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“New client?”
Eva beamed with pride as she answered Carson. “Abraham hired me. Well, officially he hired CS.” Her delighted smile faded and her voice returned to that all-business efficiency as she gave a concise report to the sheriff. “He says Bakr sent a team of three to deal with me, but one of the men is loyal to Abe.”
“Not the one I, ah, injured?”
“No.” She started to pat his shoulder, but yanked her hand back.
The sheriff eyed them for a long moment. “So. One of the men involved with the kidnapping is on our side?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Abe now?”
“I can’t say. Special Agent Nichols is handling his security.”
“That’s a relief. We’re spread thin enough. You two okay to stay here? We’ve got the perimeter in place again.”
Carson glanced at her, knew the resolve in her eyes matched his own. “We’re good here.”
Sheriff Cochran shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Good. I’ll tell Ruth that Wade did a fine job on the new door.”
“Tell her I’m sorry about the cookie jar.” Carson said. “I promise I’ll track down a replacement.”
The sheriff clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re both safe. That matters most to all of us.”
Chapter 12
Bakrreadthetextmessage on his phone and let the fury sweep through him. The queen was still on the board, still a wild card.
She’d surprised him, making an astute and unexpected leap of logic, sending the team to Matheson earlier than expected. And her guards were competent, keeping her secure behind the castle walls.
When his nephew had been the hostage, she’d followed the breadcrumbs he’d laid out, leading her team exactly where he wanted them to go.
He wasn’t sure if he should attribute the change to her increased experience, personal growth, or some other factor. Did it matter? Maybe the night that had proven so pivotal for him had been equally transforming for her.
The idea intrigued him. How could he use it against her?
He wasn’t worried about the man currently in FBI custody. All three of the men he’d selected for this task would gladly die before they’d betray him. He had trained two out of the three personally, seen to their advancement and provided them all enough to live luxuriously.
They understood the rewards he’d offered for capturing the queen were greater still.
He sighed. The primary perk of this game—like any other—was adapting, effectively countering her moves, until she was cornered, with no choice but to betray that which she held dear.
Then he would have what he wanted: the queen’s surrender. She would give him the information he needed to secure his place at the top of Morcos Construction and remain there for the rest of his natural life.
Without her, without the details only she could find, his reign was likely to be cut short.
It was a mere formality to be voted in by the board of directors, but those who oversaw the darker side of the company’s interests were already impatient for him to make up for his past errors.
He picked up the phone and dialed the pilot’s number. “I need a repeat of last week’s route.”
The pilot gave him a timeframe and Bakr hung up.
He smiled; a predator eager for the hunt.
Abraham had been the perfect son, the exemplary older brother, lauded for his leadership, asset management, and forward thinking. Naturally, he had time for all of those worthy pursuits because Bakr was doing the dirty work behind the scenes.
It had been his role within the family to support their mutual interests in this way. The second son had been groomed to attend to the less desirable tasks through generations.
