Chapter 11
Jiddah and Samhal were ready to take off.
Julie refused to be put off.
Flynn was pissed off.
Jiddah had been able to put together a nondescript Afghan costume for Sammy. He would blend in seamlessly with the population; enabling his intel gathering.
He and Jiddah were on the shoulder of the road that skirted Veerona, imploring the bus driver to wait a while longer. The other passengers, faces slick and red with heat and frustration, were hanging out the windows of the mini-bus, contributing arm and hand gestures and noisy opinions to the argy-bargy.
Jiddah had readily agreed to return to the city. With Saddiq's abduction and the puzzling attention from The Djinn, she said it was impossible to know who could be trusted in Veerona. She would stay away until the poppy harvest had been completed. She had tried unsuccessfully to convince Julie to join her. Normally Jiddah would not think of leaving Julie alone in these circumstances, but with Flynn in Veerona she probably decided her absence would guarantee Captain Montague would not leave Julie alone. And she knew he would provide better protection than she could.
More argy-bargy was underway back in Little Eden.
On the patio behind chez Julie & Jiddah, Flynn was engaged in the fruitless task of changing Julie's mind; it was like pushing on a string.
She had planted her bilious self at the rear of the house after taking care of Cleo, and wasn't budging. She declared, "I am going to Fort Apache with you. That's where Saddiq is. And that's where I'm going."
"Julie," Flynn said, doing his damnedest to hide his gritting teeth, "I can't allow you to get mixed up in this. It's too dangerous. Please, go with Sammy and Jiddah."
Julie feigned deafness, directed her attention far out into the minefield, obstinate.
Flynn bit his bottom lip, closed his eyes for three beats. He said, "I highly doubt Saddiq is at Fort Apache. We only know that somebody snatched him, possibly somebody associated with BlackSky."
Julie spun her head back toward him. She said, "'Possibly somebody associated with BlackSky'?" She fixed him with incredulous eyes as though he'd suddenly grown an extra head. "I told you I saw the BlackSky goons arrive in their Humvees and drive off with Saddiq and those traitors that abducted him. What? Now I'm the liar?"
Samhal cleared his throat loudly. He was hurrying round the corner of the house and had stopped short, seeing negotiations were not progressing well. He said with a grimace, "Monty, the bus?"
Flynn blew out cheeks of air. "Argh," –he muttered some F-word under his breath– "I guess you might as well take off, Sammy. Tell Jiddah I promise to keep Julie out of mischief as best I can. Keep in touch."
Samhal saluted. "Inshallah, boss. You children play nice," he said with a grin and escaped back round the corner.
A few moments of silence ticked by and the heat appeared to subside somewhat. Flynn said in a tightly controlled voice, "Julie, I'm not saying you're lying. I'm just saying we're not certain of anything, or anybody. I will confront Colonel Kurtz about Saddiq, along with a few other things. But if BlackSky is snatching people out of villages, you've gotta keep your head low. I cannot take you to Fort Apache."
"Fine," she responded, snippy as possible, "you go enjoy tea and biscuits with Colonel Kurtz. I'll go to The Djinn and see what he knows about Saddiq."
Twenty minutes later, Flynn and Julie climbed into the Humvee and pulled out of Veerona on their way to Fort Apache.
Julie was back in her robes. She was eager to find Saddiq and she was pleased Flynn appeared to have the same goal. She was beginning to believe he really didn't have any knowledge of Saddiq's abduction. If he did, he deserved an Oscar... and she was in big trouble. But somehow that didn't worry her. Notwithstanding her fear for Saddiq's well-being, she was in high spirits. Julie had to admit she was enjoying the adventures shared with Flynn. It was like buzkashi on steroids. The action, thrills, danger, and teamwork were infectious. If Flynn wasn't looking so surly under the brim of his cap, she'd wrap her arms round his neck and plant a juicy one directly below that prominent cheekbone of his.
She did anyway.
"Hey, watch yourself," Flynn blurted as the Humvee swerved onto the soft shoulder. "What the heck was that for?"
