Page 91 of Deadly Betrayal
“Please,” she called up. “Let me have mymedical bag.”
The guard laughed and walked away. Lightflooded the small space and let her see the man’s face for thefirst time.
Kaden.
Tears she thought she no longer had burnedher eyes as her fingers gently examined his face, his back, hisribs. With each newly discovered injury, the sorrow in hergrew.
Two broken ribs caused his breathing to beshallow and ragged. Even unconscious, his brow pinched with eachinhalation. She pulled off her headscarf, her old bandage fallingto the ground, and eased the material around his body. The bindingwould help keep the bones in place. Her breath caught at the signsof the electro-torture he had suffered—red-black welts along hisspine and kidneys. Intercellular fluid was already seeping from thelarger burns. Swallowing her horror, she stretched the headscarf tocover the worst of his wounds. In their dirt cell, infection waslikely.
After carefully returning him to lie on hisback, she examined the rest of his body. His torso and thighs werelittered with small cuts and numerous contusions. There was also ahematoma on the side of his head, and a great deal of swelling onhis right shin. It wasn’t broken though. Lastly, his lips werecracked, the skin on his face stretched tight. He was as dehydratedas she.
Rising to a half crouch, she gripped the barsand started yelling. She had to swallow and restart several timesbefore she could get beyond a soft croak. Spurred on by Kaden’smangled body and her fear that she’d lose him as she’d lost herbrother, she was soon hollering loudly enough to awaken the entirecamp.
The hard stomp of boots signaled anapproaching guard. “We need water and my medical bag,” she told theman in Pashto.
“Why?”
“I’m a doctor, and this man needs medicalattention.”
The guard scoffed, although his eyes strayedbeyond her to Kaden. “Khanom, he’s lucky to be alive. KhanTariq doesn’t care if one more infidel dies.”
“And you?” she asked softly, sensing theman’s inner struggle. “He is an American citizen and a formersoldier. They will send their troops after him. Will Khan Tariqprotect you then? If this man dies, his countrymen will kill youall.”
The guard’s expression was unreadable. Shehoped he was weighing her words. When he kicked sand through thegrid, despair gripped her heart. “Shut up, bitch,” he spat.
She blinked against the grit in her eyes. Heturned on his heel and disappeared from view. She sank back againstthe wall and began to pray. Surely this was not how their storyended. She did not care about herself. She’d gladly die right nowif it meant that Laila and Kaden would be safe. Rubbing her tiredeyes, she rested her head against the dirt wall and worked tosteady her breathing. Kaden and Laila needed her. She had to bestrong. For them.
Kaden moaned. She jumped and rushed to hisside, her stomach flipping and rolling until she felt as thoughshe’d be ill. On the one hand, she was filled with joy that he wasrousing, on the other, she was terrified that he’d hate her. Hisreasons for it were limitless.
Leaning over him, she stroked his cheek, nowmostly free of the foundation makeup he’d applied at theirguesthouse in Kunduz. Had it truly been only two days? Her heartclenched at the bruises that were already darkening his pale skin.“Kaden, it is Azita.”
A corner of his mouth curved up, just afraction. Her heart leapt and her breathing accelerated, making herdizzy.Calm down, Azita. You’ll be no use to him if youfaint.
His head moved, pressing his cheek into herpalm. Had he done that voluntarily?
With her other hand, she touched hisforehead. No fever, but his skin was clammy. Chilled. She stretchedout beside him, hugging his side while being careful of hisnumerous injuries. Her arm rested across his hips, her head on hisshoulder.
As time passed, the sun rose high in the sky,beating down on them, warming their cold bones. At some point,Kaden murmured something she couldn’t understand. Clearly agitated,he started to twitch, his limbs jerking. She held him more tightlyand he settled down. When his breathing eased, she melted againsthim.
Hours later, she awoke parched, but feelingoddly safe. She was warm and there was a delicious tugging in herhair as though someone were massaging her scalp. Her eyes poppedopen. Kaden watched her, his eyes warm and relieved, while hisfingers stroked her hair, the strands gliding between his fingers,again and again. Goose bumps raced up her back at the strangefeeling. Faroukh hadn’t been much for caresses, and no man hadtouched her bare head since she’d been a young girl. Kaden smiled.“Your hair is as soft as I’d dreamed it would be.”
She fell into his golden gaze, fell into herearlier fantasy of being with a man who loved her, wanted her, andwhom she had chosen. The dream of being his, of Kaden beinghers.
But he wasn’t. Once he fully comprehendedeverything she’d done, he’d want nothing to do with her. Leavingher alone, as she deserved.
A sob filled their small space and it tookher a moment to realize the sound had come from her. Turning away,she pushed herself up. His arm fell as did his smile. Good. Neitherof them should forget that this wasn’t some lovers’ nest. They werehostages. Captives.
“How are you feeling?” she asked in her bestdoctor’s tone. His voice had been scratchy and thick with fatigue.She pressed her fingers to the pulse at his wrist. Anything toavoid seeing the bloodied eyebrow she knew would be raised.
He sighed and tried to sit up. His face paledand he exhaled sharply. “Fuck!”
She guided him onto his back. The harsh soundof his inhalations made her ache for him, but they were a milliontimes preferable to a death rattle.
After checking the placement of the headscarfaround his torso, she relayed his injuries, focusing on the mostcritical. “You have two broken ribs. More might be cracked. Youalso have some severe burns on your back. I have covered them up asmuch as I could, but without my medical bag… there is not much Ican do.”
His hands moved to his face and he gingerlytouched his split lip, the swelling in his cheeks and jaw. Her herowas battered and bruised, but not broken. He smoothed his handsover the bridge of his nose. “At least they didn’t break it.”
Unbelievably, there was humor in his eyes.She supposed he was trying to lighten the mood. She’d do her part.“I guess even they did not have the stomach to ruin your boyishgood looks,” she teased.
