WARRIOR (CROSSFIRE SEALS, #5) (22 page)

The last bit was important. Food was a much needed item in many of the mountain villages.

If the old elder agreed, once his side had delivered the weapons, the US troops would have a reason to attack that stronghold. It would be his chance to enter into the fray and find Minah. He already knew where she was probably kept. A
swara
marriage, the bride given away as a replacement, meant she was no higher than a yard animal. Her new family would not be treating her well. The poor girl would be kept in the barn, just as her marriage had been conducted outside one. In
pashtunwali
, one member must bear all the honor and the other must bear all the shame. It didn’t matter if the latter was an innocent party.

The elder looked up thoughtfully into the sky. “I agree,” he finally said. “If you see my granddaughter, kill her. If she runs back home, she would start another round of violence. I have told her this but she’s obstinate, that one.”

Shahrukh thought of the young girl who had so bravely trusted his advice that night not so long ago. The desperation in her eyes had made his heart hurt. She was too young to understand her ties with her family were gone, yet already old enough to know if she didn’t take a chance then, she’d be forever shackled as an animal.

“Consider her dead,” he grimly told the elder.

* * *

L
ucas swallowed down the vile potion Kit handed him. He didn’t need to say a word. Her eyes told him if he didn’t do exactly that, she would think of a way to make him comply. Besides, his team was on her side. Somehow, within the short span of meeting them, she’d gained their admiration.

“Don’t look so smug,” he told her. “They’re just in awe of the goodies in your backpack.”

It was true. Inside the Chinook, they’d gathered around while she pulled out some of her loot. Camera, guns, knives, spray paint, small medical kit, mini tablet laptop, utensils, shoelaces, yarn, notebook, mini recorder, chocolate, energy bars, deodorant, socks...the list went on. Lucas had explained how she’d used the yarn and Mink had told him they’d seen her spray paint on the scarf waving like a flag over the top of the tree. She had also added a large frog, with four legs spread out, so there was no mistaking it was a message to “froggers.” That was what finally persuaded them to take the risk and go to the nearest caves.

“Damn clever, Kit,” Mink said, with a smile.

“Isn’t she?” Lucas said, proudly.

They met the rest of the team waiting with the gunboat crew. From the quick briefing given by Hawk, he understood there was no time to waste. They needed to speed off to the best possible vantage point, where Amber had mapped out from this morning, for this second mission. It was now obvious to those who had questioned about her being on their boat now recognized her importance. Through her CIA channels, she’d pinpointed which tribal lookout point belonged to the Taliban and which one would look the other way if necessary because of age old enmity and power struggles. Tonight, they needed one of those lookout points because of the large collection of men and weapons being confiscated from Point B to Point A.

Everyone was ready. He could feel the bite of anticipation in the air as last minute orders were taken care of and satellite calls came and went, updating Hawk and all the men on what was happening in the mountains as well as at the US Central Command, where Admiral Madison was getting all the generals and the upper echelons of the political stage on one page.

He hadn’t really trusted the undercover operative, Shahrukh, much when they’d first met, but the man sure knew how to get things done quickly. The immense responsibility he was currently carrying was sobering. He had to satisfy all political fronts, enabling a US deployment of power by timing a weapons delivery so they could be captured. The cache would in turn placate the ruling Afghan and Pakistan parties, especially since they were from a Taliban controlled area.

Also, Shahrukh had to prevent any misunderstood flare-up between yet another local warlord and the US presence. Lucas wasn’t sure how he managed to get someone to deliver the weapons without arousing suspicions, but from listening to his co-commanders communicate with him and each other, he’d achieved that objective. Lastly, and perhaps the most important of all, he was in charge of bringing back the missing girl. If things did come in threes, Lucas wished the man every success in that last endeavor. The latter was putting his life at risk, personally going in to make a rescue of someone he didn’t even know.

Knowing from experience how dangerous such an act was, Lucas’ respect for the commando had grown exponentially. Also, he owed him his kidney, if not his life. He hadn’t had a chance to properly thank him.

