Desert Rogue (9 page)

“This way, woman. Quickly, now, hurry,” Jed urged his companion forward as a blue
gallabiya
caught his eye and he swept it up in passing. The guards would be searching especially hard for the two European prisoners who would stand out readily in inner Khartoum. He and Victoria would be far safer if he could disguise her.

With a sudden jerk on her elbow, Jed pulled her into a narrow twist of the alley and whispered urgently, “Here, put this on.”

“Make up your mind. Put this on—or go quickly? Which is it?” cried Victoria angrily. Her eyes smarted from the soot in the air, her feet hurt from the stones that pierced her dainty slippers, and she
still
feared for her life. But, most of all, her heart ached with the possibility, however unlikely, that Hayden had placed her safety in the hands of this uncouth hooligan. How could her fiancé claim to love her and permit this scoundrel to come after her? “I am not moving another inch until you explain yourself.”

“Your hair and pale face will serve as a beacon for anyone searching for us,” he argued impatiently. By all the saints above, he was trying to save the woman's hide, why was she squawking? “In this outfit, there is a chance you might be overlooked.”

“And you?”

“I'm brown enough from the sun to pass at a glance, and if they look closer than that, the game will be over, anyway.” Refusing to await her cooperation, he bunched up the flowing garment and dropped it over her head, thankfully muffling her complaints for the moment. “It's rather long, but it'll hide your skirts and those trim ankles I noticed earlier.”

“As if you haven't better things to worry about,” muttered the blonde. “Never mind, give me your belt.”

“What?”

“If you expect me to move without tripping over my feet every few inches, I have to secure this somehow.”

Shouts sounded behind them in the alley, and rather than pursue their debate, Jed removed the leather strap and tied it about her waist, hiking the shapeless gown up and pulling the hood over her hair. An instant later he had grabbed her hand and they were running toward the city gates.

Dodging around the rubble in their path, he led Victoria forward, confident their route was the right one, if a little longer than he had remembered. It seemed to him they should have been at the gates by now, then he discarded the notion. It was just nerves that made him question himself.

Another roar sounded behind them somewhere as Jed pulled her along, but soon the voices of pursuit dropped away. Then, when Victoria doubted her ability to run another step, the gates were before them, and at last they were outside the city of Khartoum.

“Now what?” she gasped, leaning against the trunk of a mustard tree to catch her breath. “Where are the British troops?”

“What?” Jed couldn't believe his ears. She continued to expect the army to rescue her.

“I'll admit you got me out of the slave pens, and even out of the city, not that I couldn't have escaped myself—”

“You do have an inflated opinion of yourself, Vicky, don't you,” said the American, chuckling, impressed by her stamina. Most of the women he knew would have been weeping copiously, but her tongue was as venomous as ever. Did nothing shake her?

“I told you the name is Victoria, although you have yet to introduce
yourself.
For all I know you could be stealing me from Zobeir so your master can claim the fortune I would bring.”

“I am a man who serves no master but myself, unlike your pencil-pushing Hayden Reed.”

“He has a very responsible position, I'll have you know. In fact, Hayden expects to receive a title in the near future,” bragged Victoria. Why it mattered, she didn't know, but she could not tolerate this impudent male's criticism of her fiancé. Hayden had a sound future ahead of him. Given his manner, this blowhard would undoubtedly end up in a jail cell, despite his physical charms, if he continued his explosive bent.

“A title to coincide with your marriage?” guessed Jed with a smirk. “Then I suppose Hayden will have it all. Too bad none of it can make him a man, willing to risk his life for the woman he loves.”

“That's not true.”

“Vicky, I was with your dear Hayden when he received the kidnapper's demands. First he protested that he couldn't raise the ransom. Then, when he learned your mother had pledged the sum, his excuse was that he couldn't be spared from his office—”

“But you don't understand, Hayden is an important diplomat. He couldn't risk—” Even as the words escaped her lips, Victoria realized that, in her heart, she didn't really believe them.
She
should have been first in Hayden's mind, not the money or his career. She should have been worth risking his
own
life, not that of some man for hire. Damn Hayden! Now she owed her life to this uncouth cad so ill-mannered he had yet to tell her his name. Well, damn him, too, she would not inquire what it was.

