Beyond The Limit by Lindsay McKenna Page B

with me.”
    â€œI’ll pick Ahmed up at his trailer,” Cali said.
    â€œThanks. In southern Afghanistan, we always brought gifts to the head men when we paid an official visit.” Pete sought her opinion, hoping to defuse some of her anger toward him. “Do you know what’s appropriate up here?”
    Cali softened toward him, seeing he was scrambling. “My company did some research on this sheik. He likes the Wild West of America. I’m taking him a Comanche war ax from the mid-1880s as a gift.”
    Pete nodded. “Good idea. I don’t have anything to give him.”
    â€œThen tell him you have a gift on its way. You can figure out what he’d like and get it here pronto. Hesam enjoys surprises. Good ones, that is.”
    â€œOkay, thanks for the advice. I’ll e-mail my father and see what he can scrounge up for me.” Knowing there was nothing else he could do, Pete said, “I’ll see you at 0800.”
    It would be too soon as far as Cali was concerned. She gave him a brisk nod, did an about-face and climbed the steps to her trailer. Good riddance. In college she’d been one of the few women in her class working on a civil engineering degree. When no one was looking, the male students had often tried to shame and humiliate her with sexual harassment. She never took their guff, and she wasn’t about to take Trayhern’s, either.
    Â 
    T HE SUN WAS BRIGHT , the cloudless sky a deep turquoise as Hakim drove the Land Cruiser toward Pai Tawa, the village where Hesam lived. Cali sat in the front seat, the map across her knees. They were like a cork on an ocean, bumbling along at twenty miles an hour over the deeply rutted dirt road. In the back seat was the major with his interpreter, and Ray, her general foreman. Although the village was less than a mile from the site, it seemed to take forever to get there. She’d sent Hakim ahead at 0600, to make sure the sheik would see them at such an early hour. Normally, business was not conducted until the midafternoon, but this couldn’t wait.
    Cali heard Pete talking to his interpreter. He was having him write down questions to ask the sheik. Earlier, Pete had tried to make amends to her by handing her some warm toast with butter; a breakfast gift of sorts. Surprised by his gesture, she’d eaten it. Most of the bosses she’d worked with wouldn’t have been so conciliatory. Cali could forgive, but not forget. Unsure of what to think of Trayhern at this point, she wondered how the audience with the sheik would go.
    â€œDo you have any experience with men like Hesam?” she finally asked, turning to look at him.
    Pete lifted his head. “A little. We had to deal with the tribal leaders in the border region where my company was stationed. Why? Do you have suggestions?”
    Good. He wanted her advice, and she was glad. Cali had been in the Middle East for many more years than he had. She eyed the well-groomed interpreter next to Pete. She didn’t know why, but she just didn’t trust the bearded young man. Compressing her lips, she said, “If you want, follow my actions. Once we enter Hesam’s house and get to the room where he holds his audiences, you might want to introduce yourself.” She glanced again at Ahmed, who was scowling at her. “Your interpreter should then take over and begin translating. Hesam knows some English, but we’d be better to speak to him in his language to ensure there are no misunderstandings. Right now, we need his blessing, his support and his men for our site.”
    â€œSounds good to me.”
    Cali found herself unable to protect herself from Pete’s boyish smile. A sudden vulnerability melted his outer demeanor, and she marveled at how much younger he looked. All that starch and military toughness dissolved in an instant. This was the man she was drawn to—that little boy with delight and impishness dancing in his