Operation: Forbidden Page 11

  “The children look clean and their hair is cut and combed,” Khalid agreed. “They are joyous. I can see it deep in their eyes.”

  Reaching out, she gripped Khalid’s arm. “What we are doing, brother, is helping. I hope you know the extent of it.”

  “I do. But I always worry for you. Being out here alone…”

  Kinah snorted. “I’m fine, Khalid! Do not look so anxious. Save your worry for that red-haired woman who stirs the fires of your heart.” Kinah saw her brother suddenly lose all his vitality, his eyes dark. “What?” she demanded, leaning forward. “Khalid, what’s wrong?”

  “Oh,” he murmured, “There is tension between Emma and me.” Giving her an uncomfortable look, Khalid added, “We’re drawn to one another, but neither can do anything about it for different reasons.”

  “What? The most handsome, richest man in all of Afghanistan? I know hundreds of young Afghan women who dream of you being their husband!”

  Twisting in the seat, Khalid grimaced. “It’s not that simple, Kinah. You know the military.”

  “Ohhh, my poor older brother! What could she possibly not like about you?”

  Khalid held his sister’s indignant look. “Emma likes me—”

  “Well, there you go!” Kinah said, triumphant. “I was right! No woman worth her salt will not be swayed by your looks and kind heart.”

  “Kinah, let me finish….”

  Pouting again, Kinah sat back in her chair. “Go on.”

  “Emma has a six-month mission assignment. Technically, I’m her boss as the military sees it. At the end of those six months, I must write a recommendation based upon her performance over that time.”

  “Emma is a hard worker!” Kinah said. “She’s kind, responsible and cares. I’m sure you’ll give her the praise she deserves in that report.”

  “Yes, I will.” Khalid gave his sister a look, pleading with her to stop interrupting him. He told Kinah the rest of the story. When he finished, he added, “And so, she cannot get involved. If she did and we broke up, she’s afraid I would give her a bad grade and recommendation. That would hurt her military career. And frankly, I hadn’t thought of that angle at all. But she’s right.”

  Snorting again, Kinah leaped out of the chair and began to pace the room. “This is silly stuff, Khalid. I see how Emma looks at you. I certainly see the look on your face. Clearly, you are both falling in love with one another!” She threw up her hands and looked at the ceiling. “Surely, Allah, you can get these two stubborn donkeys together? Rip off their individual blinders so they can see?”

  Khalid chuckled over his sister’s dramatic antics. “Kinah, come, sit down….”

  “How can I, brother? Surely,” she protested, turning and standing in front of him, hands on her hips, “this is really about trust.”

  “Yes, it is,” Khalid said, looking up at her demanding features.

  “Emma doesn’t trust you.”

  “That’s right. She says I’m like the man who broke her heart. He too was rich and powerful. Only, he was married with two children, and he lied to her.”

  “Of all things!” Kinah stamped her foot and then said, “I will talk to her. I will tell her how sweet, how kind and how sensitive you are. That you would never break someone else’s trust.”

  “No,” Khalid said, “you can’t talk to her, Kinah. It wouldn’t be right. I’m hesitant to get into a relationship, too.” He frowned and his voice lowered with anguish. “I can’t because I want no woman murdered and tortured as Najela was. As long as Asad Malik lives, I will put no other woman beneath his sword. You know that. I’ve purposely avoided getting back into a relationship for two years now because of that price.”

  Rolling her eyes, Kinah muttered, “Men! You’re all alike. I swear by Allah, you are!” She cupped his jaw and looked into his anguished blue eyes. “This must stop, Khalid. You can’t put your life on hold because Malik is a threat. We may never see him die, and what will you do then? Live life as a monk? Deny yourself the happiness you deserve?” Removing her hand she straightened. “Khalid, do not be afraid to live once again. Don’t be scared of reaching out to Emma if she stirs your heart. Asad Malik wins if you deny yourself any sort of personal life.” She marched to the door and pulled it open.

  Alarmed, Khalid leaped to his feet. “Kinah! Where are you going?”

  “To see your beloved,” she sang out, sailing out the door and disappearing.

