The night shaded from dark to gray. The eastern sky glowed with reddish orange and deep blue behind the mountains. Selena stood between two slabs of jagged rock, thirty yards from the entrance of the cave. Nick crouched behind a massive, tottering boulder perched on the edge of the ravine. Large, loose rocks on the slope below were bound to follow it down. He was pretty sure Cochise and Geronimo would approve.He laid Ibrahim’s rifle on the ground, cocked and loaded. He placed his hands against the hard stone and felt a hint of heat from the previous day. The sun was about to crest the ridge. It was showtime. The unearthly sound of the call to prayer echoed off the rocky walls of the ravine. Even though Carter knew it was coming, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He tensed his muscles and set his feet, ready to push that rock down on whoever came out of the cave.For a minute, nothing happened. Selena continued the wailing call. Maybe it wouldn’t work.Five men slowly emerged from the darkness of the cave mouth.
