ONE

      They were coming. She could hear them arguing as they neared. After all these years, they still didn’t have a clue she spoke fluent Dari.

      Ella listened closely. The reality of what they said threatened to crush her. It was the last thing she expected. They were planning to kill her.

      What had changed in the past twenty-four hours? Alhasan’s orders had been clear yesterday. The men were to escort her to the location. She was being transported to the United States. She had a job to do. As long as she did it, he would let her live...along with the child.

      The American. He’d visited her prison cell a handful of times, and in spite of Alhasan’s bragging, Ella believed he was the real person in charge. He’d spoken like someone who wielded a lot of power when he’d made it clear to Alhasan that he didn’t believe she would follow through with her orders in spite of Alhasan’s assurances.

      If he’d ordered her death, where did that leave Joseph? She couldn’t think about what might happen to the child and not go crazy, and she couldn’t lose it. Joseph’s life depended on it.

      For most of the day, she’d heard them moving things from the prison. She hadn’t seen Alhasan or Joseph again and her fear for the boy’s safety mushroomed.

      Now, as the young men grew near, a new uneasiness boiled in her gut. Their conversation had become increasingly agitated. Someone was coming. They were in a rush to leave. Tying up loose ends. One of Alhasan’s young flunkies had decided she wasn’t worth risking his life to save hers.

      Immediately Ella’s fighting instinct kicked in. She wasn’t about to die here in this cell. Not after all she’d given up to him. She needed help. God’s help.

      Please give me strength, she prayed with all her heart as the key slipped into the lock and the door to her cell flew open, slamming angrily against the stone wall.

      “On your feet.” One of the young men shouted the order at her.

      Ella’s heart slammed against her chest. She slowly rose to a sitting position; the effort left her struggling for breath. Despair was close and she clamped down hard on her bottom lip until she tasted blood. She wouldn’t show weakness in front of them. Wouldn’t beg for mercy. She’d go out fighting for Joseph and for herself.

      The yelling one moved closer. He had a knife in his hand. They were both so young. Barely teenagers and clearly new to Alhasan’s cause.

      “I said on your feet,” he snapped as if trying to rally his confidence. He grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. A tidal wave of pain tore through her. She slumped against her captor, unable to stand on her own.

      Her weakness took him by surprise. He shoved her away. “Turn around,” he demanded while slapping the knife against his leg. She was pretty certain neither of them had killed before. They didn’t have the look of hardened killers.

      Concentrate!

      She struggled to clear her jumbled thoughts. She would have only seconds to disarm them both and run for her life. Otherwise...

      “Did you hear something?” the teenager standing guard asked in an uneasy tone. His partner didn’t respond. “I’ll check it out. You take care of her.”

      Left alone, the young man grew increasingly anxious. “I said turn around.”

      Ella slowly faced the wall, her pulse hammering in her ears. He moved closer. This was it. Her whole existence came down to just a handful of seconds.

      He grabbed her and pulled her close. She slumped against him once more. This time it was all part of the ruse. She suppressed the revulsion she felt at being near him. She wanted him to think she was too fragile to fight back.

      He raised the knife. With a final prayer for strength speeding through her head, Ella grabbed the hand holding the weapon. Surprised, the young man hesitated for a beat. It was all she needed.

      Before he realized what she’d done, Ella twisted his arm behind his back. He yelped in pain as she squeezed his arm with all her remaining strength until the knife flew from his hand.

      Acting on an instinct she didn’t know she possessed but could only believe came straight from God, Ella wrapped her arm tight around his throat and choked him. With every second ticking by feeling like an eternity, the young man finally lost consciousness and slipped to the floor at her feet.

      Ella grabbed the knife and stumbled for the door. The effort of disarming her captor had greatly depleted her small amount of strength. Leaning against the door frame for support, she sucked in air. She had to find Joseph and keep moving. She had to get them both out of here before the partner came back. Because they would eventually kill her for failing Alhasan’s mission. Her gut instinct told her she couldn’t do what he wanted. She wasn’t the killer he’d tried to convince her she was.

      Slipping from the cell, Ella eased along the dank, foul-swelling hallway that oozed water. Nothing more than a single lightbulb kept the darkness at bay.

      She headed toward the right at a frantic pace, all the while hoping she wasn’t walking straight into the enemy’s arms. This was a part of the prison she’d never seen. On the rare occasions she’d been allowed to shower, her captors had insisted she wear a blindfold. Still, her sense of direction was keen. She was positive they’d taken her down the hallway and deeper into the depth of the prison.

      The hall was lined with doors containing what appeared to be more than half a dozen cells just like hers. Was Joseph in one of them? Would she find him alive? Her stomach clenched at what those two young men might have done.

      She tried the first door. It swung open freely and she stepped inside. Within the cell’s dark bowels she could see a crumpled mass on the floor. Joseph! She raced toward it and found the lifeless body of a man. It wasn’t Joseph. Relief rushed over her and threatened to buckle her knees.

      Slowly, she knelt next to the man. He’d been dead long enough for rigor mortis to come and go. A single gunshot to his head.

      Ella touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She could only imagine what he’d gone through during those final moments before death.

      A quick check of the rest of the cells proved they were empty as well, and her concern for Joseph’s safety intensified. Had Alhasan taken the boy with him to ensure her cooperation? She’d hold on to the hope that he would keep his word and she’d find a way to save Joseph.

      With every move making it harder to breathe, Ella continued slowly down the hall while holding the wall for support. In her best estimate, the man she’d disarmed should be waking in a matter of minutes. Where was the second man? Time was critical. If they captured her again, she’d be dead.

      The hall took an immediate ninety-degree left turn. Ella flattened against the wall and eased along until she could see the next passage.