"I felt like it," she answered. "Is that okay with you, grumpy?"
"Hmph. If it wasn't okay, would it matter to you?"
She turned toward him in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "What do you mean by that, mister?"
"I'm beginning to think that Miss Julie McNeill is accustomed to getting her own way," he said in a tone that balanced precariously on the wobbly line between tease and accusation.
"I'll have you know, Captain Montague, I only insist on my way when it's the correct way," Julie pronounced primly, her nose elevated a smidgen as she stared straight ahead.
She was happy her niqab hid the mischief on her face. She could feel Flynn's nonplussed gaze trained on her. She looked his way again, gave his shoulder a push. "Oh c'mon, Flynn, admit it, you like having me around. We make a brilliant team. Remember how I helped when we followed The Djinn? You were lucky I was along. You and Tony would've perished out there in the desert on your own."
Flynn hesitated, his lips working, before responding, "I won't deny that. And you're right: I do like having you around... I guess." He kept his eyes on the road.
With all their verbal sparring and teasing, Julie could see that Flynn was not overly comfortable taking a sentimental journey. She helped him out, allowing the warmth in her heart to soften her golden eyes and tone, "Probably not as much as I enjoy your company, schmoopy."
Flynn looked her way, wide-eyed. Julie winked. He shifted uneasily, adjusted his shades and tugged his cap tighter onto his brow. He said, "Yeah, well, before we turn this into a mutual admiration society, let's get the ground rules straight."
"Ground rules? What kind of ground rules?" Julie asked, hopeful. She couldn't believe Flynn wanted to discuss their relationship. She knew they had both avoided the topic, knowing there was no future in it. Had he figured something out? Some way of resigning from BlackSky and remaining in Afghanistan?
No.
Flynn said, "You need to clam up when we meet Kurtz. Whatever's happened, he's still my commanding officer. And I can't screw up this contract. I'll say I've brought you along as a translator. And, hey, it's sorta true. If I'm able to secure Saddiq's release I will need you. I probably wouldn't make it back in one piece with that little bugger as a passenger," he added with a snicker.
Julie was deflated. Naturally it wasn't about them. How could she be so frickin' naïve? As usual it was all about him and his stupid contract. "Brilliant," she snapped. "Only, we'd better find Saddiq. And he'd better be in excellent health. Otherwise, I won't be 'clamming up'."
"A translator, Captain Montague?" Kurtz said in that affected tone that so irritated Flynn.
Kurtz came round to the front of his desk, raised a palm. "Please do not misunderstand. I am overjoyed to have such a charming visitor."
Kurtz took one of Julie's hands in both of his and kissed it lightly and then maintained his grasp while he continued, "But I do wonder what possible need you have of translation services here in Fort Apache, man." He was addressing Flynn but hadn't taken his eyes off Julie. She touched the fingers of her free hand to her veil and angled her face aside.
It may be a persecution complex. Nevertheless, Flynn was convinced that every action Kurtz took was a calculated shot directed point-blank at him.
Flynn took hold of Julie's forearm and Kurtz released her hand as Flynn directed her to one of the chairs positioned against the wall opposite Kurtz's desk. Flynn remained standing –maintaining his height advantage. He said, "Ms. McNeill is a friend of the boy named Saddiq from Veerona. We're hoping you have information concerning the lad's whereabouts. When we locate him Ms. McNeill will be a familiar face."
"Saddiq, Saddiq..." Kurtz pretended to be searching his memory for the name. "Ah wait. Yah, I think I do recall the name. Hmm, yah, didn't I hear somewhere, I can't remember exactly where," he shrugged theatrically, "that you and this kaffir were involved in some sort of altercation recently?"
Damn, Flynn thought, Kurtz has informants squirming under rocks all over this bloody country. He said, "Yes, a minor incident, during a shura with the elders of Veerona," Flynn tried to brush it off. "It was more a misunderstanding than anything."
