Page 150 of Deadly Betrayal

“Nope. He’s still out in the hall andMcAlister sent us another of his men. Name’s Stiles.

“Hotel security—”

“Has been alerted.”

“Looks like you’ve got it all undercontrol.”

“Consider it my wedding gift.” Jake stood andheld his hand out.

Kaden shook it and pulled Jake in for ashoulder-bump hug. “Thanks.”

“I learned from the best, sir,” Jake said,his voice heavy with meaning.

Pulling away so Jake wouldn’t see how hiswords were affecting him, Kaden took the envelope into his room andburied it at the bottom of his duffel. While he was there, hepulled on some pants and strapped on a double holster, which hefilled with two pistols. He eyeballed the AK-47. Would the sight ofit scare Laila and Azita, or would it reassure them? As he waffled,Jake’s phone rang.

The sound was immediately followed by therat-a-tat-tat of automatic weapons fire.

Chapter 35

Gunshot blasts shattered Azita’s dreams ofKaden’s strong hard body.

Catapulting up, she realized she was still inLaila’s bed. The girl’s low sobs had awakened her shortly after sheand Kaden had fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, Azita hadpulled on her nightdress and slipped out of the room. Jake hadn’teven turned around from his spot on the couch, but he had waved ahand over his head.

Another volley tore through the night. Close.The shots were very close. Too close. Laila lay beside her, eyeswide, mouth open. Frozen. Azita placed a finger on Laila’s lips,then she motioned for the girl to get up. The hotel was a fancy onewith Western-style beds that left a foot or so of space beneath themattress.

Silently, Laila crept under it and Azitafollowed, remembering at the last second to grab her medical bagoff the nightstand. Once they were both ensconced in the darkness,Azita tugged on the bedcover so that it hid them completely.Holding the shaking child in her arms, Azita started to pray. Andto worry. Kaden and Jake were out there. Were they armed? Was theattack outside their suite or somewhere else? Where was Khalid?Hundreds of questions churned in her mind.

There was a loud bang, a crash, then a screamfollowed by silence.

Goose bumps covered Azita’s body. Fear filledher throat, squeezing her chest until she couldn’t breathe. It tookall her effort to press a trembling hand to Laila’s mouth,reminding the girl to be quiet.

Please Allah, don’t let us die here.

Her ears straining, Azita listened for abreath, a creak, any indication from the other side of the doorthat Kaden and Jake were still alive.

The AK-47 in his hand, Kaden signaled to Jaketo position himself on the opposite side of the entrance to thesuite. The shots had come from the hallway. He pressed an ear tothe thin wood to try to get an idea what was going on. Theycouldn’t charge out there not knowing the situation. As it stood,he feared both Dixon and Stiles had been taken out.

Between the first and second series of shots,Jake had conveyed the phone message from Gwen. Her informants hadcredible information that Tariq was in Mazar-e Sharif. He’d arrivedon the same plane as Shahram’s body, and, using falseidentification, he’d passed himself off as a foot soldier, just oneof his men.

While Kaden and Azita had been discoveringeach other, Tariq had been planning an attack. Which gave him theadvantage, but the man would lose. Nothing was happening to Kaden’swife and daughter. No one would harm them. No one would take them.Unless it was over his dead body.

A shout in Dari came from the hallway.“Azita! Run—”

Although the voice had been cut off, Kadenhad recognized it. “That’s Khalid.”

“Fuck. Think they followed him?” Jakeasked.

“Or he’s in on it.”

Another voice cut into their conversation, avoice he was relieved to hear. American. “One step closer, and I’llblow your fucking head off,” Stiles yelled.

That meant they were at least three againstGod knew how many. Better odds than they’d had in the past. Hecracked open the door, gun at the ready in case it was a trick.“Stiles, how many?”

“Five that I can see. Back by theelevator.”

“Can you take ’em?”

“Negative. They’re using a civilian as ashield.”