Blood Covenant (21 page)

FORTY-ONE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 7:17 A.M.
KINGANI REFUGEE CAMP

Paige stared at the file in the dim glow of the light bulb above her and reread the nurse’s scribbled notes. They’d diagnosed three more severe cases of cholera and seven cases of measles in the past twelve hours, which meant that they needed those vaccines soon or there was going to be no way to stop a second epidemic from sweeping through the camp.

Dropping the file onto the desk, she dug through her medical bag, pulled out a couple of Tylenol, and swallowed them with what was left of the warm water from her plastic bottle. What she wouldn’t do for an ice-cold Coke and a deep-dish pan pizza. Except such cravings seemed frivolous. Because the state of the camp wasn’t the only thing that had multiplied her prayers.

Over twenty-four hours had passed and Nick and the others hadn’t returned. Which left her with the dozens of scenarios that had flooded her mind all night. They’d been attacked in the forest, stumbled into the rebel base camp by mistake, and were taken hostage … She let out a low groan. There was no way for her to know, but that didn’t stop the questions from coming.

I need them here, God. Things are only going to keep getting worse.

“Dr. Ryan?” One of the nurses set a plate of rice and beans on her desk. “You’ve barely eaten or slept for days.”

She nodded her appreciation, but the smell of food turned her stomach. “Thank you. Have the security details checked in yet?”

They’d set up extra security details throughout the camp before Nick and Samson’s departure. They might not have weapons to fight the rebels off if they attacked again, but at least they’d have some warning.

“About twenty minutes ago. There has been no reported sign of the rebels near the camp.”

“Good.” Paige rubbed the muscles at the base of her neck with her fingertips. As long as they didn’t have to handle another attack by the rebels, they’d be able to deal with the medical situation. “Anything else?”

“Jodi’s awake and says she’s hungry, and Raina’s been calling for her mother.”

Paige pushed back the stack of paperwork and stood. “I’ll check on them both now.”

“And your breakfast?”

“I’ll eat it when I’m done checking on them.” Paige caught the nurse’s disapproving look. “I promise.”

Inside the isolation tent, Jodi lay on her side, her cheeks a soft tint of pink instead of the pale they’d been all week. When she saw Paige, she tried to push herself up with her elbows before falling back against the bed.

“Slow down. You might be feeling better, but you’re still very weak.” Paige felt her forehead. “Your fever’s broken.”

“A good sign?”

“A very good sign. I think you’re going to make it.”

Jodi’s left eyebrow shot up. “Was there ever a time when you thought I wouldn’t?”

“To be honest, I was worried. The gunshot wound lowered your resistance and added to the chances of infection.” Paige checked the bandage on Jodi’s shoulder. “Thankfully, it’s healing nicely.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Brandon’s told me what’s going on in the camp, but to be honest, I’m not sure what’s real and what I’ve dreamed up. I feel as if I’ve been living in a fog the past couple days.”

“Three days, to be exact.”

“And the rebels? They’re here at the camp?”

“They’ve stayed outside the camp for the most part, but they’ve got us cut off from the outside. Several of the men left yesterday to get help.”

“Including Brandon.”

Paige sat down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah. He went because he knew you needed medical help I can’t provide here. The last forty-eight hours have been touch and go.”

“He said something about having the measles.”

“Believe it or not, you do.”

“But I was vaccinated as a child.”

“Unfortunately that vaccine isn’t always effective. The nurse told me you were hungry?”

“Starved, actually. I don’t suppose you’ve got a T-bone steak and a side of mashed potatoes lying around somewhere.”

Paige laughed. “You’ll have to settle for hot porridge at first. I don’t want you to overdo it.”

“I guess I can handle that for starters.” Jodi rolled over onto her back and managed a small smile. “When did you last hear from Brandon and the others?”

“It’s been about twenty-four hours, but I’m sure they’re fine.”

“That’s not what your eyes tell me.”

Paige dropped her gaze, hating that she was so easy to read. “I knew it would take them awhile to get back. They’ve got to get hold of enough vaccines, arrange transport, coordinate with the army … I’d just hoped they’d be back by now. And since we can’t phone them or radio them, we have to pray and wait.”

“But do you think something went wrong?”

Paige shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to add to the woman’s worries. “There is simply no way to know what’s happening out there.”

“This whole thing is crazy.” Jodi fiddled with the frayed hem of the sheet that covered her. “This isn’t exactly the way I planned to spend my honeymoon. When we signed up, climbing Mt. Maja seemed like a big adventure. Even when they told us about the potential problems with the rebels in the north, I guess I thought I was immune to them. You never think something like this could happen, do you?”

