Page 43 of Chasing the Past

“Hey.” Eli came over to where she stood and clasped her arms. “You had no way of knowing Rafiq was using you. I have no doubt in my mind that he brought you here to run into me. He wanted to get in with me to see if Sashi left anything that might incriminate him and his team.”

“He killed her. The man who claimed to love me, killed my sister.”

He gathered her close and tucked her head under his chin. “He’s a very bad man. If Rafiq is the Panther, then he’s responsible for dozens of attacks that killed innocent people.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep from sobbing. “Sashi, her husband. How many others has he used for his own gain?” She searched his face.

“Many. That’s why we have to catch him, and McDowell if he is involved, and I’m guessing he is since you were able to identify him as being with Rafiq in Cairo. They’ve probably been planning this for some time.”

“The nightmare . . . it’s real. It has to be. It’s too big of a coincidence that McDowell owns the same plane that flew me out of Kabul.” She left his arms and paced the room. “Why can’t I remember?”

“Because of the injury.” He hesitated. “Asal, I have a friend who works as a doctor at the hospital here on the island. I’d like to have him take a look at the scar on your face and see if he can give us an idea of when the injury really occurred.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait, you think my injury happened before Kabul fell?”

“I think it’s possible.”

She couldn’t wrap her head around the possibility. “But why would he lie about what happened?”

“I’m guessing you were being held somewhere. Rafiq probably thought Sashi may have told you something or given you something to hold that he believed could incriminate him and his operation.”

She rubbed the scar absently. “There’s so much I don’t understand. Oh, I wish I could remember what happened.”

“You will,” he assured her. “Being away from the man who kept you hostage while claiming you were engaged will help. The memories will return.”

“I just hope they don’t come too late.”

Outside the safety of the house, the weather raged. The shrilling sound of Eli’s phone stretched her frayed nerves to the breaking point. She started and clutched her hand to her throat.

“It’s Declan. I’m hoping he has news.” Eli answered the call and once more put it on speaker.

“How are you two faring on the peninsula?”

Eli held her gaze. “We’re holding up. The weather is awful. Let’s hope it blows through soon.”

“Possibly, but the forecasters are calling for these conditions to last for a bit. Anyway, I’m calling with an update. I found records of Rafiq visiting the US using the alias of Omar on several different occasions prior to the attack on Kunduz.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. There were at least five visits prior and several after, and get this, he flew out of Kabul.”

Kabul. The place where she had supposedly been injured by the shrapnel.

“Where did he visit in the US?” Eli asked while Asal’s thoughts were all over the board.

“He flew into New York City. Nothing near Oklahoma City. But I did some digging around that time and found out that McDowell was visiting the New York City area during those periods.”

“They were meeting to discuss something important. Any idea where they met?” Eli asked.

“McDowell owns an apartment in the city and also a ranch in upstate New York. I’ll see if I can dig around and find out where and who else was there.”

“Thanks, Declan. I appreciate it. What you found out definitely puts Rafiq and McDowell in the same location. Maybe we should get Gavin and his team involved.”

“Good thinking. I’ll send you the information I have and let you connect with your friend. Before I go, I have more news to share.”

Asal let go of her thoughts and listened.

“I reached out to one of my friends in the Pentagon and was able to get a detailed list of planes that were evacuating people before the fall of Kabul. There’s no record of One World Aide being in the area during the time. According to records, One World Aide stopped all flights to and from Afghanistan two months before the fall.”

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