From Torn : I look over my shoulder and there, on the side of the road, a flash of movement catches my eye. A wind has come from nowhere and raised a swirling dust eddy. From the midst of it a young Afghan girl emerges. She looks about fourteen, exquisitely pretty with piercing pale green eyes, and she is wearing a sun-bleached blue dress embroidered with flowers. Her black, tangled hair lifts in strands and wraps around her face as she walks, but she raises a delicate hand and pulls it away from her lips. I didn't even notice her approach. She could be a suicide bomber or anything. And my gun is lying on the ground between us. Excerpted from Torn by David Massey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.