A woman got out of the backseat wearing army fatigues. Rocco pointed his gun at her. “That’s enough moving. State your business.”
“Mr. Silas?”
“Who’s asking?”
“I’m Lieutenant Kelly Froman. I have a surprise for you.”
“It’s a bad fucking day for surprises, Lieutenant.” He lowered his gun but didn’t ease his stance, not trusting that anyone was who they said they were anymore.
The woman held her hands up, but still moved closer to the back door. “Sir, I need you to stand down. I have your son.”
Zavi? She had Zavi?
Another soldier got out of the front seat as the lieutenant reached inside for something. When she turned around, Rocco saw two little legs, then a boy’s small torso, then a little face appeared as he squatted down and peeked under the door.
“Papa!”
Rocco’s lungs quit pulling air. It was Zaviyar. Alive and well. Then he remembered his pistol and quickly holstered it as his son charged toward him. He grabbed him up into his arms. He’d gotten so big in the months since Rocco had last seen him. After a moment, Rocco knelt down, setting him on his feet so that he could get a good look at him. He smoothed his hands on either side of his head, down his neck to his little shoulders.
“Zavi, do you remember the accident?” His son nodded. “Were you hurt?”
“No. But you were, Papa. Rafiullah told me I had to go with him so that you could go to the clinic. And then I didn’t get to see you again. Where did you go?”
A memory slammed into Rocco at the mention of Rafiullah’s name-the final piece of the puzzle. He shut his eyes as he absorbed what it revealed. When he’d been unable to stop Kadisha from running back into the compound, he’d given Zavi to Rafiullah Kahn, an area shepherd who had hurried by in the melee. He’d only taken a few steps toward the compound when it blew. Christ. That was why he’d been so certain that Zavi lived. It all made sense now.
He hugged his son. “I’ve been with the doctors. I’ve been waiting for you. I’m sorry it took so long for us to be together.”
“Kelly said this is America. A different country.”
“It is. Do you like it?”
“I do so far. But don’t they have any children here?”
“There are lots and lots of children.”
“Is this our home?”
“For now. Zavi, who taught you to speak English?”
“Kelly. She said I needed to know English for when I saw you again. She said I couldn’t speak Pashto anymore.”
“You can speak any language you like, son. If you don’t know it, I will teach it to you. If I don’t know it, I will learn it with you.”
“I can speak Pig English?”
“You mean Pig Latin?”
Zavi thought about that, his little face frowning with concentration. “No. It isn’t Latin, is it, Papa? I’ve heard that before, and it doesn’t sound like that. So it can’t be Pig Latin.”
Rocco laughed and pulled his son in close for another hug. “Where did you hear Latin?”
“Kelly and a man took me to a church where the man was speaking it. That was the day they taught me Pig English.”
Rocco’s hackles went up at the realization that the Army had apparently been casually testing his son’s ability and now knew about his linguistic capabilities.
The sound of gravel crunching alerted him to Mandy’s approach. He drew a breath, forcing himself to remain calm as he reached up for her hand.
“He’s home, Em. He’s really here.” Rocco drew her down to kneel beside them. “Zavi, this very special lady is Mandy Fielding.”
Zavi straightened and pushed away from Rocco. He made a polite bow, as regal as any village elder. “How do you do? I’m Zaviyar. I’m pleased to meet you.”
“What a polite young man you are. It’s lovely to meet you as well.”
Just then, the dogs came charging out of the house. Max stopped at the porch, watching from a distance. The dogs greeted the trio enthusiastically with wagging tails and wet tongues.
“You have dogs!”
“Yes. This is Yeller and this is Blue,” Mandy said, pointing out the Golden and then the Heeler.
“I never had a dog before. Other boys did, but I wasn’t allowed.” He sent a dark look over his shoulder at Rocco.
“Oh, that is a shame. Every boy should have a dog,” Mandy laughed.
“She has a horse, too,” Rocco told him.
Zavi looked from Mandy to his father. “She is a special lady.” He patted Yeller, who was leaning against his side. “My family had donkeys. And sometimes my uncle would bring camels to our village. We loved riding them.”
“You rode a camel?” Mandy asked, her eyes widening at the thought of so tiny a person on so large an animal.
“Papa took me. Sometimes we raced them.”
“Then I think you’ll like riding horses. I’ll have a few here soon that you’ll be able to ride.”
A black SUV pulled up into the turnout area. The windows were rolled down, letting them see that it was Kit and Kelan. Kelan jumped out to park Rocco’s truck. Kit nodded to the soldiers waiting by the SUV, then joined their group. Seeing him, Zavi moved closer to his father, wrapping his arms around Rocco’s neck.
Kit gave Rocco a sad smile, as if realizing all he’d been insisting Rocco walk away from. He knelt next to Rocco and Zavi, who seeing him, turned his face away, burying it in Rocco’s neck. “I should have trusted your instincts. I told Mandy once they were never wrong.”
Rocco smiled at him. He offered Kit his hand. “It’s done, man. We’re cool. How long have you known?”
“Got the call while you were inspecting Mandy. That’s why I sent you home.”
Rocco laughed. “Zavi, this is Uncle Kit. Can you please greet him politely?”
Zavi saw Kit’s flattop haircut, his height, his weapons, and shook his head. “He is a dushman, Papa,” he whispered into Rocco’s ear. “Be careful.”
Rocco sighed. Everything his son had been taught was backward now. The people he now needed to be wary of were some of his countrymen and fighters from the region of his homeland-not the coalition troops the warriors from his village had fought. It could be a difficult transition for a child. He hoped he could help Zavi learn without deepening his hatred for one people or another.
