Dan exhaled and leaned against the wall of the building that led into the alleyway in which he’d parked the SUV only six hours ago.
Anna remained in the car, rubbing sleep from her eyes as he’d told her to stay put while he checked their surroundings. He’d heard the clunk of the internal locking mechanism as he’d strode towards the quiet street and, not for the first time, had silently thanked the general for ensuring his daughter had basic security training.
Not that he’d relax. Not until she was safely out of the country and on that plane home.
His brow creased as he monitored the street.
A café owner swept the pavement outside his business, a low whistle carrying on the air, while to Dan’s left, other shopkeepers began pulling their display counters from doors, ready to begin the day’s trade.
While Anna had dozed fitfully, Dan had made a mental list of what they would need to complete their overland trip.
His plan was to buy their supplies from several businesses in the suburbs of Laâyoune – large purchases from any one store would mean their presence would be noted, and quite possibly passed onto Galal and his contacts.
While he observed the street growing busier as the trading hour drew near, Dan tried to recall everything he’d learnt about desert survival while in the British Army.
Water was an obvious essential. Food, less so – digesting food used up valuable moisture from a person’s body, so he figured they could reduce their food intake with little discomfort. He planned to buy energy bars if he could: lightweight snacks as a back-up.
He’d found an ATM soon after entering the city and extracted as much cash as he could before driving for another hour to a suburb on the opposite side of the sprawling metropolis to park the vehicle overnight.
When Anna had queried the manoeuvre, he’d explained that if Galal was monitoring their movements, then a large cash withdrawal from a bank would immediately draw his attention – and Dan wanted to be a long way from that location before they could be found.
Dan’s head jerked to the left at a shout from further along the street, and then his shoulders relaxed as he saw the café owner hold up his hand to a neighbouring business owner. Loud banter ensued before the man waved and turned back to his shop and flipped the sign on the door to “Open.”
Dan glanced over his shoulder.
Anna’s eyes were wide as she watched him through the windscreen.
He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, then turned and began to walk towards the café.
He’d already decided against using his broken Arabic to buy their supplies; the locals used a different form of the dialect, with some of the older generation maintaining Spanish as a second language – a trait from past colonial days. Dan figured it was simpler to stick to English and point to what he needed. He realised it would single him out further should Galal’s contacts sweep the area in search of himself and Anna, but it was a quicker process, and one that meant they’d be on their way out of the city sooner.
He entered the café, nodded to the owner, and was relieved to see a glass-fronted refrigerator near the counter. He pulled out eight of the two-litre sized water bottles, put them on the counter and raised his eyebrow at the owner.
‘How much are these?’
The owner frowned, shook his head, and then reached out for a scrap of paper and a pen next to the cash register. He scribbled on it, turned the page round to face Dan, and stabbed his finger at the amount he’d written down.
Dan chuckled, shook his head, and held out his hand for the pen.
The café owner scowled but acquiesced.
Dan wrote down a lower figure and pointed at it.
The café owner’s bottom lip jutted out, but then he shrugged and nodded.
Dan grinned and handed over the cash. He pointed at an empty box that stood on the floor next to the owner’s feet. ‘Can I have that, please?’
The owner bent down and picked up the box, shoved it across the counter at Dan, then stood with his arms across his chest.
Dan sighed. Small victories, he reminded himself. ‘Thanks,’ he said.
He loaded the bottles, then took the box and exited the café, checking the street as the door swung shut behind him.
The area was clear, no sign of anyone monitoring his movements, and the only pedestrians within his line of vision were the business owners he’d spotted before entering the café and a handful of early morning customers like himself.
He walked back to the SUV at a brisk pace, not too fast – just a Westerner returning to his accommodation with the day’s supply of water.
Anna leaned forward across the dashboard as he rounded the corner and entered the alleyway. Before he reached the vehicle, she’d unlocked the doors once more, and he pushed the box of water bottles onto the back seat.
Climbing behind the wheel, he checked the mirrors and started the engine.
‘Anyone show up while I was gone?’
‘No,’ said Anna.
