The Last Infidel by Spikes Donovan Page B

her long brown hair, dusty and thick, didn’t detract from her beauty one bit.  Cody loved her face, the way she looked, and he loved her deeply as a friend.  He’d thought of her often over the last year or so, remembering to bring her odds and ends he’d stolen just for her and her son.  Necessary things, like food and medicine.  He’d even brought her clothes, infidel clothes, tight and high cut.  Without him, she and her son would have perished long ago.
    “I will get Marcus back,” Cody said.  “But I need to ask you if our little secret is still safe.”
    “Yes.”  Lisa sniffled and managed a pained smile, a sure sign she knew Cody could handle Marcus’s safe return.  She got up and came over to Cody’s side of the table and wrapped her arms around him.  “Nobody will ever know how much I---”
    Cody, distracted, tried to turn when he heard the light footfalls of someone stepping into the room, but he couldn’t see who the footsteps belonged to.  A second later, he saw Tracy; and she saw him and Lisa, in their embrace, before they saw her.
    “Cody,” Tracy said, her voice high and surprised.  “What are you . . . what are you two doing here?  This place is supposed to be---”
    “A place for runaway slaves, Tracy,” Cody snapped, and stood up.  “Or are you so caught up in your mission you’ve forgotten the mission?”
    Lisa stood up, startled, and looked at Tracy.  “Is she a friend of yours, Cody?  I didn’t think there were any women left.”  She put her arm around Cody and balanced herself, tilting her head on his sleeve to wipe the tears from her face.  Then she looked at Cody and asked, “Can she help us?”
    “Absolutely she can help us,” Cody said.  “She’s the wife of one of Bashar’s men – and she’s an old friend of mine from another time and place.  Lucky for us she’s on our side.”  Then he leaned over towards Lisa, cupped his mouth with both of his hands so that Tracy could not hear him, and he whispered, “When I pull away, giggle and smile.”
    Cody pulled away, smiling.
    Lisa asked him, “Why do I have to giggle and smile?”
    Tracy rolled her eyes at Cody.  “Nice try, moron.”
    “Lisa and Marcus were in hiding,” Cody said, coldly and plainly.  “Jadhari and some of his thugs found Marcus, and now they have him.  We – that means you and I – are going to find Marcus and bring him back down here.  Now, Tracy, if you don’t mind, where in this tunnel do we hide people?”
    “Under the courthouse is as good a place as any,” Tracy said, pointing past Cody.  “The problem isn’t that Bashar will find us down here.  The problem is going to be how we feed her . . . them, I mean the people we hide.”
    “Figure it out – you’re the one living with the enemy,” Cody said.  “I’m sure a logistics guy can figure out how to get a couple of meals down here, don’t you think?  You’re the one with the communications degree, start talking to Zafar.”
    Tracy shook her head, looked at Lisa, and said, “Follow me, Lisa – and bring that lamp.”
    “Why don’t you let her live with you?” Cody said.  “Let her sleep near the door of this little subway of yours – if there’s trouble, she can run.  Or, better yet, we can get her a burka and Zafar can have twice the fun.”
    Lisa eyes opened wide, “That’s a bit inappropriate, don’t you think?”
    Cody drew Lisa up to him and hugged her. “Zafar is a Christian with a family, posing as a Muslim who wants a harem.  He’s harmless.”  He looked at his watch.  “Time to go.  It’s six o’clock, July first – Tracy – Friday morning.”
    “Just get Marcus,” Lisa said.  “I’ll do anything---”
    “Remember what I told you,” Cody said.
    Lisa smiled, wiped her face again, and nodded.  “I love you, Cody – you know what I mean.  You’ve been the only man who’s ever taken care of me and Marcus.”
    Cody picked up her rifle, the one he had traded to