Page 40 of Over the Edge

She signaled for him to follow her as she ducked into what would once have been a stable. A rusted car was parked in one of the old stalls, and assorted furniture and junk was stacked in another stall. Of interest, however, was the sliding door chained shut at the back of the stable.

He stood back as Anna went to work on the padlock. She was a whiz with lock picks and had the sliding door open in under a minute. She quickly donned a traditional burka that draped over her entire body, leaving only her eyes exposed.

“Cripes. You look like a local,” he muttered.

Her voice came out muffled. “That’s the idea. No one will notice me. And you won’t believe what all I can stash under here.”

“An unexpected side benefit of women operators,” he murmured. She smiled at him if that crinkling around her eyes was any indication.

He stepped close to her. “Have I thanked you today for all you’re doing for me?”

The attraction between them was as instant and intense as ever. Moreover, being together in this deeply foreign land had brought a new intimacy to their relationship that was nearly as beguiling as the woman herself.

“I’ll be happy to collect on your gratitude later.” She sounded a little breathless, there. He knew the feeling…the mission, dammit.

He gazed deep into her eyes, which looked even more feminine and mysterious than normal, highlighted by her garb, and muttered, “Later.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, she shivered a little under her robe.

She led him into a neighborhood well away from the one her family lived in. The bazaar they stepped into was dim, dingy, and mostly deserted. Only a few men, smoking cigarettes, lounged in doorways beside iron-grilled storefronts.

Silent in her burka, Anna led him to a man at the end of the row. It turned out the language of AK-47s, bullet calibers, grenades, and night vision equipment was universal. In a pidgin of English, Russian, and Zagari, with a little Arabic thrown in for good measure, Trevor negotiated for a pile of military equipment to rival anything the SEALs could have provided him.

It was appalling how easily he obtained an almost complete SEAL kit from these street vendors, much of it actually U.S. government-issue gear. Granted, it was not cheap. But still.

It took a full hour of negotiation, but as twilight fell, he carried a big duffel bag over his shoulder, crammed with ammunition, explosives, and miscellaneous gear, while Anna carried a second duffel bag of gear slung across her back.

He’d bought a full-sized AK-47, a short-barreled Tavor assault rifle out of Israel, two pistols with sound suppressors, a telescopic sniper’s scope, a laser sight, and a machete, along with night optical devices, a battery operated GPS system and a few other useful gadgets.

They headed for home as the last light failed, which meant night had already overtaken the winding alleys. Electric light spilled onto the cobblestones in isolated pools from restaurants and the occasional shop that was still open.

“Uhh, Trev. I hate to say it, but I think we’re being followed.”

He sighed. “I thought we might pick up some interest after we bought all this stuff.”

“You did flash a lot of cash.”

“If we’re lucky, whoever’s following us is a common thief and not a government type.”

She shrugged. “What I worry about is thugs working for foreign drug lords. Zagistan is a crossroads country, which means regional trade routes all pass through here. The opium market relies heavily on Karaken to move product out to the rest of the world.”

“Let’s not find out who’s following us, then, shall we?” He picked up the pace by slow degrees until they were walking quickly enough that anyone following would have a hard time keeping up and remaining hidden behind them.

“Still back there?” he asked a few minutes later.

“Affirmative.”

He swore under his breath.

“Do you want to lose them or stand and fight?” she asked as she moved up beside him.

“You’re not fully operational. I don’t want to get you into something you can’t handle.”

“Just how far from combat ready am I?” she asked in quick alarm.

“Oh, you’re fully combat ready. But, this isn’t how you ought to draw blood the first time.”

“We may not have any choice,” she muttered.

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