Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
B lack-and-white images flickered through Zain’s brain like a broken video tape from the 1940s. Images of his mom and brother. His parents’ property near the water in Seattle. The warm, salty air on the breeze and the smell of...
God, that smell. So familiar. So comforting.
Home. No. Cherry blossoms.
His mind zapped as if he’d been tased, and he lifted his head.
Dana . Her fragrant cherry-blossom scent held the pieces of his shattered heart.
More information rushed back.
Ali. Brick. The IED he’d seen pointed at the car and—
Dana again.
She lay beneath him. The sharp angle of the SUV told him it was on its side. Smoke and debris filled the air, thick and pungent.
Urgency flashed through him, and he brought his palm to Dana’s cheek. “Dana, wake up.” He cradled her face, pressing his thumb against her chin. He didn’t dare shake her in case she had brain trauma.
Blood trickled from her temple, but that was the only sign of injury he could spot.
“Dana!”
She dragged in a shuddering breath, and her eyes wobbled open. “Zain.” She coughed and choked on the acrid air. She looked past his shoulder, taking in their dire fucking situation. “What happened?”
“We were hit with a bomb. Are you hurt?” He spoke loudly, and the deafening sounds of fire and cracking metal made him reach for her seatbelt before she answered.
“I—No. I’m okay.” She lifted her head, and he watched as her gaze turned distant.
“Hang on, honey. Don’t pass out on me.” He needed to get her to safety, but first, he needed to make sure there weren’t any more threats out there. He glanced at the driver. His eyes were wide, staring straight ahead. A piece of metal had impaled his chest.
Zain unclipped Dana’s buckle and caught her waist. Men shouted, and the scampering of feet on gravel sent fury pulsing through his pores. Adrenaline lit his flesh. He snagged both their bags and tossed them over his shoulder. They couldn’t risk losing their passports and IDs.
He wrapped his arm around her. He had to stand parallel to the bench seat since Dana’s door was against the ground. “We’re gonna have to climb through my window. Can you stand?”
She nodded again.
He let her get to her feet and shimmied up the length of the bench seat, bracing his foot on the front passenger seat for leverage. Thankfully, his window had smashed; he wouldn’t have to break it. The temperature in the SUV was rising rapidly. Sweat dripped down his face, and the sharp, nauseating scent of gasoline hit him. Christ, it was going to blow up any second.
“Climb to me!” he shouted, extending his hand down to Dana.
She lifted her arm, and he clamped his hand over it. Then she placed her foot next to his on the side of the passenger seat and climbed her way up until she was sandwiched between the back of the driver’s seat and him.
“Hold tight. I might need to shoot. But I’ll get you out, I promise.”
Crack , crack!
Bullets tinged off the vehicle. Zain ducked his head and kept Dana away from the opening. Her small hands gripped his shirt. He steadied his rifle, lifted his head a few inches through the window, and spotted the shooters.
The two men who’d bombed them.
Zain aimed and fired. Down they went. He quickly scanned the road. Ali’s SUV was heading in their direction. It was likely bulletproof. But he’d shoot everyone in the vehicle if he could—Brick included if need be.
Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he caught Dana beneath her arms and hauled her through the window, lifting her to sit on the edge. “Hang on. Let me get down first.”
He quickly heaved himself through the opening, then slid to the ground. With every second that passed he anticipated the explosion. Ali must have had the SUV built damn well. “Jump!” he held out his arms, and Dana leapt from the overturned vehicle.
She landed in his hands, and he lowered her feet to the ground. She hesitated, as if the jump had rattled her, but they didn’t have another moment to waste. He scooped her over his shoulder and ran down the gravel road.
His chest ached from smoke inhalation, and every pounding footstep made his head throb.
“Zain, I can walk!” Dana shouted.
He didn’t respond. He ran another twenty feet until he was sure the blast wouldn’t hit them. Ali’s vehicle roared up behind them. Zain brought Dana to stand next to him. Her hair was askew, her clothes covered in debris. Even her long braid had pebbles of glass stuck in it.
Her chest rose and fell erratically as she stared at the fast-approaching vehicle. She mopped the sheen of sweat from her cheek. “I don’t understand. Was Ali responsible?” Her question came out on a gasp, and he couldn’t help but worry about further injuries.
But he didn’t have the opportunity to check her over. The SUV screeched to a stop, and Brick leapt out. “Shit! Are you guys all right?”
