“I sure hope not.” Because if those killers knew they had the daughter of one of the highest-ranking men in the US Army, there would be no saving her. He checked his watch, then the altitude of the plane. Just a few more seconds, then . . . , “It’s go time,” he said. “You know what to do. Over.”

“You sure this is going to work?”

“I’m sure.” Mostly.

“What’s Plan B? Over.”

“There is no Plan B. I don’t believe in them. Over.” With that, he lowered the night vision lens over his right eye, while he used his left for depth perception and watched the plane. His adrenaline was at an all-time high. “Three seconds,” he said, mentally counting down. “Over.”

On cue, the men propelled themselves out one at a time. Gavin could almost imagine he was with them, spreading his arms, feeling the wind pressing against him. He shuddered and focused back on the compound. He had to time it just right, which was why he was going in on the ground and not coming down from the sky. Among other reasons. But the most important was that he have the door open when his team arrived.

“I’m coming, Sarah,” he whispered. “Hang on, I’m coming.”

CHAPTER
THREE

Sarah had buried the satellite phone in the corner of the cell’s dirt floor only minutes before the guard had returned. Since then, he’d stayed just outside the door. Minutes had ticked past, turning into an hour, then more.

“What are they waiting on?” Fatima whispered.

“I don’t know.” Every so often another guard would come and the two men would exchange whispers. Then he’d turn and hurry down the hallway, only to return a while later to repeat the whole thing. “I heard the word ‘delayed,’ but can’t make out anything else. I’m going to move to the door and see if I can hear what they’re saying,” she whispered to Fatima. “Stay put.”

Eyes wide, Fatima nodded.

On hands and knees so as not to draw attention by standing, Sarah moved through the group, pressing a comforting hand on a shivering teen’s shoulder or squeezing the ice-cold fingers of another as she passed. Talia’s terrified gaze met hers and she glared, her displeasure at Sarah’s movement clear.

But if the phone hadn’t worked like it was supposed to, they were going to have to know what was going on. At the door, she slid against the wall. The other guard should be returning any moment. As though he’d read her mind, footsteps pounded down the hallway to stop in front of the door. His radio crackled and Sarah thought she caught the words, “Search them one by one. Bring her to the conference room. We will make the video there.”

Bring who?

“Get up! All of you!”

Sarah jerked at the order and slowly stood. The other girls followed her lead.