  Khalid groaned, knowing he couldn’t make a spectacle of himself by rocketing out of the room and running down the street after Kinah. What had he done? It would only make things worse if he intercepted Kinah in front of Emma. And his sister wasn’t one to be stopped from her trajectory. Khalid knew she cared for him and she liked Emma. It was Kinah’s way of caring: getting involved as a possible future sister-in-law. Frustrated, he stood looking at the light filtering into the classroom. Emma wouldn’t be happy about this. And his sister had a goal in mind, Kinah was mission-oriented. Groaning again, Khalid decided the best thing he could do was visit the chieftain of the village, give his regards and find out if he needed anything from the U.N. forces.

  “Emma!” Kinah called, waving at her. Emma stood near the ramp after giving the medical team directions into the village.

  “Hey, Kinah!” Emma’s smile blossomed genuinely for the firebrand woman. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine, my sister.” Kinah gave her an American hug and then the Afghan greeting of kissing her cheeks. Gripping Emma’s upper arms, she said, “Are you feeling well?”

  Emma laughed. “Yes. Why? Do I have dark circles under my eyes?”

  Kinah took her hand and pulled her away from the A-team members who were walking the perimeter of the helicopter. “Come with me,” she whispered dramatically. “We must talk.”

  Emma warmed to the small Afghan woman. The bright-red hijab reminded her of a red light flashing on a police cruiser. Smiling to herself, Emma allowed Kinah to pull her aside. The rainy skies threatened. A shaft of sunlight shot through like a beam down into the green valley far below. The wind was chilly and Emma was glad to have on her thick nylon jacket.

  “Now,” Kinah said, releasing her hand and remaining near Emma, “it appears to me that your heart has dark circles beneath its eyes!”

  Studying Kinah’s narrowing gaze, Emma said, “What?” Sometimes Kinah spoke in symbols and she couldn’t follow the intelligent woman at all. Plus, Kinah, who loved all things American, mixed and matched Afghan sayings with American slang and sometimes, it all got jumbled for Emma.

  “Do you like my brother?”

  Before Emma could speak, Kinah held up her index finger the way a teacher would to a child.

  “Before you say anything, my sister, I want to know how you feel. Not what you think.” Smiling brightly, Kinah pressed her hand to her heart. “And no, Khalid did not send me out here to harass you. I’ve decided to find out the truth for myself.”

  Unable to stop her smile, Emma quickly grasped what was happening. Sometimes, Kinah’s excitement and sureness sent her like a juggernaut into a situation or in this case, into a person—her. “Did Khalid tell you why I can’t like him?”

  “Oh, pooh!” and Kinah waved her hand impatiently and wrinkled her fine, thin nose. “Whys do not count, sister. Only your heart counts!”

  Emma rested her hands on her hips and appreciated Kinah’s misguided efforts. “I’m sure he told you why I can’t cross that line.”

  Widening her large eyes, Kinah whispered fiercely, “Yes, he told me. Emma, why do you deny your heart its yearning? My brother likes you. Allah knows, he moons like a dog that has lost its mate. He told me why you think you cannot like him, but I say this is foolishness. How often do you think love happens between two people? Not often. And you deserve happiness, Emma. I know my brother will make you ecstatically happy.”

  Emma held up her hands. “Whoa, Kinah. Slow down, okay?”

  Laughing, Kinah shook her head. “Slow down? Does the heart ev
er slow down? Of course not. Emma, I know you care very much for my brother. When you think I do not see the look you give him, or that he gives you, I remember it.” Kinah tapped her temple. “You are suited to one another. Perfectly. I see no reason not to allow Khalid to court you as is our custom.”

  Emma saw the burning hope in Kinah’s eyes. She was incredibly beautiful, with a square face, a stubborn chin, gorgeous high cheekbones and a broad brow. Emma had wondered many times why Kinah had never married. Surely, she’d had suitors. Emma made a mental note to ask Khalid sometime about that. “I love you dearly, Kinah, but there can’t be any courting. I’m sorry, but my life belongs to the U.S. Army. I’m not as free to follow my heart as you think.” She touched Kinah’s proud shoulder. “I think the world of Khalid. You’re right: he’s an incredible man and truly deserves happiness after losing Najela. But I’m not in a position to do anything about it, Kinah.”

