Page 14 of Chasing the Past

He shook his head. “I ate earlier.” His cell phone announced an incoming call. “I need to get this. Excuse me.”

While she ate, Asal listened to the one-sided conversation close enough to realize it was about her. She sat down her spoon. Had she walked out of one deadly situation only to fall into another?

Asal set the tray down and eased to the kitchen just out of sight. What did she really know about Eli Warren except what he’d told her which was pretty unbelievable?

“It’s her, Gavin. I’m positive about it. I’ll send you a photo as soon as possible. The DNA should be arriving tomorrow.” Eli stared out the dark window and waited for a response. “Look, I know it’s far-fetched, but I’m telling you it’s Sashi. She’s alive.”

Asal must have made a sound because he turned.

His surprise was clear. “I’ll have to call you back, Gavin.” He ended the call.

“Who was that?” Asal asked softly.

He placed the phone back into his pocket. “A friend.” Eli ran a hand through his hair. “Gavin and I served in the army together. We were stationed in Afghanistan.”

She came farther into the room. “Is this how you met Sashi?”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “She was my asset—that’s a local who is willing to provide information that could help bring down a criminal.”

“And did she? Help you bring down a criminal?”

He shook his head. “We were close. Sashi was a doctor who lived in Kunduz when the city fell in 2015.”

She recited the city name in her head. Why did it sound familiar?

“I actually met Sashi when I was stationed near Kandahar. Her husband worked as an asset at the time until he died.”

“What happened to him?” Asal waited for him to speak.

“He was mugged outside his apartment.”

She struggled to understand why this man’s story hurt to hear.

“We believed this was the work of “el-Nemr,” or the Panther as he’s known by the intelligence community. The police never had any leads so Tahir’s case went cold.”

“Tahir. His name was Tahir?”

Eli nodded without taking his eyes off her. “After Tahir’s death, Sashi began working with us. When she moved to Kunduz, it was fortuitous because we were certain the city was the Taliban’s next target . . . and we were right.”

“You were there when it fell?” She waited with her heart in her throat.

He shook his head. “No. My unit evacuated the evening before Kunduz fell. Sashi was supposed to come with us but she didn’t show up at my apartment. Gavin and I went to the hospital where she worked. The place was inundated with those injured from the missile attacks from the Taliban.” He stared past her as if going back in time.

“Anyway, she wasn’t at the hospital. I had a tracker on her phone and Gavin and I were able to trace her to a building.” He stopped. Dragged in a breath. Gathered himself. “There was a man there holding onto her. I called out. She turned and begged me to help.” The depth of emotions on his face was heartbreaking.

“The man you call Omar fired on us,” Eli continued. “Omar shoved Sashi into the building. Before Gavin and I could go after her, the building exploded. There was no way anyone could have escaped, yet . . .”

If Omar was still alive, then Sashi could be, too. They were both in the building when it exploded.

He believed she was Sashi. Was she? Many of the things he’d said sparked the tiniest of memories. Was she the woman he’d once loved with all his heart? But if she was, why couldn’t she remember that love?

Chapter Seven

Once he’d finished the story, the usual emotional exhaustion that was always there weighed his heart down. Eli pulled out one of the bar stool chairs and sat.

After a brief hesitation, Asal did the same. “I’m so sorry. You still miss her.”

Eli stared at his hands on the bar for the longest time. “Yes, I do.” He looked her way. “When I saw you earlier today . . . it was like seeing a ghost.”

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