Midnight Sun (4 page)

"Thank
you,
sir.
I
am
flattered
you
would
invite
me
in."
Kharzai
bowed
his
head,
his
gaze
focused
on
the
floor
in
a
gesture
of
humility.

"No,
it
is
I
who
am
flattered
that
a
famous
warrior
of
Allah
like
you
would
marry
my
daughter."

"I
look
forward
to
being
your
son-in-law."

"The
ceremony
begins
tomorrow,
and
the
rest
of
the
guests
will
be
here
by
morning,"
al
Gwahari
said.
"The
next
four
days
and
nights
will
be
for
celebration,
but
now
there
is
work
to
be
done."

"Then
I
will
not
waste
your
time,
sir."

Ali
motioned
to
Kharzai.
"Al
Gul,
bring
in
the
case
of
surveillance
information
we
left
in
the
car.
After
that,
you
may
go
to
the
mosque
and
begin
your
purification
while
we
discuss
the
mission
schedule."

"Thank
you,
Ali
aga."

Kharzai
stepped
out
the
door
and
back
into
the
bright
sunlight.
The
boys
had
given
up
on
their
soccer
game
and
sat
on
the
shaded
side
of
the
house
playing
with
marbles
in
the
dirt.
Leila
approached holding
a
tray
of
cups
and
a
pot
of
steaming
tea.
Her
head
bowed
in
modesty,
she
turned
her
eyes
up
to
him
and
smiled
when
he
looked
back
at
her,
adding
an
exaggerated
swish
to
her
hips
as
she
drew
near.

"Three
more
days,
my
love. Only
three
days
and
we
will
be
one,"
he
said.

She
twisted
her
face
into
pout.
"I
don't
know.
I
think
I
might
change
my
mind."

Kharzai
raised
an
eyebrow
and
forced
his
face
into
a
serious
expression,
"If
you
change
your
mind
now,
I
’
ll
strap
on
a
shaheed
vest
and
throw
myself
into
a
train."

"Then
I
will
have
to
marry
you.
You're
too
cute
to
blow
yourself
up!"

They
laughed.
He
held
the
door
open
and
she
walked
into
the
house.
Their
eyes
locked as she passed,
like
magnets
unable
to
resist
each
other.
The
door
closed
behind
her,
breaking
the
bond.
He
walked
to
the
car,
practically
floating
above
the
ground,
opened
the
trunk,
and
retrieved
a
suitcase
of
files
and
photos.
Most
of
the
images
were
already
in
the
hands
of
the
CIA
and
ISI,
and
counter-ops
were
already
working
on
defensive
measures.

As
he
lifted
the
heavy
case,
his
cell
phone
bleeped
with an incoming
text
message.
Kharzai
set
the
case
on
the
lip
of
the
open
trunk
and
pulled
the
phone
from
his
pants
pocket.
He
thumbed
the
text
message
button
and
read
the
words
on
the
screen.

Impact
imminent...DUCK!

A
bright
hiss
screeched
in
the
distance,
growing
louder
fast.
His
heart
leaped
into
his
throat
and
he
started
for
the
house.
He
opened
his
mouth,
shouting
for
the
boys
to
run,
but
the
words
were shred in midair, his
breath
torn from his lungs
as
the
house
erupted
with
an
earth-shattering
roar.
The
force
of
the
explosion
threw
him
back
and
over
the
car,
and he
landed in
the
dirt
with
a
brain-rattling
impact.
He
willed
his
stalled
lungs
to
expand
and
suck
in
air,
then
pushed
himself
onto
his
feet
and
stumbled
forward.