Page 39 of Deadly Betrayal

Shahram looked toward the bare mountains andlit another cigarette. It took him several tries because he keptblowing out the match with his ragged breathing. Azita’s brotherwas scared, terrified even. But of what… or of whom? Finally, hesaid, “This was planned before you told her of the marriage.”

The air in Khalid’s chest rushed out in ahuge sigh of relief. There was still a chance to salvage thesituation. “Who is this man she left with?”

“I don’t know.”

Khalid had tried to be nice. He’d tried touse words and persuasion, but some men only understood violence. Heshoved Shahram, knocking the cigarette from his hand. “Stop lying!I know he went to your apartment. I know you talked.”

Shahram righted himself and shook his jacketinto place. “How?”

“I told you on the phone. I went to yourplace. I searched it. Saw the dishes—two glasses, two plates. If itwasn’t Azita, it had to be him.” His voice lowered to a growl. “Youhelped this man take Azita from me.”

“I can’t betray my sister. She’s alreadysuffered enough because of me.”

“And she will suffer even more.” Khalid tooka step back and inhaled deeply, trying to get his emotions undercontrol. Every minute he wasted here reduced his chances of findingAzita, unharmed and untouched. He poked his finger into Shahram’sbony chest. “If you don’t start talking, I will call the ANP. Iwill tell them you engineered the kidnapping of my fiancée. Givenwhat you did to Jamila, they will believe me.”

“You wouldn’t.” Shahram’s body seemed todeflate. His shoulders sagged and his spine curved. Beaten.

Khalid pressed his point. “I’d love nothingbetter than to see you rot in jail. It will take many lifetimes foryou to repent your sins.”

“Okay. Okay.” Shahram held his hands up.“Even Azita isn’t stubborn enough to take on Tariq by herself. Weenlisted the help of someone who knows how to handle such men.”

“You hired a fighter? Are you crazy? Thosemen wouldn’t go against a warlord of Tariq’s caliber, and theycan’t be trusted. Especially not with a woman.” No, a fighter wasmore likely to use Azita as a hostage, or sell her as a slave.Khalid’s vision darkened, and he had to lean against the wall ofthe garage.Dear Azita,azizam. What have youdone?

“Agha Khalid, she’s fine. I wouldn’t have lether leave with the man if I’d thought she was in any danger.”

“Lether?” Blood pounded in his earsat this new revelation. “Astaghfirullah, this just keepsgetting better and better.” Turning away from the man before hekilled him, Khalid yanked the phone from his jacket pocket. “If Ican get to her before anyone finds out they’ve been alone together,I can still save her. Tell me this man’s name right now.”

Shahram looked as though he might vomit.Served the bastard right for being so careless with his sister. Heswallowed, his throat visibly working. “Kaden. Kaden Christiansen.He’s an American.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar. “Asoldier?”

“He was. He’s the one Azita saved a coupleyears ago.”

A memory of the bloodbath that had occurredthat night flashed before Khalid’s eyes. He’d been well-hidden,watching the exchange. The warlord, Rashid Abdullah, had justhanded over the twenty-five thousand American dollars he’d agreedto pay for the weapons. Moments before both sides walked away, ashot had rung out, signaling the beginning of the ambush. A tall,light-haired American soldier had dived in front of a shorter man.Despite the soldier’s bulky body armor, he’d been injured. Thebullet must have caught him under the arm as he’d lunged in frontof his comrade. Nearby, another soldier had been hit, his headexploding in a cloud of blood.

Self-disgust had filled Khalid as the menhe’d hired had charged into the chaos to grab the bag of money,half of which had been Khalid’s share. With the money, he’dfinalized a deal he’d brokered with a tribal elder in Takharprovince for one thousand hectares of coal-rich land.

Khalid’s stomach roiled. The man hit in thetorso must be the one Azita had recruited for help. “How long hasshe been seeing him?” Jealousy and the rage born of betrayal gavehis grip a deadly strength as he squeezed Shahram’s throat. At thisrate, his future brother-in-law would have a ring of bruises aroundhis slender neck.

“S-seeing? No. He just arrived a few daysago. He’s here to pay a debt. That’s it.”

“I swear to Allah, if you’ve caused me tolose yet another bride, Iwillkill you. And I will takegreat pleasure in it.”

Shahram eyes were wide, his chest heaving.“You still want to marry her?”

“Yes. But I must do so immediately. Tell mewhere she is.”

After checking his watch, Shahram seemed towaver between hope and defeat. He visibly shook himself andstraightened his shoulders. “They can’t be more than an hour aheadof us. But I don’t know which route they are planning to take toFayzabad. The American mapped out both ways.”

“Are you certain that is all you know? Hedidn’t give you any hint at all?” The southern route was shorter,but the northern road met more towns along the way. And althoughthey’d passed the turnoff for the southern option a few kilometersbefore Pol-e-Khomri, the American could have easily doubledback.

Shahram jammed his hands into the pockets ofhis jacket and fixed his eyes on the ground. “He was verycagey.”

Apparently, Khalid had not quite convincedhis new road companion of the danger to his sister. The man clearlyknew more than he was telling. “You communicated with him.” Shahramnodded, and Khalid continued with the obvious next question. Whydid Shahram have to make everything so difficult? “Does he have alocal number?”

“Yes.”

“Well?” Khalid resisted the urge to kick theman. “Give it to me.”