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Grant had played her. She’d bought his entire act. The pictures Jauhar showed her were irrefutable. She couldn’t see his face, but she would recognize him anywhere. He was there, standing next to Issa’s car; gun in hand, right before he pulled the trigger. She’d been such a fool to believe he’d ever wanted her. He’d only wanted the thumb drive. He wasn’t good and noble. He was nothing more than the same wicked capitalist he described Jauhar to be. He’d preyed on her weakness, fed her lies and kept her under his control until she told him where she’d hiddenit.
It all made sense now. Why he hadn’t turned her over to Hamisi’s men when they found her on the island, why he wouldn’t allow her to make the call to Jauhar, his suspicious behavior the morning after she’d told him where she’d hidden the thumb drive, all those cheesy lines.You heal my soul.She’d been a complete fool. She never could understand why he was so determined to help her. Now she knew why. She thought she’d caused him so much trouble. She was no trouble at all as long as he got what he was after. The only thing she couldn’t figure out was what part Daniel and Rebecca played. What did they get out of lying to her? Unless Grant was cutting them into whatever deal he’d struck for the data on the thumb drive. Even that wouldn’t explain the pictures of her. She guessed they could be faked, but why? Why not kill her and leave them out ofit?
Her brain hurt with so many questions. She’d given him everything; her trust, her love, her heart. She’d given him something she’d been unable to give to any other man; her complete surrender. He’d never once blinked at taking it all when he knew all along he was robbing her. He knew the whole time that he’d taken the one thing in her life she could never get back.Issa, I’m sosorry.
Her head rocked against the floor of the box as the last wave of chills left her body, the final ounce of fight remaining inside her following in its wake. Her heart ached with sadness and regret as a memory of Grant’s awkward, boyish grin floated on a wave of exhaustion through her battered mind before it faded away intonothingness.
Twenty-Four
“Stand down!”Rebecca could hear the order repeating over the ear pieces the men around her wore, the voice of Grant’s friend shouting in her other ear as she pulled up a map of Mumbai on the laptop she’d commandeered from her boss, Deputy Director Dax Keller.Triple D-K.Her lips twisted in frustration as she studied the map. After Natalie was snatched from the airport in Mozambique and they had confirmed through airport surveillance that it was Hamisi and Jauhar’s men who took her, he’d flown in and taken over her entire case.What anasshole.
If it wasn’t for her suspicion that Natalie would run and using the opportunity to plant the tracking devices, they wouldn’t have a damn clue where Jauhar was hiding. She hated thinking of Thalia’s circumstances as a lucky break, but her consequential abduction had blown the lid off an international operation. They were now closer than they had ever been to taking down one of the highest ranking traffickers in the bureau’s history. And she’d been cut out of the action with a stiff hand shake and nothing else but a nod of appreciation for herefforts.
She didn’t get Keller. As a boss he was…efficient. It was about the only adjective she could use considering the man avoided her like the plague. He was good looking, in a broodingThinkersort of way, always deep in thought or too distracted for common niceties such as ‘good morning, Danes’or‘how’s your day?’The dimples that peeked out beneath his perpetual, sexy five o’clock shadow on those rare occasions when he did grace her with a smile, gave him a hint of boyish charm, but before she could fully appreciate them she was staring at his backside as he walked away.He does have a niceass.
When she did manage to wrangle some time from him, or bump into him in their typical comings and goings around the office, he was polite but curt; nothing but a quick nod or a stern hellobefore he practically sprinted inin the opposite direction of wherever it was she wasgoing.
In the three months she’d worked for him since transferring from Saint Louis to the D.C. headquarters, she could count on one hand the number of times she’d actually had a two-way conversation with him. And always about work. Granted, she liked not being micromanaged, having to report in three times a day, or being treated like a department lackey. He’d never asked her to play mystery shopper for his wife’s birthday gifts, or his mistress’…or both like her old boss. She didn’t even know if he had a wife or a girlfriend. She’d heard some of the assistants whispering about him a time or two but never paid much attention. She hadn’t had time to care about anything but this case. Still, it would be nice to get a ‘hey, nice job, Danes’out of him every once in a while. Now he was inserting himself into her life’s work as if he’d been her partner all along, and taking complete control like an egotistical, gloryhound.
