Page 50 of Deadly Betrayal
When he finished speaking, silence fell. Theemotion in the actor’s voice, the sincerity in his tone, hit Azitahard. She’d never heard a man speak to another this way. These menlovedeach other, their brotherly bond unbreakable. In herentire life, she’d never experienced the closeness that these verydifferent men shared.
Jake looked around and coughed uncomfortably.“We… uh… feel the same way, Nic. Because of you, two vets have ahome, a family, and a future that looks better than anything Icould have expected after coming back.”
Kaden shifted in his seat. “Now that thelovefest is over, want to say ‘Hi’ to your local fans? There’squite a crowd gathering outside the security perimeter.”
“Seriously?” Nic’s eyes popped open.
Azita laughed. “You have many fans here. Didyou think I was the only one?”
Nic blushed, and Azita felt a wave ofaffection for him. He was a genuinely nice man. Kaden snorted andshoved to his feet. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
Try as she might, she could not make anysense of what the man had just said. Jake chuckled and explained inDari, “He means, let’s go.”
Her surprise at hearing her own language sobeautifully spoken must have shown on her face. Jake shrugged. “Ihave a knack for languages.”
“Your accent is impeccable. With the properclothing and a beard, I’d have mistaken you for a local,” sheadmitted, also in Dari.
His eyes darkened for a moment. “I had thebenefit of an immersive education.” Then he flashed her a grin andthe look was gone. “Let me know if the big oaf says anything elseyou don’t understand. I’m happy to translate.”
“Tashakor.”
“Okay, okay. Enough showing off,” Kaden said,talking her tray.
She pressed a hand to her mouth to hide hersmile, until she caught his hard expression. A ball of nervestightened her stomach. Was he angry at her for talking to the men?As they followed Jake and Nic out of the canteen, she walked closeto Kaden, closer than she’d ever dared. “Did I do somethinginappropriate? After everything you have already done for me, Iwould be ashamed to have displeased or dishonored you or yourfriends.”
Kaden came to an abrupt halt. “Azita.” Thesingle word conveyed a sea of confused emotions. Azita could notread him at all. He looked around, then tugged her by the armbetween two buildings, drawing her behind a large cement wall andinto the shadows.
He traced a finger along her cheek, thecalloused pad like a kiss from a cat. “You are an incredible,independent woman. You can speak to anyone you want. It’s not myplace to dictate that or anything else.”
What if she wished it to be his place? Sheshook off the foolish thought and concentrated on her currentproblem. “You sounded upset, and your voice was… I don’t know theword.” Maybe she could ask Jake later.
Kaden bent his knees and pressed his foreheadto hers. The fanning of his breath on her lips was doing strangethings to her body. She dug her fingers into a crack in the wallbehind her. Anything to keep from wrapping her arms around his neckand drawing his mouth to hers. “I was jealous,” he whispered,refusing to look at her.
Jealous? “Of what?”
“Of them. Of how you looked at Nic. All thewomen and most of the men we come across seem to fall in lust withhim. And of Jake. You have no idea how much I’d love to be able totalk with you—really talk with you—in your own language. Your voicedeepens when you speak it.”
Azita nudged his chest until he stepped backenough for her to see his face. “Nic is a beautiful man on theinside as well as on the outside. But he isn’tyou. No onewill ever mean to me what you do. I will carry that feeling with mefor the rest of my life.” Which hopefully wasn’t going to end onFriday.
She smiled down at his hands on his hips.Large, strong hands. “And Jake is very sweet. He looks up to youlike a younger brother would.”
Kaden snorted. “He looks sweet, but he can bea mean son of a bitch. Poor kid’s been through more crap thananyone should.”
“He mentioned learning Dari in an immersiveenvironment. Was he living with locals?”
Kaden’s sudden burst of laughter was asbrittle as dried poppy leaves. “Is that what he said?” He scrubbedhis jaw with the palm of his hand. “Before Jake joined my team, hewas a prisoner of war. The Taliban held him captive for over ayear. He learned Dari from the other prisoners and Pashto from theguards. He also learned the names of all their torture implementsand techniques.”
Her heart felt like it had been gripped in avise that kept squeezing until it was unbearable. That poor man.“He must hate all Afghans.”
Kaden cupped her cheek. “Just the bad ones.”His thumb brushed over her bottom lip. “Any one of us would die toprotect you, because you’re one of the good ones. There is nothingyou could do to displease or dishonor me.”
Her throat tightened. If he ever learned thetruth… “I am not as good as you think I am.”
Before her eyes, Kaden’s handsome facemorphed into a memory of him falling to the ground, screaming, hisbody covered in blood. Her fingers slid down his chest, bumping upagainst his scars, against the undeniable evidence of herbetrayal.
Chapter 13
Khalid grunted as he was shoved against thecorner of Reza’s stall. “Watch where you’re going!” he yelled at agroup of adolescents in dirty and ragged clothing as they thunderedby him. Excitement came off them in waves, electrifying the othermerchants and their customers. There was an air of expectation, ofcelebration, as more people rushed down the narrow passageway.
