“Nope. The idea of sitting in class and being lectured to was my idea of hell. That was the reason touring the world when I graduated from the International School appealed to me.”
“There were months and months that are unaccounted for during your tour. It’s bugging the hell out of our communications guy,” Leo laughed.
“What are you talking about? He could track me by my passport.”
“Sure, you entered India in April 2015 and eleven months later you showed up in Nepal. Kane’s still trying to figure out where you were during all that time in India.”
Daisy’s shoulders finally relaxed. She forked a bigger piece of her eggplant and ate it with relish. “It was a tough situation in India, but at least I could help.”
“So where were you?”
“I spent most of my time in the state of Bangladesh. There was bad flooding. I helped where I could.”
“That’s all you’re going to give me? Come on, give me more, I want to show up Kane. Please,” Leo wheedled.
Daisy laughed. “Are you and your team members competitive?
“Honey, competitive doesn’t even come close to covering it. Except when we’re in the field working together, everything is a competition.”
“Yeah, that’s the way it is with my brothers. Jim was never into contact sports because his goal was to be a surgeon. Eventually, that changed. He’s a brilliant scientist and works with a team to come up with different cutting-edge molecular and DNA sequencing that go into cures for some of the most virulent diseases known to mankind. But he still has a thing about hurting his hands. Meanwhile, Brian was into any sport that had a ball or a puck. They settled on golf. If I have to hear about one more round of golf, shot by fricking shot, I think I might put a bullet in one of their heads.”
“Who wins most often?”
“It totally depends on the time of year. Brian runs one of the biggest accounting firms in Richmond. If it’s near tax season he loses every time. Since Jim’s a surgeon, he’s constantly under pressure so he thrives on golf.”
“What about your sister? Is she competitive?”
“Absolutely not. You couldn’t get more laid back than Karen. She has three kids. She’s the quintessential soccer mom—totally supportive, tries to get them to eat well, but she’s not regimented about it. Her house is where all the other kids come to hang out. She met her husband in college and they still get caught by their kids making out on the sofa. I know because her fifteen-year-old daughter called and told me that she’s traumatized for life.”
“Traumatized? Just what were they doing?” Leo asked.
“According to Leah, it was everything. According to Karen, they had on all of their clothes. Paul’s not talking. I figure it’s something in between.”
They both started laughing.
“That’s quite the family you have,” Leo grinned. “So who’s in charge of making the stink back in the States?”
“It’s June, so that’d be Brian. Alistair is helping. All three of my siblings are distraught. Even Mom is. That’s the only reason I’m over here.”
“I would have thought Alistair would have been the better choice,” Leo probed.
“He’s having some medical issues right now. Where possible, he’s giving advice and counsel and family and friends are running with it.”
Once again, Leo saw her tensing up. “Is he okay?”
She gave a sharp nod. She wasn’t going to tell him anything else.
“Are you going to tell me anything more about the rescue plans for my father?”
“Right now we’re still intelligence gathering. I needed to find out what possible reason the Haqqani Network would have to kidnap your father; that was the reason for me being at the embassy, and our lunch.”
“Did you learn anything?”
“It sounds like your dad could have done myriad things to piss off some locals and made him a target for Islamic terrorists.”
“Yep,” Daisy said as she pushed her plate away. “That’s Ethan Squires for you, always available to piss somebody off. Be it a four-year-old or an international network of terrorists, he’s your man.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Leo’s voice was gentle.
“Have at it. I’ve told you things that most of the people who’ve known me for the last five years don’t know.”
“If you dislike your father so much, why are you here rattling cages?”
Daisy grimaced, but then her expression smoothed out. She would win an award at compartmentalizing. “Like I told you before, it’s mostly for my siblings and the fact that I can’t let him be hurt. I love my siblings. I still can’t believe just how attached they are to him. I don’t get it. Personally, I think they need an intervention, but I’m not the type to do something like that. Live and let live. That’s a courtesy they extend to me as well, so we’re good.”
“I wouldn’t know what that was like.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“If my brothers and sisters weren’t in my business on a constant basis, I would think the pod people had taken them over. They have their noses in every aspect of my life.”
“Including your career?”
“Well, not what I do when I’m out in the field, but my sisters really want me to quit special forces. They want me to settle down and join the police force or fire department like my brothers. I’ll quote, ‘Leo, if you have to risk your life, do it local so you can settle down with a nice girl and have bebés.’”
Daisy snorted. “At least I never heard that from my siblings, or my mom or stepdad. I don’t know what I would do if they told me how to run my life. I think I would fall over in disbelief. So tell me, have you got enough background on me?”
“Even your mom?”
“Especially my mom. Her parents were a big influence on marrying the good doctor so young. They thought it was a prestigious match.” Daisy paused.
