Page 11 of Lyon

I sighed. “It was a mess. There was a huge mix-up, and a lot of people were left behind. But now we know, and we’re going to get them out.” I hesitated, my mind drifting back to Niki. “I need to know if it’s safe enough that she won’t get caught.”

Leo studied me for a second. “Is she your girlfriend? Why the hell would you bring your girlfriend to Afghanistan?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I muttered. “I didn’t even know her before this. She hitched a ride with us, and now she’s over there, searching for her brother. That’s why we call her Nick instead of Niki. We all know what will happen if she’s found out.”

Leo sighed. “There are a lot of women left behind, as you could tell from our group. If Mack takes her to the next group, maybe she’ll find her brother if he’s still alive. Some of the Americans starved to death. No food. No water. They prayed for rain that never came. Babies died in the hospitals. The Talibandidn’t give them anything. They didn’t give a fuck about anyone except themselves.”

“I hope she finds her brother,” I said.

“River found me.”

I nodded, my throat tight. “I’ll give River a break and fly the plane for a while.”

I found River in the cockpit, his hands tight on the controls, his eyes staring straight ahead.

“Visit your brother,” I said. “I’ll take over.”

He glanced at me, then exhaled and nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

As he left, I slid into his seat. The hum of the engines filled the silence, but my thoughts were far away.

Niki.

Alone in a foreign country, hunting for a brother who might already be dead.

Ihatedthat she was still there. But Mack was with her. And for that, I was grateful.

Gage sat in the co-pilot seat, his arms crossed.

“You think she’ll find her brother?” he asked.

I exhaled slowly. “I don’t know. I hope she does. They seemed close.” I paused. “We found Leo and a lot of others. We’ll drop these Americans off and head back as soon as possible, pick up more, and bring them home.”

“Hopefully, she’s with them when we get back,” Gage said.

I nodded.

“I just hope she’s safe,” I said. “I don’t want anyone kidnapping her.”

That thought made my chest tighten.

“Hopefully, she won’t talk,” Gage continued. “She’s smart. But with a voice that sexy,you know they’ll figure it out the second she opens her mouth.”

I clenched my jaw. The idea of anyone realizing she was a woman made me fucking furious.

Gage pulled out his phone. “I’ll have to call Lori and tell her where I am. And we need to reach someone about these groups—get more help flying them out.”

I nodded. “Yeah. We need reinforcements.”

I gripped the controls, my mind drifting again.

Stay safe, Niki. Just hold on until we get back.

“Yes, we do. Moving all these people out on our own would take forever. We need more help. I wonder if the Navy SEALs or Army Rangers could assist. I’ll call Kash to see if he can gather some men.”

“Should we land in Pakistan or India? India is friendlier and nearby. Let’s head there.”

“I agree, India is our best option. We’ll try to secure more planes and see what we can arrange. We definitely need assistance; there’s no doubt about that. I hope we aren’t spotted. This mission is dangerous, and we must treat it as such,” I said, frowning with worry about Niki. “I have to get her out of there. I have a bad feeling about her being there,” I added, a chill running down my spine.

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