Page 106 of Deadly Betrayal
Keeping to the shadows, he crouched down andslipped from building to building. Guards were on patrol, and whilehe knew the schedule of the perimeter patrols, he didn’t know theothers. The largest building in the encampment loomed ahead. It wasmade of mud bricks with a wooden frame. The walls were dark beige,and its high windows indicated the location of bedrooms.
This was one of those times when his heightwas an asset. Peeking through the first, he saw a couple guardsrolling out of bed. The second room was Khalid’s. Kaden droppeddown out of sight, and hurried to the next. It was empty. Damn.This was taking too long.
He rounded the corner of the building andchecked the first window. A woman and a child were sleepingtogether on a narrow bed. Was it Laila and her mother, Freba? Oneway or another, he was going to find out soon. Reaching up, heshoved open the small window and pulled himself onto the ledge. Hisshoulders barely fit through the narrow frame. He only managed bywedging one in, then the other.
The ledge groaned. Kaden froze.
When the figures on the bed continued theirsoft sleep noises, he spread his feet and used them to anchorhimself as he descended into the room head first. Once his handshit the floor, he unhooked his feet and landed softly, although healmost didn’t manage to keep in his agonized groans.
After the pain eased, he went to the bedside.The girl was either a light sleeper or she slept anxiously, aswould any young girl forced to marry a dirty old man. Her eyessnapped open. Kaden pressed a hand to her mouth.
“Shh… I’m here to help. Are you Laila?” Whenshe nodded, he whispered, “Azita is waiting. Wake your mother.”
Releasing her, he waited, poised to actshould the older woman attempt to scream. Laila placed a hand nearher mother’s lips and whispered in her ear. Freba’s eyes flutteredopen. When they landed on him, she gasped and pulled the thinblanket against her chest. He averted his eyes and spoke to her inDari. “We must go. Azita will be worried.”
“The guards will kill us,” Freba said in atrembling voice, her eyes riveted on the closed door.
“It is our only chance, Maman,” Lailapleaded.
Freba stroked her daughter’s hair as sheobserved Kaden with sad, knowing eyes. “Hurry then, Laila. It isgetting light out.”
Kaden went through the window first.Balancing himself on the ledge, he pulled Laila up. When she’dsteadied herself, he dropped to the ground. Then gripping herwaist, he lowered her onto her feet. Hefting himself back onto theledge, he went for Freba. He grabbed her extended arms and workedto pull her up. The woman wasn’t big, but she was heavier than hispoor ribs could handle. He ground his molars to keep fromscreaming.
“It’s no use,” Freba said, fear filling hereyes. “Take Laila. She is all that matters.”
“No.” Kaden grabbed her again, this timeunder her arms, and using his own weight as a counterbalance, hegot her up onto the ledge. After dropping down to the ground, hedragged her out the other side of the window. She toppled on himand they fell in an ignominious heap. Kaden grunted as agony shotthrough his ribs. Were the situation not so dangerous and the painnot so terrible, he’d have laughed aloud.
Instead, he muttered a quick, “Sorry,” andhelped the woman to her feet. He’d gone fucking soft working forNic. Broken ribs wouldn’t have slowed him down a few years ago. Nowhe could barely lift a woman through a window, for Christ’ssake.
Laila grinned. “Maman might have put on a fewkilos since we went to live with Uncle Khalid’s family.”
“Laila!” Freba’s face turned bright red, andshe ducked her head.
Kaden hid his smile. It was good that thegirl hadn’t lost her spirit. “Follow me and be very quiet.” He tookLaila’s hand while Freba held her other. Sneaking between buildingswith guards on patrol without getting caught was always achallenge. With two inexperienced females, it would take a goddamnmiracle to see them to safety.
When they were within sight of the tunnelunder the fence, Kaden stopped. By his calculations, a patrol wasdue to pass by in two minutes. It was not enough time for both thewoman and the girl to reach the rocks where Azita was hunkereddown. They squatted in the shade of a structure that appeared to bea garage. Men were inside and he could hear engines revving.
Laila inched closer and pressed her mouth tohis ear. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
His heart twisted at the naked vulnerabilityin her voice. She was so young, so trusting. How could any man wantto do more than protect her innocence? That bastard Tariq wouldhave used her with no regard to her well-being. He cupped her handwith both of his. “I know, Lailajan. Stay close to me. Youwill see Azita soon.”
Her arm went to his back and her small handgently patted him. Why wasn’t she terrified of him? She didn’t knowhim from Ahmad, and he had to look like Frankenstein with hisbashed-in face and cuts everywhere. His gaze slid to Freba, whowatched them with a slight smile.
“Children know.”
It was all she said, but it was enough toforge a bond of trust between the three of them. Freba was a goodwoman who’d done the best she could for her daughter in a countrythat placed little value on women. Kaden would do whatever he couldto help them find a better life. But to do that, he had to start bygetting them to safety.
The crunch of boots on the gravel heraldedthe approach of the patrol. Kaden held a finger to his lips insilent warning. Laila’s arm tightened on his side, making himswallow a gasp of pain. The kid had some muscle.
Kaden waited another minute after the men hadleft before crawling to the fence. In a hushed voice, he showedLaila the tunnel underneath it, then pointed to the rocks whereAzita was, hopefully, still hiding.
The girl’s lips quivered as she slid onto herbelly and used her hands and feet to push herself under the fence.Once on the other side, she followed his instructions. Staying low,she half ran, half crawled to the rocks.
As soon as she disappeared behind them, Kadenmotioned to Freba to follow. She advanced slowly, fearfully. Herface contorted in pain when she went down on her knees. To Kaden,she looked to be about forty. Young by his standards, but thatdidn’t mean much. Women aged quickly here. And given that lifeexpectancy for women in Afghanistan was fifty-one years, it meanteven less. She moved like a woman in her sixties or seventies.
“You’re almost under,” he said. According tohis internal clock, the patrol would be back in nine minutes. Theyhad time. Still, he couldn’t ignore the prickle along his neck.When he’d joined the army, his sergeant had called it soldier’sintuition. Kaden had always followed it, headed its warnings,except once—the night of the ambush.
“Khanom, we must hurry.”
