LITMIR.BIZ

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with his before a rush of ash and debris chased past them. Kyle could feel the heat from the explosion blast his back and embed bits of shrapnel into his exposed flesh.

      In an instant, his misgivings for Hadir’s safety doubled. If Hadir had been anywhere close to the compound, he wouldn’t have survived...unless... An uninvited thought popped in his head, but he couldn’t let it take life. He knew Hadir. They’d grown close through the months of working together. Hadir was desperate to get out of the life he’d lived in the past. He wouldn’t sell Kyle out.

      Kyle stumbled to his feet. Hauling Ella up with him, he charged for the Humvee. He deposited her in the seat, got in next to her and engaged the vehicle’s starter. It didn’t respond. He tried the radio, and his worst nightmare was confirmed. The explosion had taken out the Humvee’s electrical system. They were now sitting ducks.

      “Hurry, Liz,” he murmured with urgency. Sam’s team would have picked up the explosion and Liz would dispatch a rescue team. Still, in the best-case scenario, it would take Liz twenty minutes to reach them from Bagram Air Force Base. That was the equivalent of a lifetime when facing off with an enemy. Anything could happen. He’d need some advantage to buy them time.

      The woman beside him moaned softly and opened her eyes. She glanced around her surroundings and then to him. The second she saw him, she scooted as far away as possible. She was terrified.

      I have to find him...

      He didn’t see her as a threat. Her injuries were too severe to be faked. She’d probably escaped from the compound, just in time to save her life. As the approaching vehicles drew closer, Kyle realized, like it or not, he’d need her help if they were to survive.

      He unholstered his Glock. “Do you know how to shoot?” Her brows shot together. She appeared baffled by his question.

      “There are enemy vehicles on the way here now. They’ll reach us before help can arrive. So can you shoot?” His tone was short. Agitated.

      She eyed him suspiciously before she answered. “Yes, I think so.”

      There was no time to wonder why she wouldn’t know the answer off the top of her head. He grabbed the backup weapon he’d tucked under the seat and handed it to her. “We just have to stay alive until our exit team arrives. Okay?”

      Fear chased across her face, and she shook her head. “I’m not leaving here. I won’t desert him.”

      “Who are you talking about? If you want my help you’d better tell me.”

      She inched farther away, staring at him wide-eyed and tight-lipped.

      “We have to move now,” he ground out in frustration. With the enemy gaining quickly, they had to take cover behind the Humvee if they wanted a fighting chance.

      Kyle grabbed her hand. Before he could move, she jerked free. He’d sort out the reasons why she was so terrified once they were safe.

      “We’re dead if we stay here. We have a chance if we take cover behind the Humvee.” She hesitated a second longer then gave a short nod.

      “Go ahead of me, I’ll cover you. Stay low.” Kyle barely got the words out before the lead vehicle reached them. Seconds later the world around them went up in gunfire.

      With the enemy’s headlights aimed straight at them, it was impossible to see anything. Kyle fired off a round in their direction to give her time to reach the rear of the vehicle.

      There was no time to retrieve the M240 machine gun he’d stashed behind the backseat just in case. The enemy quickly retaliated and shots ricocheted off the open door he was standing behind, mere inches from his head. Kyle tucked and dived for the back as another barrage of bullets splintered the door off its hinges. If he’d been a second slower, he’d be dead.

      God was watching out for him.

      Ella leaned heavily against the Humvee’s bumper as if the effort exerted by running to the back of the vehicle had taken its toll.

      When he reached her side, she quickly straightened and moved away.

      “Are you okay?” she asked when she got a good look at him. “Your back is burned and you’re bleeding.” She stared at him with those eyes. He realized she stood almost at eye level to him. She was tall like Lena, yet where Lena had been slim, this woman was suffering from extreme malnutrition.

      “I’m fine,” he managed. “I caught some of the debris from the explosion. The compound I’m guessing you came from must have been wired to detonate.” Whatever her reason for wandering the desert, it might just have saved her life.

      It took a second before what he said registered. Her hand flew to cover her trembling lips, immediately capturing his attention. An emotional reaction he couldn’t relate to Lena. Lena had already been a top CIA operative by the time they’d met. Keeping her emotions in check was critical to her survival. The only time he’d seen his wife cry was when he’d had to deliver the news of her parents’ deaths.

      Another round of shots whizzed past the Humvee and they both ducked.

      The additional vehicles came to a noisy halt next to the first, their high beams glaring. Kyle had no idea how many men they were up against. Adrenaline rushed through his body, buoying his courage. He’d almost forgotten how harrowing combat could be.

      He flattened himself against the vehicle, fired quickly, then retreated. The noise of bullets striking metal was so loud it sounded like it was right next to them. Someone screamed in pain. He’d hit one of the enemy soldiers.

      Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ella inching closer to the edge of the vehicle. She squared her shoulders and opened fire. Kyle couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was clearly accustomed to using a gun.

      Another round of gunfire shattered the front windshield and took out the back window. At this rate it wouldn’t take long before the enemy realized they had the upper hand, if they didn’t already. When that happened, they’d charge the vehicle. He and Ella would be dead.

      With still no sign of the rescue chopper in sight, he had to come up with an alternate plan and fast.

      “They’re going to figure out it’s just the two of us soon enough. We need to do something drastic,” he yelled over the noise of the firefight.

      As he watched, she swayed on her feet and he reached out to steady her. Immediately she backed away from him, the look in her eyes guarded.

      Kyle covered his frustration with difficulty, because he was now genuinely concerned. “Are you okay?”

      “Yes, I’m okay.” Her voice, barely a whisper, did little to reassure him, yet the self-confidence she clearly didn’t realize she possessed showed in the way she carried herself.

      He’d seen the same determination and self-confidence in Lena. Except for that last mission. Something had been wrong from the beginning. His wife hadn’t been herself.

      Kyle shoved that dark memory aside. It had eaten at him for years. Now was not the time to rehash it.

      “I’m okay,” she insisted again when he appeared doubtful. “What do you have in mind?”

      In spite of her assurances otherwise, he believed she couldn’t handle much more. He needed to find out why she was here in the desert. To do so, they had to survive.

      “If I can reach the backseat, I have an M240 machine gun there. It will give us a fighting chance until our backup arrives. I need you to cover me.”

      She checked her clip. “I’m almost empty.”

      He handed her his backup clip. “On the count of three.” She nodded and he counted off. “One. Two. Three.” He barely hit the final number when she opened fire. Even weak and barely hanging on, Ella handled herself like someone who had been in this situation before. And that didn’t ease his mind one little bit. Had he managed to save one of Alhasan’s agents?

      Kyle

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