Chapter 44
The group sat in the church around the small table, listening to the storm. No one spoke. Jianjun and Kira sat side-by-side, then Hank, Stuart, Michael, Dilnar, Az’har, and Paziliya. Polk stood by the window looking out, his rifle propped beside him against the wall.
Thoughts of Renata, her brilliance, her enthusiasm, sharing the room in Tashkent, seeing her so desirable and full of life pushed away everything else from Michael’s mind. He hoped he was wrong about the meaning of the gunshot, but he doubted it.
He considered the possibility of them leaving their cars and walking away on foot, back to the main road, and then walking or trying to hitch a ride to Khotan. If the villagers spotted them, however, they would try to kill them. Few things made men as irrational as fear