Boom!
Glass and metal exploded like a firework from hell. Zain covered Dana with his arms as smoke billowed from the vehicle they’d just escaped. Thankfully they’d made it far enough to avoid any remnants of the blast. But the fact that they’d just about been blown up made fresh rage singe his brain.
Zain shoved Dana behind him and took aim with his rifle. “Stay there!” The roar shook his chest. If Brick was in on this, he was about to eat Zain’s entire clip.
Brick lifted his palms. “Dude. I’m with you guys. You’re hurt. Let me help.”
Zain wiped a trickle of blood from his eyebrow on his shoulder. “Pretty fucking convenient your SUV didn’t blow up.”
Brick’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “That’s not what this is. I swear to god. I had nothing to do with this.”
Ali exited the vehicle, hands extended. “Please. Let me call for help. You both need medical attention.”
“Fuck you,” Zain spat .
Dana’s hand twitched on his side.
Brick’s palms shook. “I had nothing to do with this.”
Ali’s driver approached, gun drawn. “Drop your weapon.”
The muscles at the back of Zain’s neck pinched. No way in hell he’d comply. He aimed the rifle at the driver’s head. “You first.”
“Everyone take a breather.” Ali took a step forward. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Bullshit,” Zain snapped, not taking his eye or his rifle off the driver. “You wanted me in that SUV alone, and when that didn’t happen you were happy to sacrifice Dana.” Zain itched to assess Brick’s expression but didn’t dare shift his focus.
Ali placed his hand on his driver’s elbow. “Stand down.”
“Boss—”
“I said stand down.”
The driver scrunched up his face and lowered his weapon to the dirt. Zain’s trained eyes spotted his finger still on the trigger.
“We’re almost out of here, guys. We’ve got a little over an hour to get to the airport. Come ride with us.” Brick held out his hand, pleading.
Using his instinct, Zain scrutinized him—his earnest eyes, his worried brow. He’d bet the rifle in his hand Brick was innocent in all this, but he couldn’t endanger Dana on that hunch.
“C’mon. I’m good friends with Taschen. I’d never hurt my friend’s sister. Or any woman. This is a complete misunderstanding.”
Dana inched forward from behind his back. “I trust you, Brick. But you have to admit something’s not right. Someone knew what car Zain and I would be in. Knew where we’d be traveling. This wasn’t a random attack, and you know it.”
Brick dropped his hand, and his expression hardened. “You’re right.” He turned to Ali. “You have some explaining to do. And until we find out what happened today, you and I are no longer friends.”
Anger flashed in Ali’s eyes. “Suit yourself. Don’t miss your flight.” He turned on his heel and headed toward his SUV. The guard refocused the weapon on Zain and retreated backward in his boss’s path.
Zain’s finger tingled on the trigger. They’d miss their flight if they didn’t have a ride. Which meant Jaysh would find them.
They’d get to Dana.
He pulled the trigger. The bullet landed in the guard’s head with a sharp thwack .
Dana shrieked.
Brick covered his head. “Fuck!” He wheeled on Zain. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Yeah. I’m getting us the fuck out of here.”
***
Dana covered her mouth with her hand. Dear god, he’d just shot Ali’s guard. The implications of his actions hit her like another IED. Before she could even wrap her head around the situation, Zain caught her arm and towed her alongside him.
Brick cursed a blue streak. Dana’s eyes landed on the guard’s large, unmoving body. Crimson blood tainted the light-colored dirt.
Ali ran toward his fallen man, his primness abandoned. “No!” He jabbed a finger at Zain. “You bastard!” Spit flew from his mouth. He bent to grab the guard’s weapon, but Zain was on him in a fraction of a second.
“Back up,” he warned Ali, his tone without the hysteria of their rival’s. Instead, Zain’s voice carried a calm authority that seemed entirely foreign in the situation. He should be rattled. After being thrown around a vehicle that was now blown up, he should be on the brink of breakdown—like her and everyone else still standing.
Ali froze as Zain approached. Then he raised his hands by his ears. With the gun, Zain motioned for him to back away from the guard’s weapon. Ali complied.
“Throw down your phone.”
Ali’s lip curled.
“Do it now.” Zain’s voice boomed with authority.
Ali dipped his hand into the pocket of his suit jacket, removed his device, and tossed it into the dirt .