“I never asked you to save me. If you prefer to abandon me, go right ahead. I am certain I can get back to Cairo on my own.”

“As much as I would like to do just that, it isn't in the cards. Hayden, for whatever his reasons, wants you back, and I will deliver you,” grumbled Jed, moving toward the Nile. “I must admit, though, having met you, I don't understand why he would want you at all. It can't be a love match—”

“And what would you know about love? With your lack of manners no woman could ever be attracted to you,” retorted Victoria. However, the words she spoke were not entirely true, she had to admit to herself as the stranger took her arm and urged her forward, ignoring her insults. Whether it was the danger of their situation or the uncommon comfort of masculine competence, she couldn't decide, but for all his faults, her rescuer's touch was definitely reassuring. That did not mean, however, she need speak to him!

Jed was so preoccupied with hurrying his charge through the ornate gardens surrounding the city that he took no notice of her sudden reticence. Thus far, things had proceeded well enough. All that was left was to rendezvous with the Egyptian, steal a
falucca
and sail off to freedom. Suddenly there beyond the monkey bread trees was the Nile. This would be the riskiest part of the trip. Jed pulled Victoria under the canopy of the obliging leaves.

“Shh!” he warned, covering her mouth with his large hand as she started to balk. “Once we've set sail, you can harangue me all you want, but now I need you quiet and cooperative or we'll be back in those slave pens faster than you can cry
Hayden Reed.
”

For one brief, irrational moment, Victoria longed to do nothing other than bite down hard on his oppressive hand and bring her knee up with equal force into his groin. Who was
he
to order her about in such an infuriating manner? Hayden had never treated her so rudely. Then logic interfered and she realized that the arrogant male with her was the only one on whom she could rely, however uneasily. Leashing her anger, the weary blonde gave a quick nod of her head and he obligingly released her.

“Short of sleeping with you, I will do whatever you say to escape from here and eventually from you,” Victoria continued, her eyes sparkling angrily.

“Believe me, lady, the feeling is mutual, but until then you will have to watch my back while I cover yours. Understood?”

“I already said yes. What more do you want of me?”

Under other circumstances there might have been other responses, but now Jed merely gritted his teeth at her impertinence and scanned the almost deserted area in front of the river gates to the city. Spotting Ali, he felt a sudden surge of confidence as well as relief that the Cairene had escaped, too. His plan would succeed, despite their quarry's lack of faith in him.

“See the tall Egyptian over there by the right gateway? That is Ali Sharouk, the other half of your rescue party,” Jed explained.

“I would not have thought you needed help,” she retorted, “or rather that you would admit you did.”

“He was not my idea, but since Ali was responsible for setting off those explosions that freed you, I wouldn't question his presence or his efficiency,” rebuked Jed. “He and I will liberate a
falucca
while you wait here.”

“I will come with you now.”

“A woman down at the water will rouse attention we don't want—”

“There doesn't seem to be anyone here, and besides, in this getup, who would even know I'm a woman?” she protested.

“Don't underestimate your charms, Vicky,” Jed advised dryly. “No Sudanese I've seen has a chest like yours, let alone the curvaceous wiggle in your walk.”

“You are disgusting to notice that at a time like this—”

“I never claimed to be a gentleman, honey.” Noting that Ali had left the gates and was headed for the open area where the
faluccas
were beached, Jed abandoned the argument.

“Follow me in three minutes,” he ordered as he started off, trusting she was clever enough to obey despite her complaints.

Left alone, Victoria stole a furtive glance around, pleased there was no one in the area to take an interest in her. Perhaps the explosions had drawn whoever might ordinarily linger along the river into the city to see what had occurred. Feeling a bit more reassured, Victoria started after her rescuers just as the
muezzin
sounded the call for midday prayers.

