Page 90 of Inevitable

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Page 90 of Inevitable

“Used to be many.Bigtourists.” Parviz threw his arms out wide. “Huge.”

Why was John suddenly thinking of Julia Roberts? “And now?”

“Not so big because of war.” Parviz made a face. “Then not so big because scared Taliban and nobody go Wakhan. Now, never no getting big because bandits here.”

About whom, John recalled, Ustinov had warned them. “They hang around in winter?”

“No, but—” Parviz both shrugged and blew a raspberry simultaneously. “Never too careful.”

Which might also explain why Ustinov had given them those secured money pouches that could only be opened with the correct thumbprint. Of course, all a bandit had to do was cut off eitherhis or Davila’s right thumb. Or kill them first. Saved on the screaming, he guessed.

“What do they do when they’re not robbing people?” Davila asked.

“Go Russia for work.” Parviz nodded then patted his chest. “Me go, too, Russia. Good for talking, yes? Know Tajiki, Persian, Russian, Uzbek, English.” Parviz counted off on his fingers. “Mandarin getting better.”

“Chinese?” John was surprised. “Why?”

“Business,” the driver said, as if that should be self-evident, then gestured at the mountains. “Come see rocks.”

Come to see rocks?Then he remembered what Ustinov had said about the Wakhan. Abouttahktapat.Which made perfect sense. The Chinese would be very interested in any lithium deposits they could get their hands on. The U.S. must know about this, too, and be just as hungry for that mineral wealth.But we left, and now it’s open season in Afghanistan.

He was about to ask Parviz how many Chinese he’d met recently when the driver said, “Speak pretty good Pashtun, too.”

That snagged his attention more than the revelation about Chinese businessmen. “Really? You spend time in Afghanistan?”

Parviz opened his mouth as if to say something,closed it then offered a shrug. “Little bit. Back, forth during war.”

Uh-huh.“So why aren’t you in Russia if work is so scarce?”

“Hate Russians.” Parviz spat. “Russians no like us. Give bad jobs. Build tunnels, roads. But no jobs in Russia, bad or good because wrong season. Too cold. So come back here.”

“Have bandits stopped you?” John asked.

“Me, no.” He said something in a language John didn’t understand and then, in English, “Bicycle.”

“Bicyclists?” Davila asked.

Parviz’s head bobbed up and down. “Hit with car.”

John blinked. “They run them down?”

“Yes, then…” Parviz raised his arm up and down in a motion that John thought would’ve looked at home during the shower scene inPsycho.

“They stab them,” Davila said.

“Is that why you wanted a new gun?” John asked.

Parviz’s head moved in a vigorous nod. “Maybe okay wewearnew guns?”

“Why?” Davila said. “We haven’t passed or seen anyone else, and the clouds are thick. No one’s going to wait in this, hoping that someone will happen by.”

Parviz opened his mouth, closed it then said, “Next slide, we need wear.”

“And I ask again, why?”

“If next slide close to Khorog, means we close to people.”

“You mean, a setup,” John said. “Block the road then rob us. But even if that’s true, shouldn’t the priority be clearing the rocks and getting out of Dodge? You really want to tie up a set of hands to stand guard?”


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