He looked up from the maps, already forming a new plan in his mind.

‘I know that look,’ Wolf said, eyeing Ben keenly. ‘He’s onto something.’

‘Take a look at this,’ Ben said, pointing again at the modern map, but in a different place from the one Holt had indicated.

‘I see it,’ Holt said. ‘But what the hell is it? There’s nothing marked on the map.’

‘There is on mine,’ Ben told him, tapping the print. ‘It’s the location of the ancient city of Zakara, where I’m headed in search of Madison, hoping she’ll have made it in one piece and is still there.’ He drew a line with his finger back to their present location. ‘Now, you can see that my route to Zakara from here pretty much correlates with your route to the orphanage for a good part of the way, until they diverge about here.’ Pointing.

Holt looked uncertain. ‘Yeah, so?’

Ben said, ‘So you wouldn’t have to go too far out of your way to pass by the Zakara site en route.’

‘You mean take a detour and slow ourselves down by going off mission?’

‘Eight men can get the job done better than one,’ Ben said.

‘Even when that one man is Ben Hope,’ Wolf added, clapping a hand on Ben’s shoulder. ‘Chris, I think I see what he’s thinking.’

‘Me too. He wants us to divert miles off our course so we can help him find his lady friend.’ Holt shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, buddy. I get that she matters to you, and I know you’re worried about her. But these orphans are my mission priority right now.’

‘They’re all worth saving, Chris,’ Ben said. ‘Yours and mine. Each and every last one. And so here’s what I propose. If I agree to help you rescue your orphans, in return you and your guys give me the backup I need to reach Madison. And if we get to Zakara and she’s not there, then I won’t expect you to waste more time hanging around hunting for her. We’ll proceed straight to the location of the orphanage and find the kids.’

Holt said nothing. His face was working hard as he considered the choices.

‘He’s the best, Chris,’ Wolf said. ‘Without him there’s only seven of us, against a million Taliban. This has got to shorten the odds.’

‘Sounds like a no-lose situation to me,’ said Scraggs.

Holt was silent for a few moments longer. Then his face softened and he nodded. He stuck out a hand.

‘All right, buddy. You got yourself a deal.’

Chapter 23