“He’s not an enemy, son. He’s my friend. He’s a good man. I would like you to meet him.”
Zavi turned in Rocco’s arms, still leaning back against him. “Hello, Uncle Kit.”
Kit grinned at him. “Hello, Zavi. Your father’s missed you something terrible. I’m so glad you came here to find him. Was the trip very hard?”
Zavi straightened and glared at Kit. “I was not afraid.”
Kit laughed and looked at Rocco. “He growls like his daddy.”
“Zavi, would you like to go meet my horse, Kitano? I can see him watching us. He’s either very curious about what’s happening or he’s just hungry. You can help me feed him.”
Zavi nodded and reached for Mandy’s hand. “Do you speak Pig English?” he asked as they walked away.
Rocco heard Mandy answer, “Pig English? You mean Pig Latin?”
“No. I mean Pig English. It isn’t Latin. You take an English word and change it around. It’s a word game.”
Rocco and Kit stood and watched the two walk away. “He has my faculty with languages,” Rocco commented.
“Looks like it. He’s quite gifted.”
“I want him protected, Kit.” He nodded at the soldiers who brought Zavi. “The Army already knows what he is capable of. They will exploit him. Why else would they challenge him to speak Pig Latin?”
“It isn’t a skill that can be easily hidden.”
“I’m not raising him to be a warrior.”
Kit sighed. “Rocco, what you can do linguistically, what Zavi can do, is rare. It’s something extremely valuable to our country.”
Rocco looked at Kit but could not pursue their conversation because the lieutenant was approaching. She handed him an envelope. “Here are your son’s papers-his birth certificate, passport, vaccination records, and such. I’m sorry it took us so long to get him to you. We had to do a paternity test to be sure he was yours. I put his carseat and suitcase on your porch.”
“How did you find him? What happened to him after the explosion?” Rocco remembered the small body he’d held so tightly thinking it was his son. Whose lost child had he held then?
“A shepherd who was a friend of yours turned him in. He said he tried to get you to come with him after the explosion, but you resisted. He had his wife guard Zavi and went back for you, but by then your shock was so bad, he could not make you understand. When Halim’s men came for you, he began to fear for Zavi’s life, and then for his and his wife’s lives as well. He wasn’t sure if the things they said about you were true, but your son put his entire family at risk. He fled with the boy and his wife to hide at a cousin’s home several villages away.
“When some of our guys came to that village for a shura that was being held with the elders, he met with one of the officers and explained that he had Zavi. Fortunately, that captain knew about the search your team was conducting for your son. He gave the man a substantial reward and took the boy.
“Zavi was hidden and moved from fort to fort until he could be flown out of the country. And then in Germany, we had to wait for the results of the paternity test. I regret it took us so long to bring him home to you, but we couldn’t do anything until we were certain. Everyone who spent any time with Zavi fell in love with him. He’s a special kid, sir.”
Rocco shook hands with the lieutenant. “Thank you.” As the SUV pulled away, he and Kit crossed over to the house. Rocco sent Max to stay with Mandy and Zavi while he and Kit went inside.
“What did you find out about Blade?” Rocco asked as he set the packet on Mandy’s desk.
“Owen and I covered several miles of rock formations. We even sneaked onto the WKB’s property to examine the ones there. We did find several fissures, but all were empty. The Forest Rangers know the area intimately. Val and Angel are working with them closely. Kelan and I are going to keep a watch on Blade’s house, see if the bad guys come back.”
Kit put a hand on Rocco’s shoulder. “We’ll find him soon-if the information Amir gave us was valid. I’m not convinced it wasn’t a distraction to let them get to Mandy. Had we not run off this morning, she wouldn’t have been taken. It’s interesting that we haven’t heard from Amir again. I think he’s playing us, and I don’t like being such an easy target. We may have to wait for Blade to check in.” Kit looked at Rocco. “He will. He’s too ornery to stay down for long. Go spend the afternoon with your son and my sister. Put this day out of your mind.”
Ty held himself perfectly still as he listened to the small sounds the rattler made in its slow approach toward him. The viper’s head was wide and its body long. He knew he’d have one chance to capture it, but every second he waited thickened the air in the dark pit. A rock with jagged edges pressed against his back. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold his pose without his body beginning to resist, but he didn’t dare move until he had control over the snake’s deadly mouth.
The rattlesnake appeared to consider the dark opening of his jeans by one of his ankles, no doubt sensing the warmth of his skin. Christ, he hoped it would see the opening was too short and narrow to be of use.
He was not so lucky. The viper inched closer to his leg, then stopped, testing the air with its tongue. Ty wondered how much it relied on its sight versus its other senses as it eased over his ankle to lie against the warmth of his skin. He had to resist all instinct to hop up and dance away from the cold feel of the snake against his skin.
The beast moved slowly up his shin, almost to his knee, where the pant leg was too tight to go farther. It drew as much of itself inside as it could, leaving a good two feet of its body outside, its rattle up but not sounding. Ty watched the fabric move as the snake settled inside his pant leg. It grew still, resting where it was, comfortably absorbing the heat of his leg.
His back cramped painfully as he watched the shadows shift across the pit, marking the day’s progression. When the sun was directly overhead, the air began to warm up, and the snake slowly reversed its position.
Ty leaned forward, hoping the snake’s movement would camouflage his slight change in position. When the spear-shaped head popped out of his pants, he grabbed the snake. Its mouth opened with fangs drawn. It looked big enough to swallow an adult prairie dog.
Ty had been in this pit for a night and a day without food or water. The viper in his hand looked like his salvation, right about now. He pulled his knife from its sheath and cut the snake’s head off. His stomach growled in anticipation of the coming meal.