Page 4 of The Devil's Ransom

Removing his helmet and Peltor headset, Shakor said, “The airport is held by the Americans. They’re trying to get everyoneout. We can’t penetrate without a fight. Do you want to do that? I can take the airfield right now, but I can’t in three hours.”

“Why?

“They’re flooding in the 82nd Airborne and Marines. I can’t fight them. Well, I can, but if I do, I’ll lose. Those men are not something to trifle with.”

Sirajuddin scoffed and said, “You can’t take them out? We’ve taken out their entire military machine.”

Shakor said, “We have, but never in a straight-up fight. We now have the tiger by the tail. You want me to attack them, and I will lose. And you will, too. The Americans are dumb. They have no idea of our culture or society, but if you push them, theywillwin in a fight. Right now they’re scared. They’re worried. Let them leave.”

Sirajuddin waved his hand and said, “That’s not my concern. My job is internal security, and we’ve lost two things I want you to get back.”

He explained the stealing of the Bactrian Treasure and then showed him the picture of Jahn, saying, “This man has killed many, many of your soldiers. He flew out with the national security advisor, who took the treasure.”

He placed another picture on the desk, saying, “And this is Ahmad Khan, the national security advisor. I want the treasure back, and I want Jahn. You can kill Ahmad Khan to get the treasure back, but Jahn returns here.”

Shakor nodded and said, “Where is he?”

“Best guess is Dushanbe. They took a helicopter. We don’t have that capability, but we do own all the border crossings by road. You need to leave immediately. Split up into two teams. One is for Jahn, the other is for the treasure. I’m sure by the time you get there it’ll be gone. You’ll have to hunt it.”

Shakor said, “I’m needed here. This place could devolve into a maelstrom of looting in the next thirty-six hours. My men are the only ones who can stop that.”

“This is more important. Pick ten of your best men. Only English speakers who have worked or gone to school in the West. No farmers you’ve trained. You lead them. You go after the treasure, another team goes after Jahn. I want him back, alive. Don’t kill him.”

“That’s an impossible challenge. How am I going to find the treasure or the man a day after it was flown out?”

“They took a helicopter. I’m sure that made a stir in Dushanbe. I’ll contact our men there and give you a lead. Jahn will try to hide, but Ahmad will be touting his credentials. It’ll be just as big a stir as Ghani flying into Uzbekistan.”

“But that asshole is already on a flight to the UAE. If the treasure leads there, you want me to follow to another Muslim country? I can create a team of men who can work in the West, but I can’t do the same if it leads to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the UAE. We won’t survive.”

Sirajuddin turned back to his desk, looked at a map, and said, “He’s not going there with the treasure. He has the same problem you do. He’s going to sell it, and it won’t be to a Muslim. It’ll be to someone in Europe.”

Shakor nodded, grabbing his helmet. “The one good thing is the entire city is chaos. I can form the teams and leave in the next two hours because of the complete breakdown in security. I can be across the border by tomorrow morning, but I’ll need your contacts in Dushanbe, and I’ll need some support once I’m there.”

Sirajuddin said, “That will not be a problem. You still have your satellite phone?”

“Yes, but I’m not using that. It’s a magnet for American bombs.”

“Not in Dushanbe. Call me once you cross the border. I’ll give you the contact information.”

Shakor nodded again, then picked up the pictures, saying, “I don’t know about this treasure, but I’ll definitely find Jahn. For a little payback.”

Chapter3

I rolled over in my sleeping bag and bumped into Jennifer, now contorted like a circus act within her mummy bag. I raised up on an elbow, seeing her splayed like she’d been thrown out of the back of a pickup truck, her head leaning over the opening of the bag, her hair draped all over the place. I was amazed.How could someone sleep like that?Sheroutinely took over any bed we shared, but now she was trying to take over a sleeping bag she was the sole owner of. It was like she wanted to spread out and deprive me of the bed, but she couldn’t, because she was in a mummy bag.

I grinned, checked my watch, then felt the tightness in my back from what I was using as a mattress. You can’t sleep on the ground for any length of time before it takes a toll. In this case, we’d been living like animals for close to two weeks, but unlike the past, I didn’t have to worry about someone shooting at me, so at least I could take off my boots before going to bed. Even so, sleeping on the ground was miserable. Sometimes, like today, it was a good miserable, but miserable, nonetheless.

I studied her for a moment, content. I didn’t want to wake her, because the sun was just cresting the horizon, and even though it was August, it was a little crisp here in Tajikistan. And I knew that if I did, I’d be back to helping her dig up pottery shards, her like her life depended on it, and me just wanting to quit and have a beer.

No, I’d let her sleep until she woke up on her own. I lay back down and then saw the zipper of our tent begin moving. I groaned, because I knew who it was.

The zipper split, and I saw Amena staring at me, her hazel eyes focusing first on my face, then on Jennifer’s contorted body. She was our adopted daughter, and Jennifer had decided to bring her on this dig, which I thought was a mistake—not the least of which because she routinely woke us up at the crack of dawn. These artifacts had waited centuries to be found, and yet she seemed to think another hour was a tragedy.

Or she just knew I hated it.

Olive skin, black hair, and eyes with a color that were piercing, at fourteen years old she was turning into quite the beauty, but she still had a little bit of a rebellious streak in her from her time in Syria. Which is to say, she could hold her own with anyone she faced, no matter the age. Including me.

She said, “What on earth is Jennifer doing? Were you guys...”

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