“No. Until this week, I thought that being a humanitarian worker would keep me safe.” Paige noted the tension in Jodi’s face and changed the subject. “The RD is probably the most unique setting I’ve heard of for a honeymoon. How did the two of you meet?”

“Brandon and I?” Jodi’s smile widened. “I was in a car wreck about eighteen months ago — thus the hardware in my ankle. A drunk driver slammed into me from the side. At first, the doctors didn’t think I’d make it, but I pulled through. Brandon was my physical therapist.”

“Really? How romantic.”

“It was. We connected right away, but I was focused on getting back on my feet—literally — and not falling in love, so it took awhile before we actually got together.”

“Your first date?”

“I would have preferred hiking, but I wasn’t exactly up for anything strenuous at that point. So instead he took me to a jazz concert in the park. It was perfect. He was perfect. Turned out we’d both been climbing for years and wanted to travel more, so for our honeymoon we wanted something different and a bit exotic. Trekking across Africa seemed like the perfect combination. This was to be the last part of our trip. Not too strenuous, which was something Brandon insisted on, and add to that the view from the summit of Mt. Maja is incredible. What I didn’t expect was a bunch of rebels to ruin the climb.”

“None of us did.”

Jodi propped herself up with her elbow. “What about you? Did you leave someone behind in the States?”

“Me? No.” Paige felt her cheeks flush. “I guess I’ve always had a hard time balancing the hectic schedule of my profession and a relationship. Romance never seems to work out for me. Most guys want a wife who’s home to cook them dinner every night and wash their socks. I don’t think I could live up to that standard. I’m a horrible cook and I hate to do laundry.”

Jodi laughed. “Maybe you just intimidate them.”

“Well, I’m not sure about that. I always planned to have the whole package — husband, kids, and a white picket fence — but now I’m looking at my biological clock starting to wind down.”

“You’re hardly old.”

“Once you hit your, uh, early-thirties, you start wondering if love hasn’t passed you by for good.”

“That’s nonsense. My mom was happily single until she was thirty-eight. She had me a year later.” Jodi’s eyes brightened. “What about that good-looking pilot I’ve seen you talking to as I drifted in and out of reality? Or was he another one of my dreams as well?”

“Nick? He’s no dream … well … I’ll admit he is dreamy.” Paige felt her heart flutter. “But he just happens to be stuck here with the rest of us.”

“And …”

Paige shook her head. “And?”

“Anything else?”

Paige felt another blush. “He kissed me before he left.”

“And what did you think about that?”

“That I wished we had time to get to know each other under normal circumstances.”

Jodi laughed. “Somehow, I don’t think either of you is destined to have a normal life.”

“Funny. I’m not even sure what normal is anymore.”

Paige glanced across the room at Raina. “I need to check on Raina, then I’ll have one of the nurses bring you a big bowl of porridge.”

Raina sat on the edge of her bed, her feet dangling in front of her.

Paige crossed the room and shot her a smile. “You’re sitting up this morning. I’d say that’s tremendous progress. How are you feeling?”

Raina shrugged. Hollow eyes stared at the floor. What had this girl seen?

“How are you feeling?”

She looked up beneath long lashes. “Have you heard from my father?”

Paige touched one of the neat rows of tight braids on her head. Raina flinched and Paige pulled back her hand. “Not yet, but when he does return, he’ll be returning as a hero.”

“And my mother?”

Paige’s gaze dropped. She wished she had answers for the girl. Some ray of hope she could give her, but as far as she knew, her mother had yet to arrive at the camp. Which meant there was a good chance she hadn’t survived the raid.

“I don’t know where your mother is, but we won’t stop looking. I promise.”

Raina stared straight ahead. “I woke up, and they were all gone.”

Paige’s jaw tensed. “Your family? Are you talking about the night your village was raided?”

“Everything was burning. Then there was no one left. My mother, my father, my sisters … Asim.”

“Did the men hurt you?”

Raina’s chin quivered. “They smelled bad, but I could not run. They wouldn’t let me. Then they hurt me.”

Paige pulled out a square piece of blue-patterned paper and began folding it. “There’s a lot of beauty in this world, but there is also a lot of evil.”

“I couldn’t stop them. Why doesn’t someone stop them?”

