Page 102 of Over the Edge

Stayed alive through so much that should have killed me.

But good old Mother Nature’s gonna do me in.

At least I can’t feel my body any more.

They say it feels warm at the end.

I hope so.

Warm would be nice.

One last, long sleep…

CHAPTERTWENTY

Trevor studied the town below.Tarazan. The buildings were square blocks built of stone as ancient as the mountains towering around them.

Despair tickled at the edges of his consciousness, but he held it at bay by sheer, brute force of will. Anna had been quiet and withdrawn since that spectacular—and spectacularly disastrous—night by the fire under the stars.

She was slipping away from him. It was his own damned fault, of course. But if he cared about her one bit, he had to let her go. He was terrible at love, and she deserved so much better than him. But it was killing him by slow degrees.

Focus on the mission.

A few men walked down a street, chatting. Nothing else moved at the moment. The town tumbled down the mountain toward a wide, fast-moving river in the valley below.

The map said the River was called Darya-e-Shiveh. Given how far above its banks Tarazan started, the river must flood bigtime in the spring when all that snow in the mountains melted.

As far as he could see in either direction, there was only one bridge across the river, a relatively new suspension bridge. He and Anna would have to use it. If Haddad knew a single thing about security, he would have someone watching that bridge at all times, since it was the only land approach to the high valley Haddad was allegedly hunkered down in.

“We have to assume everyone down there is loyal to Haddad,” Anna murmured beside him.

“Agreed.”

“Looks to me like the only way to even get into town will be to go native,” she added.

“How do you suggest we do that?”

“It’s only about four hours back to the last village. We need to ditch the Range Rover for a crappy local vehicle, and we need local clothing.”

He smiled a little. She was not wrong.

She continued, “Your beard is getting long enough to pass for local, but it’s not as dark as the locals’.”

He murmured, “I have some hair dye in my gear.”

“Such a Boy Scout. Always prepared,” she mumbled.

“Our lives life depend on it,” he mumbled back.

“Excuse me?”

He put down the binoculars to stare at her. She sounded irked. “What?” he asked shortly.

She snapped, “You are not responsible for my life, other than the usual operational teamwork I would expect of you. We’ve already been over this. A lot. I can take care of myself.”

She’d been prickly ever since that campfire. Not that he blamed her for a second. He’d rejected her when she was at her absolutely most vulnerable, emotionally. He felt like a jerk for doing it, but he’d had no choice at all. She’d refused to give up on him falling madly in love with her and playing house with her for the rest of their perfect, retired lives together.

“Look, Anna. I know you can pull your weight under normal circumstances. I’m just concerned that this mission is going to be too much for you. Hell, I expect it to be too much for me. If nothing else, I want you to get out alive, though.”

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