“What?”
She gave a half-laugh. “I was wrong. If anybody has an opinion about my life it’s my grandparents. They’re not impressed with what I’ve accomplished. They think I should settle down local and have some bebés.”
Leo gave a full laugh. “I told you. There’s always someone in the family with that opinion. Are you done massacring that eggplant? Can we order dessert now? And I’m not talking this damned tea.”
Daisy’s smile was a beautiful thing to behold.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“They use less sugar in their desserts. At least if they are truly like the ones that I’ve had baked for me by the Afghan women.”
Leo made a gesture for the waiter, then requested the dessert menu. After he left, Leo asked Daisy to recommend something. She explained the different desserts, and he chose the sheer yakh which was basically the Afghan version of ice cream flavored with cardamom and wild orchid.
“I can’t wait to tell my sisters I ate orchid ice cream. What are you having?”
“Gosh-e fil. It’s a pastry that’s lightly fried then topped with powdered sugar and other heavenly goodness.”
When the waiter came back, they gave their orders. That was when Leo’s phone rang. It was Kane. “I’ve got to step out and take this.”
Daisy nodded. He was impressed she didn’t ask a lot of questions.
As soon as he was out of the restaurant he answered. “Wait a minute.”
“Okay.”
The lobby was crowded, how in the hell had that happened? He went out to the front of the hotel, the heat blasting him like a furnace.
“Whatcha got?” he asked Kane.
“It’s definitely the Haqqani Network, not Al Qaida. They’ve got the reporter and the doc. They’re making noise about the doctor, they’re pissed. He’s been flying in the face of all sorts of Muslim laws. He’s been treating women without their husbands present—”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“It gets worse.”
“How can it get worse
than that?”
“When confronted, he told Imans that they were trying to kill their wives and children. That they might as well be putting a gun to their heads, and that the prophet Muhammad would be ashamed of them.”
“He did not bring up the prophet. Tell me he did not bring up Muhammad.”
“Yep. He painted a neon yellow bullseye on his back. Right now we have Marine translators on the ground, and they’re trying to get intel from the Afghans or Taliban. Whoever they can, but they haven’t hit pay dirt yet. Their feeling on this is that Dr. Squires is going to be made some kind of example.”
“Beheading?”
“That’s their take. Again, they don’t have any intel yet. But yeah, most likely. The only thing stopping them is that our intel has the leader, Siraj Haqqani in Pakistan right now. They wouldn’t want to do this without him to witness.”
“But he’s associated with the Taliban, and they want the Taliban to appear clean these days. I don’t get it.” Leo was confused.
“They wouldn’t put Siraj on tape. He’d just be there for the joy of watching. Asshole.”
“Oh, got it. What’s keeping him in Pakistan?”
“Now that we do have good intel on. There have been some back-and-forths going on with the locals and the Haqqani. He’s leading it. As soon as it dies down, you can bet he’s hot-footing it to Afghanistan.”
“So we’ve got to find Squires before the execution.”
Great.
“Well, find him and rescue him.” Kane clarified.
Double great.
“You left the embassy an hour ago. Did you get much from the daughter?”
“She basically confirms everything that you just told me. Her father is an arrogant prick who will sidestep all cultural norms to do what his pride demands. Arrogant motherfucker. It’s going to end up getting him killed, and probably that reporter too.”
“Get your ass to Bagram. We need to get a plan together.”
“I’m still debriefing Ms. Squires.”
“Do you think you’re going to find anything else that will help us?”
Leo thought about it. “I might.” Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “Give me twenty. If I don’t get any more answers, then I’m on my way.”
“Fifteen,” Kane gave him.
“Fifteen,” Leo agreed.
4
Daisy watched Leo sit down and look forlornly at the empty dish of ice cream in front of her.
“It was melting. Don’t worry, I ordered another dish for you.”
“Did you eat that other thing too? The Oh-My-Gosh?” he asked.
She laughed. “I had them put the Gosh-e fil in a to-go box to take to my room for later.” The waiter placed another dish of ice cream in front of Leo.
When the waiter left, he smiled at Daisy. “Thank you. I would hate to miss out on orchid ice cream.” She watched his face as he took the first bite. He grinned.
“This is great. It isn’t something I’m going to order at Baskin-Robbins, because nothing beats Rocky Road, but this is pretty damn good for flowery ice cream.”
“You make me laugh a lot. Which is pretty amazing considering the circumstances.”
Leo gave her a quick glance before concentrating on his dessert. Daisy took another sip of her mineral water and waited for Leo to finish his ice cream. She had a gut feeling that whatever his call had been about, she wasn’t going to like it.
“What?”
“Just wondering who that was and what you talked about.”
