Page 90 of Deadly Betrayal

Lips tightly compressed, eyes downcast,Afrooz hobbled closer, stopping beside the warlord. His fingerskept clasping and unclasping around the top of his cane.

“Agha Afrooz,” Tariq said, stroking hisbeard. “Why do you suppose this man has come here with that woman?I believe Azita is her name?”

The shrewd glint in Tariq’s eye said healready knew. How had he discovered that Kaden and Azita were ontheir way to Fayzabad? Khalid might have told the warlord, excepthe wouldn’t have wanted Azita to be captured and hurt.

The old man shrugged, unsteady on his feet.“I do not know him.”

“But you do know the woman.”

“Yes.”

“Why is she here? Did Khalid send her to stopthe wedding?”

“Oh no,” Afrooz exclaimed. “Khalid wants yourwedding to Laila very much.”

“I see. You are saying he has no control overhis sister-in-law.”

No one controlled Azita. Kaden tried, hereally did, but his lips curled into a smirk anyway. Tariq’s eyesflashed, his mouth thinned. He signaled one of the guards. “Let’sshow the American how serious his situation is.”

The guard, a tall well-muscled man in hislate twenties, stepped forward. He nodded to Tariq and withoutwarning plowed his fist into the right side of Kaden’s face.

Kaden barely had time to let his head rollwith the motion. Pain erupted in his jaw, and blood filled hismouth as his teeth cut into his cheeks. He lifted his head and spata glob of slimy red phlegm an inch from Tariq’s boots. Then hegrinned. “Is that the best you’ve got?”

Several more punches landed in quicksuccession on his face and ribs before the guard stepped back.Kaden hung his head and took shallow breaths, biting back moanswhen his ribs complained. Bastard had broken something. But betterall of Kaden’s ribs than even one of Azita’s.

Tariq spoke into the silent room, silentexcept for Kaden’s ragged breaths. “Has Agha Khalid given thisAzita to you?”

Ha! Hardly.When Kaden didn’t respond,Tariq kicked his shin. Kaden jerked his head up and glared at theman, letting all his hatred show.

Afrooz shook his head. “Agha Khalid would notgive Azitajanto anyone. He wants her for himself.”

Goddamn.“Shut up,” Kaden growled atthe old man in Dari. Was everyone in Azita’s life destined to workagainst him?

The old man’s heavily wrinkled face crumbledinto a contrite expression. Kaden snarled. Tariq didn’t need moreleverage. Who the fuck was Afrooz anyway?

Tariq looked between the two of them andlaughed. “He won’t want her now. Don’t worry though. When my menare finished with her, I might allow her to become the campwhore.”

“Really?” Kaden raised a brow and his gazeswept the room. “You look more like a bunch of goat fuckers tome.”

Tariq surprised him by chuckling. “I couldhave used a man like you in my militia.” Kaden didn’t even dignifythat with a response.

The old man blinked and turned to Tariq.“Agha Khalid will be very angry if something happens to Azitakhanom. I do not believe you want him to be angry. One dayhe will be a very powerful man.”

The warlord pounded Afrooz on the back. “AghaKhalid is the least of my worries. I could kill the bitch at thisvery moment, and his only comment would be to thank me.Iamthe one who is powerful. His is but one more back upon which I willstep on my way to the top.” Tariq laughed then, and the maniacalsound chilled Kaden to the bone.

Filth surrounded Azita, relieved only by theoccasional ray of morning sun filtering through the bars above her.The “hole” was, in fact, a hole in the ground, about two meters bytwo meters, the only exit a barred grid a meter or so above herhead. The space smelled of urine and excrement. Insects crawled thewalls, and small vermin had made nests in the corners. She shiveredand drew the edges of her vest more tightly around her.

Where was Kaden? The night had beenpunctuated by hoarse screams that had terrified her. The silencethat had begun a couple hours ago scared her even more. In herheart, she’d known the screams were Kaden’s, and each one had meanthe was still alive.

She wanted to cry, to yell, to plead, but hertears had run dry, and her throat was raw and swollen. EverythingKaden had suffered at the hands of these vile men was her fault.How were they going to get out of here? Khalid knew where she’dbeen going. Perhaps he would come after her. She’d beg him torescue Kaden. She’d promise him anything. Anything at all. And whatof Jake? Had he heard enough to know they were in trouble? Shehadn’t had time to say anything beyond “hello” before one ofTariq’s men had grabbed the phone and smashed it beneath hisboot.

Footsteps approached. She hugged her legs toher chest and hunched over, making herself as small as possible.Metal scraped as the grid was lifted, followed by a darkeninginside the hole. Next came a thud as a body was tossed down. Itlanded heavily a half meter away.

Air was expelled from the man’s lungs as hisback hit the packed dirt. But he didn’t grunt or groan.

He was too far gone.

Without waiting for the guards to leave, shecrawled over to the man and blindly found his neck. His pulse wasslow but steady.