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After a long moment, Maddy finally slid her arms around his waist, and he felt her relax. He closed his eyes, simply absorbing the feel of her against him. It had been a long time since he’d felt this good, even with the turmoil still spiraling.
He heard the door open and the sound of deep voices, then it closed. A flurry of the doors along the hallway outside opened and closed. Everyone was assembling.
She drew a deep breath, as if bracing herself, then she slowly withdrew from his hold. Realizing that she wasn’t quite steady, he kept his arm around her as they walked from her room down the stairs into the living room where everyone had gathered, including the RSO from the embassy.
Flash dropped a bag on the floor that rattled a bit. He looked up sheepishly. “My haul from the palace. It’ll look like thieves breached security during the blackout. Just some silverware and priceless vases.”
“You know, if this SEAL gig doesn’t work out for you, brother, you have a really good chance at a breaking-and-entering career going for you,” Twister said with a smirk, his eyes dancing.
Flash laughed softly. “Ah, misspent youth,” he said, and Shark started to wonder what Flash meant. Maybe they weren’t so different after all.
The ambassador said, “Lieutenant, what is the verdict?”
Tex turned to Twister. “I’ll let my medic fill you in on what he found when he examined the body.”
Twister nodded, “Just as we feared. The president was murdered, likely an injection of some kind. For what reason, we can’t be sure until the body is autopsied, and that seems unlikely under the current circumstances.” He scowled. “I hate to think they will get away with murder.”
“Why do they keep his body in that basement? What are they waiting for?” Flash asked.
“That’s a good question, but they may be trying to stave off the immediate backlash his death is going to cause when it’s revealed,” Tex said.
“This country is going to go off like a firecracker,” Shark murmured, just like he’d thought when they first landed here. It was time for them to admit defeat and leave this island, its government, and the ensuing chaos to fate.
“No doubt. I’ll need to confirm this with State, but we’re looking at an evacuation of all Americans from Haiti.” Clay Towson set his hands on his hips, his face grim. It was clear that he didn’t want to admit defeat. The man was a fighter and a damn good negotiator, but Shark feared no one could negotiate their way out of this mess. “The only problem is if we start pulling out en masse, there’s going to be speculation and confusion. We’ll have to do this strategically. All non-essential personnel and families of staff need to go first.” He turned to his wife. “That means you, Kate, and you, Maddy.” He sighed at his wife’s mutinous look. “But we’ll have to be discreet about it because when my family leaves, there will be questions. Let’s work on getting the others out first, then we’ll see about my family.”
“There’s another dire problem,” the RSO said.
“What’s that?” the ambassador asked.
His tone was concerned. “We’re missing a Marine. He was on duty for a double shift which normally gives him a free pass for a day off, but we had someone else get ill and needed him to fill a shift in the morning. When I went to his room at the barracks, he wasn’t there.”
The ambassador’s features pulled taut, his shoulders squaring as he took in the news. “Who is this?”
“Corporal Noah Cassidy. He’s an exemplary Marine, always on time, gives one hundred and ten percent, and would never disappear.”
“Do you have anything to go on? Witnesses?”
“No.” The RSO shook his head, choosing his words carefully. “Nothing, but during the blackout, some Haitian police left the embassy grounds. Three of them.”
Shark was getting a bad feeling about all of this, his danger sensors tingling, and his mind filled with all sorts of ramifications. “I think the prime minister has some kind of plan to blame the president’s death on us. That’s why they have the president’s body under wraps and are lying to the first lady. This possible kidnapping could have to do with that plan.”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” Tex said, his expression darkening. “That makes too much sense.” His gaze swept around the room. “They use this kid Cassidy to cause an international incident, everyone believes what the prime minister says, and the US gets a black eye. He obviously doesn’t care about relations between us, or the fact that any whiff of blame toward us will start a run on the embassy. He’s putting a lot of lives at stake.”
“And he reaps the benefit,” the ambassador snarled. “He’ll be the hero who punishes the Americans, gets us ousted from the country, and covers up whatever corruption he wants to conceal.”
“If this is his plan, it’s a slippery slope. I think your initial thought of getting the non-essentials out first, then your family, is sound. Then we’ll worry about staffers and you, Ambassador.”
“What about Fabrice and Kenzy?” Maddy asked in the wake of the silence. “They have to be in terrible danger. My blood runs cold thinking about her trapped at the palace without even an inkling that her husband is dead.”
The ambassador turned to Maddy and said, “Kitten, we can’t do anything for your friend. I’m sorry. I wish we could, but the situation is dire, and if we play our hand and the prime minister finds out we know what’s up, we’ll lose our advantage to get our people out.” He patted her back, and her mom slipped her arm around her and squeezed her shoulders. “You have to understand. Our hands are tied.” He turned to the room full of people again. “We have our plans and suspicions. I’m almost positive the secretary will agree with me and my assessment of the situation. I will talk with her tomorrow at the embassy on a secure line. If anything changes, I’ll let you all know. We can convene there tomorrow at eight a.m.”
He and Maddy were only days away from being separated and that thought settled like a stone in his gut. He wasn’t ready to give her up, and he had no idea how she felt about the situation, but right now she was worried about her friend and talking about how he felt seemed…self-centered and callous. There was nothing else to do but go back to bed. The walk to Maddy’s room was made in a strained silence, but as soon as they entered her room, he grasped her hand and drew her against him, his jaw tightening when he felt how tense she was.
After a moment, she pushed out of his arms and paced across the room. “This is so unfair. She doesn’t deserve this. I’m so afraid that she’s going to be killed, and Kenzy…” She bit her lip and stared at him, then she turned away and covered her eyes with her hand, and Shark saw her chest heave. His own expression hardening at the injustice of leaving her friend and child vulnerable, he walked to her and caught her by the back of the neck.
He pulled her against him, pressing her ashen face against his shoulder. She had been so strong and brave through most of this, and his heart felt raw for her. Her chest heaved, and she pressed her face tighter against him, then, on another uneven breath, she slid her arms around his waist and held on for dear life.
Trying to ease the sudden anger knotting his gut, he tightened his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers. The hard wad of tension in his gut warned him this was only going to get worse for her. He gave her a few moments to gather her equilibrium, then he began rubbing her back. It took about thirty seconds, but she finally went slack against him, and she took another deep breath. Running his other hand up her neck under her hair, he shifted his head and kissed her temple.
