in the black we’ll be able to ditch Uncle and take only the missions we want.”
Dray had retired from the military and, along with his brother, created a security company they called Presidio. Surrey, Bleak, Con, and Itchy had also opted in as partial owners, but they were still enlisted and only able to join them on side jobs when they weren’t on missions of their own. General Post made sure that, more often than not, they were able to freelance with Presidio. Post’s primary goal was the end of el-Din and to find the leak at Command.
“The primary benefit is that Sasha won’t have to worry about el-Din ever again. So we’re on it. Should be a five-day mission, tops. We’ll be back stateside in a week. Here’s Itchy; let’s roll,” Dray said.
The sooner they left, the sooner he could return. He’d show her he wouldn’t give up no matter what she placed before him. She didn’t know it, but he’d claimed her before she’d left him in Afghanistan.
Eventually, there’d be no more running.
Part II: The Rescue
Present Day
Outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan
Chapter 7
Sasha hated this damn country. If it weren’t for a promise made, she’d have happily never stepped foot in this God-forsaken place ever again. They’d missed a sand storm by about an hour, and the air was redolent with heavy, oppressive heat. The soaring black mountains in the distance and the sounds of men speaking Pashto threatened to suck her back into a vortex of pain and disillusionment. No doubt about it, everything about her surroundings, including the bumpy road they were traveling, reminded her of another ride she’d taken a year and a half ago.
That one hadn’t ended pleasantly.
She braced herself as the driver applied the brakes hard, skidding for a few seconds before the Jeep came to a stop.
“Damn it, Sasha. What the hell are we doing here again?” Hal’s voice rang out in the sudden silence.
The shrill demand jerked Sasha out of her musings. She brought her gaze to her sister’s. Hal’s face was drawn tight. Concern deepened the laugh lines around her mouth, and her eyes displayed a concern that had chills breaking over Sasha’s skin. Disquiet skated razor blades down her spine. A stopped vehicle was probably not a good thing—they were nowhere near their destination. She pulled her scarf down and peered out grimy windows. Vague shapes took form outside the Humvee, and she used the scarf to wipe away some of the dust off the cracked piece of glass.
“I asked you a question,” Hal reminded her.
Tension snaked along her shoulders, settling in a ball at the base of her skull. “Shut it, Hal,” she whispered furiously as her eyes took in the scene outside their vehicle. Her body went cold. “If you don’t zip it, we’re going to be taking the midnight train to hell instead of home. Lift your scarf, keep your eyes down, and don’t look at anybody. If they ask for your passport, give it to them, you understand me?”
Sasha regretted, more and more every second, her decision to let her little sister come with her. Not that she’d let her, really; Hal had just kind of forced herself into this little operation. She should be back home taking the bar exam, but instead, she’d demanded to tag along with her big sister, probably hoping to keep Sasha from getting hurt again. And wasn’t that just damn funny, or not so much.
A shout and muffled grunt drew her attention back outside the vehicle. Several armed men surrounded their ten-vehicle convoy. They were interrogating each of the drivers. Wicked looking AK-47s pointed in all directions, the threat clear, unmistakable. Their faces were covered, but she recognized them for what they were—Taliban fighters looking for weapons, money, maybe somebody to kidnap.
Been there, done that.
She’d returned to this hellhole not even three hours ago and had already landed in trouble.
“You brought your papers, right, Hal?” Panic clawed its way up her throat, and she
Dray had retired from the military and, along with his brother, created a security company they called Presidio. Surrey, Bleak, Con, and Itchy had also opted in as partial owners, but they were still enlisted and only able to join them on side jobs when they weren’t on missions of their own. General Post made sure that, more often than not, they were able to freelance with Presidio. Post’s primary goal was the end of el-Din and to find the leak at Command.
“The primary benefit is that Sasha won’t have to worry about el-Din ever again. So we’re on it. Should be a five-day mission, tops. We’ll be back stateside in a week. Here’s Itchy; let’s roll,” Dray said.
The sooner they left, the sooner he could return. He’d show her he wouldn’t give up no matter what she placed before him. She didn’t know it, but he’d claimed her before she’d left him in Afghanistan.
Eventually, there’d be no more running.
Part II: The Rescue
Present Day
Outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan
Chapter 7
Sasha hated this damn country. If it weren’t for a promise made, she’d have happily never stepped foot in this God-forsaken place ever again. They’d missed a sand storm by about an hour, and the air was redolent with heavy, oppressive heat. The soaring black mountains in the distance and the sounds of men speaking Pashto threatened to suck her back into a vortex of pain and disillusionment. No doubt about it, everything about her surroundings, including the bumpy road they were traveling, reminded her of another ride she’d taken a year and a half ago.
That one hadn’t ended pleasantly.
She braced herself as the driver applied the brakes hard, skidding for a few seconds before the Jeep came to a stop.
“Damn it, Sasha. What the hell are we doing here again?” Hal’s voice rang out in the sudden silence.
The shrill demand jerked Sasha out of her musings. She brought her gaze to her sister’s. Hal’s face was drawn tight. Concern deepened the laugh lines around her mouth, and her eyes displayed a concern that had chills breaking over Sasha’s skin. Disquiet skated razor blades down her spine. A stopped vehicle was probably not a good thing—they were nowhere near their destination. She pulled her scarf down and peered out grimy windows. Vague shapes took form outside the Humvee, and she used the scarf to wipe away some of the dust off the cracked piece of glass.
“I asked you a question,” Hal reminded her.
Tension snaked along her shoulders, settling in a ball at the base of her skull. “Shut it, Hal,” she whispered furiously as her eyes took in the scene outside their vehicle. Her body went cold. “If you don’t zip it, we’re going to be taking the midnight train to hell instead of home. Lift your scarf, keep your eyes down, and don’t look at anybody. If they ask for your passport, give it to them, you understand me?”
Sasha regretted, more and more every second, her decision to let her little sister come with her. Not that she’d let her, really; Hal had just kind of forced herself into this little operation. She should be back home taking the bar exam, but instead, she’d demanded to tag along with her big sister, probably hoping to keep Sasha from getting hurt again. And wasn’t that just damn funny, or not so much.
A shout and muffled grunt drew her attention back outside the vehicle. Several armed men surrounded their ten-vehicle convoy. They were interrogating each of the drivers. Wicked looking AK-47s pointed in all directions, the threat clear, unmistakable. Their faces were covered, but she recognized them for what they were—Taliban fighters looking for weapons, money, maybe somebody to kidnap.
Been there, done that.
She’d returned to this hellhole not even three hours ago and had already landed in trouble.
“You brought your papers, right, Hal?” Panic clawed its way up her throat, and she
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