  Touching Emma’s reddened cheek, Kinah whispered, “You are wrong, but I understand better what Khalid had told me about the two of you. I see that there are other priorities that must be sorted out first.”

  Emma smiled gently. She loved Kinah’s fierce independence, her willfulness, her heart brimming over with a desire to lift others and give them a better way of life. “That’s a nice way of putting it,” she told her.

  “And what if these priorities sort out?” Kinah asked, slyness in her tone.

  Emma chuckled. “Oh, you’re such a crafty fox, Kinah! Just be patient. I don’t know what the next minute will bring. Or the next hour. In our world of the military, all I can count on is change.”

  “But you like my brother?”

  “I do,” Emma hesitantly said.

  “Does he not melt your heart?”

  Sighing, Emma nodded. “He can melt butter with those looks he gives me sometimes.”

  Clapping her hand, Kinah said, “Wonderful! I have prayed to Allah daily that my dearest brother would be healed of his wound and loss. I prayed that a new woman might enter his life, awaken his numbed and shocked heart.” She gripped Emma’s arm, giving it a small shake. “My brother is one of the finest men you will ever meet. He appears kind and gentle, but he carries the heart of an Afghan snow leopard. He is a warrior, but he knows when and how to display that side to himself. He can be your best friend, Emma, if you allow him that. Perhaps that is all you can share with one another right now, but allow him that at least.”

  “You’re such a used-car salesman, Kinah.”

  Kinah laughed. “Thank you, dear sister. That is a compliment! Afghans are great traders, as you know.”

  When the Silk Road existed, Emma knew, Afghanistan was little more than four hundred different tribes. And they traded lapis lazuli, the bright-blue stone, for much money and goods. Trading was, indeed, in their DNA. “Yes, you certainly are.” She looked at her watch. “Kinah, I have some things I have to attend to.”

  “Of course,” Kinah said. “I’ll meet you here once I find my handsome brother.”

  Emma watched the elegant Kinah turn and walk with pride in her steps. Unable to be angry over her overture, Emma hurried up the ramp to find the lists that she had to check. She wondered if Khalid knew that his sister had come to plead his case with her. Somehow, Emma felt Khalid would be embarrassed by it, but who could stop Kinah?

  Chapter 10

  Back at base camp, Emma walked with Khalid over to Ops. There they had to fill out the mandatory after-action flight reports. The April skies had cleared and now a cool breeze blew across the area. Helicopters of all types were coming in before night fell. Only the Apaches with their 24/7 ops ability ruled the night air.

  Khalid opened the door for her and they made their way to a small room off to the left of the busy Ops desk. After shutting the door, Emma set her helmet bag on an empty table, grabbed the report forms and sat down. Khalid did the same.

  “So,” Khalid said as he looked up from his form, “my sister grilled you. I’m sorry, Emma, I didn’t want her to say anything.”

  Touched by his sincere apology and the worried look in his blue eyes, Emma stopped herself from reaching across the table to touch his hand. How easy it was to let herself simply be lulled into Khalid’s world of the heart. “Don’t worry about it.” Emma pushed some strands of hair off her brow. “Kinah is a force of nature that no one can stop. She was very nice about selling you to me.”

  Khalid sat back and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “I knew she’d do that….”

  “Hey,” Emma murmured, sympathetic. “She loves you, Khalid. She’s a great sister. I have sisters, too, and I’d want them to circle the wagons to support me.”

  “Do they?” he asked, resuming work on his report.

  “Yes. We’re tighter than fleas on a dog.”

  Laughing at the slang expression, Khalid shook his head. “Well, I ask your forgiveness for my beloved but impetuous younger sister.”

  “I weathered it,” Emma said dryly.

  After filing their reports, Khalid prepared to check out an Apache helo. He would fly it back to Bagram Air Force Base. Emma rose and collected her gear and walked to the door. Outside the thin wooden door she could hear the noise of Operations: the laughter, the people talking, along with the sound of airplane and helo engines.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow at 0800?” Khalid asked as he opened the door. How badly he wanted to romance Emma, but he knew it was folly. If anything, Khalid realized his growing desire for Emma would truly have to be tabled forever. The pain in his heart was constant over that realization.

