‘It’s coming from your left,’ the elder twin announced tersely. ‘Drone says it’s an SUV of some kind. Packed with guards … beyond a bend.’
‘How far is it? I can rush through—’
‘No! The sheet slipped off your head a few times, exposing you. Luckily, the guards didn’t notice. However, those in the right-side tower are looking in the direction of the vehicle. They’ve got binos. They will spot you if you move.’
He waited as the sound grew louder. A pair of beams lit the night and flashed over him momentarily as the vehicle came round the bend. Bwana and Meg will take out the vehicle if those guards see me.
‘Get up and run, if they see you.’ She seemed to read his thoughts. ‘We’ll take care of the patrol and the tower sentries.’
He placed his left palm flat on the ground and brought up his right foot, ready for an explosive start.
The SUV bumped on the rugged ground as it came into his peripheral vision. It’s less than fifty feet away! He heard a snatch of laughter and music from an open window. The vehicle didn’t slow, however, and it carried on into the night.
‘Move!’
Zeb had commenced his crawl before she ordered him. He clamped his teeth tight to prevent any grunts as he fell into a smooth motion. Left elbow forward, weight on it, kick out with right leg … his lungs were burning and his vision was blinded with sweat when he got to the hole. He eased carefully through it, with blood pounding in his ears, and picked up his pace when he was through.
He lost track of time, guided solely by his friends’ directions, until a hand fell on him, drew the sheet away, and another pulled him up effortlessly.
‘Breathe.’ Bwana hugged him hard and held him till the pounding in his chest faded and the night and the valley returned.
‘How is he?’ Zeb nodded in Pasha’s direction. The man stood alone, still blindfolded, listening in silence.
‘Not a word.’
‘Did he hear about the drones or suspect what sheet we use?’
‘Nah! We were careful around him.’
Zeb swilled water in his mouth to clear its dryness and swallowed a mouthful. He wiped his face with a towel at his waist and nodded at the twins.
‘Teamwork,’ he said appreciatively.
‘Always.’ Beth fist-bumped him. ‘Let’s get Pasha to Sori.’
‘Are we through the border?’ the terrorist growled at him when he sensed Zeb’s presence.
‘Yeah, but there’s still danger.’ He secured the killer’s hands behind him with plasticuffs. ‘We’ve got to climb up to the plains.’
‘Climb? How? With this over my face, and my hands behind my back?’
‘You’ll find out when we get there.’
They spread out in the night, with the killer and Zeb in the middle, as they jogged towards the cliff’s face.
‘You given any thought to how we get him up?’ Roger asked. ‘He won’t be able to climb in that manner. Should we free him?’
‘Nope, not until we reach the ravine. He shouldn’t know where exactly we got to the border.’
‘He can’t fly.’
‘He won’t need to, dumbass,’ Bwana sneered. ‘Bear and I will winch him up.’
‘Bear and I will go up first,’ Chloe declared when they reached the ravine at eleven pm. She tested the nylon rope they had left behind, curled her palms around it and began climbing.
‘Top is clear.’ Meghan joined Zeb as they watched the couple scale the wicked surface. They wore EVGs and were guided by Beth, operating a drone, but still, the going was slow.
Can’t hurry it. One slip, one misstep and they’ll fall.
Pasha didn’t ask any questions when it came to his turn. Zeb wrapped the harness belt around him, guided him to the cliff and coupled the hook to the tackle on the rope.
‘It’ll be better if you cut my hands free at least.’
‘Those women you and your men raped in Sarhad, in front of the villagers … were their hands free?’ Zeb reminded him savagely. ‘Use your feet against the rocks to guide you. You won’t need to do anything else.’
‘So much care for a killer,’ Bwana said bitterly from the top as he and Bear pulled up the terrorist.
Can’t be helped, Zeb thought as he watched the warlord go up the ravine slowly.
He went up last, swiftly, and helped Bwana coil the ropes when he reached the top.
‘A few more miles before we rest?’ Beth helped him stuff them in his weapons bag.
‘Yeah.’
Their pace was slowed by the terrorist, who was flagging noticeably. He stumbled a few times as the operatives set a ground-eating pace, and had to be helped up by Bwana.
‘How much longer?’ he groaned when he was hauled up, yet again. ‘If you remove the blindfold, I can—’
‘No,’ Bear said sharply. ‘Another mile and then we rest.’
‘Leave,’ Zeb told Bwana, Roger and Broker, when they stopped just after one am. ‘Make your camp further away, out of sight, and disappear into the forest.’
‘He’ll know we’re missing,’ the Texan said, nodding at Pasha, who panted harshly as he lay on his back.
‘Let him. He won’t know where exactly you are.’
They fist-bumped him and ghosted away in the night. Only when they were out of sight did Zeb remove the terrorist’s blindfold and free his hands.
The killer rubbed his wrists as he glanced around him. He looked at the mountain range in the distance and checked out the plains.
‘We’re close to the Wakhan Corridor?’
‘Yeah,’ Zeb said shortly as he gave the terrorist a can of fruit.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll be with my people.’ The warlord drew a deep breath.
‘Today. In a few hours. Take some rest. We’ll start moving after sunrise.’
He lay down on the hard ground, close to the killer, and looked up at the starry sky.
‘Aren’t you scared, American?’ the killer taunted him. ‘You are returning to my country. You’ll be surrounded by my people.’
Zeb propped himself up on an elbow and grinned at him.
‘I got you in Sori, in your stronghold. We freed you from the Chinese. It’s you who should be worried.’
The terrorist glared at him for a long while before he cursed and turned away.
He’ll be Ahmadzai’s problem, Zeb decided as he lay back on the ground, beneath the starry sky. Until the peace deal is signed.
And then, we’ll hunt him down.