She held out the bread. “Here.”
Abdullah didn’t look at her, but let out a long, loud breath. He lowered his hand to his lap.
“It’s from Amina,” she tried again, for the last time.
Finally, he gave her a sideways glance, then reached up and tugged the bread from her hand.
“Um,” she hesitated, wondering if she should even bother. His attitude made it seem like a wasted effort, but it didn’t hurt to at least try. She folded her hands in front of her.
“I just wanted to say thanks. You didn’t have to come back for me, but you did. That’s the third time you’ve—”
Abdullah held up a hand to cut her off, his eyes closed. “Go.”
Leila pressed her lips together. He was hopeless. Without another word she turned and left him the way he wanted to be. Alone.
• • •
She wasn’t sure when the storm calmed. The soft golden glow from the mouth of the cave woke her up, her back sore from sleeping against the rocks. Amina snoozed a few feet away on the ground, using her rolled-up blanket for a pillow.
Leila stood and stretched, pressing her hands into the small of her back. It did little to relieve the stiffness, so after a few attempts to touch her toes, she gave up and stumbled for the opening.
Dust hung in the air but the wind had died down. Now she could at least get a better look at the area they had ended up in. She stood in a narrow valley with a winding path that curved around the side of one of the jagged peaks rising above her.
Her gaze trailed up the side of the mountain. There was something about the towering raw granite that made her feel as if she were only two inches tall. From vicious sandstorms to scorching deserts and colossal mountains, Mother Nature had a way of humbling a person.
A throaty rumble brought her thoughts back to the ground. She turned to see the camels resting nearby, lazily chewing their cud. The storm hadn’t fazed them one bit. She walked over to Fatma and patted her head. A cloud of dust swirled into the air. Fatma growled and swung her head into Leila’s stomach.
“Hey! That was rude.” Leila jumped back.
The camel stretched her long neck and nipped at Leila’s elbow, leaving a sticky trail all over her sleeve.
“Okay, okay, I’m leaving.” Leila stepped out of the camel’s reach and started back for the cave. Might as well grab a quick breakfast of more grainy bread. She stopped at the sight of Amina crawling out of the entrance.
Once Amina cleared the tunnel, she stood and stretched. “Are you always up this early?” She yawned.
“Usually I’m up earlier.” Leila shrugged. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Amina hobbled a few steps to stand next to the camels. She swiped her hand over her camel’s shoulder, creating another whirling puff.
“I’m so glad Abdullah was able to find you. It would have been a long night if you couldn’t get to shelter.”
“I know.” Leila sighed and leaned against the outcrop, crossing her arms. “I’ve seen sandstorms before but nothing at that magnitude. That was crazy.”
“This one will probably hang in the air for weeks,” Amina said, brushing more sand off her camel’s rump.
“Not to mention in your food.” Leila grimaced, running her tongue over her teeth as if trying to clear the grains. Just thinking about it made her mouth gritty.
“It’s a good source of minerals.” Amina laughed and the dimples in her cheeks returned. “But maybe the air will be clear in Saint Catherine.”
Leila fell silent and a sense of longing stirred in her chest. Saint Catherine was beginning to sound like some sort of mythical city, where everything would go back to normal. Where Xander would be waiting.
She glanced down at her feet, the old shoes torn, the material peeling and grayed. “I’ve seen enough desert to last me a long time. Hard to believe this trip is only nine hours by car.”
“A car would have been much easier.” Amina gave Leila a sideways glance and raised her eyebrows. “But good thing you didn’t take Tahir up on his offer.”
Fatma interrupted with a long, loud wail, bearing her long front teeth. Leila turned and put her hands on her hips in mock frustration.
“Oh. Now you want attention.”
A loud crack pierced the air. Shards of stone sprayed Leila’s back, and she dropped to the ground. Rocks pricked at her arms and side as she twisted around to lie on her back. A camel growled again, the sound strangely distant. Her eyes fell on the wall and her heart froze. A perfect round hole had appeared, right where she had been standing a moment before.
CHAPTER 27
She couldn’t believe it. Someone had just tried to blow her head off.
“Leila, come on,” Amina hissed. She had flattened herself against the stone, her eyes wide, darting around, searching for an escape.
Leila snapped back to reality. She crawled to Amina and slid herself up against the rock to stand next to her.
The camels paced, their guttural bellows echoed against the canyon’s walls.
“Something moved. Up on that ridge,” Amina said breathlessly, nodding her head to point.
Leila’s eyes flickered to the area. All she could see was the spikey, red stone.
“What do we do?” Amina’s voice shook.
The echo had faded. The ridge looked deserted. Now was their chance. She tore her gaze away to meet Amina’s.
