Page 19 of Close Pursuit

Katie frowned. “If the fight’s on the road, how are we going to drive out of here?”

“As always, you grasp the situation quickly,” he muttered.

They were trapped?“Where will we go?”

He shrugged. “Up.”

“Up themountain?” she demanded in disbelief. “With her?” She jerked her head toward the laboring girl.

“I scouted around a bit. Karshani tribesmen are entrenched in the village up the valley from us and likely to be a wee bit trigger happy. They’ll shoot anyone walking toward them. Rebels have the road behind us and the lower pass covered. Over the mountain is the only safe retreat for us.”

“But the girl…”

“She’ll have to make do. I can’t stop the war for her to have a baby. I’ll do what I can for her.” He moved toward the patient. “Keep an eye outside. Watch the road down where the river bends. If you see any movement, tell me immediately.”

Katie nodded her understanding and moved over to the door. The scene outside was surreal. Tracers streaked across the sky like comets. Explosions peppered the hillsides, lighting up gun emplacements and clusters of shooters behind rocks and outcroppings.

The girl’s bouts of heavy panting inside the tent came closer together and longer in duration. Katie heard Alex demonstrating breathing techniques, exhaling in short hard bursts. The girl mimicked him obediently. It wouldn’t be long at this rate before the girl delivered. Thank God her labor was progressing quickly.

But not quickly enough. Headlights came into sight at the bend in the dirt road beside the river. “Vehicle’s coming up the road,” Katie announced low.

“What kind?”

“Can’t see yet. It’s loud. Probably not civilian.”

Alex swore quietly, and the girl let out a groan from behind the towel she was biting into.

The vehicle came into sight. “Armored personnel carrier,” Katie reported urgently over her shoulder. It stopped halfway in view and the front hatch opened.

“You’re kidding,” Alex muttered.

“I wouldn’t joke about something like that. And I know my military vehicles. It’s an APC. Late model version with the wedge-shaped, anti-IED bottom.”

Alex swore quietly.

“Special forces troops exiting it now,” she mumbled. God knew, she recognized the gear and way of moving. Her whole family was men just like that. She couldn’t count how many times she’d stood by her father during training exercises watching soldiers egress APC’s into simulated combat.

“Special forces?” Alex echoed in dismay.

“Yes,” she answered with conviction. “They may be wearing rebel clothing and colors, butno wayare those civilians or even regular army.”

A barrage of machine-gun fire exploded from over her right shoulder and she jumped violently. Crap. Where had that come from? She craned her head to the right and spotted the muzzle flash up the valley a little ways. A very little ways. The weapon rat-a-tatted loudly, and the soldiers at the river hit the deck, diving for cover.

This was nuts. She was standing in the freaking middle of a no-kidding, combat zone. The unreality of it struck her forcefully. She might have wanted adventure, but she didn’tdocombat. This was a bad dream. She was going to wake up any minute and it was all going to go away.

Alex joined her in the doorway, and she pointed out the action quickly. “Locals have the soldiers pinned down for the moment, but those troops will send out a patrol to flank the gunners and take out the position. The patrol will have to pass right by here to get to the machine gun,” she whispered frantically.

He nodded in quick agreement with her assessment and breathed, “Time to go.” He picked up a rucksack from the floor just inside the door and shouldered it. “Get the girl and follow me. I’ll find us a route up the mountain.”

Katie whirled and ran to the laboring girl. “We have to leave.”

The girl stared up at her in disbelief.

“I know,” Katie responded. “But we’re about to get overrun by soldiers who will shoot first and ask questions later. I’ll help you.”

Awkwardly, the girl sat up. Katie wedged a shoulder under her armpit and levered her unwieldy body upright. A moan escaped the girl. Alex slipped outside and turned left, toward the advancing soldiers. Better them than the local gunners, Katie supposed, given that they had a laboring girl in tow. Although the soldiers would probably be inclined to shoot her and Alex for rendering medical aid to a local, anyway.

Because it was such a huge crime to help innocent girls give birth to tiny, future terrorists, she thought bitterly.

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