Right now he felt like he’d had gone a few rounds with a champion boxer. He’d already caught hell from both his commanders and his woman. He supposed he should have shown more concern about that cut, especially when Shahrukh had warned him, but it was such a small nick. How was he supposed to know it would get all infected like some kind of alien bug had crawled into his body? He’d examined it and secretly admitted it looked horrific. The salve Shahrukh had placed on it had helped ease the fiery burn and he seemed to be able to think clearer. Maybe that unpleasant potion he was forcing down his throat was really some kind of antidote.

While the others went off to take their positions, he’d been given the lighter duty of sniper post, where he didn’t have to move out of position.

He gave Kit a stern look. “You stay in that hatch. You don’t come out. You don’t take pictures. Or I’ll tie your hands up and you can spank me later.”

Her eyes narrowed. Then she grinned. “You promise?”

He gave her a reluctant grin but resisted flirting back. His friends were watching and the Stooges were elbowing each other.

“Kit, don’t put others’ lives at stake because of a few pictures,” he said instead.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’ll do as I’m told. My brother is—”

“A fucking Airborne Ranger!” roared the Stooges and a few others.

Obviously, they’d all been filled in with the details. They chuckled as Kit gave them the finger. A minute later, his commander gave the signal and they started upriver, the huge boat slithering like a shadowy monster under the darkening skies.

When they stopped, Lucas glanced at Kit. She nodded and after handing him yet another vial of antidote, she quietly climbed into her hatch.

“And now, we wait,” Hawk mouthed.

* * *

S
hahrukh climbed off his steed. He’d already given the signal to Jazz Zeringue. His men inside had their orders. The first explosion and they were to fan out in different directions. Their job was to compromise the exits, then allow the SEALs and the other military outfits with them to do their jobs.

The Kurdish blood in him demanded he join in but he had another assignment. His men were war-conditioned, experienced in the art of stealthy attacks. They would take advantage of these insurgents and disappear into the night.

He already had messages passed around through the hotbed of insurgent tribes. Whispered through the channels, the news would spread about this particular mistake by the clan.

Who would be so stupid as to take in weapons when they had just been attacked the previous night?

Didn’t they know they were being watched? Surely we could not trust them to be in our network.

They’re Taliban. Of course the US would watch them and attack. We must not join forces with them
.

Shahrukh had no problem with the border wars. That was for the people to decide. But the Taliban, with their subjugation of unwilling people and their association with Al-Qaeda, was a different animal altogether. Fewer insurgent groups joining them would be a good setback for a while.

The first explosion hit the front wall.

It had begun.

* * *

K
it heard the distant boom and knew the attack had started. She’d never felt so tense in her life. She wasn’t afraid—not really—but her heart was beating hard and her senses appeared to have fingers, reaching out for and grasping every sound, smell and taste, until they echoed like rolling thunder in her brain.

The hatch had some kind of battery-operated lighting and she could peer out through the slight crack of the small entry way. Nothing to see, really. But the noise fed her imagination.

* * *

S
hahrukh remembered how the first group of SEALs snuck inside during the initial attack and seizure, through the hole under the barn. He wondered whether Yakob’s people found it. It might not have occurred to them, since the invasion happened so quickly. He recalled a hole through the ceiling that had been shot out by somebody. There was a chance they’d thought the attackers had broken inside that way.

He circled the wall in the dark, heading toward where the barn was situated. That Branson fellow was a big man and if he could fit through that hole, Shahrukh would too.

A small grenade exploded behind the wall and a body fell to the ground nearby. He kept on going. His men would open up the side entrance soon and there would be plenty of mayhem.

* * *

“C
umber, position, over.” His commander’s voice came over his helmet mic.

“Position 3, over. I have my eyes trained for the Shah,” Lucas replied quietly. They’d given Shahrukh that moniker. “I’ll cover him if he’s successful.”

