over his right eye, while he used his left for depth perception and watched the plane. His adrenaline was at an all-time high. “Three seconds,” he said, mentally counting down. “Over.”
On cue, the men propelled themselves out one at a time. Gavin could almost imagine he was with them, spreading his arms, feeling the wind pressing against him. He shuddered and focused back on the compound. He had to time it just right, which was why he was going in on the ground and not coming down from the sky. Among other reasons. But the most important was that he have the door open when his team arrived.
“I’m coming, Sarah,” he whispered. “Hang on, I’m coming.”
CHAPTER
THREE
Sarah had buried the satellite phone in the corner of the cell’s dirt floor only minutes before the guard had returned. Since then, he’d stayed just outside the door. Minutes had ticked past, turning into an hour, then more.
“What are they waiting on?” Fatima whispered.
“I don’t know.” Every so often another guard would come and the two men would exchange whispers. Then he’d turn and hurry down the hallway, only to return a while later to repeat the whole thing. “I heard the word ‘delayed,’ but can’t make out anything else. I’m going to move to the door and see if I can hear what they’re saying,” she whispered to Fatima. “Stay put.”
Eyes wide, Fatima nodded.
On hands and knees so as not to draw attention by standing, Sarah moved through the group, pressing a comforting hand on a shivering teen’s shoulder or squeezing the ice-cold fingers of another as she passed. Talia’s terrified gaze met hers and she glared, her displeasure at Sarah’s movement clear.
But if the phone hadn’t worked like it was supposed to, they were going to have to know what was going on. At the door, she slid against the wall. The other guard should be returning any moment. As though he’d read her mind, footsteps pounded down the hallway to stop in front of the door. His radio crackled and Sarah thought she caught the words, “Search them one by one. Bring her to the conference room. We will make the video there.”
Bring who?
“Get up! All of you!”
Sarah jerked at the order and slowly stood. The other girls followed her lead.
The guard who spoke looked to be in his early thirties, with a long beard and body odor strong enough to knock her out.
And a rifle gripped in his right hand.
When all of them were standing, huddled together, the guard threw open the door and lifted the rifle. He pointed it at Fatima. “You. Come with me.”
Fatima stepped forward. When she reached Sarah, she grabbed Sarah’s hand in a death grip. The teen shook like she’d splinter apart any second.
The guard jabbed Fatima with the rifle. “What is your name?”
“Fatima.”
“Remove your head covering.”
Slowly, Fatima pushed the cloth away, her eyes downcast.
“It’s not her,” the other man said. “But I will take her for a little while.” He placed the weapon against Fatima’s shoulder. “Come with me.”
The teen shuddered but didn’t move to obey the order.
The guard’s eyes gleamed. “Come, I said. Obey or die. Which will you choose?”
Still gripping Sarah’s fingers, Fatima lifted her chin. “I choose to die.”
A multitude of gasps sounded behind her.
He pulled the trigger. Fatima jerked and fell, her hand sliding from Sarah’s grip.
Screams echoed.
“Fatima!” Heart pounding, ears ringing, Sarah dropped to her knees and pressed hard against the wound, barely able to control the rage she wanted to unleash on the guard. But the girl . . .
“Fatima,” she whispered.
“It hurts,” Fatima whimpered.
The rifle turned on Rashida. “You. Get up.”
“Kinaaz,” Sarah said, “come press on her wound.”
Without hesitation, Kinaaz, the gentle soul who loved poetry, nature, and puppies, darted to her friend’s side and replaced Sarah’s hands with her own.
“Hold on, Fatima,” Sarah whispered, “help’s coming.”
“I said get up!”
Rashida wailed and covered her head with her arms. The guard adjusted the rifle.
“Stop! Don’t shoot her!” Sarah stood and stepped between the rifle and the other girls, ignoring the nausea curling in her gut. “What do you want?” she asked, keeping her head lowered, but watching him through her lashes.
His eyes glinted and raked her up and down. “I didn’t tell you to interfere.”
Sarah waited for the bullet. It didn’t come, but she thought he considered it. “Remove your head covering.”
She reached to do so and the smile that split his lips turned her stomach once more. He jerked the rifle, indicating she was to hurry up.