Page 120 of Sands of Sirocco
As the mare seemed to stumble again, Noah reached past her, then drew the horse to a halt.Before she could make sense of his actions, Noah dismounted.“This horse is too weak to carry the both of us.”
Her mind took a moment to catch the full meaning of his words.
He meant for her to go on without him.
She twisted her body to face him.“Noah, no!”Another gunshot cracked past.
“You must go.”Noah lifted both hands, as though in surrender.
No.Not this.There had to be another way.
“I won’t leave you.”Her mouth felt dry, her fingers shaking.She reached out for him.
“You must,rohi.Go, they’re getting closer.”Noah took her hand in his and squeezed it.“Get out of here.I’m safer if you’re not with me.If they don’t have you.”
The gunshots, it appeared, had stopped.The men chasing them slowed.
Could it be true?Her capture had been used against him before.
Ginger stared at him squarely in the eyes, her brain scrambling for anything that might help.“Tell Osborne I’m coming back tonight with the location of the concession.That he can have it—but only if you’re still alive.”
“Get out of here!”Noah released her hand, then hit her horse across the backside as hard as he could.
The horse took off at a gallop.
As it carried her away, tears slid from Ginger’s eyes onto her cheeks.She looked over her shoulder, terrified as the men descended upon Noah, guns drawn.
Every fiber within her screamed at her to turn back.
Would they kill him?
A sob choked her throat.She hadn’t even told him she loved him.
Then she pressed the horse harder, faster, following Jack and Sarah.
ChapterThirty-Nine
Ginger lifted her head as Sarah came back into the hotel room Sarah had acquired for them on the outskirts of Abusir.The sun was setting, the sky a dazzling spectacle that she couldn’t appreciate.The room wasn’t much more than a bed and two simple wooden chairs, but it was better than the hovel where they’d taken shelter in the morning.Especially for someone as sick as Jack.
She could barely think straight.She whispered a prayer for Noah and clutched Jack’s hand for strength.She’d been sitting beside him while Sarah was gone.
“Did you burn it?”Ginger asked as Sarah sat in the chair.
The trace of ash on her trousers confirmed it.“I found a rubbish bin.Lit it all on fire.”She sank down further against the back of the chair, kicking her shoes off.
“Good.I don’t think we could have salvaged them.”Ginger had removed all of Jack’s clothing and shaved his face and head since he appeared to have been afflicted with lice on top of the malaria.
While Sarah had been gone, she’d washed Jack and dressed him in Noah’s clothes.They’d managed to catch the gelding eventually, which had been a stroke of luck as it had Noah’s bags strapped to it.Jack slept now, looking younger and sicker with his head and face shaved.
She wished Jack was awake.He’d offer his teasing smiles and jokes.
And hope.Without him they had no way of finding the concession.
But malaria could be deadly serious, especially when a patient was left untreated.She’d seen too many patients die of malaria to not be worried.His lack of awareness was a sign of how far he’d succumbed to the disease.She doubted they’d administered any form of medical care, given the state she had found him in.Ginger had given him a three-grain dose of quinine as soon as they’d stopped the horse.She’d given him three more doses since then.
Thank goodness she’d brought her medical kit.
Swallowing the tears in her throat, she said, “Should we make a plan to go back for Noah?”
