Thrusting Jafar’s arm to the side as he held his wrist, Abram broke away from the hold, twisting the wrist as he moved and taking his cousin to his knees.
Abram released him. He jumped back to safety behind the rangers now circling the team of terrorist soldiers.
“Drop your weapons and we’ll leave just as quietly as we arrived,” the commander ordered. “Otherwise, we’ll kill, if we have to.”
The terrorists’ weapons were tossed carelessly to the ground as Abram moved quickly to Paige. They were gathered upweonfiscate to ensure a safe escape, but Abram had other things to take care of besides watching the soldiers’ defeat. He had to get to Paige. He had to ease her fear and her tears before she broke his heart with them. Her arms flew around his neck as she cried out his name. The broken sound of her voice and the trembling of her body had all his protective instincts screaming.
“We have to go,” he whispered into her ear as the rangers moved to help Tariq into the harness that would lift him into the hovering helicopter.
Easing from her he took the harness from the waiting ranger and helped her into it before strapping on his own and clipping it to the rope.
Just in time.
As they were lifted into the darkened sky, the lights of the Matawa’s vehicles began cutting through the winding vehicle paths that eventually led to their location.
Once the Matawa arrived, there would be no escape without bloodshed.
Within seconds the ropes were pulled into the helicopter, the rangers climbing in and securing their passengers then themselves, before the helicopter shot through the sky.
“Captain Mustafa, we’ll be landing at a hidden airbase and loading you on a transport plane straight to D.C.” Commander Ramsey jerked the mask from his face as he made the announcement.
David “Race” Ramsey settled back against the frame of the stripped-down Black Hawk helicopter as he stared at them.
“Thanks for arriving on time, Commander Ramsey.” Tariq grinned. “It looked as though you might be running late for a minute or two there.”
Race gave a small chuckle as his blue eyes twinkled in amusement.
“General Jack Walters will be waiting in D.C. to debrief you, Captain Mustafa, and Ms. Galbraithe.” Ramsey grinned at Tariq. “One of you are going to have to advance in rank soon, before things get confusing.”
“Yes, sir,” Abram responded, only half listening as he felt Paige tense in his hold.
“Captain Mustafa?” she whispered.
“A formality, nothing more,” he answered quietly, praying no one would explain before he had the chance to do so himself.
Ramsey’s lips quirked, obviously catching the less-than-honest response.
It was another lie told to her. It was one of many, and God knew she didn’t deserve the dishonesty.
“Your brother and parents are being notified of your rescue,” Ramsey assured her before nodding to Abram. “It’s good to have you back, sir.”
“It’s good to be back, Commander.” Abram nodded. It had been a while since he’d had to consider the rank he’d earned while working undercover in the place he should have been able to call his home.
Abram turned his head and stared for a second at the darkened sunbaked land below them.
There were no regrets.
As he watched the land of his birth recede into the distance he couldn’t feel anything for the years he had spent there, except sorrow.
Lessa was buried there, as was the second wife he had barely known, along with their unborn child.
He was leaving behind his youth, but it hadn’t served him well while he had it. Just as the land he had been born to had refused to protect him.
“We’re going home,” Paige whispered against his chest. In her voice he could hear the underlying question.
As her head tipped back to stare at him, he saw the silent question in the emerald depths.
It was a question he wasn’t ready to face.