Looks like Julie was probably right about BlackSky's involvement in Saddiq's abduction, he conceded to himself. And worse, it means Kurtz has recruited locals to take an active part in BlackSky operations. Were they Taliban, or what? This mess was getting more tangled than a snake's honeymoon.
"A minor incident?" Kurtz twirled the waxy end of his mustache and asked, "Or the type of incident you are obliged to report, Captain. Or, am I mistaken?"
"No, sir, you're not mistaken. Only in this case I judged..."
Kurtz cut him off, "Captain Montague you are not paid to judge. You are paid to follow orders. It makes me wonder what other incidents you've neglected to report." Kurtz eyed him knowingly.
Flynn knew Kurtz was referring to The Djinn and his hideout. He was becoming increasingly convinced that BlackSky was up to their dirty necks in the opium business and in competition with The Djinn. He said, "No, Colonel, nothing more to report. But about Saddiq: do you know where he's being held?"
"I heard gossip about him running off with an unidentified group of men," Kurtz shrugged, flipped a dismissive hand. "But what gives you the idea he is being held, Captain? Were you present when he departed Veerona?"
"No I wasn't but his mother was. And she was terribly distraught. She said Saddiq was taken by force." Flynn was having difficulty containing his anger and impatience. He knew Kurtz was slow-playing him. And why not, the colonel was holding pocket aces.
"Ach, mothers overreact." Kurtz made a face, shook his head. "You mustn't attribute much credence to their twaddle."
Julie cracked out of her shell, stated, "It was not twaddle, Colonel. I was there and I saw Saddiq dragged out of his home and forced into a BlackSky Humvee. Where is he?"
Kurtz smirked at Flynn, moseyed back behind his desk and casually took his seat. He said, oozing with condescension, "Young lady, I have no doubt you are telling the truth... as you see it. But I can assure you no BlackSky men would be party to abduction. Humvees are plentiful in this country, and BlackSky uniforms are easily replicated; staging a ruse would be a simple matter."
Kurtz leaned forward onto his desk, intertwined his fingers, bumped his thumbs against his chin, thinking. He leaned back and said, "But out of respect for your late father, I will tell you all I know, and I will allow Captain Montague, here, to pursue the issue even though it is outside the mandate of his assignment. Now, how is that, my dear Fraulein?"
"I appreciate it, Colonel, it is kind of you," Julie replied, somehow containing the obvious steam compressed behind her words.
Flynn admired Julie's restraint. He knew Kurtz's smarmy mien would have her boiling inside. The last thing they needed was Julie blowing her top. Flynn hoped Kurtz would ease off.
"For someone with such captivating eyes, how can I resist?" Kurtz said mawkishly and then shifted his demeanor, continued in a hammed-up conspiratorial tone, "I know little, but what I have heard points to a hideout in the mountains, possibly somewhere near the village of Bamma." Kurtz's eyes constantly flitted to Flynn, checking for tells, as he spoke, "A group of rogue bandits, led by some wannabe Robin Hood the locals call The Djinn, may have taken Saddiq prisoner, for reasons unknown to me."
Flynn had remained poker-faced throughout Kurtz's play.
Kurtz steepled his palms and finished earnestly, "I pray for the lad's sake you will not be too late in locating this terrorist's hiding place."
"What a load of bullshit!" Flynn spat angrily as he and Julie headed back to the Humvee.
"Are you certain of that, Flynn? Kurtz is a despicable character, but does he have reason to lie to you? It is possible The Djinn abducted Saddiq. We don't really know who The Djinn is and what he's up to. Maybe the Humvees I saw were stolen."
Julie was forcing herself to take an objective viewpoint. Her previous defense of The Djinn may have been irrational. She did feel inexplicably conflicted where The Djinn was concerned. Where there should have been fear and caution there was instead curiosity and a perplexing attraction... that may have blinded her to the truth.
