AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 5
Mel stared at Laila’s text messages for a long moment, gripping her phone too tightly. Then she pushed her speed dial for Dev.
“Hey, bae,” he said in his sinfully sexy voice. “What’s up? You have a... special project for me?”
His words practically dripped sex. So not what she wanted right now. “I need you in my office,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “ASAP. Bring Parker and Conway.”
“Got it.” Now Dev was all business. “Be there as soon as I round them up.”
Ten minutes later, he knocked on her door with his usual signal -- two hard raps and four soft ones. Mel sprang to her feet and threw open the door. Dev stepped into her office, followed by Cody Parker and Jase Conway. Mel closed the door behind them. Made sure the lock engaged.
“We need to extract Laila Burke,” she said, pacing her small office. She explained what Laila had texted her. “She’ll call me as soon as she’s alone, which could be hours. Take one of the Humvees. Find her, grab her and bring her back to Kabul.” She clenched her teeth. “You know what will happen if the Taliban get their hands on her.”
“Yeah, Mel,” Dev said. “We know.”
She nodded, a short, jerky movement. Worry for Laila bubbled inside her like hot lava, burning her chest. “I haven’t lost any of my agents yet, and I don’t want Burke to be my first. I’ve sent the tracking app to each of your phones, so you’ll always know where she is.” She paced to the far end of her office. Back toward the door. “It’s going to be tricky if Taliban fighters are in the area. And if they realize they’ve let an American woman, a teacher, slip through their fingers, they won’t be happy. They’ll stick around. Search for her. You might have to engage with them.”
“None of us have ever backed away from a fight, Mel,” Dev said. He nodded at his two companions. “This is exactly why the three of us moved to SOG from the SEALs. Here, we’re protecting agents who are putting it on the line for our country. We’ll find Burke and we’ll get her back to Kabul.”
“In one piece,” Mel said.
Dev stared at her. “Goes without saying, Melbourne.”
Mel sighed. “I know it does, Dev. But...” She closed her eyes. “I should have pulled her out the other night, right after the meeting. I had a twitchy feeling about that kid who was in her house when she got home. He could have searched the whole place. Found stuff he shouldn’t have seen. She’s in danger, and it’s partly my fault for not getting her out then.”
Dev put his hand on her arm. “She wanted to stay, Mel. That’s what you told me. It was her decision. You could’ve pulled rank, but you trust your agents. So stop with the guilt trip.” Then he smiled, and she had to stop herself from reaching for him. She couldn’t resist Dev’s toe-curling, bad-boy grin. “Don’t worry, Jase and Cody and I have your back. We’ll pluck her out of Al Kamen and make her vanish into thin air. Poof! She’s gone.”
“I doubt she’ll be in the village,” Mel said. “Two boys are taking her to the caves. But her tracking device will tell you where she is.
“The three of you need to be careful, as well,” she said. “If the Taliban are in the area, they don’t need to see a Humvee tooling around.”
Jase shook his head. “Not our first rodeo, Melbourne. We know how to blend in. How to hide.”
“Go find a vehicle. Get your gear ready. I want you to leave as soon as possible. When I hear from Laila, I’ll call one of your SAT phones. Fill you in.”
“Got it,” Cody said. He elbowed Dev. “Let’s go, Lover Boy. Tear your eyes away from Mel and get busy.”
Mel’s mouth twitched. She and Dev had been discreet, but of course his closest buddies in the SOG knew what was going on. But all she said was, “Good luck. Be careful. I want all three of you and Laila back here safely.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Dev said with a cocky salute. “Will do.”
The three of them filed out of her office, and Dev turned to reach for the doorknob. He mimicked a kiss and murmured, “See you soon, Witchy Woman,” as he eased the door closed.
Mel touched her lips, which tingled as if he’d actually kissed her. Then she shoved him out of her head and sat down at her computer to do her job.
She pulled up Laila’s location on her tracking app. Still in her house.
It was going to be a long night.
* * *
Laila walked beside Bahram through the silent village. He kept glancing at her sideways, and Laila knew it was because she wasn’t walking behind him.
Too bad.
She wasn’t subservient to Bahram, even if he might think so. And if she were behind him, she wouldn’t immediately see any threats. He’d block her view.
Was that why he’d wanted her behind him?