Seeing Ali begin to make the obligatory gesture of devotion, she was surprised when Jed did not follow suit. Wouldn't he alert everyone to his foreign origins and criminal intentions? As she watched his movements, Victoria saw him stealthily approach the lone watchman prostrate in prayer.

Minutes later, the guard was still on the ground, but now unconscious and gagged as Ali and Jed lifted a
falucca
's sail from the sand and righted the craft. They slid the boat far enough into the water to maintain its balance, still held in place by the anchor that rested ashore.

“Here, Vicky, hurry,” called her savior while Ali moved away and began slicing through the canvas sheeting of the other nearby
faluccas.
“It won't be long before the call to prayer is over.”

“But the boat is in the water and there's no dock—”

“Lift your skirts and wade out to the bow. You'll only get wet to your calves,” he coaxed, fighting the temptation to drag her into the boat by her hair. “Come on, now. We haven't much time.”

“Isn't there another way?”

Then, from up above, near the gates, shots rang out. Victoria dove into the
falucca
as though propelled by some of Ali's charges. Jed couldn't help but chuckle as he ducked his own head to hack at the anchor ropes holding the craft near to the shore.

“Halt, you there! Leave my boat alone or I'll have the soldier kill you with the next round,” threatened the angry voice.

Raising his head just enough to look over the side, Jed felt a sudden tightening in his gut. He and Victoria were not the ones being threatened with extinction; Ali was. A well-fed merchant stood on the upper path near the river gates, a soldier beside him with his rifle trained on the Egyptian huddled behind a
falucca
fifty yards away down the beach.

“Ali, make a run for it,” urged Jed in English, confident the Sudanese wouldn't understand. The
falucca
was all set, and if he could angle it around, it might block the soldier's view—

Crracck!

Ali had followed his advice too late, damn it! The Egyptian was facedown in the sand, thirty yards from the boat, and the Sudanese was already scrambling down the path toward him. For a moment Jed hesitated, weighing his responsibilities. The river was straining at the
falucca,
ready to start Victoria on her homebound journey, and she
was
his primary concern. Once he released the anchoring rope, they would be off with the current in minutes, safely away from here. Still...

“Here, take hold of this line and don't let go,” he barked at her, leaping overboard.

Before she could argue, he was splashing through the water as the soldier raised his rifle to take aim at this new mark. Heart in her mouth, Victoria watched as her supposed protector dodged left and right then left again, running bent over to afford as small a target as possible. Reaching Ali's unmoving body, he knelt briefly beside him while bullets spotted the sand around them.

“Damn that man!” she complained as the drag of the boat against the current increased. Her hands were raw from the effort to keep the
falucca
where it was, and she wasn't certain she was doing all she could to protect herself. What if they began shooting at her?

While it was undoubtedly true she would be in jeopardy traveling alone on the Nile, would it be any more dangerous than lingering here? The temptation to release the rope grew stronger as her palms smarted all the more. It was not that she begrudged the Egyptian help, but what was taking so long? Any minute and she'd lose her grip on the hemp even if she wanted to hold on to it.

Lifting her head slightly, Victoria looked toward the city, panicking at the people crowding to watch the excitement. The shooting soldier was nowhere to be seen. Might he be sneaking up on her even now? Before she decided to abandon the line, there was a heavy thump forward and she turned anxiously, only to see Ali's body dumped aboard and Jed pulling himself in after it.

“Let go of the rope and hand me the long pole,” he ordered, swinging the sail about. “Here, hold the canvas while I get us farther out into the current.”

Although she resented his lordly manner, she obeyed without complaint, permitting herself but a brief glance at the angry mob growing on the beach.

“Won't they follow us?”

“Not if Ali did his job properly,” he answered curtly, propelling the
falucca
far enough from the beach that the occasional rifle shot was no longer a threat. “I'll take the sail. Stow the pole and check on Ali. The bullet will have to stay in until we get ashore again, but see if the bleeding has stopped. Otherwise, find something to staunch the blood.”