Page 9 of Zain

Zain moved the cloth of his tunic shirt and revealed a machete.

Oh god. No.

Please don’t die because of me.

Rakesh let out a sneering laugh then lunged forward, slicing the knife. Zain dodged backward, his torso careening at a sharp angle as if in a scene fromThe Matrix.

Dana’s breath came in sharp pants. Rakesh moved in a wide circle. As he moved farther from Dana, she could see the angry pinch of his brow. Zain mimicked Rakesh’s movements.

The other prisoner let out a shrill whine, amplifying the tension in the space. Rakesh snarled and dove for Zain, driving the knife toward his midsection.

“Zain!” Dana cried. The word ripped from her throat just as Zain moved swiftly out of Rakesh’s reach. His eyes, full of shock and scorched with warning, snapped to hers.

Oh god. What have I done?

Rakesh had called him Farid because Zain didn’t go by his real name. But why?

Rakesh’s beady eyes turned vengeful. “Traitor,” he whispered. His eyes flashed and his mouth twisted. “Tr—”

In one quick sweep, Zain sliced Rakesh’s jugular.

Dana brought her chained hands to her mouth to stifle a cry. Blood splattered across the cave wall, just missing her face. Strangled sounds gurgled from Rakesh’s throat. His knees buckled and connected with the dirt, then he folded forward, drowning in his own blood.

The prisoner’s cries stopped.

Zain’s chest heaved. His huge form, dominating the room. Sweat coated his face. His unforgiving eyes homed in on her. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

CHAPTER 4

Zain tucked awaythe machete, bent to Rakesh’s body, and pulled out a set of keys. He stood and moved toward the woman. Her mouth popped open and she quickly snapped it shut. Tremors shook her body.

“I—I don’t understand,” she moaned. “What do you mean?”

He kept his eyes down because if he looked at her, he’d lose his composure. Maybe he’d been too harsh. But Jesus, she’d screwed him. More than she could imagine. It wasn’t her fault Rakesh had assaulted her. But she shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t have been at the protest. Shouldn’t have risked her life.

In the last couple years, he’d witnessed a lot of gruesome shit that went against everything he believed in. Cruelty beyond measure. But he’d never witnessed a woman being raped, and it turned out that was the one thing he couldn’t tolerate.

She’d said his name. His mind ripped through a million possibilities. None of them made sense, but he didn’t have time to drill her. Rakesh’s absence would be noticed. They had to move.

He picked up her wrists and turned them over until he found the lock. In seconds he had her free. Tears coated her cheeks. Instinct made him want to tell her she’d be okay. But that was a lie. Cold hard truth was the only thing that might save them.

“They’ll kill us both, that’s what.” He finally met her eyes, and remorse flooded through him. Grave sadness that creased her forehead.

“I—” Shock was surely taking hold of her brain.

Zain raked his gaze over her. He picked up her niqab and handed it to her. “Can you walk?”

She nodded.

“Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head.

Gestures seemed to be all she was capable of. Not that he could blame her. Hot air rushed from his nostrils. “We need to move fast.” His gaze swung to the man who’d been jabbering on the floor. Zain couldn’t remember his name, but the guy wasn’t a threat. He’d been there weeks and could barely take a piss.

Zain stalked up to him and, in Pashto, ordered him to undress. When the man didn’t respond, he pulled out his gun and spoke more forcefully.

The man staggered to his feet and removed his clothes with shaking hands. Grabbing the piles of material, Zain dropped them at her feet. “Change.”

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