Page 28 of Hayes (Voodoo Guardians #37)

Victoria was surprised that Aamani hadn’t returned to check on her yet. She’d been in the tunnel for at least five or six hours and working on the machine for that long. When the door opened, she expected to see him. Instead, it was a man with a tray of food for her and the guard.

Pushing one plate toward her, he took the other and began eating as if ravenous.

She stared at the food and realized that she was actually hungry.

The plate of flavorful rice, stuffed grape leaves, lean goat’s meat, and flat bread was delicious and filling.

There were four bottles of water, of which she downed two immediately.

Then she regretted it. She needed to pee, and she didn’t see a bathroom.

“Um, excuse me. I need to use the bathroom,” she said to the guard. He stared at her as if not understanding her, but she was fairly certain he did. She crossed her legs, jumping up and down, and then repeated herself.

“I need a bathroom. Hammām,” she repeated in Arabic.

The man’s brows rose, and he stared at the woman, nodding. He opened the main door and waved for her to walk through. To the right of the door was another in the hallway. She’d walked right by it and didn’t see it.

The guard opened the door, and odor hit her, causing her to gag and bend at the waist. He looked surprised, then embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’ll figure it out.” He nodded at her as she entered the space.

Victoria wondered how long she would be able to hold her breath, and it wasn’t nearly long enough. The toilet, although that was a stretch, was nothing more than a metal bucket with a trash bag inside. Whoever had the job of emptying that must be on the naughty list.

When she was able, she took another deep breath and finished as quickly as possible.

When she opened the door, the guard was waiting for her, staring at her as if to see if she was going to puke. Instead, he handed her some hand sanitizer and smiled.

Victoria gratefully accepted the gift and rinsed her hands as quickly as possible, rubbing them together briskly. He pointed toward the room once again, and Victoria nodded. When she walked inside, he closed the door behind her, and she heard the lock engage.

He was gone, but she was there alone. Alone and possibly able to communicate.

Using the repaired device, she tapped out another code, asking if anyone could hear her. She was shocked when she got just three words.

Loud and clear

She wanted to cry. It actually worked. They knew she was alive and had an approximate location, although she guessed they were struggling with that since she was underground.

She needed to get closer to the surface, but she couldn’t go back the way they’d come in. That’s where all the guards were.

Moving to the back wall once again, she felt around for another door. At first, there was nothing except damp earth. Then, reaching beneath the tapestry on the wall, she felt the ridge of a wooden frame.

“Bingo,” she said to herself. Hearing the key engaged in the lock, she put the tapestry down and walked back toward the table, fiddling with the device.

“My man tells me you’ve eaten. That’s good. You may need your strength. Is it working?”

“It is, I think,” she said, scratching her head innocently. “I mean, the only way is for you to test it. I’m not sure what you think you’re going to hear.”

“If you’ve done your job, I’m going to be able to tap into military communications in the area, find my enemies, and delete them.”

“This isn’t a game, Mr. Aamani,” said Victoria.

“You’re right,” he said, staring at her. “It’s life or death. Yours.”

With the traditional garments wrapped around their bodies, the men split up into teams of three and headed into the marketplace. Hayes had his hand hidden beneath the robe, and his face covered as much as possible.

Vendors came out of their stalls selling everything from bootleg movies and CDs to boots, sweaters, jeans, and American military paraphernalia.

Occasionally, the men would stop, look at the items, and ask how much as if bargaining with the vendor, and then walk away.

Eric stopped at a booth selling lamps, radios, and other electronic devices.

Inside was a young woman, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.

Her face was covered from the nose down, but the black eye told him she was living a violent life.

When he stepped into the booth, another woman, without her face covered, walked in from behind the booth. Her face was far more devastating.

There were cuts stretching from her eyes to her mouth, her nose missing the tip. This wasn’t an explosive or a car accident. This was intentional. When he looked at her hands, he noticed that three fingers were also missing.

She stared at Eric, looking him up and down.

“You are American?” she asked.

“I am,” he said without hesitation.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said. “This is not a good place for you.”

“I’ve been in places like this before,” he said. “Did your husband do that to you?”

“My husband is dead. It’s my husband’s brother who enjoys brutalizing women. Men and children as well. But women are enjoyable for him. We’re weaker, not as smart.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Eric. “My wife is the most brilliant woman I know.” She stared at him, a small grin at the corner of her mouth.

“Your wife is a lucky woman. Perhaps you’d like to take something special home to her.”

Eric decided to take his chance. Something in his gut was telling him that this woman could be the key to everything. Let it be true.

“I need your help,” he said, staring from her to her daughter. “I’m looking for the entrance to a tunnel where Khalil Aamani is hiding. He may be hiding a friend of mine. A woman who needs help.”

The woman shook her head, stepping back from him. She covered her face as if to ward off the evil in front of her. When he looked at the daughter, her eyes went dark with hatred. He wasn’t sure if it was hatred for him or for her mother. Or, it could be for Aamani.

“Please. He will kill this woman if we don’t find her. If you’re worried about what will happen to you, I can help you get away.”

“Get away?” she asked. “Where? This is my home. The only place I’ve ever known. I live here with my daughter. My dead husband is buried only ten minutes from here. I have no family. I have no other children. There is nowhere for me to be safe and get away.”

“Wouldn’t you want to at least try?” whispered Eric.

The woman stared at her daughter, then back at Eric, shaking her head. He couldn’t force her to tell him where Aamani was hiding. He understood her fear and understood that if he couldn’t protect her, she would be dead by morning. He wouldn’t push her.

“I’m sorry,” she said to him. She then grabbed a small item from her table and placed it in his hand. Eric didn’t even look at it. He just nodded his thanks and walked away.

“Any luck?” asked Luke, staring at the big man.

“No.”