Nick’s head smacked against the back of the seat, jarring him from a restless sleep. He fought to remember where he was. The smell of perspiration and diesel filled the humid air. A chicken squawked, a baby cried . . . His eyes focused on the battered leather suitcase halfway across his lap and the plump woman beside him as his memory began to clear.
Samson leading them through the forest, Philip lying in the ravine, Nigel’s confession, talking to Paul at the embassy . . .
It had taken forty-five minutes to fill the derelict taxi that ran from Dzandoni to Kingani, and according to the heap-of-junk’s driver, it would take another hour-plus to reach their destination. If they managed to make it there without breaking down.
The taxi hit a pothole, smacking his knees against a metal bar in the seat in front of him. He glanced around the crowded van. Seventeen people were crammed into the twelve-passenger vehicle and with the way his luck was running, they’d stop and pick up more in the next town.
Brandon sat next to him, looking far more alert than Nick felt. “You’ve been sleeping.”
Nick glanced at his watch. “How long?”
“Not long, but I don’t know how you can sleep at all. When you mentioned hitching a ride, I wasn’t counting on putting my life into the hands of some maniac driver.”
Nick slowly rolled his neck and shoulders to work out the kinks then jumped to his feet while the van rumbled beneath him. “You should have waked me up.”
“Why? There’s nothing you need to do — Samson’s got it under control.”
“I suppose you’re right. Nigel’s not going anywhere.”
Nigel sat against the window next to Samson in the seat in front of them. Bringing him with them had seemed like the safest thing to do at the moment.
Nick took off his cap and wiped the sweat off his forehead as they passed a scattering of compounds with mud-brick dwellings and thatched roofs. Little changed in the scenery beyond trees, compounds, and the occasional town.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Nick glanced at his phone before shoving it back into his pocket. Three bars meant they were near a town, but there were no missed calls, no messages. Which hopefully meant that the plan was still on track. But that didn’t take away the gnawing feeling in his gut. “I just can’t shake this bad feeling.”
“What are you worried about?”
“Nigel might not have been able to let the rebel leaders in on the plan, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know exactly where we are.”
Brandon unzipped his backpack and started digging for something. “Stop being paranoid. You’ve been watching too many movies.”
Nick laughed. “I wish. The last time I saw a decent movie was . . . I don’t even remember.”
“It’s just as well.” Brandon pulled out a couple of power bars and tossed one to Nick. “Hungry?”
“Yeah.”
“Just remember that this is the RD.” Brandon handed another one of the bars to Samson, who nodded his thanks. “And from what I’ve gathered in my short time here, no one has the resources of a specialized ops team, including the rebels.”
“Maybe, but the rebels are not only organized and well armed, but they’ve got a collection of satellite and VHF radio equipment they’ve managed to get a hold of.”
Which meant they were probably at least as well equipped or better equipped than the army. And Nick had left the camp, and everyone in it, as vulnerable as a battalion in the middle of a war zone with no means for cover. Things never should have gotten this far out of hand.
Nick’s phone rang. He grabbed it from his pocket and took the call. It was Paul. “I’m hoping this means you have some good news?”
“It’s progress. I spoke with one of the administrators with Volunteers for Hope, and not only do they have the vaccine, they are able to help.”
Nick pressed his fingers against his other ear so he could hear better. Procuring Volunteers for Hope’s help was the easy part. “And the help we’ll need from the local army?”
“I also had a conversation with the deputy of foreign affairs. I think we’ll get what we want.”
Nick breathed out a sigh of relief and gave Brandon a thumbs-up. “So I guess we got our miracle.”
“Your info on the camp ended up being the trump card, but while we might have narrowed it down, we’re going to need an exact location in the next few hours.”
“What kind of time frame are we looking at?”
“Another twenty-four hours.”
Nick weighed the situation. At least with the vaccine and other needed supplies on their way, they’d have a chance to get the situation at the camp under control. Now they’d just have to hold off the rebels as well.
The line crackled. They were almost out of the cell tower’s range.
“Listen, the line’s breaking up. I’ll call you as soon as we get to Kingani.”
“I’ll wait for your call, and Nick — ”
The phone went dead, cutting off Paul’s response. Nick flipped his phone shut and shoved it back in his pocket. At least they were making some progress.
The van hit another pothole then started slowing down.
“Flat tire?”
“I don’t think so.” Nick strained his neck and looked out the window. The van was pulling off to the side of the road. “Police stop. It shouldn’t take long.”
Nick’s attention shifted to the four armed policemen approaching the van. Their driver rolled down his window and started speaking rapidly in Dha. A twinge of concern twisted in his gut. This wasn’t a typical license check. Something was wrong.
One of the policemen pulled open the side door of the van and cocked his weapon. “Everyone out of the van now.”
Nick filed out behind the others, climbing over empty bottles of beer and luggage in the process. “And you thought I’d been watching too many movies.”
“Rebels?”
“That’s my guess. The police don’t typically force passengers to unload.”
“Unless they’re looking for rebels.”
One of the men cocked his gun and pointed it at Nick’s face. “Or unless they’re looking for us.”
“On your knees.”
Nick dropped to his knees beside Brandon.
“How’d they know we were here?”
“I don’t know.”
Nick searched for a way out, but a half dozen machine guns pointed his direction didn’t leave him with many options.
One of the rebels stopped in front of him. “Nick Gilbert?”
Now how in the world did he know that? “Yeah.”
He shoved the nozzle of the gun beneath Nick’s chin. “You and your buddies here are coming with me. But please don’t try anything heroic. Or you will not wake up to see another day.”