Riyaz waved his hands towards the stairs, "After you Sahar!" Sahar kept quiet and walked back into the bakery. Her heartbeat has just found a normal rhythm a minute ago and again as she glanced into the bakery, she felt a rush. Aaron and Sam were waiting in the bakery. They were in uniform and had their guns on. "Are they here for me, have they found out the secrets of this bakery already? Oh god, I don't want to be in the middle of another gunfire," Sahar thought in her head. Riyaz walked up too and was stunned to see soldiers in his bakery.
Sahar noticed the smile on Riyaz's face had vanished. He was almost sweating. Sahar had not found any guns in the bakery yet. But who knows what they have been keeping in the so many boxes that she was not allowed to look into? Sahar feared for the life of Aaron, Sam, and the innocent people in the market. The shopkeepers, the customers, the kids who are excitingly looking around while their parents keep a tight grip on their hands like balloons that will fly away in a sudden breeze. "It would be a disaster," Sahar thought.
Sam broke the tension, "Do you have a nice cake? It's my birthday today." Riyaz only understood the word Cake, but before Riyaz could answer, Sahar quipped, "Hey! I did not know; it was your birthday today. Happy Birthday, Sam!" Sahar regretted it as soon she finished her sentence. Riyaz was already staring at her, "Can you speak English?" he asked in the local dialect. Sahar thought lying could be dangerous, what if Riyaz was testing her. She had just been caught opening some very secretive boxes. "Yes Riyaz, I do teach English at my school," replied Sahar. Riyaz was impressed, "nice you will help our business grow. They are asking for a cake, right?"
"Yes, it is his, Sam's birthday today," confessed Sahar. She doesn't want to be caught in petty lies. Aaron was here to protect her now. But what about later. She did not want to botch up the mission. "Do you know him, the American Soldier?" intrigued Riyaz, bringing back his jolly expressions. "Yes, he donates books at our school," said Sahar mixing truth and lies.
Riyaz stepped ahead, "Which cake do you want?" Sam was in the mood for some fun, so he said, "Something with an American flag on it." Aaron Shaked his head, "When will you grow up?" Riyaz looked at Sahar. Sahar explained in the local dialect, "He wants a cake with the American flag". Riyaz's expression went sour for a second and then he put up his smiley face again, "no flag cake."
Aaron took the lead, "it's fine, any cake would do!" Sahar chooses a nice cake for Sam and packed it. Sam bought pastry for Sahar and Riyaz too. But Riyaz only charged for the cake. Riyaz asked Sahar to tell Aaron and Sam that they would like more orders from the army. Sahar conveyed it to Aaron and he promised they will be back.
The sun had almost set and it was time for closing the shop. Sahar pretended to leave but she hid in a nearby alley. When Riyaz had locked the bakery and left. Sahar walked to the back door. In the Taliban camp, Sahar had learned how to pick locks and force open doors with minimum effort. The back door was easy, the lock was a simple one. Riyaz had a reputation in this market, nobody in his right mind would break into his place. And a bakery was not exactly a dream place for any thieves to get into. Unless they were very hungry.
Sahar found her way into the basement and located the box with the red X mark. It was unsealed from the last time Sahar had tried to open it. The box is big enough to fit a washing machine. Sahar expects it to be filled with guns and grenades. But as she, opens the box, it is filled with cash. The whole box is filled with cash. Enough cash to buy several such bakeries. Sahar is shocked, she takes out a bundle and looks at it closely. The currency is not of Afghanistan. These notes are Chinese.
Sahar takes out a note from the bundle as evidence and keeps it in her purse. She puts the down bundle again and leaves the box as it was before she touched it. She stands by the back door and listens for any noise. The back alley is completely silent. Sahar cautiously opens the door, gets out, and locks the door again.
She walks to her bus stop, she has got really late, the moon is shining in the sky and the market is closed. It's scary to walk in a place that was bustling with crowds in the morning and as the sun went down, it feels like an abandoned town. Most people might be in their homes, and mosques praying with their friends and family.
Sahar waits at the bus stop, there are no other passengers waiting. It feels like she has missed the last bus to her village. Not all spy gets Aston Martins and Ferraris, some of them have to travel in buses and Sahar was one of them. Sahar was worried about how she will reach home and then a jeep comes and stops near her. Sahar is too scared to look up and see who it is. Maybe Riyaz had seen her getting out of the back lane at this hour.
The window of the jeep rolled down and a familiar voice called out, "Need a lift, Sahar," it was Aaron. He had been waiting the whole day in case Sahar might need his help. Sahar looks at him and is relieved and excited at the same time. Aaron opens the door for her. Sahar gets into the car with Aaron. Sahar takes out the Chinese currency and says, "We have to find where this is coming from?"