| |
AT THE SAFE house, Assistant Director Hakim and Dr. Dahmani readied the children to leave, while Leine scouted the rubble-covered village for a spot large enough for a landing zone. The rescue helicopter was due to arrive in just under an hour, and she wanted to ensure they had good cover and could lift off fast in case the group that tried to kill her earlier with the RPG turned up.
The village square had escaped the war with relatively little damage and turned out to be the perfect landing spot. Not far from the safe house, the area was easily accessible from a side street. She sent the coordinates to Lou, who would in turn relay them to the helicopter pilot. Then she slipped the sat phone into her pocket and started back to rejoin the others.
As she turned onto the main road used to enter the camp, something made her stop. A sound, or a feeling, she wasn’t sure, but she’d been through too many operations not to pay attention to her instincts. She closed her eyes and listened.
All seemed quiet, but Leine couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. She remained motionless a few minutes longer, but nothing came to her.
She continued to walk, pausing every few yards to listen. The moon floated low in the night sky, making the stars look dim by comparison. Following the tracks left by the van and Yusuf’s motorbike, she hiked up the gently sloping hill.
Cresting the rise, she paused to listen and scan the horizon with the binoculars. Something glinted in the distance and she zoomed in on the spot, but whatever it was had disappeared. She waited, her senses kicking in, feeling the old, familiar wariness return.
Another gleam erupted near the first one before it vanished. This time she was able to pinpoint the spot. There was no mistaking the line of three vehicles heading toward them. All three had their headlights off, suggesting they didn’t want their approach noticed.
Leine sprinted down the rise to the safe house, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm. She strode through the front door and straight to the assistant director.
“What is it?” Alarmed, Kadeem Hakim turned toward the former assassin.
“Someone’s coming. We need to move the children, now.”
“But what about the helicopter?” Hakim asked.
“Let me worry about that. Do you have somewhere safe that you can take them? A place the chopper can land?”
“Yes. I made sure they had another hiding place to go to in case this one was compromised. It’s a cave several kilometers south of here.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and dug through it for a piece of paper. “I have the coordinates.”
“Good. I’ll call Lou and tell him to change course to pick you all up there. I’ll stay back and try to throw them off your trail, and find you when it’s safe.”
“But what if—”
“I don’t deal in what ifs,” Leine said, cutting him short. “I deal in what is. Take the children and go, now.”
Hakim nodded. He recited the coordinates to the cave before he and Dahmani ushered the youngsters out the door.
“We’re going for a ride. I need you all to get in the van,” he said to them.
Leine spotted Jinn on the far side of the room, helping another girl pack her meager belongings. She made her way over to them and said to Jinn, “Help me grab what we can from the cupboard.”
“Okay.” Jinn and Leine went into the other room to the small closet, and Jinn started pulling out the weapons and ammunition, setting the items on the floor beside her. Leine slipped the MP5 over her strong shoulder and shoved magazines into the side and back pockets of her cargo pants.
“Bring the rest of the stash to the other room and then join the others in the van. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Jinn did as she was told, while Leine checked the charge on her phone.
The battery icon showed that the satellite phone had a few minutes of juice left. She walked into the other room and stopped Ahmed’s brother, Yusuf, who was in the process of grabbing a flat of bottled water.
“How do I get to the second floor of this building?” she asked. If she had to, she’d scale the outside wall, although she wasn’t looking forward to that little exercise, not with the pain in her arm.
“There’s a stairwell near the back of the house. Here, I will show you.”
Flicking on a small flashlight, Yusuf led Leine to the back of the building and showed her the dark, rubble-filled stairway to the second floor.
“No one is allowed to go up there.”
Leine made a note of the stairs’ location before following him outside to where Hakim and Dahmani were herding the children into the refugee camp van. The two youngest were belted into the front seat, while the older children filled the rest. Yusuf finished loading the cart hooked behind the motorcycle with enough supplies to last a few days, in case there were any problems with the helicopter pickup.
With one last look inside to make sure everyone was accounted for, Hakim climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Dahmani joined the two youngest in the front passenger seat. The assistant director put the vehicle into gear as Yusuf fired up the motorbike, and the group started to roll, heading south.
Jinn appeared behind Leine and said, “What do you want me to do?”
Startled, Leine turned. Dammit. She was supposed to go with the others. “I want you to go with them,” she said, her annoyance at the kid’s willful disobedience obvious in her tone. She whistled at the entourage. Brake lights flashed on and the van stopped. Yusuf pulled in behind him. Hakim stuck his head out the window, a questioning look on his face. Leine held up her hand, gesturing for him to wait.
Jinn crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m staying with you.”
“No, you’re not. It’s too dangerous.”
“It is too dangerous—for you to be alone.”
The set of her jaw told Leine she’d be in for a fight, and she didn’t have time to fight.
“For God’s sake, Jinn. I don’t have time to argue with you.”
“Then it’s settled.” Triumph glowed on her face.
“Do you know how to use a gun?”
“No. But I could look through the binoculars and tell you where to shoot.”
Leine had to hand it to the stubborn little shit—she had a point. Working as both spotter and sniper would be difficult with a bum arm. Not that she had a proper sniper rifle, but she’d make do.
“Fine.” With a sigh, she waved Hakim off and the van resumed course, disappearing into the darkness. Leine handed Jinn the binoculars. “You’re on lookout. Run up that hill to see how close the trucks are to camp. Don’t let them see you. Try to get a read on how many people are inside each one and estimate how soon they’ll be here. Then come back down and tell me.”
“On my way.” Jinn raced up the rise, slowing at the crest. She hid behind a mound of sand and waved at Leine to let her know she was fine.
Leine sent Lou the coordinates for the cave, giving him a brief explanation of what was happening before she turned off the phone to save the charge. Then she went back inside to check the stairwell for explosives.