Flynn stopped, took Julie's forearm and turned her toward him. He glanced around and lowered his voice, "First off: Kurtz doesn't need a reason to lie to me; he gets a kick outta yanking my chain. Second: No Taliban, or anybody resembling them, are driving Humvees; they'd stick out like poop on a platter; the coalition forces would be on them like stink. Third: I think Kurtz is after The Djinn 'cause he's competing with him for control of the opium trade in this region."
"What?" Julie said, her eyes round as gold sovereigns. "So you're not only a mercenary but a drug dealer? Oh, that is simply jolly."
At the moment all Julie wanted was Saddiq safe in his mother's arms. But things were getting way too complicated. She'd fallen for a soldier of fortune who worked with a bunch of kidnapping drug dealers? She never should have slept with Captain Flynn Montague. She should have maintained focus on her work: her wormwood plants; getting Veerona out of the poppy business. Now Saddiq's life was in jeopardy. All this could have been avoided if she'd reined-in her runaway libido.
Flynn patted down the air between them, looked around again. He said, "C'mon, let's get the Humvee. We'll discuss the whole mess on the way back to Veerona."
As they rounded the corner of the motor pool compound they came face-to-face with one of Kurtz's monkeys. He said, "Oy, Montague. Did you have a nice chat with our Colonel?" He made a gesture in Julie's direction with his nutcracker jaw, "And who might the towel-head be, then?"
Flynn snarled, "Piss off, Bradley. I've got no time for your shit. Outta my way." He took Julie's hand and pushed his way round Bradley.
Julie was glad to have Flynn between her and the doughy-faced jerk. The guy was a giant, scary-looking, probably grew up as a soccer hooligan.
The giant took a side-step and extended a huge greasy paw, encircling Julie's upper arm with his meaty fingers. He said, "Oh, pardon, Captain. And how was I to know you were shaggin' Sammy's kid sister?" He chortled at his own stupid joke. "I'd put odds the wee bint here would like a proper intro." He grinned salaciously.
Julie was repulsed by the cretin. The smell of him took her breath away –he must've lunched on boiled-cabbage orts. His blank eyes imparted a brutal simplicity. She balled her hand into a fist and yanked her arm. But it was locked in his cement grip and her skin twisted painfully.
In that same instant she caught a glimpse of Flynn's fearsome visage and it startled her. His grey eyes were ice cold, like shards chipped from the underside of an Arctic berg; his mouth was in the shape of a grin but it was mirthless, and frightening.
The human arm has a primary tendon running from elbow to wrist that controls the movement of the fingers. Flynn clamped his grip onto Bradley and dug his fingers into this tendon, crushing it against bone.
Julie felt the pressure on her arm wilt as the brute's fingers became paralyzed. She saw fresh beads of sweat form on his lumpy forehead and his eyebrows twitch in pain.
Flynn said, "The chances of you being introduced to this young lady sit right between no way and fuck you! But I'll tell ya what is gonna happen... Major." His voice was stiff and menacing. "When I let go your arm, you run and tell Kurtz what a mean bully I am.... Good idea?"
The monkey managed a nod.
"Gosh, I'm happy I got to meet your friends, Captain Montague," Julie said as they sped through the gates of Fort Apache and careened onto the road to Veerona.
She was thankful she had witnessed, first hand, the relationship between Flynn and BlackSky. It was some consolation to learn that he worked for them, not with them. She reached forward and opened the glove box.
Flynn said, "Yeah yeah, I know: friggin' simians; it comes with the territory." He took his shades off the dash, put them on and gave a tug to the brim of his cap.
Julie said, "Right, huh? The Colonel smells like a filthy old ashtray. And what's the deal with the ear hair? Did you see it? Jeez, doesn't he have a girlfriend, or a mother?"
"No. He is a mother. But feel free to point out Kurtz's hair issues the next time you see him."
Julie momentarily turned her attention from the glove box to Flynn, raised her eyebrows. She said, "Don't think I wouldn't, buddy."
"Oh, I know you would. But if I'm right and BlackSky is pushin' poppies, we've got a tougher row to hoe than Kurtz's ear hair."
