Page 106 of Lethal Game

Con crouched there, his hands steady on the weapon, his gaze seeming to take in everything at once. The calm competence he exuded was palpable, and it bolstered her own confidence.

Henry and Stalls arrived a moment later, fireman-carrying Macler and Norton. Both men were still unconscious.

She took a step toward them, but Con’s voice stopped her. “Wait.”

Smoke appeared on the other side of the sleeping tent. He flashed a couple of hand signals at Con, who replied in their secret sign language. Smoke disappeared again.

“There’s trouble brewing in the camp,” Con said in a whisper that didn’t carry. “River and Smoke are keeping an eye on it, but it could blow up on us.”

“We have to help them,” she said between clenched teeth, looking at the two unconscious men dangling from the shoulders of Henry and Stalls.

“We will, but we’re going to do it when we’re sure the threat is over.”

“Put them inside the sleeping tent,” Sophia called out.

Henry and Stalls followed her orders without hesitation.

One of the two men who had stopped with their hands in the air yelled out, “It’s Len and Dr. Blairmore. Can we help?”

Sophia looked at Con, who gave her a short, single nod.

She lowered her weapon, but kept both hands around the butt. Just in case.

The man who’d cut the hole in her tent yelled something.

Con and Len didn’t react, but Dr. Blairmore jerked liked he’d been shocked.

Dr. Blairmore rushed to the man she’d thrown the water at. “What did you throw on him?”

“Excuse me?” Sophia couldn’t quite believe the accusation in his voice. “That man came through the tent with a knife in his hand. Would you have preferred I shot him?”

“What did you throw on this man?” Blairmore asked again, anger giving his voice an edge.

Con’s body had gone still. “How do you know she threw anything on him?”

“Well, he’s covered in something wet, so she must have thrown something at him and he’s in a blind panic.”

“There’s no cause and effect to connect me to someone with a wet face,” Sophia told Blairmore coldly.

“You speak Dari,” Con said to Blairmore. It was an accusation.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” Con’s teeth gleamed white in the darkness. “Except you inferred that Len was both a bodyguard and a translator.”

Huh, Len hadn’t reacted to the man’s words. Now, what did that say about him?

“I speak enough Dari to get by,” Blairmore retorted. He glared at Sophia. “What did you throw on this man?”

“I’ll answer your question if he explains why he used a knife to cut himself a new entry into my tent,” Sophia answered with a thin-lipped smile.

No one said anything.

“Aren’t you going to ask him?” Sophia asked him, rapidly running out of patience.

“Well, I thought one of you would ask,” Blairmore said, looking at Con and Len.

“Doctor,” Con drawled. “If you want to know what Dr. Perry may or may not have thrown on this idiot’s face, an idiot who cut up an American Army tent with a knife long enough to fillet a camel,you’regoing to have to ask him his motives.”

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