the camp. We’ll find him.”
Shots were fired farther away, and Trent looked around the table. “We have transport half a click away, so let’s get moving.”
20
Trent had never been so happy to see Chloe, but now wasn’t the time to indulge his need to show her just how happy he was. Slipping his arm around his brother, he helped him stand. The pressure bandage was holding, but they needed to get him medical care ASAP.
He and Slade had monitored Travis as he took his place, and everything went well through customs. The agent had handed him a burner phone and as soon as he cleared the building, Travis called the number on speed dial and was given instructions to meet Al Shabib here at this refugee camp. One of the newer camps that had been opened along the Jawhara border, the occupants hadn’t been fully vetted yet, and many were still awaiting interviews before they would be allowed into the capital.
