Page 26 of Dangerous Protocol
“Whatever you want. There are washcloths and towels in the hall closet, just outside the bathroom.” He grabbed a cast-iron skillet from a lower cabinet. “How does chicken sound?”
“Lovely, actually.” She finished the last of her wine, set the empty glass on the counter, and looped her backpack over one shoulder. “I’ll be quick.”
“No rush.” Jeffrey watched her disappear down the hallway.
She must’ve been absolutely frantic to seek his help, if all she brought with her was a backpack.
He listened for the sound of the shower and slipped his phone from his pocket to call one of the only people he trusted to help him get his daughter back.
The phone rang twice before Beck picked up.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I need your help again.” He sprinkled salt and pepper on the chicken.
“Name it.” His friend’s response was quick and unquestioning. “Sammy informed me about Al-Mansoori’s arrival in the States and how he wasn’t alone.”
“That’s correct.” Jeffrey brought him up to speed on everything they knew so far. “Maya needed to eat and get some rest, so we’re at my place.”
“Wait. Did you say you took her to your place?” Beck asked. “Interesting.”
“It was the simplest solution.” He rarely brought anyone to his home, but he’d needed to get her here, where he knew she would be safe.
“So you think Al-Mansoori is holding Isla in the embassy?” Beck was one of the most protective guys he knew. He would understand Jeffrey’s unspoken need to keep Maya close.
“I do.” Casey was monitoring the embassy cameras with instructions to notify Jeffrey if anyone came or went from the property. “The video of Isla on the bed wastaken with a cell phone, and the metadata shows it was timestamped after his arrival in DC.”
“They used a cell phone?” Beck scoffed. “Their ignorance of technology is about to bite them in the ass.” Even a first-year NSA tech knew that cell phone videos or photos left behind digital footprints. “Go ahead and send the video to me, and I’ll have Andi take a look at it. She’s been inside the Qadiran embassy before and might recognize the room.”
“Good. I’ll text Casey now and have him send it over.” Jeffrey put the call on speaker and tapped out a text to his tech guy.
“What are you thinking?” Beck asked.
“I’m thinking I want to get her the hell out of there.”Now.He also wanted to burn the embassy to the ground with everyone in it who played a part in hurting his daughter. Right now, though, his priority was getting Isla back.
Jeffrey drizzled olive oil in the skillet and waited for it to heat up while he seasoned the chicken. The oil sizzled and popped when he placed the chicken breasts on the hot cast iron, then he covered it with a glass lid.
“I’ll have Sammy pull the blueprints for the embassy buildings.” Beck’s strategic brain was already clicking. “If Andi can determine with some level of certainty where they’re holding Isla, we’ll put a team together, go in, and retrieve her. I assume you want to be included.”
“You assume correctly.” The people who took his daughter had made a huge fucking mistake. Their actions had resurrected the killer the Marine Corps had trained him to be. The killer that always lurked just beneath the surface. “The embassy is considered Qadiran territory. If they catch us, they have every right to shoot to kill.”
“Then we won’t let ’em catch us.” Some might think Beck was being cocky, yet nothing could be further from the truth. His confidence was the by-product of hundreds of successful OSI missions in places far more dangerous than the Qadiran embassy.
“We’re not sure what kind of drug they’re giving Isla, so it’s critical we do this sooner rather than later.” Jeffrey had tried to maintain his infamous professional stoicism, but this was personal.
“The Dark Ops team in Virginia is closest, but I know a few of our folks here are going to insist on being a part of it.”
“I figured Andi would want in.” Jeffrey had recruited her right out of college to come work for him. She’d proven to be one of the toughest, smartest people he’d ever worked with.
There was a time when he’d been worried about Andi. She’d been deployed to the front lines for several years and had begun to feel more comfortable in a war zone than back home. To preserve her soul, he’d ordered her back to the States and sent her to consult with the O’Hallerans ona case. After a contentious beginning with Jonathan, she’d ended up falling in love with him and adopted his baby girl, Ashling.
“Not just her, Jeffrey,” Beck said. “Like it or not, you’re family.”
“Thanks, Beck. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” He hung up the phone, grabbed some tongs and turned the chicken over. “Did you catch all of that, Maya?”
He’d practically felt the tension vibrating off of her from across the wide space as he’d spoken to Beck. He returned the lid to the pot, lowered the flame, and turned to face her.
Her hair was wet, and she’d pulled all of it to one side. It hung in front of her shoulder, where water soaked into her light blue T-shirt. She had on a pair of blue jeans that looked soft and, if the wear was any indication, were a favorite of hers. Socks covered her feet. The heat of the shower had made her cheeks pink, accentuating her large, blue eyes and the dark circles beneath them.