Page 48 of Chasing the Past

He turned and found her watching him. A quizzical look was all she saw before she turned her attention to the weather outdoors.

“That was JT. The storm should be passing through here in the next hour. So far, it doesn’t appear to be causing any major damage around the island.”

She released an unsteady sigh. “That’s good to hear. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” She cut her eyes sideways to see him staring at her.

“You can ask me anything.”

Asal gathered her courage. “Tell me how you and Sashi met?”

Eli was quiet for so long that she shifted his way. Saw the turmoil the mention of Sashi’s name caused.

“You don’t have to say anything. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He reached over and clasped her hand immediately silencing Asal’s protests.

“I want to tell you, but it’s hard. Even after so long.”

She was captivated by the hurt in his eyes.

“I told you that Tahir was my asset when I first began hunting the Panther.” She nodded and he swallowed several times before continuing. “After Tahir was murdered, Sashi moved to Kunduz. I think she had a friend that lived there at one time. I lost track of her for a while. And the Panther went silent.”

“You mean there were no more attacks?” Asal thought it strange that the terrorist would completely stop.

“Yes. I think he became afraid of something he believed Tahir might have discovered. It’s the reason Tahir was murdered, or at least that’s what my team believed, although the local police never could make the connection. They were convinced Tahir’s death was due to a random mugging. Apparently, they’d had a few attacks before but never a murder.”

So, Omar had made Kahli’s death appear to match a known crime happening in the city.

“How did you and Sashi reconnect?” she asked, wishing something about what he’d told her so far sounded familiar. Wouldn’t she have known about Sashi’s husband passing away?

“Over a year passed and after a time, the Panther’s attacks resumed. Soon after, Sashi reached out to me. She said that she’d thought she’d seen the man who resembled Naeem, the man her husband had identified as possibly the Panther. She was living in Herat at the time. Anyway, my team was dispatched there. Sashi was terrified. I ended up watching out for her until the threat had passed. We fell in love.”

Those words hurt to hear. He’d fallen in love with the sister Asal had never known. Now, Asal was being protected by the same man who watched out for Sashi and she was . . . falling in love with him. Her heart clenched. She loved him. Asal fought back tears and was grateful Eli was too lost in the past to notice.

“We saw each other whenever we could. When she moved to Kunduz, my unit was stationed nearby so we spent a lot of time together. I-I wanted to marry her.”

Asal balled her hands in her lap. It hurt to hear he’d wanted to marry Sashi. What kind of sister did that make her?

“Then the Taliban began their assault on the city. When it became clear that the city would fall, I arranged to have Sashi evacuated with our team. We were all set . . . until that night.”

The explosion that claimed Sashi’s life.

“It seems strange that I have a sister that I can’t remember. She sounds like a wonderful person.” Asal brushed her hand over her eyes to erase the traces of her tears when he faced her.

“You remind me so much of her. The way you tuck your hair behind your ear. That dimple that forms on your left cheek when you smile. Sometimes the way you say things.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off him. “I’m sorry you lost her.”

He didn’t take his eyes off her. “I’ve lived in “that moment” since she died. I haven’t been able to let her go. I don’t want to be a prisoner of the past any longer.” He leaned closer and framed her face with his hands. “I think we both have been trapped in the past. No matter what happens, no matter what you find out about yours, it’s time to start living again.”

He tugged her closer. Asal’s eyes fluttered closed when his lips touched hers. A tiny sob escaped, and she lost herself in his touch and she never wanted this sweet moment to end.

A noise that had no place in the moment pulled them both apart.

“What was that?” she asked, her eyes on him.

Eli cleared his throat. “I think the wind. I’d better check.” He rose unsteadily and stepped away. She felt his absence immediately. Did he regret kissing her? Was he imagining kissing Sashi instead?

The thought was a painful one. She clambered to her feet.

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