  “Yes,” she called over her shoulder. Emma lifted her hand in farewell. “Have a safe flight home, Khalid.”

  He watched Emma disappear in the crowded Ops and his heart contracted with sadness. Turning, he walked up to the Ops desk to fill out a flight plan before he left for Bagram.

  Emma was jolted out of her early-morning sleep by a sergeant who came to her tent.

  “Captain Cantrell?” the woman sergeant called.

  Disoriented for a moment, Emma said, “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Ma’am, Zor Barawul is under attack. We need every available pilot!”

  Adrenaline shot through her and she leaped off the cot. “Has Captain Shaheen—”

  “Yes, ma’am. He’s on his way to pick you up right now. You have about ten minutes before he arrives here at the base.”

  Emma turned on a small lamp that gave her enough light to get dressed and hot foot it over to Ops. “What’s the report on the village? Do we have Apaches in there?” Grabbing her flight boots, she jammed them on her feet.

  “Yes, ma’am. Two Apaches were sent there about thirty minutes ago when the attack by the Taliban began.”

  Emma quickly caught her red hair into a rubber band at the nape of her neck. She stood up, grabbed her helmet bag and rushed out the tent flap. The sergeant trotted alongside Emma. Overhead, the night sky twinkled with bright, white stars. A thin slice of moon hung in the sky. The air was cold but not freezing.

  “What else?” Emma demanded, jogging down the road between lines of tents.

  “Ma’am, they think it’s Asad Malik attacking. It’s his signature and the A-team is calling for reinforcements.”

  “Dammit,” Emma muttered. Her brow wrinkled. One of the things they had done after they left the village of Do Bandi was to take Kinah north to Zor Barawul. She was to spend the next two weeks helping to get the teachers set up to teach. Was Kinah okay? Emma’s heart contracted with fear for the woman.

  The sergeant said, “Ma’am, I need to get back to BJS HQ.”

  “Fine, I’ll be in radio contact with HQ on this, too.” Emma lengthened her stride, fully awake now. By the time she arrived at Ops and signed in, she saw Khalid’s Apache landing outside the doors. Once outside, Emma stood impatiently on the tarmac and waited until the blades had stopped turning. The flight crew quickly placed chocks beneath the three wheels.

  As she quickly climbed up on the helo, she saw Khalid’s
dark and tense face. The other cockpit behind his had the canopy open. She hesitated for a moment. “Khalid, have you heard anything on the attack?”

  “No, climb in.”

  Nodding, Emma swung into the seat and quickly got settled. A crew woman helped her strap in and then closed and locked the canopy before hopping down off the helo and pulling the ladder away. Time was of the essence. As soon as Emma got the helmet on her head and plugged into the communications system, she asked, “What’s the last you heard, Khalid?”

  “Let’s do the preflight check. I’ll tell you more after we get airborne,” he ordered tersely.

  The tension in his voice heightened Emma’s worry for Kinah. Oh, God, what if she was hurt? Emma’s hands flew with a knowing ease as she went down the check list for preflight with Khalid. Her heart pounded like a drum and speed was important.

  The Apache shook and shuddered around them as Khalid, the air commander, got the helo up to speed. Emma received permission from the control tower to take off. She noticed that the Apache was loaded with weapons. They were flying into combat, no doubt.

  As the helo took off beneath Khalid’s hands, Emma switched to the green light across her instrument panel and two screens in front of her. The green color was less harsh on her vision. Blackness surrounded them, the base camp quickly disappearing. They would fly at nine thousand feet toward Zor Barawul. Emma felt safe within the shuddering vibration of the Apache. She could sense Khalid’s worry. What must it be like for him? He’d already lost the woman he loved. Now, he could lose his sister. Emma knew how close they were, how much they loved one another. “How are you doing?” she asked.

  “The best I can,” he growled.

  Emma heard the terror in his low, husky tone. She could hear his fast and shallow breathing. “Does Kinah know what to do in a situation like this?”

  “My sister is a survivor, if nothing else.”

  “And she’s gone through attacks like this before?”