Page 10 of Lyon

His voice called to me, leading me to him. I saw him lying on the floor of a dimly lit room, blood staining his clothes. His eyes locked onto mine.

And then he whispered,“Run.”

I woke up gasping, my heart hammering against my ribs.

At dawn, I dressed in my men’s robe and covered my head. At least my clothes were clean.

When I walked into the kitchen, Mack and his wife greeted me with warm smiles. They handed me a plate of food and a cup of coffee.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. I tried to eat slowly, but it was so good, it didn’t last long.

“Are you ready?” Mack asked.

“Yes,” I said, standing. I turned to his wife. “Thank you for breakfast. And for letting me stay here.”

She smiled. “I hope you find your brother.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

I hugged her, then followed Mack outside.

“We’re going straight to the next tunnel,” he said. “I didn’t have time to meet all of them, but I know there’s a Navy SEAL there. He was shot. I just pray he’s still alive.”

5

Lyon

Damn it,I didn’t want to leave her.

The thought burned in my mind, making me angrier by the second.

River said Mack was with her, but what if something happens? What if they all get caught? It was wrongto leave her behind.

I should have forced her to come with us. Or I should have stayed.

I dropped into the seat next to Leo on the plane, trying to push my frustration aside.

“Did you ever meet an American over there named Max?” I asked.

Leo frowned. “Max? What’s his last name?”

“O’Riley. He’s the brother of the woman who was with us—Niki. She refused to leave until she found him. I should have forced her to come with us.”

Leo’s expression darkened. “I haven’t heard the name Max O’Riley. But there was a Max Bannon who was shot in the side. I can’t imagine he survived without a doctor or medicine.” He paused. “He was a Navy SEAL. A good man. He tried to helpeveryone. He knew martial arts as well as you do. He could have left, but he refusedto abandon the stranded Americans.”

“Then he was shot,” Leo said.

A weight settled in my chest.

“There were no doctors left behind?” I asked.

“There were some medics, but they weren’t with us. I don’t know where they went. I think they were on the other side of Afghanistan. Everyone spread out to avoid being trapped in a big group.”

A sick feeling churned in my gut.

“You think any of the groups were found?” I asked. “Back home, we’ve been told there were over six hundred Americans left behind. Did you guys actually see that many?”

“All the Americans I met said there were more. They waited for the U.S. to return for them, but no one did.” His jaw tightened. “It’s been four years, and no one has fucking come to rescue us. What the hell happened? Why did we exit Afghanistan the way we did?”

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