Page 17 of Zain

The last thing she wanted was to send him back to that hellhole, but at least if she went home without Zain now, she’d have an explanation for Rami. Revealing classified information was beyond wrong, but dammit, Rami had a right to know.

He shook off her arm and turned over the engine. “We need to move. I’ve got a spot nearby where we can change vehicles. We’re nowhere near safe.”

“Stop.” She pulled on his elbow. She was getting way too comfortable with touching him. But his solid strength gave her something to hold on to, the cords of his muscles offering assurance that he was real and she wasn’t alone. “You don’t have to do this. Just get me to a phone and I’ll find my own way out of here. You can go back and—”

“And what? My cover’s blown.” He shook his head. “If I stay in Afghanistan, I’ll be dead by morning. I killed ten of their men in the last hour. You don’t even want to know what they’ll do to me if I’m found.”

The tears she’d managed to keep down rushed to the surface. She hadn’t just royally screwed up his mission—she’d put him in a horrible position. She’d made him the most wanted man in the country. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed, swiping at the blasted tears on her cheeks.

“Don’t be. Just do what I say so we can both get out of here.”

CHAPTER 6

Agentleman hewas not.

Still, Dana’s tears affected him. Hurt his chest a bit for some reason. Being around a woman brought back a lot of feelings and shit he hadn’t experienced in years. A softness, maybe. Yet there was more to her than met the eye.

He wasn’t stupid. She might have a slight stature and a porcelain face, but he’d seen the way she fought. And he’d question her about it as soon as he didn’t need to be on his toes every second. He might be seeing only the tip of the iceberg when it came to her, but she wouldn’t hurt him. Of that he was positive.

They bumped over the road Zain knew like the back of his hand. He’d asked her to return to the back seat to be safe. Not just to keep her safe from shooters but to keep himself away from her alluring presence.

In a few minutes they’d reach his cave. More like an alcove compared to the Jaysh compoundhe’d just left. But next to the cave was a car, hidden in the trees. In it, he’d stashed a satellite phone, clothes, emergency food, cash, and a passport.

He’d swap vehicles. No one would be looking for the small sedan he’d use to take them across the border into Pakistan.

As angry as he was that everything he’d worked for over the last three years had been obliterated by Dana’s pretty blue eyes, it wasn’t her fault.

But goddammit. The days and months he’d spent among people he wanted to kill hadn’t been easy. Watching innocent lives taken. Knowing he could’ve done something to prevent the killings but having his hands tied because of a bigger cause.

Almost three years of lying to Jaysh’s members and leaders. Almost three years of sneaking off to his hideaway, where he could call his CIA contact, Maxine. Every time, he’d risked being caught. Every time, he’d managed to evade suspicion.

But now. Christ.

Maxine would be pissed. She didn’t have an understanding bone in her body. She was bloodthirsty for Jabar, and rightfully so. Zain had been the one in the field risking his life, but the CIA had taken risks too. They’d worked toward finding Jabar day in and day out, and he’d gotten closer and closer.

So close that if little miss trouble had shown up less than a week later, he wouldn’t have to worryabout talking with Maxine. Because he’d have already handed Jabar over on a silver platter.

Isaad had trusted Zain. He’d already started pulling him into the inner workings, confiding in him about Jaysh’s plans. He’d been scheduled to go on a four-day trip with Isaad next week, and he was almost certain he would’ve met Jabar.

Now that plan was fucking pixie dust. The moment Jaysh’s men found Rakesh’s and Isaad’s bodies and Zain and Dana missing, they’d known what he’d done.

The headlights illuminated the huge pothole that indicated his turn was coming up. Not even half a mile later, he steered left and drove through the bushes and branches that led them deeper into the forest. He stopped the truck. “Hop out.”

He opened his door and waited for her to crawl into the front seat and jump out next to him.

“I can’t see anything.” Her fingers gripped the sleeve of his tunic as he walked around the vehicle.

He didn’t need a flashlight. He’d been here so many times he was familiar with every divot in the earth and every branch that clawed at his skin. He led her to the face of the mountain and searched around for the wall of vines. Pushing them away, he crouched to get inside the hole.

Dana followed. And damn if he wasn’t a little stunned by her bravery—or naivety. He couldn’t decide which. Either way, she’d held up after a traumatic day.

Finding the ledge where he kept his pack, he snagged the canvas and then pulled down the bag. It landed at his feet with athunk.

He reached inside and pulled out a flashlight. Its bright-yellow glow lit the shallow cave, highlighting every weary line and uneasy crease on Dana’s face. Her eyes were red-rimmed—from more crying? Had he caused that?

Scratches and a bruise marred her smooth skin, and his fingers itched to touch her. Not a good idea. She pulled her hair to the side, and once again, her femininity struck him.

He passed her a change of clothes and took out a pair for himself. Their descriptions would be word on the street, so the best thing they could do was change their appearances.

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