Page 46 of SEAL's Spitfire
Just when she thought she’d lose it, she realized he’d stopped talking. It was quiet. She turned from the window to make sure he was still alive. It was the first quiet in ages. Imagine that. He’d stopped to take a drink from his water bottle. But it would only be a matter of time before he started up again.
“How much longer until we get to Bamyan?”
“If things stay as they are, probably another hour or so.” If she looked on the bright side, she was more than halfway there. But she couldn’t hold in a groan when she thought about another hour of listening to his yakking.
“I thought Afghanistan was more populated than this.”
“It depends on where you are. This area has seen a lot of fighting and so the villagers who were here have mostly moved on to other areas. With the blowing sand, it doesn’t take long to erase a lot of what was once there.”
That made sense and was useful information. Maybe she was being too hard on Waltham. If she asked more questions, she’d probably have learned more that would be helpful. It couldn’t have been easy dropping everything and driving a stranger across a warzone. She’d never even asked what he did. When he’d said embassy, she just assumed he was some kind of spy since he knew Tex. She wasn’t sure if he and Tex had worked together or were friends. Not that it mattered. The only thing that mattered was rescuing her brother. Or at the very least seeing for herself that he was alive.
“Bloody hell.”
“What’s wrong?” Meghan asked. She didn’t see anything, but Waltham glanced between the rearview and side mirrors, and sweat beaded on his forehead before he pulled a ringing satellite phone out of the armrest. The reporters that traveled overseas for the paper had them, so they wouldn’t have to worry about SIM cards or access. What was going on? His actions raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Nothing looked different but his whole demeanor had changed.
“Yes. I’ve got the girl. No. About an hour, but there’s smoke ahead.”
Smoke? She didn’t see any smoke all she saw was blowing sand. Then she squinted and looked through the dusty windshield and saw what could have been a plume in the distance.
“Okay. Let me know.” He disconnected the call and laid the phone in his lap. He’d slowed his speed, which hadn’t been very fast to begin with, and sighed. “Looks like our luck may be changing. There’s a skirmish up ahead.”
“What does that mean for us?”
“It means we may not get to Bamyan tonight. Depending on what is happening and how close to the road it is, we may have to spend the night out here. Tex is trying to find out who and what is going on. If it’s the Americans, they’ll most likely let us pass. If it is the Taliban or the Afghani forces, we’ll need to stay as far away from it as possible.”
“But I came here to meet with the Taliban.”
“Not in the middle of a firefight you didn’t.” No, she didn’t, but if it was the only way to find out about Charlie then so be it.
“I don’t…”
“Just hold on to your britches. When Tex calls back we’ll know more. For now, grab something for us to eat out of the cooler.”
Waltham was treating her like a child, and it irked her. Meghan didn’t want to eat but didn’t see any point in objecting. She was in an unfamiliar country and in his car. He could make whatever rules he wanted. Reaching into the backseat, she grabbed a couple of sandwiches and two more bottles of water out of the cooler. As she closed the lid, she glanced through the back window.
“Oh shit. I think we have company,” Meghan said as she settled into her seat.
“I saw them. Just follow my lead and it should fine.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Exactly, so you should listen to me.”
Exhaustion and fear were making her cranky. None of this was Waltham’s fault, he’d been nothing but kind, polite, and helpful. She’d probably still be waiting at the airport for a bus if it weren’t for him.
“I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this.”
“It’s okay, just try to remain calm. Hopefully, they’ll just keep going and leave us alone. But if they make us pull over don’t make any sudden moves.”
“Okay.” Rafe was going to kill her if she made it back alive. The more this trip progressed the more she wondered if she’d been out of her mind. It didn’t seem nearly as dangerous when she’d come up with the plan. News reporters traveled in and out of Afghanistan all the time and nothing happened. But they also weren’t chasing down kidnappers. She started to wonder if the only reason Tex helped her was to make sure she didn’t try it alone.
Maybe Rafe was in Afghanistan working to save the hostages. She hadn’t heard from him since he’d left. She’d give anything to hear his voice, even if he was yelling at her for taking chances with her life. It was hard to believe that they’d just met, and that he believed she was his soulmate. But she wasn’t there yet, although she couldn’t deny that there was a connection between them that she’d never experienced before. She prayed that she’d make it through this alive to see him again.
The car was slowing down, and Waltham slid the phone off his lap and returned it the hidden spot in the armrest. The vehicle she’d seen through the window was barreling toward them and kicking up enough dust to make it hard to see. From the look of resignation on Waltham’s face, she was almost certain they weren’t going to be friendly.
“Remember what I said. Let me do the talking.” Meghan nodded and took a deep breath to calm her heartbeat which threatened to jump out of her chest with every beat.
The armored truck caught up and herded them off the road. Waltham pulled to the side and stopped but he left the engine running. She’d love to know what he was thinking, but for the first time during the trip he was quiet. That would teach her to watch what she wished for.
