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Chapter Thirty-seven
“Mom, Roy’s working in the yard, cutting the bushes. Can I go and help him? He wants me to. I promise not to get in his way.” Kean stood in front of her, his blue eyes big as saucers and his soft bangs obscuring his vision.He needs a haircut.She remembered Ruby’s instructions issued last night and winced because it should have happened days ago.
“Sure, kiddo. If you like.”
“If he likes what?” Sloan appeared in the kitchen doorway, his body seeming overly large in the small space.
Kean stepped closer to her, his hand reaching for her bare leg where the white shorts didn’t cover.
“He wants to help Roy in the yard.” In a motherly fashion, she brushed his hair away from his eyes and noticed his surprise when she touched him.
Sloan stepped closer and crouched down so that Kean and he were eye to eye. “Hey, dude, wanna try cutting the grass with the riding lawn mower? It’s a hoot. You’ll love it.”
“Can I?” Eyes glowing, Kean first checked with her. Only she had to confirm with Sloan because she honestly didn’t know if it should be allowed or not. They’d always hired yard people to take care of their place.
“Sure. It’s safe. Come on. I’ll go and tell Roy we need to give the front yard a slight trim and he’ll set you up.” He reached for Kean’s hand and smiled when the boy quickly grasped his, anxious to get started.
With a parting wink for Alia, he closed the door behind them, and she rushed to the window to see him piggyback Kean toward where Roy was setting up his gear in a wheel barrow.
Her boy’s smile couldn’t have been any bigger, stretching on his face from one ear to the other, his arms gripping Sloan’s neck. And Alia felt the same smile light up her features. That man was getting to her.
She took a cup of coffee and made her way into the sunroom where they had the equipment set up. When they’d returned the night before, Don had reported that everything across the street had been normal. Lights had gone out early and there was no movement thereafter.
She examined the equipment closely, familiarizing herself with each piece and all three computers attached to the video feeds. They’d been set up on a table behind a decorative screen, so once turned on they couldn’t be seen from outside. Making sure the recording device would work when she and Sloan each dictated their reports, she did a few tests.
Then she watched as Roy came from around the house, followed by Sloan and Kean riding on a lawn mower that wasn’t too huge or too scary for a small boy. Face lit with excitement, Kean listened as Sloan gave directions and then slowly took over the controls, the machine lurching forward. They laughed and Sloan ruffled his hair, followed by a small hug that was given to show Kean he was doing just fine.
Alia’s heart swelled and she couldn’t take a deep breath because of the building emotion.Oh, God!This is what her boy needed. Not a mommy who babied him, but a dad who could teach him how to be a man. Sobs broke free before she even knew they were coming. Swiping at the rainfall on her checks, she bit her cheek to control the sudden onslaught and headed to the kitchen to clean up their breakfast dishes.
This job was going to break her. She knew it. But how the hell could she build defenses when that handsome son of a bitch kept tearing them down?
***
Ten minutes later the call came. She answered the phone, recognizing the ringtone as Don checking in.
“Hi, Don. Did they arrive?”
“Yeah. I’m watching them here at the airport. Only Janna came to pick them up. There’s a man and a woman. Both look to be in their mid-twenties, seem educated and have little baggage other than their carry-ons.”
“You figure they’re not staying?”
“Their return tickets indicate two weeks. They have their B-2s, all the documents they needed for their visas and their qualifications have been checked and okayed, including the papers on behalf of their relative, Janna Aman.”
“So that’s the connection.”
“Yes. Looks like they’re her brother’s children.”
“So we can’t, in all good conscience, send them back to Pakistan?”
“Nope. They also have direct ties to an important Pakistani government official. Strangely, he employs them both. We certainly don’t want to ruffle any feathers at that end when we have no evidence they’re planning on waging Jihadi-type activities. Plus, having a relative here is part of their cover and it’s perfectly legal for them to come and pay her a visit.”
“But you’re worried.”
“Damn right. Homeland has flagged one of them as an activist in their own country. They have online connections to groups who’re vocal but not operating in the sense that they’ve been physically involved in any fighting or subversive activities.”
“So they’re here to what…?”
“That’s just it. We don’t know. They could be holidaying or planning to attract other ideological fighters.”
