The Storm (NUMA Files 10)

“This country is falling apart,” Kurt shouted. “Even your money and power won’t keep you safe if anarchy strikes. And I’m guessing you have other problems in the outside world or you wouldn’t have to kill off your guests and hide down here in the first place. I’m offering you a way out. Release us and let us report what we saw, and my government will contact you in a more professional manner.”

Jinn didn’t even consider the offer, despite Kurt’s well-played deception. He turned and smiled. “Before long, men from your government, among others, will be begging me to contact them. And your bleached bones lying in the sand won’t make a bit of difference.”

Jinn waved to the guards. “Teach this one a lesson, and then take them to the well. I will meet you there.”

Jinn walked out, Sabah followed, and the four men who remained moved forward.

A few punches landed first to soften them up and then another series of blows from extendable metal batons. The strikes were heavy, but Kurt had taken worse and he managed to twist and bend so they landed in a more glancing fashion.

Joe did the same, ducking and moving like the boxer he was.

One baton caught Kurt above his eye, splitting the skin and leaving a bleeding gash. Kurt pretended it had knocked him woozy. He slumped in the chains, and the men around him seemed to lose their enthusiasm. A halfhearted kick hit him in the back, and the men laughed among themselves.

One of them said something in Arabic, and then they reached down and hauled Kurt up to his feet. They undid his cuffs and dragged him out. Through eyelids intentionally at half-mast he saw Joe being forced to march next to him.

They were out of the frying pan. The question was, where would they land?

The first part of that answer arrived as they reached the main entrance to the cave. Sunlight beamed through in orange shafts. It was late afternoon, the hottest part of the day. They were marched outside and led to the tail end of an SUV. While the other guards held their arms, a rather vicious-looking man tied their hands to a hitch with two-foot lengths of rope.

“This can’t be good,” Joe said.

“I think we’re about to get keelhauled, desert style,” Kurt replied.

The vicious-looking man laughed, climbed into the SUV and began to rev the engine repeatedly. Kurt tried to come up with a way out. His only thought was to climb onto the SUV before it took off, but the outside of the vehicle was smooth, and with their hands tied there was no way to hang on to it.

The engine revved again.

Joe looked over at him.

“I got nothing.”

“Great.”

The SUV lurched forward, Kurt and Joe were yanked along, they stumbled and nearly fell, but they got their feet going and managed to stay up with the vehicle by running. To Kurt’s surprise the driver didn’t accelerate beyond that. He merely rolled along at an idling speed, dragging the two prisoners at the pace of a fast jog.

The guards behind them laughed as Kurt and Joe struggled to keep up.

The SUV moved out past the entrance to the cave and onto a track that crossed the sand.

“What about now?” Joe asked. “Anything come to you?”

Kurt was jogging hard, his feet sinking into the soft sand. “No,” he said.

“Come on, Kurt,” Joe said.

“Why don’t you come up with something?”

“You’re the brains of this team, I’m the good looks,” Joe said.

“Not after you get dragged face-first through the sand, you won’t be.”

Joe didn’t reply. They’d begun to climb a low hill and it was even harder to keep up. The rear tires of the SUV were kicking sand into their faces. They topped the hill and came down the other side. Kurt was glad to see another flat section.

The desert sun was beating down on them, the air temperature close to a hundred degrees. After two or three minutes of running in the heat, both of them were drenched with sweat, more water their bodies couldn’t afford to lose. In the far distance, Kurt saw another rock formation. It had to be at least a mile off, but it seemed to be in their line of travel.

Joe caught his foot on something, tripping and almost falling.

“Stay up,” Kurt yelled, looking ahead.