Page 30 of Finding Lexie
Shermake shook his head as if clearing it, then he knelt near the hole Midas and Lexie had been in all day and placed the boards back to the way they were before, concealing the hiding spot. “We go now,” he said.
Midas took Lexie’s hand and tucked it into the waistband of his pants once more. “Be careful,” he told her, nodding down at her feet. “Don’t trip.”
“I won’t,” she said.
Then the three of them slipped out the back door and headed into the alley behind the store. It wasn’t as dark as Midas would’ve liked it, but the sun was definitely below the horizon. In thirty minutes or so it would be pitch black, and hopefully he and Lexie would be back with his team by then.
Shermake moved confidently down the alley and Midas followed more cautiously. He was ninety-nine percent sure the teenager wouldn’t betray them, but he wasn’t willing to risk Lexie’s life by letting down his guard.
They exited onto a street and immediately entered another alley. Then another. And so it went. Shermake kept to the narrow alleyways of the town, staying in the shadows. He didn’t hesitate when deciding which way to turn, and Midas was quickly lost. They cut through some pretty sketchy areas, but the few people they saw didn’t even glance their way.
Within twenty minutes, they’d arrived at a part of town that was obviously more prosperous than where they’d come from. Shermake crouched down in yet another alley and Midas did the same, ever aware of Lexie sticking right by his side.
“You go alone now,” Shermake said. “Cross road there, go right until brown house, take left and you will see soldiers.”
Midas nodded. “Thank you.”
“Did for Lexie.”
“I know,” Midas said. He wasn’t offended in the least. Lexie had a way of gaining loyalty from everyone around her.
“I’ll never forget you,” Lexie said as she shifted around Midas to give the boy one more hug.
They all stood as Shermake said, “I never forget you too.”
Lexie pulled back and kept her hands on the teenager’s shoulders. “Keep studying. Your English is good, but it can be better.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing him. “You are going to do great things, Shermake. I know it. Tell Hodan and Cumar I’m sorry I missed them. Take care of your mom.”
“I will,” Shermake said. “Go now. Be safe.”
Lexie nodded.
Midas reached into one of the pockets in his vest and pulled out some Somali shillings. He and his team made it a point to always carry some local currency, just in case. It had come in handy more than once in past missions.
The exchange rate of shillings to dollars was ridiculous, so much so that Midas wasn’t too surprised that Lexie and Dagmar’s kidnappers were so desperate to get them back. A thousand shillings was less than two American dollars. The highest denomination of shilling was one thousand, and he pulled out twenty of them, all he had on him, and held them out to Shermake.
The boy’s eyes widened, and he took a step back, shaking his head.
“Take it,” Midas told him. “I wish it was more, but it’s all I have on me.”
“I no help for money,” the teenager said stubbornly.
“I know,” Midas said. And he did. “But please, let me help you. I’m indebted to you, and will do what I can to help you and your family in the future, but for now, it would please me if you took this.”
It was less than forty dollars, but he had a feeling for Shermake and his family, it was a fortune. The poverty rate in the country was estimated at sixty-nine percent, meaning that many people made less than two dollars a day.
Midas didn’t know how he was going to make good on his promise to help Shermake’s family, but he’d figure it out. He could never fully repay Astur and Shermake for what they’d done for Lexie. And himself by extension.
The boy finally nodded and took the money, stuffing it into a pocket in his pants. Then he turned without another word and headed back the way they’d come.
“Shit, now I’m crying,” Lexie said with a small sniff.
Midas wanted to comfort her, but he needed to get her to safety. “Cry and walk,” he said gently.
“You’re a good man, Pierce Cagle,” she said as she once more grabbed hold of his waistband.
“Just a thankful one,” he returned. “He could’ve led us straight to the people who were looking for you.”
“He wouldn’t do that. He’s watched his family struggle and hates that he can’t help more. He’s a good kid.”
