Derek’s gaze held hers. “He must have been a loser.”
You’re staring at him like a teenage fangirl.
“Trenton was a brain surgeon, actually, but, yes, a loser. He loved his job more than he loved me, but when I focused onmycareer, he felt threatened. I’d been ready to end it for a while anyway. I didn’t even cry when we said goodbye.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Not one bit.” Jenna missed sex, but she didn’t miss Trenton. She glanced at her watch. “I need to go.”
Derek caught one of her hands, held it between his two bigger ones. “Take those drills seriously, Jenna. I won’t be here much longer. You need to be ready.”
“I understand. I’ll do my best.”
* * *
Derek watched her go,then climbed out of the vehicle and got back to work. It was late in the day by the time he finished attaching the monitor and booted up the system.
Farzad watched as images of the road, the mountains to the north and south, and the waiting room sprang up on the view screen. “What do you think?”
Farzad grinned. “This is like James Bond.”
Derek showed him how to toggle from camera to camera, how to shift to a full-screen view from an individual camera, and how to zoom in. “You can take photographs of license plates on vehicles or get a closer look at faces this way.”
“What about nighttime?”
“The cameras are infrared, so you will be able to see what’s happening in the dark, too. If the Taliban or a rogue militia group tries to sneak up on you, you will see their vehicles passing by and have time to prepare.”
“This is good.” Farzad pointed toward the image from the waiting room with a jerk of his chin. “Why did you put a camera there?”
“If someone manages to sneak weapons past the gate or comes here wearing explosives, you might spot it and have a moment to act before they do.”
Farzad looked doubtful. “We would have to run from the barracks to the door, and by the time we got there, it might be too late.”
That’s what Derek had hoped he’d say.
Derek wanted an armed officer in that waiting area at all times. “What if your men took turns sitting in the waiting area as if they, too, awaited the birth of a child? If someone takes out a weapon or is wearing a vest, they will already be there—and they will have weapons hidden inside their clothing.”
“Do you think such vigilance is necessary?”
“After the attack on Ghazni, yes.”
Farzad rubbed his beard, his gaze back on the screen. “Such a thing could not happen here.Inshallah.”
“Inshallah.” Derek repeated the phrase, but, given the shit he’d seen, he put more faith in a loaded M4 than the will or mercy of anyone’s god.
He finished teaching Farzad how to operate the surveillance system—how to check each camera to make sure it was live, how to reboot if the system went down, how to capture and save images from the view screen.
Farzad was smart and learned quickly. “It is a great gift you have given us.”
“You have given me the gift of your hospitality—and you have protected my beloved sister these many months. I am grateful.”
When he had finished, it was time for evening prayer.
The men came together, rolled out their prayer mats, and faced Mecca, Farzad taking the role of imam. Derek stepped outside to give them space, Farzad’s singing following him.
“Allahu akbar.”God is the greatest. “In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful, all praise is due to Allah.”
Derek stood in the cold, his gaze drawn toward the front gate, which Farzad had closed for the night. Jenna was in there, maybe helping a patient, maybe standing as he was, alone, an outsider.