Having been banished to a surveillance van nearly twenty kilometers away from the exclusive men’s club in downtown Navi where they suspected Hamisi had taken Natalie to meet Jauhar, she listened as Diver relayed the information to Keller on Grant’s intended destination and what he’d learned from Jauhar’smen.
“We’re only twenty minutes from that location.” Her head snapped up from the map to see the two other men on the surveillance team shaking theirheads.
“Not our problem, Ms. Danes.” The jerk with the elephant-sized ears looked up from his computer screen, his jaw flapping as he chewed a Texas-sized piece of bubblegum. “Our orders are to maintain a visual and record all traffic moving in and out of the city until we’re ordered to locate elsewhere or to standdown.”
“What? What if she’s not at that club?” Daniel flew from his cramped seat near the double rear doors. “You’re going to leave herthere?”
Rebecca held up a staying hand, her eyes pleading with Daniel to back down. She’d assured Keller he wouldn’t interfere. Ripping this guy’s throat out would definitely be considered interfering. “You’ve got to be kidding me! We’re twenty kilometers away from the primary target and it’s almost midnight! What could you possibly pick up fromhere?”
“Yeah, well, that’s what you get when you pull babysittingduty.”
Rebecca’s gaze snapped over to the second member of the geek squad she’d been stuck with. “Excuseme?”
“Nothing,” he whispered, shaking hishead.
“Oh, fuck you, Larry. Grow some balls.” Dumbo whipped his pen at the other man’s chest. “We all know the only reason we’re out here tagging minivans and mopeds is because Keller doesn’t want her anywhere near this takedown.”
What?“No, we do notallknow that! Why the hell not?” How was she supposed to do her job if her boss wouldn’t let her? First he moves in and takes over the case she’d spent the last five years of her life building. Now he was banishing her to the fringes of the universe to be guarded by the geek brigade while he got all the credit and glory for taking out Jauhar? Not to mention he was putting Natalie’s life at risk by not using every resource available to make sure she was located and extracted safely.Screwthis!
“Hold on,” she barked at Diver, nodding at Larry. “Take my phone and give me yours. Have Diver patch his video feed of the secondary location into your network drives so we know what’s going on.” She tossed her cellphone to Larry and held her hand out for his. When he didn’t immediately give it up, Daniel grabbed him by the hair and pulled him from hisseat.
“That’s my daughter you’re leaving out there to die!” Rebecca’s gasp of alarm filled the small interior. When she thought Daniel was about to snap the guy’s neck he leaned in close and growled in his hear. “You may think this is a babysitting job, but the most dangerous place for you to be right now is exactly where you are. I will not hesitate to end your miserable excuse of a life if it means saving my daughter’s. Hand. Her. Your.Phone.”
Larry reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, hurriedly handing it to Rebecca. Dumbo jumped to attention and grabbed Rebecca’s cell from Larry before it fell from his trembling hand.Yeah, who needs to grow a setnow?
“When Diver completes the uplink, don’t disconnect the call. We don’t want to take the chance of not being able to get him back.” Rebecca left lovely Larry to Daniel’s mercy, dialing Keller as she unlocked the passenger door and hopped out onto the street. Let Daniel tear them apart. Hell if she cared. They might be following orders, but they weren’t herorders.
“Yeah, Larry. What’s your status? Why are you calling my cell?” Keller’s deep voice rumbled over theline.
“His status is neck deep in shit and sinking fast, Director. Like my jobapparently.”
“Goddammit!” Dax Keller’s voice trailed off into a colorfulrant.
“Why do you have me out here under lock and key being guarded by the geek boutique? This was my case, sir. I should be theone—”
“This isn’t the time, Danes. We’re on strategic stand down and I’mnot—”
“You’re not using your best resources, sir. We’re twenty minutes from the secondary location. If Diver is correct then we have to coverit.”
