Page 20 of Lethal Pursuit

Khalid had a far better motive for taking a female prisoner than his inept predecessor.

A shaft of light penetrated the dimness as someone pushed aside the carpet covering the entrance.

Khalid turned, squinting at Mohammed. “Yes?”

“Rahim wishes to speak to you, Khalid-jan.” He held up a satellite phone.

Smiling, Khalid headed back through the entrance and took the phone from Mohammed. “It is done,” he said.

“Praise Allah,” his mentor replied. “You know what to do?”

He knewexactlywhat to do. “I will begin as soon as they awaken.”

SEVEN

ADANK, DAMP, musty odor overwhelmed by the slightly alkaline scent of dirt hit Jackson’s nostrils as he struggled toward consciousness.

His eyelids felt like they were weighted down. He struggled to open his eyes, registering the near-darkness, the hard surface he was lying on. His hands were bound behind him and bruises throbbed across his back and shoulders from when the three men who’d attacked him had finally taken him down. As far as he could tell, nothing was broken. Faint male voices floated toward him, too far away to identify or discern what they were saying.

He rolled stiffly to his back and forced his body into a sitting position, all the while fighting to slow his pulse rate. Whoever had grabbed him had stuffed him into the equivalent of a cell carved into rock. The floor was bare dirt with sharp stones in it. They dug into his hip and shoulders as he propped himself against the back wall. He stared through clearing eyes at the crude iron bars forming his cage, his mind racing.

This wasn’t SERE training. This was real.

Shifting to his knees to get a closer look, he examined the bars and where they connected to the earthen floor and ceiling. There were no gaps that he could see in the construction. None of the bars gave way when he tested them with his weight, leaning his shoulder against them. The lock on the front held solid against his kicks.

“There’s no way out. I already checked.”

Jackson instinctively crouched and swiveled around at the tired male voice behind him. His eyes had adjusted to the dimness enough for him to make out the shape of another prisoner slumped against the wall of the cell beside his. The man’s body was swallowed by shadow but if he squinted, Jackson could make out the basics of hisfacial features. His dark skin made it harder to see him. When he realized who it was, Jackson’s heart sank.

They’d captured the fucking Secretary of Defense.

“Sir,” Jackson began quietly, his voice still groggy from whatever they’d drugged him with. “Are you all right?”

“As all right as the rest of us. And I think you’d better start calling me Doug. What’s your name?” he asked quietly.

“Jackson.”

“You’re a PJ?”

He nodded, glancing down at his uniform, which they’d left on him for some reason. The reflective patch bearing the lettersPJwas still there on his left arm. His body armor was long gone. “Are you hurt?”

“Only roughed up so far. Whatever they knocked us out with gave me a pretty good hangover, but otherwise I’m okay.” He sounded tired, strained.

Hangover was the perfect way to describe the pounding in his head and the dryness in his mouth. Jackson twisted his fingers, trying to increase circulation, despite the tight plastic zip tie around his wrists. The damp interior of their prison created a chill in the air that made goose bumps break out over his skin. He kept his voice low, uncertain if more guards might be close enough to overhear him. “Any idea where we are?”

“Side of a mountain someplace, best I can figure.”

Yeah. It looked like some sort of cave, or maybe an underground bunker. “How many of them there are?”

“At least five that I’ve seen, but there are probably others.”

Jackson turned his upper body to peer past the Secretary down the carved-out corridor. It seemed like there were more cells down there, though he couldn’t see or hear anyone else. Didn’t mean they weren’t there. They could be unconscious or keeping quiet. “How many of us?” he whispered, careful to ensure his voice didn’t carry.

“Four. Unless they brought in more while I was out of it. I think there’s a female,” he added grimly.

Maya? Jackson’s gut clenched. They couldn’t have taken her. Last he’d seen her, she’d been fighting off two attackers and other soldiers had been rushing to her aid. She was smart and strong.

They got you and the Sec Def,didn’t they?

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