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tried to shove aside his own tremulous thoughts, but knew the nightmares and the constant worry would never leave him. Ngozi’s stature resembled his own lean frame. Too much drinking and too many women killed a man on this continent. But he never took time to worry about tomorrow. Getting through each day was enough.
“Why are you worried? Nelson radioed an hour ago and told me that their attack was a success. They’ll be back in a couple hours.”
Ngozi shook his head. “Successful? They were supposed to return with satellite phones and equipment. Instead they left a man dead. How well do you think that will go over with the International Criminal Court?”
Jonas laughed. They’d killed dozens in the past three weeks, and Ngozi was worried about one man? “There are always casualties in war, and I have never known you to worry about a few dead bodies.”
“Getting the Americans involved does not equal success.”
Jonas had wanted to ignore that detail. Few cared when the rebels spent their time burning down villages and raping women, but kill a white man and the world reacted.
Ngozi leaned forward. “They will send more troops, the UN will get involved, and then where will that leave us?”
Jonas shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. By the time President Tau assembles his troops and comes after us, it will be too late. We will have squeezed Tau until he has no choice but to give us what we want.”
“And then what? You think they will actually honor any promises of amnesty to your brother, Seba, and the others?”
Jonas turned and studied his friend. The hard lines on his face displayed the scars of the rough life they’d both lived. “It will not matter. We will disappear somewhere and live like kings.”
“And how do we do that when we’ve lost a dozen of our own men and do not have the resources of the army.”
“All we have to do is strike back faster and smarter.”
“And that means burning down more villages to prove a point?”
“When did your conscience start bothering you? We wanted to get their attention, which is what we have done. And until our demands are met, I have no intention of stopping. Have you forgotten why we’re doing this?”
“No, but—”
“We cannot forget that our government once promised us far more than the status of renegade. If we do not win, we will end up nothing more than cowards like the rest of them.”
“Maybe, but how much longer can this continue? Or is this nothing more than revenge because the army murdered your wife and children and now your brother sits rotting in prison?”
Jonas bit back the acidic reply that hovered on the tip of his tongue. Right now he needed Ngozi on his side. “My brother and the others are why we will continue to fight. And the fact that they murdered my wife and children puts me in the perfect position. They have taken everything I have and I have nothing more to lose.”
“What about Eshe?”
Jonas’ gaze flashed to the thatched hut where a young girl lay on a reed mat, their child growing within her large belly. Yara toddled beside her, then fell down, her brown legs covered with sand. His gaze dropped. Children didn’t belong in a camp run by a bunch of renegade soldiers, just like he hadn’t belonged in one at seven. But he’d had no alternative. Eshe had chosen to stay. Or so he liked to believe. He’d heard little complaints from the woman he’d chosen as his second wife.
“Do you plan to risk the lives of your children for … revenge?”
“Yes.” Jonas’ jaw tensed. Walking away might have once been an option, but not anymore. “We both know that it will take bloodshed to get what is ours.”
“Except they will never give it to us. Eventually, they will slice our throats or leave us rotting in prison before they give in to our demands. They know it is only a matter of time before our resources run out and we are forced to — ”
“Give up?” Jonas kicked over the wooden chair beside him, then pulled out his gun.