Zain jerked his head to Brick. “Grab his phone. Take the guard’s as well, and the car keys.”
Brick muttered something but did what Zain asked. Dana could see the pent-up anger in his expression.
Dana’s temple thudded. She lifted her fingers to the delicate area, and moisture touched her skin. Blood coated her fingertips, and she winced as pain seared her skull. She’d probably been in shock; she hadn’t really felt any injuries until now.
“This guy’s a loose fucking cannon,” Brick huffed.
She compressed her lips. “Is he?” Dana said, while Zain spoke to Ali. “Because he might have just saved our lives and made it possible for us to catch that plane.”
Brick said nothing, but a vein at the side of his head jumped. “I get that. But we’re in dangerous territory.”
“And you just severed your friendship with Ali. Either way, we were screwed.”
He pinched his brow. “Maybe, Dana. But I didn’t fucking shoot one of his men.”
“He would’ve killed us all,” she snapped. “Tried to. It’ll serve you well to remember that.”
“Hands behind your head and walk one hundred paces east,” Zain shouted to Ali. The man practically glowered with disgust, but he turned his back to Zain and obeyed. When he was a good thirty paces away, Zain circled his hand around her elbow. “Let’s go.”
Brick followed them to the SUV. Zain opened the front passenger door for her, and Brick got in the rear. A second later, Zain climbed in the driver’s seat, tossing their bags in the back with Brick. Ali continued making his trek down the long gravel road in the opposite direction.
Zain fired up the engine, and the GPS screen came up. After asking Brick the name of the airport, Zain plugged it in. The address hadn’t been entered by the driver previously—either he’d had no intention of reaching their destination or he hadn’t needed directions.
Air conditioning blasted through the vents. Dana rested her head on the seat and the pain in her skull and body intensified. Everything hurt, from her hair to her toes. Her left hip, neck, and right shoulder had it the worst, but if it weren’t for Zain’s body anchoring her in the blast, she probably wouldn’t be able to walk right now.
The IED had hit right in front of the vehicle, sending them flying. Had the shooter successfully hit square on the vehicle, they’d be dead right now—or worse. She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. Of what had almost happened.
Tears stung her eyes and her throat tightened. She pulled her knees close to her chest, tucking herself into a ball and closing her eyes. The movement outside the vehicle was making her sick. One more tree racing past her window and she’d puke.
“Are you okay?” Zain’s question nudged her from the dark corners of her mind.
She fought back a sniffle. “Yeah.”
“You’re not okay. But I need to get us to the plane before I can assess you. Can you hold on?”
She wanted to laugh. Hold on for what? Did he have some kind of miracle pill in his pocket to erase the bombing from her mind? A drug that’d take away every ache? Okay, so maybe the latter existed. But that’s not what she needed.
She didn’t care about the blinding pain behind her eyes. Or her swollen face that had been struck numerous times. Or the ringing in her ears or the gash on her head. None of it mattered because the stark reality was that with every step they took, they created more enemies.
They’d never truly be safe.
Brick’s hand on her shoulder made her jump. “Hey. It’s going to be okay.”
“It doesn’t feel that way.”
“No, it doesn’t. But we’ll be home soon.” His fingers squeezed. “That message you sent earlier was smart. I got it right before the bombing.”
Zain dragged his eyes from the road, and his heated gaze warmed her skin. Comforted her, even. “What message?”
“She sent a group text to Backcountry letting them know something wasn’t right and that we were with Ali on the way to the airport.”
“Good thinking,” Zain said.
This time she did let out a snort. “You’re both full of it. How’s that message going to help us now?”
“For starters, it let our team know we’re in danger. Any reinforcements, even if we don’t get them until we land, are better than none.”
“Well, I sent it knowing we’re going to die. I wanted to cut out the legwork for Taschen when it came to bringing our killer to justice.”
“We’re not going to die,” Zain and Brick said in unison. It was all she could do not to roll her eyes.
Maybe trauma had blown away her optimism. Hell, she could even have a brain injury. Either way, the possibility of them reaching the plane grew smaller and smaller by the second. “Ali is a resourceful man. He’ll have reinforcements soon. All he has to do is make one phone call. And then what?”
Neither man answered.
They probably would have been better off dying in the explosion, because once Ali and Jaysh got to them, their fate would be far worse.