Dan returned to the cell without incident and passed one of the guns to Anna before pulling the grille across the doorway.
‘Nothing happened. What did you do?’
‘Patience,’ and Dan. ‘You’ll find out soon enough.’
‘What do we do now?’ asked Anna.
‘We wait,’ said Dan.
A loud groan emanated from the corner of the room where the guard lay.
Dan wandered over to the curled-up form, crouched down, and checked the man’s pulse. It was still weak, but Dan reached out, tore a strip from the blanket, and tied the man’s hands behind him before placing a gag over his mouth in case he awoke and cried out, alerting the others.
‘These guns are brand new,’ said Anna as Dan returned to his position at the door. She turned the weapon in her hands before she fed the ammunition Dan held out to her into the magazine.
‘At least you know you were right about what the money was being used for,’ said Dan.
‘Great,’ muttered Anna under her breath. She sighted the gun across the room, then relaxed her grip and eyed the passageway beyond the cells. ‘Why don’t we go now? You made it to Salim’s room and back without being seen. We could leave.’
Dan shook his head. ‘They’ll have a couple of look-outs on the roof as a minimum,’ he said. ‘At least, I would if I were Salim.’
Anna wrinkled her nose. ‘He’s the only one who seems to know what he’s doing,’ she said. ‘The rest—’
‘Would be dangerous if we provoked them,’ said Dan. ‘They’re thugs.’
Dan automatically raised his wrist and then cursed as he remembered Salim had removed his watch. He had no idea how long it would take for his plan to take effect, but he hoped to be on the move under cover of darkness. The longer they waited, the more tired they would become, especially Anna who was unused to combat situations.
He stole a glance at the woman next to him. He hardly recognised the scrawny twenty-something he’d met when she was still a university student. Now, she was more mature and self-assured, despite the trauma she’d endured the past two days.
She held the gun in her hand with ease, and with the general as her father, he had no doubt about her marksmanship.
He fleetingly wondered, though, if she would shoot another person, even if her life depended on it.
His thoughts were interrupted by noise from the men’s quarters.
‘They’re coming,’ hissed Anna, her body tensing next to his.
‘Stay here,’ said Dan under his breath. ‘Don’t fire unless I tell you.’
The scraping of a chair being moved reached his ears, and then footsteps echoed along the passageway.
In his mind, Dan envisaged the small group disbanding after their meal, splitting up through the fort to sleep or carry out whatever duties Salim had set them.
He figured one man would be sent to relieve their guard from his post.
‘When he appears, distract him,’ said Dan. ‘Make sure he looks at you.’
Dan pushed the cell door open and hurried over to the opposite wall, where he’d be out of sight from the guard until he walked into the room.
Anna ran to the cell door as the footsteps grew louder.
‘Hello?’ she called. ‘Please – help me. I think there’s something wrong. Hurry!’
The footsteps quickened, and Anna reached out through the bars of the cell.
Dan could sense the guard’s presence, heavy breathing reaching his ears a split second before the man’s form filled the doorway.
Dan didn’t hesitate. He spun away from the wall, dragged the man into the room, and forced him to the floor in a headlock, using the guard’s own momentum to drive him into the hard stonework.
The man’s body went limp on impact under Dan’s weight, his head lolling to one side at an impossible angle.
Dan pushed himself upright, checked the man’s pulse, and then shook his head.
‘Okay,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘Let’s go.’
The sound of sobbing reached his ears, and he looked up to see Anna trying to regain her composure.
He stood, tore open the cell door, and pulled her into his arms.
‘We need to go,’ he said.
‘Sorry,’ said Anna. ‘It’s just – I’ve never seen you like that.’ She sniffed. ‘That was scary.’
‘It was him or us,’ said Dan patiently. ‘Come on. Pull it together,’ he added. ‘We’re not out of danger yet.’
She wiped her eyes and nodded.
At that moment, an explosion ripped through the building, and Dan reached out to steady Anna as the floor shook.
Parts of the wall next to them crumbled, and plaster dust rained from the ceiling as the noise died away, and the sound of screams and shouting filtered through the fort.
Anna’s eyes widened. ‘What the hell was that?’
Dan winked. ‘The warranty ran out on Salim’s toy grenade.’