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CHAPTER 1

Rose

Someone is following me.

As the thought hit, I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. At the far end of the market, I spotted four men carrying weapons.

Leaving the Savage Soldier base on my own suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.

Panicked, I took a deep breath and contemplated my options. I took a few steps forward and tried to blend.

Shortly thereafter, I noticed a strange old man in traditional garb staring at me from the shade of his booth.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Some men are following me,” I said, surprised that he spoke English.

He beckoned me with his hand. “Step inside out of the sun and have a seat.”

His shop – if you could call it that – seemed innocent enough. Shelves full of candles filled the walls. He sat cross-legged on a mat near the entrance.

Not all locals are bad guys, I reminded myself. “Thank you. It’s so hot out today.”

“Scorching.”

I stepped into his booth and sat on a wooden box across from him.

“What’s a woman like you doing here by yourself?” he asked, studying my face.

“I’m a journalist working on a story about the Savage Soldiers base nearby.”

“I know it well,” he said, nodding his head. “Still, it’s not safe for a woman like you to be alone here.”

“I know. I snuck out today to talk to locals without the military around. I thought I might get a better story.”

“My name is Arjun-Manju,” he said. “And you?”

“Rose Bennett.”

He smiled, showing a mouth with a few missing teeth. “What a beautiful name.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s good for people to hear the truth about Afghanistan. Are you an honest reporter?” His ancient eyes stared into mine.

I shifted in my makeshift seat. “I would say so.”

He nodded solemnly. “Would you like some water?”

“Sure.” I watched as he leaned over and dipped a metal cup into a bucket next to him. “Uhm…do you have a bottle?” I asked.

He tilted his head. “This water is clean. Look.” After taking a sip, he offered me the cup.

“I believe you, but I have a sensitive stomach,” I lied. “I need bottled water.”

Outside, I heard an angry male yelling in Pashto.

“They’re looking for you!” the old man said, standing up. “Come with me. I’ll hide you.”

I stared farther into his booth as he held out his hand to me.

“Come, come. We must go,” he urged.

I swallowed. “I don’t know…”

“Everything in Afghanistan is not as it seems. I can help you.”

My panic skyrocketed. “No thanks,” I said, stepping out of the booth and ignoring the hurt expression on the man’s face. I scanned the market for any signs of the Taliban faithful.

Where had they gone?

“Come, come,” the man said urgently, pleading me. “Trust me.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, but I trust no one.”

I stepped away from his booth, trying to blend in with the locals once again. If I made it to the edge of the market, I could find a taxi driver to take me back to the Savage Soldier base, where I belonged in the first place.

Being originally from Savage, CO, I had jumped on the opportunity to travel with the Savage Soldiers in order to advance my budding journalism career. It had seemed so perfect in the beginning. I could travel with the military as a journalist, seeing different parts of the world and writing about my experiences.

However, things had started so slow in the beginning that I wound up moving to New York with my father, hoping that the Big Apple would give me break. But then the break I needed unexpectedly came forward when the Savage Soldiers offered me the chance to travel with a select group who were being stationed in Afghanistan. A few of the Savage Soldiers who had been relocated to New York were a part of the mission, so I had been able to travel with them. The very moment the opportunity had been presented, I had started dreaming of my name under huge headlines…

But now that I had potentially put myself in danger, I felt nothing but stupid.

A man’s voice yelled out and I walked faster, hoping to get away before they caught up with me. When I reached the only exit from the market, I saw two other men with long beards and guns looking at the crowds.

Act calm. You’ve got this, I told myself while taking measured deep breaths.