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Saint sat forward then, his brow furrowing. Kaya, picking up on her husband's energy, also sat forward.
"Before I called you all in here, I got a call from the man who has Kira. He still has my sister, and we are still in play."
Rook leaned forward then. "Okay, how long did you keep him on the line?"
"Communication is already on it. And it was less than two minutes."
He cursed under his breath.
"I've already turned my phone in to them. You can have it when they’re done and see what you can do with it."
He gave me a nod. I could see his brain already working. I felt bad. He should be in bed. He’d moved his girlfriend, Nissa, into the tiny little bungalow on the property. The two of them spent the time during the weeks he was on at the bungalow, and the rest of the time, they were off campus. He'd had his birthday party in his childhood home. A massive grand affair. But something told me the two of them preferred it here.
"Before we get excited, they have a demand."
Lock's question was quiet. "What do they want?"
I turned my attention to Gabe. "They want him."
Saff, whom I'd already spilled all the beans to, sat there stoically. Just like she'd done when I told her the first time. I knew how her mind worked. She was trying to figure a way out, a way around, a way to do this better that was easier for everyone. She was also trying to find a way to save her brother.
Gabe sat forward. "Fine, hand me over."
That's when Saff shot the hell up out of her seat. "I'm sorry, Gabe, are you insane?"
Our Ops Command just shrugged as his gaze met mine levelly. "They want me; let's give them what they want."
Lock laughed. It was completely mirthless. "Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. We're not handing you over."
Gabe shrugged. "Look, I'm the one who made the calls in the field that caused us to fail in getting Kira back the first time. They want me, so they can have me."
I shook my head. "You're Ops Command. First of all, there's no way Oversight allows that. Second of all, you're our team lead, and you have national secrets that they will torture out of you. That makes no sense. We need an alternative."
Rook stood up. "We could give them a low-level operative, you know, like wearing a Mission Impossible mask or something. That could work… with a miracle."
Saff smoothed a hand down her face. "Even if that was a thing, we would have to look for someone who has the same features as Gabe to believably pull that off.”
Gabe shrugged as if to say, 'Well actually, it's kind of a thing, but that’s a question for another day.' Then he interjected, "I’m not putting some agent or recruit at the mercy of those arseholes."
Rook shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, but then at least they wouldn't spill national secrets. They cannot get you. That's just crazy. We can't give you up. Oversight will never allow it."
Saff’s voice was flat when she spoke. "They’d kill him first."
My stomach twisted. “No. We can’t let that happen.”
Saint, despite his bad blood with Gabe, was still on the fake-Gabe idea. “We need someone who's as tall as he is and arseholy enough to pull it off. That really limits our choices.”
Gabe gave a hearty guffaw and flipped him off. "I see you love me. It’s appreciated, mate.”
Saint rolled his eyes. “Kaya’s grown fond of you.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “I need actual answers. My sister's life is at risk here. And obviously, I’m not handing Gabe over, so what do I do?"
Gabe turned to meet my gaze. “Like I already said, do what they’re asking. Send me in.”
I threw my hands up. “That is not the plan, you wanker. I’m not letting them torture you."
Just looking at him hurt. It hurt me down to my soul. His moss-green gaze bored into mine. The eyes that I loved so much. His thick long lashes. The way they glittered with mischief when he was in his most relaxed state.
