the river came into view. She was dehydrated and woozy, but she hurried to the cool water as the men she was with did the same. They’d let her bathe in it before, and without asking, she knelt down, splashing the water onto her face and rinsing her mouth before gulping some down.
Her stomach had hurt all morning, both from lack of food and vomiting. She rinsed the sour taste from her mouth, wondering if they’d feed her at all today. Then men were kicking off their shoes as one stood watch.
Staying on the riverbank, she removed her boots and socks, quickly edging in and scrubbing some of the dirt from her skin. The men were farther away, giving her a modicum of privacy. She was a little surprised they’d always let her “bathe” in peace, but they’d seemed interested in cleaning themselves as well.
She turned slightly, rinsing her hair as best she could, and then shivering as she stood back up. The sun beating down would dry her body and clothing within a couple of hours. It wasn’t ideal having nothing to change into, but what could she do? She needed to get clean and rinse off her clothes, and it’s not like she could walk around naked.
She hustled to finish before them, not wanting any of the men watching her. It was better to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Yes, she was bathing near them, but they were occupied at the moment rinsing themselves off. There was no sense in giving them any ideas or an opportunity to hurt her.
She squeezed out her long hair, trying to wring out the clothing she was wearing as well. She was cold and wet at the moment, but at least slightly cleaner than before. She knelt down and took a few more gulps of water, then put on her dirty yet dry socks and combat boots. She remained sitting on the side of the river, looking off into the distance as they finished up.
One of the men walked over, tossing a scrap of flatbread her way. She snatched it up and took a bite, her stomach rumbling. They might want to feed her enough to keep her alive, but she knew her body was lacking vital nutrients. She’d lost weight. She was weaker than she’d been two months ago. She hadn’t had any protein during her entire time in captivity.
The men were talking and pointing to the distance. Long before she was ready to move, they called out to her. She stood, wearily crossing toward them. Now that they’d worked their way down to the river, they’d have to hike back uphill toward one of the caves. It seemed unlikely they’d camp down this low.
“Come! Much land to cover. We must hurry.”
Kim nodded and began following him once more, the other men bringing up the rear. She shivered slightly as the breeze blew, but the bright sun at least warmed her. Were they meeting up with others? Moving even farther away from Bagram?
She had no idea where they were. No idea which direction to head even if she escaped. Her head began to throb as she squinted, following the man in front. They could have another several hours to walk. She had no clue.
Looking up at the bright blue sky, tears smarted her eyes. It was a beautiful day. Sunny. Clear. And she was trapped, with no hope of anyone finding her.
***
Ethan clenched his jaw as the team stood on the tarmac in Germany. Sometimes they flew straight through from San Diego, but they were refueling and going wheel’s up again in less than thirty minutes.
Troy glanced over at him, taking a swig of a soda he’d grabbed. “You look impatient.”
“I am impatient,” Ethan countered as he crossed his arms. “We’ve been waiting months to move in on this. I want to get there and rescue her.”
“Me too. I’ve got younger sisters. A part of me keeps imagining how I’d feel if they were ever in a similar situation. What if they were kidnapped? Helpless? It eats me up knowing that a woman has been held there so long.”
Ethan’s gaze flicked over to Ghost. “He’s been pacing ever since we landed.”
“Yep,” Troy said. “I don’t think he’d even know what to say to Hailey if the mission failed. It’s bad enough the other woman’s body was found.”
“Jesus. The only way we’d fail is if they kill Kimberly, too.”
The two men exchanged a glance, knowing that was a definite