Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set by Patricia Rosemoor, Toni Anderson, REBECCA YORK, Dana Marton, Sharon Hamilton, Kaylea Cross, Debra Burroughs, Lori Ryan, Jill Sanders, Marie Astor Page B

her earlier, stashed in her pants pocket beneath the robe. She had her own channel he would contact her on if necessary. “Hunt, we’re in position.”
    “Roger that,” his familiar voice came back, creating a pang of yearning inside her. It bolstered her courage to know that he was out there in the cold somewhere, watching over her to make sure she was okay. “All clear.”
    Setting his radio in his lap, Gage partially turned in his seat and offered her an encouraging smile. “Go ahead, hon. I’ll see you later.”
    “Show time,” Blake announced beside her. He and Sean jumped out first, followed by Zaid. She gathered the unfamiliar long robe she’d changed into back in Islamabad—to avoid inadvertently offending anyone with her western style clothing and blend in more—and slid out of the vehicle, then followed the others toward the school. Again, the warm temperature was a shock after leaving the air conditioned interior of the SUV. Her battered feet were still sore, but not so painful that she couldn’t walk.
    Ray met her part way to the building with the woman he’d been talking to. “Well, fancy meeting you here,” he teased and introduced her to the woman, who turned out to be the headmistress of the school and spoke a tiny bit of English.
    “Salam alekum,” Khalia murmured, bowing her head slightly, extremely conscious of the scabbing sore on her cheek and temple. The woman replied the same in turn. Her face was weathered and worn, making her look much older than she probably was, but her deep brown eyes were clear and kind.
    “Come,” the lady murmured once the pleasantries were over, gesturing for her and Ray to follow. When Khalia glanced back, Blake and Sean were nowhere to be seen and Gage was driving away to some undisclosed location. An awful sinking feeling took hold, like she had a bright red bull’s eye on her back. Though Ray was right beside her, she’d never felt so alone.
    Pushing aside her worry, she entered the school with Ray and the headmistress. As she’d expected the interior was cold and sparsely furnished, with only a single bare bulb lighting each room. Still, it was clean and appeared to be well supplied. Each little classroom boasted a chalkboard along one wall and neatly arranged rows of desks for the students. The air inside was much cooler than out in the warm September sunshine. Khalia wrapped the shawl covering her hair and shoulders more tightly around herself as she walked through to the far side where the courtyard lay.
    Outside, the sun chased away the worst of the lingering chill inside her. At the sound of hushed voices, she turned to find a group of girls assembled around the periphery of the playground. Twenty two of them in total, the oldest not more than twelve or thirteen. They wore very conservative and modest tribal clothing and they all stared openly at her. Seeing them, knowing they were risking punishment from the Taliban for being here—maybe even risking their lives—made goose bumps break out across her skin. Their bravery humbled her.
    Raising a hand in greeting, she smiled and repeated the only phrase she knew in their language. “Salam alekum.” The words were hoarse but they did the job. Most of the girls broke into grins, no doubt because of her terrible accent. However, their smiles faltered when Ray and Zaid walked up to join her. Khalia wondered if they were worried the men would report them to the Taliban.
    “The students are very excited to be here today,” Zaid translated to Khalia and Ray for the headmistress. “She says many of the girls walked for hours this morning to reach the school on time. Some came with their parents, but others left before dawn for fear of reprisal from local religious leaders.”
    Khalia smiled at them again, outraged that they should have to worry about repercussions for pursuing an education. How could girls so young possess that level of courage? It amazed her.
    Zaid gestured toward the group.