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He stared at her. “You mean lie to my Commanding Officer? What happens when we get you out of here? When it’s time to deliver?” She stayed silent, so he shook his head. “What were you going to do then?”
“I don’t know. I was just trying to stay alive.”
He hissed out a long breath.
Another time, another place.
Same fucking thing.
Amrain had lied—and he’d fallen for it. Fooled to the point that he’d led his entire team into an ambush.
It was beginning to feel like he had “sucker” tattooed across his forehead.
He swung around. “Does the document even exist? Or did you make that up too?”
To his surprise she jumped to her feet, eyes flashing. “Obviously, it exists. Why do you think the State Security forces are after me? It’s not because I quit, you know. I’m not that indispensable to His Royal Heighness.”
Of course, he was being a dick. They’d bombed the shit out of the U.S. Embassy trying to get to her.
He was about to apologize, when she took a step closer to him. “For your information, I didn’t plan on losing it. That letter was my ticket out of here. I panicked, okay? I’m not used to being a fugitive. You may be able to think clearly under pressure,but I can’t. Especially not with State Security breathing down my neck.”
He paused, considering her words. At least that cleared one thing up. She wasn't a spy. No operative would lose such vital intel in a souk.
He raised his hands in a consolatory gesture and tried his best to calm down. “Okay, let’s call a truce. You were desperate, I get that. But we’re in a tough spot, now. Without that document, getting you out won't be easy."
"You could call your commanding officer and explain the situation," she suggested.
"And say what? That you tricked me into believing you had this top-secret intel?"
She gulped. "Tell him the truth—that I lost the document. What other option do we have?"
He sighed. "I need to call them about the embassy, anyway. They might not know what happened yet.” His shoulders slumped. “I’ll probably be sent back to assess the damage."
She swayed, her face pale, and clutched his arm.
“Hey, you okay? You don’t look so?—”
Her eyelashes fluttered closed, and she crumbled in front of him. He just managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Gently, he carried her to the couch and set her down. “Rest up. I’ll make us something to eat, then you should get some sleep.”
He turned to leave, but she reached for him. “Please don’t leave me. They’ll kill me.”
She wasn’t wrong there.
A tremor coursed through her body.
“I won’t,” he said with a sigh. He couldn't abandon her. Not now. Not after everything.
The bad feeling settled into a deep melancholy.
This had been it. His one shot to climb out of the hole Afghanistan had left him in. A mission that mattered. High-value intel. A civilian to protect. It should’ve been textbook—get her out, hand over the evidence, win back the trust that he’d lost in Kabul.
Instead, it had just been flushed down the toilet.
He stared at her as she lay on the couch, eyes closed, pale and exhausted. She was completely spent. No matter what the truth was, this woman was wanted, and she wouldn’t survive without him.
He straightened up, clenching his fists. Delivering Hannah and the intel would’ve put him back in the game. Back where he belonged. Not babysitting an empty embassy in a country on the brink.