Rage raced up the back of Julian’s neck.
He wasn’t a SEAL on a mission.
He was a man in love with a woman who’d been taken due to no fault of her own. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time … again. Just like she had been with Ella … and Zak Webber … and Priscilla Dumay.
Negotiating with Tubeec Hirad was pointless. The man was unstable and unpredictable, his actions motivated equally by a whim as they were by a rational strategic approach. Three hours had passed since the kidnapping. Mena could be anywhere, and they didn’t have the slightest clue of where to start looking.
Julian had to switch tactics. He couldn’t afford to push Reggie’s buttons. He needed ASF operating at their best, gathering intel that could lead him to Mena.
Raising his hands in the air as a sign of mock surrender, Julian stepped out of Reggie’s office. “I’m going to respect your authority and stay out of the way. But know this—I am available if you need my expertise.”
Reggie looked skeptical as he stood, then brushed past Julian and walked back out onto the main floor of ComCentral.
Turning around, Julian watched as Reggie barked orders to his team. Julian took a quick glance around. Each agent in the room hurried to complete their assigned tasks, preoccupied with their own investigations.
An idea struck Julian, one he couldn’t resist. One that could get him the answers that Reggie and the ASF had failed to get.
Satisfied that no one was paying attention to him, Julian walked slowly around the perimeter of ComCentral. Exiting through to the hall, he glanced swiftly left and then right. Empty. Picking up the pace, he walked toward the conference room and opened the door, slipping inside.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Okeyo glanced up, pausing the feverish texting on his cell phone. “Julian, right? You’re part of the additional security detail that Tim hired to protect us at the fundraising dinner.”
“That’s right. Mr. Irungu has requested that I assist ASF in the investigation of the kidnapping of his daughter,” Julian said, sitting next to Okeyo.
Slipping the cell phone into the inner pocket of his jacket, Okeyo said, “I don’t understand how this could have happened.”
“Did Agent Kamau brief you on the method used in the attack?” Julian asked.
The DPP nodded. “He mentioned that a chemical nerve agent was used that rendered Wangari and her team paralyzed, making it easy for the men to capture them.”
“Lazirprene is a dangerous compound. Only one man is known to have the formula to produce it—Tubeec Hirad,” Julian said.
“Tubeec is one of the most dangerous criminals in Africa. I can’t imagine why he would target my wife,” Okeyo said.
“Really?” Julian asked, turning his chair and leaning forward, closing the space between Okeyo and himself.
A puzzled look settled on Okeyo’s face. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t seem like a man who is surprised that his wife was kidnapped by one of Africa’s most wanted,” Julian said.
“I assure you that my heart is breaking, but like you, I’ve been trained to manage my emotions since they are not useful in solving anything. Similar to the lessons you must have learned as a former Navy SEAL, I presume,” Okeyo said.
“Being a SEAL taught me a lot of things that are proving to be useful right now, like how to spot a liar,” Julian responded, scrutinizing Okeyo for the reaction he expected—a flash of anger that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“Are you implying that I had something to do with this kidnapping?” Okeyo asked, his voice calm and curious. He stood, took his jacket off, and laid it across the arm of the chair, then walked toward the opposite corner of the room.
Julian knew he was getting to the DPP. He was nervous, desperate to increase the distance between them to possibly shield himself from further scrutiny.
“No, you’re too smart for that. If you were behind the kidnapping, you’d need the media to know, wouldn’t you? You’d need all of Kenya on their hands and knees praying that the wife of their dear Director of Public Prosecutions was found quickly and safely. But there is no news coverage. President Thairu and ASF have made sure of that,” Julian said.
“What exactly do you think I’m lying about?” Okeyo challenged.
“I’ve encountered Tubeec Hirad a few times in my missions as a SEAL. If this was about money, he would have sent the ransom request immediately. But the Irungus haven’t heard anything from Hirad, despite sending him messages through channels he is known to monitor. I have no doubt that Tubeec knows they’re willing to pay fifty million for the return of their daughter, but he hasn’t taken the offer,” Julian explained.
Julian stood and leaned against the chair vacated by Okeyo, staring across the room at the lying asshole.
“I don’t understand how that equates to me telling lies.”
