Chapter 17
“ Y ou said you had a plan,” Hannah said as they dusted themselves off.
The sandstorm had passed as quickly as it had arrived. Above them, the sky stretched cobalt blue, like the storm had been nothing more than a bad dream.
Tom pulled the map from his pack, already focused. Of course he was. Always moving forward. No space for distractions. Like that kiss.
She clenched her jaw, pushing the thought away. It hadn’t meant anything—not to him, anyway. Just a tactical move, a distraction so she wouldn’t panic. He was all about the mission.
“I do.” He spread the map on a flat stone block. Hannah thought it must once have been part of an ornately carved ceiling, judging by the faded engravings still etched into one edge.
“There’s a guy I know in Mandhab. Not far from here.” He pointed to a cluster of dots southeast of their current position.
She nodded, pulling off her shoes. Sand poured out like sugar. She didn’t need to see the map, it was already etched into her brain from the last time she’d studied it. “How’s this guy supposed to help?”
“He’s well-connected and might be able to get us across the country, to the coast.”
“The coast?” She arched an eyebrow. “That’s your plan?”
“It’s our only option. The airports are locked down or under army control.”
“Can’t the Navy airlift us out?” she asked. He was a marine, after all.
Tom smirked. “Too risky. We have no way of calling them, anyway. Boat’s the best shot we’ve got.”
She didn’t love it, but she didn’t argue. “Okay… so we’re sailing out of here. From where?”
“We’ll have to avoid the big port, it’s too obvious. I’m thinking we head south to Hamesh, a small fishing town off the radar. No one will expect us to go there. We find a dhow heading for the mainland and catch a ride.”
“And your guy in Mandhab can help us do that?”
He gave her a look. “He’s got contacts. We’ve worked together before. Trust me—if anyone can help, it’s Farid.”
“Right.” She sighed and leaned back against the rock. Grit stung her eyes and her entire body ached from being blasted by the sandstorm. “But please don’t tell me we have to get to Mandhab tonight.”
Unlike her, Tom looked like he could walk for another twelve hours, but to her relief, he gave a small shake of his head. “No. We’ll camp here tonight and leave before sunrise.”
Thank God.
She was dreading the next leg.
“You’re doing good, you know?” He crouched down beside her.
She snorted. “You don’t have to say that.”
He shrugged. “I’m not, I mean it. I’ve… escorted a lot of people out of hostile regions, and you’re handling it better than most.”
“I’ve probably got my father to thank for that,” she mumbled.
He looked at her, curious. “He military?”
She barked a dry laugh. “No, but he might as well have been.”
Tom tilted his head, inviting her to go on.
“My father was all about duty,” she said after a moment. “Businessman, not a soldier, but similar mindset. After my mother died, he sent me to boarding school and threw himself into expanding the company.”
Tom nodded, but didn’t interrupt.
“I think it was too much for him,” she said. “I was an awkward, grieving eleven-year-old girl and he had no idea what to do with me.”
Tom’s gaze softened. “That’s rough.”
She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. Even though it did. It had taken years for her to get over his neglect.
“I spent all my vacations with my grandparents. They were amazing. Warm, funny, they looked after me. My grandmother used to tell me exotic stories about her childhood in Syman.”
A ghost of a smile played at Tom’s mouth. “That’s how you learned Arabic?”
She nodded, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess that’s where I learned to adapt—bouncing between boarding school and my grandparents’ place, shifting from one world to another. I got good at reading the room, figuring out who I needed to be.”
Tom folded the map and gave her a long, considering look. “That actually explains a lot.”
“Does it?” she asked, tilting her head. She couldn’t tell if he meant it as a compliment or a subtle dig.
“Yeah. You keep moving forward, even when it’s tough. You don’t fall apart. You adjust, keep going. That takes real strength.”
For a moment, she just looked at him. The wind had stilled. The ruins around them stood silent, ancient witnesses to this strange, fragile connection between them.
“Thanks,” she said quietly, her voice catching in her throat.
He nodded and stood. “Try to get some sleep. We head out early.”
She gave a small, wry smile and mock-saluted. “Copy that.”
And just like that, the moment passed. The mission came rushing back. But something between them had shifted. Maybe now he would see her as more than a liability—maybe they were starting to be friends.
Hannah was deep asleep when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake.
“Let’s head out.”
She blinked, disoriented, and stared up at the star-strewn sky. “But it’s still nighttime.”
Every part of her ached. Her legs were stiff, her feet tender and sore. Grit lined her eyes from the sandstorm, and she had a kink in her neck from using Tom’s backpack as a pillow. She ran a hand through her tangled hair—and winced when her fingers snagged.
She must look like hell.
The almost-full moon hung low, ready to slip below the horizon and leave this side of the world behind.
“It’s 0500 hours.” Tom was all business again. “If we leave now, we should reach Mandhab by sunrise.”
She groaned. Another long walk.
His words from last night came back to her.
Adjust. Keep moving forward.
She could do this—she had to.
She sat up and blinked a couple of times. Slowly, the moonlit ruins sharpened into focus.
“Wow.” She paused, taking them in. The pale stone formations shimmered faintly in the soft light, glowing like ghosts of the past. It was strangely beautiful, and a little haunting.
Tom followed her gaze.
“It’s so beautiful,” she murmured. “Hard to believe this used to be someone’s home.”
“There are ruins like this all over the country.”
She stood, brushing the dust from her clothes. “It’s such a shame they’ve all been destroyed.” There wasn’t much to gather. She’d slept in her clothes, and the warm night hadn’t called for a blanket. Exhaustion had knocked her out the moment she lay down.
Tom looked tired too—rumpled, unshaven, but still hot as hell. The dark smudges under his eyes softened him in a way she hadn’t expected. And that stubble was definitely turning into a beard. She remembered how it had felt when he kissed her, how it had brushed against her chin?—
No. She shut the thought down. That had been a mistake, a distraction.
“Did you get any sleep?” she asked.
“A little.” He hefted his pack and clipped the straps across his chest. “I wanted to stay alert in case anyone from the Air Force base decided to follow us.”
She shivered. “I didn’t even think about that.” A chill crept up her spine. If they had been tracked?—
“Good thing the sandstorm hit,” she added quietly. “Probably the only reason we weren’t found.”
He grunted.
“I’m glad I’ve got you looking out for me.” She meant it more than he knew.
“It’s what I do.” He held her gaze a second longer than necessary. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”
He was terrible at taking praise.
“I know,” she said, smiling. “I’m just saying—I’m glad it’s you.”
She looped her scarf back around her neck, bracing against the early morning chill.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”