He tried to stay positive. He didn’t doubt his team and the few gunboat crew members would win and retain the weaponry Shahrukh had used as bait, but he had his doubts about the latter’s finding a young girl in the melee. Sure, he’d recognize her and she might even attempt to escape again, but this time, the risks were higher. If she were running around in that big area where the men were engaging in deadly combat, chances are she’d get caught in the middle of some heavy artillery fire.

Shahrukh had told them the women would probably be in hiding in the main house, although the Taliban did sometimes have a nasty habit of using their women as shields or even as weapons. But that was mainly when they planned some kind of attack, such as strapping explosives on a woman to act as a human bomb in the market place.

Still, Lucas hoped Kit was mentally prepared she might not see the young girl alive again. She’d spent the whole day totally invested in her safety and well-being. Losing her when she thought all might end well would be devastating.

The explosions were getting more numerous. His comrades had already taken off, running towards the entrances illuminated by the fires inside. His eyes scanned the terrain, looking for signs of hostiles and Shahrukh.

* * *

S
hahrukh went down on his hands and knees. That hole was still there and it was damn small. Those three SEALs must have crawled on their stomachs, which accounted for all that foul animal offal stuck on their uniforms that night. He remembered the smell all too well. He would have to leave most of his weapons and hang on to his main one while crawling in.

He stood up to unstrap his belt and rounds of ammunition. The sound of heavy breathing caught his attention. A small hand reached out from the hole and grabbed his shoe. A shriek followed and the hand receded. Without losing a beat, he was back on his knees, reaching in with his long arm and finding a limb. Determinedly fighting biting teeth and sharp nails, he tugged hard and pulled a screaming, struggling body out of the hole.

He covered her mouth. The skin felt slippery from all the muck she’d crawled through.

“It’s me,” he said in Pashto, shaking her. “Ahmin.”

That was his Pashtun name when he mingled among the clans.

She was sobbing, almost hysterical. “Ahmin, Ahmin, Ahmin,” she chanted.

“Do you remember me?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Help me. They caught me again. Help me.” She threw herself on him, her voice filled with a desperation that would haunt him later.

“I’m here to help you,” he told her. “Be that brave girl again for me. Stop crying. We have to go but you must stop acting like a child and be brave now.”

She was crying so hard, her tears soaked through the front of his shirt. His hands were wet. Her neck felt slippery. Her hair was a mass of wet tangles and goop stuck to it. Her breathing sounded very raspy, as if she was having difficulty breathing through her sobs. He frowned. Something wasn’t right.

“I will stop crying. I will stop crying.” She kept repeating the line.

But her breathing remained horrible, sounding like she was suffering from asthma. Shahrukh quickly restrapped his weapons and then tugged on her arm toward the shrubs and line of trees leading to the hidden pathways. She stumbled behind him. He recalled she’d been more nimble last night. Had she been beaten? Was she injured?

He paused and turned her face toward the illuminated destruction behind them. A curse escaped his lips. He had difficulty checking the tide of anger engulfing him as he stared down at the young face.

They had cut off Minah’s nose.

* * *

L
ucas aimed. Fired. No outside help. That was Shahrukh’s suggestion to Hawk. He’d told them his sources would spread the word it was a tribal warfare. Many would stay away if there was a blood feud, but there would be some who might be clan related coming in to assist.

Joker was on the opposite side doing the same thing. The walled area, which housed the main living areas and the storage facilities, was bursting out in flames all over. There were shouts and war cries, sounds from fleeing panicked horses and people running out. The firelight made it easy to see the men trying to escape.

A lone figure on horseback charged up the dark trail. Lucas aimed his weapon at him. He seemed to know his way, heading toward the meeting place, not far from where the rest of the river crew waited.

It was Shahrukh.

And he was being followed by three other men on horses. One fired his weapon. Shahrukh’s horse continued its way through the night towards where Lucas was in position. The three men continued the chase.

Lucas took careful aim and fired.