Paige continued folding, then opened up the butterfly and handed it to Raina. “I want you to keep this, and when you feel afraid, it will help you remember that someone — that many people — are trying to stop them.”

“Dr. Ryan.” One of Paige’s nurses stood in the entrance of the tent. “We need you at the clinic.”

Paige gently clasped Raina’s hand. “We’ll talk some more later, but for now, I want you to rest. You need to build up your strength. And as soon as you’re not contagious, I’ll let you see your brother.”

“They won’t come back, will they?”

Paige pressed her lips together, fighting off tears. Sometimes life was so unfair. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, Raina.”

Raina nodded, then lay down as Paige stood and walked quietly from the room. She glanced back before leaving the tent. The little girl’s emotional scars would far outlast the physical scars, because sometimes all the wishes in the world couldn’t magically make all the pain go away.

FORTY-TWO

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 8:56 A.M.
REBEL BASE CAMP

Ashley stared at the runny sauce and mush on her plate and felt her stomach turn. She shoved aside the food and began picking at her chipped French nails instead, wondering what in the world had possessed her to have them done before trekking across Africa. Even Mitch, who hardly ever noticed things like manicured nails or highlighted hair, had rolled his eyes at her before kissing her good-bye. At the time it had seemed important. Today it seemed a useless extravagance.

The rebel compound was quieter than the refugee camp, but held the same woodsy scent of smoke in the air. Women cooked over smoldering fires and children played beneath the shade of a mango tree while the men lazed beneath a morning sun that was already over halfway to its zenith. She brushed a layer of dust from her khaki pants and let out a deep sigh, afraid that even her father’s money couldn’t get her out of this situation. Her mother had promised to send the ransom, but coming up with five million dollars in cash quickly, even for her family, wasn’t going to be easy.

Taz plopped down beside her, his plate already empty. “How are you doing?”

She quirked her right brow. The guy was way too perky. “You really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know.”

“Well, let’s see. I’m being held hostage by a group of rebels who are apparently intent on taking over the world. Or at least this small part of the world. Which makes this one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days — ”

Taz’s nose wrinkled “I used to love that book. My mom used to read it to me over and over and over. I’m sure I drove her crazy.”

Ashley pulled her knees toward her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “She must be a great mom.”

“She was your typical car-poolin’ PTA chairman Sunday school teacher who never missed one of her only son’s games.” Taz stared off into the distance. “Yeah, she’s a pretty great mom. Now she sends me care packages and calls me once or twice a month.”

Her own memories of her mother were overshadowed with at least a dozen different nannies and full-time maids. “You’re lucky. My mom was always busy with one charity or the other while I was shuffled from one activity to the next by nannies and chauffeurs.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“It was.”

“My dad was the absent one. I guess my mom was always trying to make up for his not ever being around. They divorced when I was eight. I haven’t seen him since.”

“I do see both my parents frequently, though they separated years ago. I guess we both have our share of a few bad days.”

“This one does rank up in the top ten, but I’m not sure it quite compares to my six months in North Africa.” He looked up at her and caught her gaze. “You wouldn’t believe the conditions there.”

“Worse than being held hostage by a group of ruthless rebels?”

Taz chuckled. “I’ll admit, it’s a close running, but then I’m assuming you’ve never been to Chad.”

Ashley shook her head. “This experience excluded, I’m typically not the thrill-seeker type who books a plane ticket just to say I’ve been there.”

“I had a couple friends who told me that if you were willing to risk the dangerous militia and government forces, along with the horrid roads and highway bandits, the beauty of the country is worth every minute of the risk.”

“Like I said, I think I’d pass on that one.”

“Not me. I was posted along the northern border on the edge of the Sahara, which has got to be the most desolate place in the world. Fierce sandstorms rise up from the Sahara and last for days at a time. And as far as lawlessness, well, it’s a bit like the Wild West, and water was their gold.”

“Water?”

“Imagine the wind and sand drying you up like a shriveled prune while the winds and the sand storms suck out moisture from everything that breathes. And on top of that, there were constant raids by the rebels, despite the curfews that were put into place.”

“Sounds wonderful.” This guy really was crazy.

“I worked in this field office with no air conditioner and no heater, and believe me, you’d do anything for both there. In the day, it can easily get up to a hundred and twenty, then
bang
— “ He snapped his fingers. “ — drop to freezing at night. Every day brought with it a new set of problems.”

Ashley studied his face, trying to figure out if he was pulling her leg, or if he really got his kicks from risking his life. “Is this how you make me feel better? By insinuating that things could get even worse?”

