His Pashto must have been good enough, because the girls hurried from the cell. He stepped over to the fallen teen and her friend who still knelt beside her, hands covered in blood, but still pressing hard. “Don’t take your hands away yet, okay?”

She nodded.

“Gavin?”

He turned. Sarah’s hands clasped her side. She swayed, then sank to her knees.

“Sarah!” He strode back to her. “You’ve been hit.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. I hadn’t noticed.”

He slung the rifle over his shoulder and caught her just as she passed out.

CHAPTER
FOUR

Sarah’s own voice woke her. Terror sent blood racing through her veins and sweat pouring from her brow. She pressed a hand against her racing heart.

Another nightmare. Just another stupid nightmare. She was safe. Her captor was dead. Thanks to her. She’d killed a man and couldn’t stop seeing it. No matter how much she told herself she’d had no choice, the vision of his exploding face wouldn’t leave her.

“Rochelle.” A soft hand gripped hers, the gentle voice propelling her toward the full awareness that she wasn’t alone. “Rochelle, wake up.”

She blinked and sat up, only to have the pain freeze her, rebuking her for moving too fast.

Hands eased her back into a reclining position. “Be careful now, Miss Denning, you’ve got a nasty wound there.”

Sarah looked up at the woman. “Who are you?”

“I’m your nurse. You can call me Yasmoon.”

“Well, thank you, Yasmoon, but I’m fine.” Once again, Sarah shifted. Once again, pain shafted her into stillness.

“Be still, girl, before you rip out those stitches.”

Stunned into obedience at the second voice, Sarah lowered her head onto the pillow and closed her eyes while she caught her breath and tried to process the presence of the man in her room.

Yasmoon cleared her throat. “I have your medication here.”

Sarah opened her eyes, keeping them trained on the nurse. No way would she acknowledge her father yet.

Yasmoon handed her a little white pill cup. Her other hand held a Styrofoam cup with a straw. “Please take it.”

“What’s it for?”

“It will help you with the nightmares. Make you less jumpy.”

Sarah crushed the cup around the pill and handed it back to Yasmoon. “I’ll pass.”

“Rochelle—” the general started.

“My name is Sarah,” she snapped. “And I’m not taking medication I don’t need.”

Yasmoon bowed her head in a sign of surrender. “I’ll just leave you to visit, then. Please let me know if you change your mind. The doctor will be in shortly.”

Once she was gone, Sarah shut her eyes. “What are you doing here, General?”

“Making sure you aren’t going to die.” His hand covered hers, the action clogging her throat and fogging her thought processes.