way, she followed the doctor, but not before she noticed the frown on Kyle’s face. A look that jumped out of her memory as if she’d seen it yesterday. If only she could understand how that was possible.
* * *
With so many questions rattling around in his head, letting Ella go was difficult. He didn’t understand why she had been so determined not to leave the desert. Who was she protecting? Yet if he’d learned anything while being in her company this short time, it was that he had to move slowly. She carried around more than the physical scars on her body.
He glanced at his watch and his impatience multiplied. Treading slow was not in his DNA. Especially now, when every second that slipped by without answers meant the chances for rescuing Sam and his team alive were slim. Alhasan had dozens of hidden tunnels beneath the desert surface that allowed him a fast escape.
Kyle’s body ached from the minor injuries he’d sustained in the blast. He was mentally exhausted. Thinking clearly had become a near-impossible task. He needed sleep, but with so many lives on the line such a luxury would have to wait.
It felt like hours had passed before he spotted Dr. Anderson heading his way. He shoved aside his uneasiness over Sam’s safety and got to his feet.
“Is she okay?” he asked gravely. From the frown on the man’s face, he expected the news to be dire.
“Surprisingly yes, considering what she’s been through. She’s suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration.” The doctor shook his head. “I’ve given her IV fluids for that.”
So far, nothing the doctor said was surprising. It had probably been years since she’d had a decent meal. “Did she tell you anything about what happened to her?” If she wouldn’t talk to him, perhaps she would confide in her doctor.
“No. In fact, it took a whole lot of convincing for her to allow us to treat her injuries. What I can tell you is they are consistent with someone who’s suffered years of abuse.”
Kyle couldn’t imagine the terrible things she’d gone through. He’d known her only a short time, yet he’d glimpsed a will to live that not even Alhasan’s torture could destroy. Just like Lena. But she wasn’t Lena, and he couldn’t accept her resemblance to his wife as anything more than a coincidence.
Still, he had no proof she was Ella Weiss, either, and he wasn’t going to simply accept her word for who she was. The real Ella might be dead. Alhasan could have groomed her to pretend to be the woman.
An idea occurred and he asked, “Do you have the means to do a DNA test, doctor?” He needed positive confirmation she was who she said. His only hope for an ID was if Ella’s DNA was on file somewhere back in the United States, or perhaps they could track down her dental records.
The doctor watched him closely. “No, I’m sorry, we don’t. I can do the swab and send it wherever you’d like me to.” He paused for a lengthy beat. “I’m guessing Ella’s been missing for many years. Are there any family members left to test her DNA against?”
Kyle had no idea. If they couldn’t test her DNA, how could they positively confirm her story?
The doctor obviously noticed his disappointment. “I’ll do the swab. Hopefully an opportunity will arise.”
Kyle smiled his gratitude. “Is it okay if I speak with her?”
“Of course. She’s in the last room on your right. I’ve rounds to finish. I’ll do the swab once I’m done. Try not to keep her awake too long, though. She’s exhausted. Rest will be the best medicine possible.”
Kyle turned to leave and then remembered something he’d wanted to ask. “Doctor, can you tell me if Ella has a birthmark on her left shoulder?”
The question took the doctor by surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
He needed someone else to confirm she wasn’t Lena. If Ella didn’t possess the same birthmark as his wife, he’d have his proof once and for all. “Does Ella have a small, thumb-size birthmark on her left shoulder?”
“No, but then again, she has a lot of scars.” The expected relief didn’t come. Something akin to disappointment made it impossible to answer.
The doctor’s phone rang and he glanced down at it. “I must go. I’ll check in on Ella later.”
Finding out what she knew about Alhasan was critical. Hadir’s indications were certainly ominous enough and Sam and his team’s lives were on the line.
Kyle stopped outside her room and gathered his tumultuous thoughts. He noticed the door stood ajar. A male voice came from inside the room. Was one of the medical personnel with Ella? The man sounded agitated. A strangled whimper caught his attention and he shoved the door open in time to see a man standing over Ella, choking her.
Charging to her bedside, Kyle jerked the assailant off her. The man reacted with all the fury of a caged animal. He lunged for Kyle with a knife. They scuffled back and forth.
Kyle slammed his fist hard into the man’s face and he went crashing back against the door. The knife slid from his hand. Kyle went for the man once more, but he reached for a nearby chair and slung it at Kyle’s head. He ducked and the edge of the chair grazed his right side. The force sent him stumbling backward.
His assailant took advantage, grabbed the knife and raced from the room. Kyle heard someone outside scream, “He has a knife!”
He stumbled to Ella’s side. “Did he hurt you?” His first concern was for her safety. She clutched her throat and coughed and gasped for air.
Somehow, she nodded. “I’m okay.”
While he wasn’t completely convinced, the assailant was getting away. Kyle bolted from the room.
One of the medical personnel pointed to the emergency door. “He went that way.”
Kyle hit the door full force. Outside, he did a 360-degree turn. The man had disappeared into thin air. The most concerning part of the attack was that it had happened in the middle of the day at a heavily guarded military base. It was both brazen and desperate, further emphasizing what he believed. Ella was of grave importance to Alhasan.
Kyle rushed back inside. “Call the MPs. We need the base locked down. Now,” he told one of attending doctors.
The man grabbed his phone to issue the order while Kyle hurried to Ella’s room. Dr. Anderson was there with her.
“She’s all right,” Anderson assured him. “But I don’t understand how that man got on the base so easily. Especially with a weapon.”
That was a good question. Did the assailant have someone on the inside who let him onto the base? Kyle believed Ella might know the answer by the way she wouldn’t look at him.
“Doctor, do you mind if I have a moment alone with Ella?”
Dr. Anderson hesitated briefly before agreeing. “I’ll be right back.” He smiled at Ella and left them alone.
Kyle waited until the door closed. “What happened?”
For the longest time he doubted if she would respond. “I’m not sure,” she said at last. “He just barged in and started choking me.”
After what happened in the desert, he was positive this was no random attack. Ella had been deliberately targeted.
“Did you recognize him? What did he say to you?” he asked. She shook her head, still without looking at him. From body language alone he could see she knew more than she was saying. He didn’t understand her unwillingness to cooperate. Unless... The thought was unspeakable.
“Ella, help me out here. What’s going on? Why are they trying to kill you? You must know something,” he insisted as gently as he could manage.
Her brown eyes flashed anger, reminding him once more of Lena when she was arguing a cause she believed in. Like the last mission she’d