It was one of the safer parts of Afghanistan. The Taliban controlled about forty-five percent of the country at the moment, but Balkh Province was under the protection of a wealthy warlord-turned-politician who hated Talibs even more than he hated the U.S. As the attack on Ghazni had proven, however, no city was truly safe.
But there were other forces at work in Afghanistan besides the Taliban. There were also militias, uncontrolled bands of armed men who roamed the rural parts of the country and thought nothing of inflicting suffering on the civilian population. IS fighters were there, too, hiding out, smuggling supplies, and killing and raping at will.
“Doesn’t she have local muscle guarding the hospital?”
“Yes, yes. She’s got Afghan guards with American weapons, but I don’t trust them. How much do you think it would take for someone to bribe them? What if one of them tells his Talib cousin about the American midwife?”
Okay, so the senator had a point. Still, it wasn’t a simple thing to fly into Afghanistan with weapons and ammo and set up a babysitting operation.
“My presence there could provoke an attack on the hospital.” Did Hamilton not understand this? “By sending me, you could bring about the crisis you hope to avert.”
The local militias and likely the Taliban, too, would know that some American military guy was hanging out around the hospital before Derek’s boots hit the dirt, and that might prove irresistible to someone looking to put another notch in his AK-47.
“I thought you special operators were the best. I thought you could go anywhere unseen, change how you look, disappear into the local population.”
Derek was about to explain that there was a world of difference between a covert military operation and driving up to a hospital in an armored vehicle and standing guard in broad daylight, but Hamilton cut him off.
“If you don’t get your ass on a plane tonight and do your best to bring Jenna home, I will ruin Cobra. I’ll make sure the company is never tasked with a government assignment again.”
It wasn’t an idle threat. Hamilton sat on the Armed Services Committee. Cobra could probably survive without his support, but he could make life rough for a while, especially given the demise of Derek’s company.
Derek’s reputation in the private military field had been rock solid—until the day al-Qaeda had used a new kind of cell phone hack to get the jump on his men, killing his team and kidnapping Laura Nilsson, Corbray’s wife. The attack had happened live during one of Laura’s news broadcasts. Millions had watched terrorists gun down his men and carry Laura, screaming, from the room. The resulting backlash had driven his company into bankruptcy.
Derek didn’t want to bring controversy down on Cobra.
“Don’t threaten me.” He tried to meet Hamilton halfway. “I’ll get in touch with our assets in Mazar and get men I trust—”
“I wantyouthere. I know you would do anything to keep James’ little sister safe.”
Stick the dagger in and twist it, why don’t you?
Fuck.
Jimmy had been Derek’s best bud in the Green Berets. He had died saving Derek’s life, and Derek truly didn’t want his little sister to get hurt or killed. Derek could fly to Afghanistan and explain the dangers to her. If she refused to come home, at least he would know that he’d tried.
You’re going to regret this.
“Okay, I’ll take the job, but I won’t abduct her. That’s not even open to discussion. Expect an invoice this afternoon.”
“That’s fine. I don’t care about the cost. Just get on that plane, and talk her into coming home.”
That was the other thing.
“I won’t be able to head to Afghanistan for a few days because of a priority operation that has the president’s signature on it. I’m due in Istanbul tomorrow.”
“Just bring Jenna home.”
Derek ended the call and walked back to the conference room, where the debriefing was all but completed. His fury must have shown on his face because the discussion stopped when he walked in.
“What’s wrong?” Holly asked.
Derek looked up at Corbray’s image on the screen. “I need to catch my ride to the airport, so I’ll fill you in on the way. In the meantime, start pulling assets together for Balkh Province. After Istanbul, I head to Afghanistan.”
* * *
Jenna Hamilton saton the floor, surrounded by village women and doing her best to keep the conversation on the subject of prenatal warning signs. This village was the last stop on her three-day education and outreach tour of the countryside. Almost forty women of all ages had come and now packed the small space, their burqas cast off or pulled back like veils, smiles on their beautiful faces.
Their enthusiasm and their welcome were heartening. Their lack of knowledge about their bodies was not.