like a pig because it was so damned heavy. And she couldn’t take it off because they were out in the open. Everything looked bucolic and peaceful now, yet Morgan knew it was an illusion. She gestured to Jake, who was going to walk down to the other end of the ditch that had to be dug. “Hey, Ramsey, why don’t you start at one end with your crew and I’ll start up here with mine? We’ll meet in the middle.”
Jake lifted his hand. “Sounds good.” He called five waiting men with shovels to follow with him.
Hamid’s brows rose. “Wajiha, you are going to dig a ditch?”
Merriment came to her eyes. “Absolutely, Lord Hamid. In our country, women do work that they choose to do.”
Scratching his beard, the other elders whispering in his ear, he said, “Are you sure? You are a woman.”
Laughing, Morgan pulled the field hat down a little tighter and slipped on her wraparound sunglasses. “Don’t worry, Hamid. I won’t break. I’d like to get this ditch finished by sunset tomorrow.”
Hamid shook his head. “What strange customs Americans have….”
Then they all heard a helicopter coming from the southeast. Jake looked up, squinting into the light blue sky. There was a CH-47 transport helicopter being escorted by two Apache gunships. He grinned and looked down the field. Morgan was systematically digging up dirt along with her five-man team. “Hey,” he called into the radio mic near his mouth, “we got company coming. Looks like the charity helo at ten o’clock.”
Morgan wiped her brow with the back of her arm. “Okay, I’ll switch channels, contact them and we’ll go meet them.”
By the time Jake walked back to where Morgan stood, she was in contact with all three helos coming quickly down the throat of the valley. Morgan directed the CH-47 helicopter to a flat area outside the gate that the children had cleared earlier of stones, brush and anything else that might fly up from beneath the whirling blades of the helo as it landed. IEDs had already been searched for by the farmers at dawn. It was a safe, clear landing area.
Hamid appeared to be very happy, and he and the other elders went toward the landing site located out in front of the gates of the village to meet the incoming teams. Jake waited until Morgan ended the transmission.
“Let’s go meet them,” he urged Morgan. And then he grinned. “Unless you want to keep digging the ditch? I’m impressed with all your dirt building skills.”
Morgan put the shovel into the dirt, a feral smile on her mouth. “Yeah, I took Ditch Digging 101 at Annapolis. Looks like you did, too, SEAL boy. I’ll go play paramedic for a while and help the medical team set up the child-and-woman clinic.” Lifting the hat off her head, Morgan wiped her brow and settled it back into place. Jake had his sunglasses on, and she couldn’t see his eyes. Which was why SEALs wore them. If a person couldn’t see their eye movement, they couldn’t tell which direction they were going to move. In a gunfight, that was an advantage.
“I like it when you’re feisty, Boland. You must have gotten a good night’s sleep.” He met her grin with one of his own. Jake gestured toward the village. “I’ll go and help set up the men’s clinic.” He rubbed the back of his neck, felt the danger. Damn. It had to be Khogani watching them.
Lifting his chin, he glared up at the gray, rocky slopes of the mountain. At twelve thousand feet, he and his men could be hidden anywhere. Chances were, however, if Khogani was around, he was probably hightailing it into one of the hundreds of caves up there to hide from the malevolent eyes of the Apache gunships escorting the charity helicopter.
Morgan seemed happy. She was alert, always looking around, never taking anything for granted. The villagers did, but they did not. His neck prickled again. Jake’s mouth thinned as he walked toward the front of the village. Something was wrong….
Chapter Nine
Sangar Khogani felt every
Jake lifted his hand. “Sounds good.” He called five waiting men with shovels to follow with him.
Hamid’s brows rose. “Wajiha, you are going to dig a ditch?”
Merriment came to her eyes. “Absolutely, Lord Hamid. In our country, women do work that they choose to do.”
Scratching his beard, the other elders whispering in his ear, he said, “Are you sure? You are a woman.”
Laughing, Morgan pulled the field hat down a little tighter and slipped on her wraparound sunglasses. “Don’t worry, Hamid. I won’t break. I’d like to get this ditch finished by sunset tomorrow.”
Hamid shook his head. “What strange customs Americans have….”
Then they all heard a helicopter coming from the southeast. Jake looked up, squinting into the light blue sky. There was a CH-47 transport helicopter being escorted by two Apache gunships. He grinned and looked down the field. Morgan was systematically digging up dirt along with her five-man team. “Hey,” he called into the radio mic near his mouth, “we got company coming. Looks like the charity helo at ten o’clock.”
Morgan wiped her brow with the back of her arm. “Okay, I’ll switch channels, contact them and we’ll go meet them.”
By the time Jake walked back to where Morgan stood, she was in contact with all three helos coming quickly down the throat of the valley. Morgan directed the CH-47 helicopter to a flat area outside the gate that the children had cleared earlier of stones, brush and anything else that might fly up from beneath the whirling blades of the helo as it landed. IEDs had already been searched for by the farmers at dawn. It was a safe, clear landing area.
Hamid appeared to be very happy, and he and the other elders went toward the landing site located out in front of the gates of the village to meet the incoming teams. Jake waited until Morgan ended the transmission.
“Let’s go meet them,” he urged Morgan. And then he grinned. “Unless you want to keep digging the ditch? I’m impressed with all your dirt building skills.”
Morgan put the shovel into the dirt, a feral smile on her mouth. “Yeah, I took Ditch Digging 101 at Annapolis. Looks like you did, too, SEAL boy. I’ll go play paramedic for a while and help the medical team set up the child-and-woman clinic.” Lifting the hat off her head, Morgan wiped her brow and settled it back into place. Jake had his sunglasses on, and she couldn’t see his eyes. Which was why SEALs wore them. If a person couldn’t see their eye movement, they couldn’t tell which direction they were going to move. In a gunfight, that was an advantage.
“I like it when you’re feisty, Boland. You must have gotten a good night’s sleep.” He met her grin with one of his own. Jake gestured toward the village. “I’ll go and help set up the men’s clinic.” He rubbed the back of his neck, felt the danger. Damn. It had to be Khogani watching them.
Lifting his chin, he glared up at the gray, rocky slopes of the mountain. At twelve thousand feet, he and his men could be hidden anywhere. Chances were, however, if Khogani was around, he was probably hightailing it into one of the hundreds of caves up there to hide from the malevolent eyes of the Apache gunships escorting the charity helicopter.
Morgan seemed happy. She was alert, always looking around, never taking anything for granted. The villagers did, but they did not. His neck prickled again. Jake’s mouth thinned as he walked toward the front of the village. Something was wrong….
Chapter Nine
Sangar Khogani felt every
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