Julie said, "The only problem I care about is Saddiq." She went back to rummaging in the glove box. She found a rag. She asked, "Are we going to The Djinn's stronghold? See whether or not Saddiq is there?" She held the rag in the proximity of her nose. It smelled of gasoline but otherwise looked fairly clean. That ape Bradley had left his greasy paw print on her abaya. She gingerly applied the rag to her sleeve.
"Julie, I don't think The Djinn has Saddiq. I think you were right in the first place: Kurtz, or somebody working with him, is holding Saddiq. But not at Fort Apache. This is serious renegade crap Kurtz is pulling off, he couldn't risk that. But he's got him somewhere."
Julie stopped rubbing the sleeve of her abaya, looked at Flynn, noticed he kept checking the rear-view mirror. She asked, "What would Kurtz want with Saddiq, anyway? He's just a kid. I know he gets rambunctious sometimes but surely that doesn't worry Kurtz?"
Flynn said, "Copy that. He doesn't give a rapper's rhyme about Saddiq, or the incident at the shura. Kurtz is after The Djinn. He probably figures Saddiq has some knowledge of The Djinn but likely doesn't know the exact location of his hideout. Anyway, he's well aware of the Afghan reputation: the kid would die before he'd talk; no point trying to beat the information out of him."
"Gee, that's comforting," Julie said. "Then why the abduction?" She wiped her hands as best she could and returned the rag to the glove box.
"Kurtz has had us watched." Flynn removed his glasses, fixed Julie with apologetic eyes. Such a contrast from the stone-cold wrath she'd witnessed during the encounter with Bradley. Now, Julie could detect only sincerity and warmth.
Flynn continued, "He knows you care about Saddiq. And he knows we've become... acquainted. So he knows I'll help you find Saddiq. He's betting we'll lead him to The Djinn." He checked the rear-view mirror once again. "Luckily, nobody was able to follow us the night we staked-out the oasis and trailed The Djinn to his hideout." Flynn craned his neck out the window and scanned the sky; popped back in and replaced his shades.
"Flynn, what are you looking for?"
"I was expecting a BlackSky tail. But nobody dogged us out of Fort Apache and there's no choppers in sight. I doubt BlackSky even has access to air support, but I would've bet gold Kurtz would have had us followed in some manner." Flynn shook his head slowly. He thought for a second more and then announced abruptly, "We can't go back to your place."
"What? Why not?"
"Kurtz must be banking on us returning to Veerona; he doesn't need to have us followed now. He must have somebody, maybe some of those locals on his payroll, watching the house. They're planning to tail us from there." Flynn thumped the steering wheel. "Frig! I wanted to stay in contact with Sammy, see if he gets some hard evidence on BlackSky. But we can't allow Kurtz to know our every move. We gotta keep him guessing, buy time for Saddiq."
Julie asked, "What can we do? We've got to find him, soon." She made no attempt to conceal her desperation. She blurted, "Let's cut cross-country from here, straight to The Djinn's hideout. He must know something. Maybe he'd be willing to help."
Flynn shook his head, "That's a last resort, at best. We know The Djinn is peddling arms and opium. I'm not taking you there again. We have no idea what he's up to. I believe he's an honorable and principled man, but he's not on our side. You seem to like the guy. But remember, he tried to bribe you and me out of Afghanistan, and we're still hanging around. He might decide to make it happen the hard way."
A Toyota pickup appeared in the rear-view mirror. Flynn slowed the Humvee to a crawl.
Julie glanced back and said, "Well then, what's the plan?"
The pickup roared round them, sending dirt and gravel flying, the yahoos in back gesturing and calling out insults in Pashto.
Flynn resumed speed and answered, "We'll camp out tonight. I'll sneak back to your place and check for e-mails. If Sammy has anything we'll go to Fort Apache, speak to the coalition authorities. If not, I've got to get you someplace safe while I make my next move. I can't leave you at your place; Kurtz may decide to up the kidnap ante."
Julie offered no response. She had different plans.
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