“Is it working?” He wiggled a nose that was red from the sun.

“No.”

“You’re smiling.”

Boy, he was good at trying her patience. “No, I’m not. I’m thinking that you have to be completely insane to find anything to smile about in this situation.”

“Oh, I definitely saw a smile there.”

“Stop.” Ashley’s laugh came out as a snort through her nose. “I don’t know how you do that.”

“Make you smile?” Taz leaned back against his elbows and watched her. “Surely you’ve got someone in your life who does that on a regular basis.”

Homesickness pinched her insides. “His name is Mitch. We’re getting married in June.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Ashley squirmed, wondering how his probing questions made her feel as if he could see straight into her soul. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t her type by any stretch of the imagination. Even if he could make her laugh.

“And he is a …”

“A Harvard grad lawyer.”

“And do you love this … Harvard grad lawyer?”

“Of course I love him.”

Ashley frowned at the question and tried not to wonder when the last time was that Mitch had made her laugh. Lately, he’d spent most of his time working on cases and racking up billable hours. And she’d been so busy, she hadn’t really even noticed.

“Besides.” She went back to picking at her fingernail. “Don’t you think that’s a rather personal question?”

“I don’t know.” Taz jutted his chin toward the cinder-block wall of the compound. “Last time I looked, there were four armed rebels guarding the perimeter of the compound. I think the typical social and etiquette rules can be dropped. And the last time I looked, there wasn’t exactly a whole lot of things filling up your social calendar.”

She cleared her throat. “You never told me where the name Taz came from.”

“Trying to change the subject?”

“Definitely.”

Taz laughed.

“So …”

“My real name is Timothy Gregory Michaels III.”

“That’s quite a mouthful.”

“Taz is definitely easier to remember. It just happens to be one of those crazy nicknames that stuck. According to my mother, I was a child with boundless energy and an insatiable sense of curiosity. My uncle told her I reminded him of the Tasmanian Devil on Looney Tunes who never stopped running. Thus the name Taz. I guess I was destined for a career that keeps me running.”

Ashley looked up at him. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ve found what I was destined for.”

“What do you mean? You’re Ashley James. Famous Emmy-nominated actress — ”

“But that’s not who I am.”

“Whom do you want to be?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your life can’t be all that bad.”

“Trust me, it’s not.” She flashed him a smile. “Five-star hotels, manicures, parties … I’d do anything for a five-course meal at Le Fleur de Lile right about now.”

“Then why all the reflecting?”

“I don’t know.” Ashley shrugged. “Coming here has made me see for the first time how much of the rest of the world really lives. And with it I have this odd sense of compassion toward them I hadn’t expected. Paige tried once to talk to me about her faith and why she decided to come here, but I haven’t exactly been the type to hang onto religion.”

“Did you ever think that coming here can be motivated by something more than religion?”

“All I know is that it would take a lot more than religion to get me to stay.”

“It’s not religion that brought me here, but a person. Jesus Christ changed my life.”

“From what? A suburban boy scout?”

Taz chuckled. “You’d be surprised how far astray a hyperactive kid from the suburbs can go.”

“I still can’t imagine living where I didn’t have a party or a premiere to go to every night, or month-long vacations in the Caribbean.”

Taz sighed. “A white, sandy beach sounds fantastic right about now.”

“You’d love it there.”

“Not sure I’d exactly fit in with your friends.”

“Why?” She flicked an ant from her pants, then caught his gaze. “Because you’re a fearless, risk-taking humanitarian worker who wears a floppy safari hat and a cheap tourist bracelet?”

Mitch would never be caught dead in Taz’s hodgepodge wardrobe, but for some crazy reason it suited Taz.

He held up his arm and pointed to the bracelet. “I’ll have you know that this bracelet is genuine giraffe hair and was a gift from a twelve-year-old boy I met in one of the refugee camps in Kenya. Not only do I never take it off; I’ll take everything you just said as a compliment.”

Ashley’s gaze moved to one of the armed guards standing ten feet away at the edge of the compound. “I just wish I was half as fearless as you are.”

“If they were going to hurt us they’d have done it by now. Besides, we’re worth more to them alive at this point. You especially. Your mom won’t give over the money without proof of life.”

Proof of life.

She shivered. That phrase was supposed to be reserved for Hollywood movies and best-selling novels. Not her life in the middle of some African rebel base camp.

She nodded slowly and searched for a spark of courage inside her trembling body. “Let’s just hope you’re right.”