She sounded out of breath, and her face was pale once more.
‘Hang in there,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t sure you’d come back.’ She shook her head. ‘Stupid, I know.’
‘It’s okay to be scared,’ said Dan. ‘It’ll keep you alert. But don’t let your fear turn to panic.’ He smiled. ‘And by the way, I’d never leave you. You’re stuck with me.’
Anna managed a small smile. ‘Good.’
‘Right. Next stop.’
Dan braked as the vehicle exited the alleyway, then turned into the street and increased his speed. He tilted his wrist towards him, checking the time. He wanted to be out of the city before the larger businesses such as banks and the like opened their doors for the morning’s trade.
No doubt Galal would be seeking assistance from the banks to see if a large sum of money had been removed from an ATM that day, and Dan had no intention of being anywhere in the city when he found the information he sought. Despite making his purchases several miles away from the cash machine, Dan preferred to err on the side of caution.
And therefore caution dictated he be the hell out of Laâyoune before nine o’clock.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he criss-crossed the streets, looking for a store that would sell the items he needed. He’d hoped to avoid the city centre, preferring to skirt around the smaller pockets of shops around the outer perimeter, but after half an hour of searching, he knew it was pointless.
‘We need a camping store,’ he said to Anna. ‘I want to buy some emergency supplies – water purification tablets, extra layers of clothing for us. Keep your eyes peeled.’
‘Okay.’
Anna sat up straighter in her seat, her eyes flickering over the shops they passed and down side streets as the road became more congested with traffic.
Dan ignored the sweat that began to tickle the back of his neck. The closer they got to the city centre, the more likely it was their vehicle would be spotted and reported.
A store on his side of the road caught his eye, and he braked suddenly, swinging the SUV next to the kerb.
Anna looked around, her eyes wide. ‘What is it? Is it them?’
‘Relax,’ said Dan, and pointed through the windscreen. ‘I need to go to that shop over there. Lock the doors again.’
‘Oh. Okay.’
‘Won’t be long.’
He slammed the car door and strode across the pavement towards the shop, its window display uniformly tidy and nondescript.
Pushing open the door, he was immediately struck by the silence in the space, which offered an almost cocoon-like sanctuary from the noise and heat outside.
An elderly man shuffled out from a back room at the sound of a bell above the door, his hands clasped in front of him.
Dan pointed towards the mannequins in the window display and then pointed at himself before indicating a shorter person.
The man’s brow furrowed, and then he held up a finger and smiled. He nodded and beckoned Dan towards the counter, where he dragged out two pre-packaged black robes, one an extra-large size from what Dan could make of the labels, and one a petite size.
Dan nodded and indicated he’d take both. A similar transaction to that for more water bottles ensued, and five minutes later Dan hammered on the window of the SUV.
Anna jumped in her seat before reaching out and releasing the locks. She frowned when Dan handed her the packages.
‘Black? I would’ve thought white would have been a better colour in this heat.’
Dan started the engine and pulled away from the kerb before turning the vehicle down the first side street he could, happier to be away from the main road and prying eyes.
‘White reflects heat,’ he explained. ‘Black absorbs it – and your body’s own heat, so it’s a cooler option. Especially away from the city and any shade. If we do have to get out of the vehicle for any reason, covering yourself from head to toe in black material is a much better option.’
Anna gazed out of the window. ‘I forgot you were in Iraq.’
‘It was a long time ago.’
‘But you haven’t forgotten.’
‘No. I learned a lot from the locals,’ Dan said. ‘We all did.’
Ten minutes later, he finally found the camping store he’d been seeking and bought the last of the supplies.
As he started the engine for the last time, he peered across the seats at Anna. ‘Last chance to say no.’
He saw her swallow, and she appeared to gauge her response before answering.
‘Given the alternative, I’d rather take my chances,’ she said at last. ‘If we don’t get out of this country and tell the UK government what’s going on down here, no-one else will.’ Her face fell. ‘Not now that Benji is dead.’
Dan slipped his sunglasses over his eyes. ‘Ready?’
Anna nodded. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘Copy that.’