Page 83 of Deadly Betrayal

Kaden slowed his pace. “Everything okay?”

Azita nodded firmly, but Shahram looked athim with pure fear. “They are going to find us and kill us,yes?”

Kaden slapped his hand over Shahram’s mouth.“Only if you keep shouting. Now calm the fuck down. There are somerocks ahead. Maybe we can find a place to hide.”

He waited for the man to nod before removinghis hand. The rocks turned out to be part of the craggymountainside. Kaden was certain they could find a cave, but they’dhave to leave the cover of the trees to reach it. Damn. Thetemperature was mild, but without water, his companions would soonbe dragging their feet. Azita was trying to be brave, even thoughit was clear from the furrow between her brows that her headhurt.

They trudged along for hours with only thechirping of birds and the scuttling of small animals in the treesto keep them company. The good news was that Kaden hadn’t spottedanyone following them.

When the sun reached its zenith, they cameupon a path. From the tracks in the dirt and the width of it, thetrail was used by villagers and their pack animals. Kaden signaledto Azita and Shahram to follow it. With any luck, it would leadthem to a village where he could buy—or steal—a vehicle. He didn’tdare return to get Khalid’s SUV. At least not yet. If the men hadfound the weapons, they’d know the occupants had been more thansimple citizens on a road trip. He should have fucking grabbed thebag before leaving the car.

Azita sidled up to him. “Do you think theyare Khan Tariq’s men?”

The men hadn’t been wearing uniforms, whichruled out the ANA and the ANP. The way they’d held themselves spokeof training, but they’d seemed fairly well-fed and rested.“Yes.”

“I can’t believe we had such bad luck. We’rebarely in Badakhshan province.”

“It wasn’t bad luck. They were looking forus.”

She gripped his arm. “What do you mean?”

“There was a checkpoint up the road. SomehowTariq heard we were coming.”

She shivered and drew her vest tighter, andwhen she looked up at him, her crystal blue eyes wide with fear, hehad to fight the desire to pull her into his arms. There was stilltoo much left unsaid between them, too many questions that neededanswers. Once he knew the whole story, he’d decide what to do aboutthe ache in his heart.

Azita licked her sun-chapped lips, and hisgroin tightened. Fuck. He didn’t have time for this. “He is a morepowerful man than I had thought if he has enough influence to setup roadblocks so far away from his base. We are still a hundredkilometers or so from Fayzabad,” she said.

Kaden grunted in disbelief. Had she reallycharged into this rescue with so little understanding of heropponent? “Sonowyou’re worried? When Shahram called me inCanada, he said you were determined to get Laila out on your own ifnecessary.”

She blushed and dropped her eyes as they madeslow but steady progress through the trees. He didn’t know wherethey were going. Didn’t care, as long as it was away from Tariq’smen. He grabbed a branch and held it out of the way moments beforeit would have smacked her in the face.

Startled, she pressed a hand to her chest.“Oh. Thank you.”

“No problem.” He spun her toward him by theshoulder. “Look, Azita. I’m willing to continue this thing. But Idon’t know how we can rescue Laila. I don’t even have my weaponsanymore. And as you saw, this man has his own small army.”

“And you are alone,” she finished.

He chuckled. “I have you and Shahram.”

“As I said, you are alone.” The blue of hertear-filled eyes sparkled like the sun bouncing off ocean waves. “Ishould have known it would be futile. My father could not save me,and I cannot save Laila.”

“There might be a way,” he said, to ease thesadness engulfing her.

She gave him a tired smile. “You know thereis not. It is too dangerous.”

Shahram caught up to them. His shirt wasdirty and sported a tear on the sleeve where it must have caught ona branch, and he listed to the side. Kaden caught him, alarmed bythe man’s paleness and how cold he was despite the sweat streakingdown his face. “Whoa. You okay there, buddy?”

“Let’s sit down for a minute,” Azita said.Once Shahram was seated on a stump, she felt his forehead andpressed her ear to his chest. Her brows drew into a frown as shetook his pulse. “He is dehydrated.”

“Can he make it to the next village?” Kadenasked. The path had widened, and he felt certain a village wasnearby. “It can’t be too much further.”

Shahram’s eyes rolled back in his head and heswayed. Kaden reached the man before he fell off the stump and laidhim down on the ground. Azita took his vitals again. The concern inher eyes worried him. “Is there something I should know?” Kadenasked.

“He has a weak heart. It is not a problem aslong as he eats well, does not overexert himself, and stayshydrated.” She looked around helplessly. “I do not hear astream.”

“The village will have water. Stay here withhim, and I’ll run and get some.”

“How long will it take?” The wobble in hervoice gratified him even though he knew it shouldn’t.