Leo scooped up the last spoonful and savored it. “Thanks for talking me into this.” He sat back in his seat. “Yeah, we have some suppositions about your father, but nothing that’s been confirmed so I can’t share it.”
She took a deep breath, trying to brace herself. “Is it because it’s unconfirmed, or is it because it’s bad?”
“Both. I’m going to leave in ten minutes, but I need to ask you a few more questions.”
“Can I ask you one more?”
Leo nodded.
“Do you think there is even a little shot at rescuing my father?”
“There’s always a chance. I wouldn’t still be here asking questions if I didn’t think we had a chance.”
She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the pristine white tablecloth. “Okay, ask whatever you want, I’ll answer anything. I’ve promised my siblings to do whatever I can to bring him home.”
“Has your father ever consorted with terrorists to get sick people the care they needed?”
Daisy bit her lip. That was a tough one. How often had money that her charity had given women ended up in the hands of their husbands who were terrorists? How many times had a bride price been paid so that a young girl could be rescued from marrying some man at the age of twelve? If W.A.N.T. was doing that sort of thing, could her father be walking the same kind of thin edge to get kids the care they needed?
“You’re thinking awfully hard over there,” Leo said softly. He’d pushed his dish away and was watching her carefully.
“Is it always black and white in your world? It sure as hell isn’t in mine. Trying to get the women the help they need in third-world countries has had some of my people making bad decisions instead of terrible decisions. But in the end, it has kept women and children alive, so ultimately my folks can look themselves in the mirror the next day. Do you know what I mean?”
Leo nodded solemnly.
It made her feel better.
“I don’t know what my father has done. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he has worked with terrorist organizations in the past.”
“Do you think he might have this time?”
“I really don’t know. I’d have to talk to Dr. Williams over in Pakistan to find out. However, from what I’ve heard it doesn’t seem likely. This time he seems to have been intent on pissing off all and sundry just to get everyone inoculated. Why, what have you heard?”
“I really can’t tell you, Daisy. Like I said, at this point, it’s all hearsay.”
She looked him dead in the eye. “So it’s really bad shit.”
He gave a short nod.
“Fuck.” She knew what that meant. There wasn’t going to be a ransom. Diplomatic channels wouldn’t work. He’d done something that made the terrorists want to kill him.
She thought about her brother Jim. He was going to be devastated. Karen and Brian would mourn the loss of their dad, but Jim? Jim would spiral for sure. He’d gone into medicine, following in Ethan Squires’ footsteps. Granted, he didn’t tour the world; instead, he worked in the lab, developing cures. But in his mind, he and his dad were working in tandem.
“Daisy?”
She shook her head, trying to get back to Leo and the conversation at hand. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I said I had to go, but I’ll be in touch.”
“Okay,” she breathed out slowly. She was still trying to take in all that Leo hadn’t said, but really had said.
“Don’t give up hope,” he gave her a tight smile.
“Hope is practically my middle name,” she quipped. “But I’m also a hardcore realist. I know what’s going on. I’m going to the embassy again tomorrow. They need to lean on the Afghan government, who then needs to lean on the Taliban.”
“Daisy—” Leo started.
She held up her hand. “I know that it is a Hail Mary play, but I’ve got to take it. You do what you do, and I’ll play the only hand I’m left with. All right?”
He nodded.
“Don’t you have to leave?”
He got up from the table and threw down enough Afghani bills to cover the meal and the tip. She scooped it up and tried to hand it back to him. “I’m buying,” she protested.
“Not on my watch, you’re not.” He gave her the kind of smile that sparked every feminine cell in her body to attention.
She could imagine the pittance the Navy paid him. She tried again. “I insist.” She tried to thrust the money at him again. He side-step
ped her.
“You can pay next time,” he winked at her as he took a step away from the table.
“In that case, there better damn well be a next time, Handsome.”
He hesitated, then came back. “I promise, Daisy. There will be a next time.”
“Don’t think I won’t hunt you down. That’s another one of my superpowers, kind of like rattling cages. So you better keep your word.”
His grin started out slow, but when it hit full blast, it was powerful. So powerful, she almost felt a force field hit her.
Whoa!
“I keep my promises, Daisy. I’ll see you later.”
She watched as he sauntered out of the restaurant. Her hand hurt. That was when she realized she still had the Afghani bills clutched in her fist. She dropped the money down onto the table, then called the waiter over for the bill.
By the time he’d gotten to Bagram Air Base, Leo had thought through his conversation with Daisy multiple times. According to Kane’s file, Ethan Squires was quite the humanitarian, but clearly, he was a loser in the father stakes. Hell, the word loser didn’t even begin to cut it. Looking at Daisy today, he’d easily imagined her as a toddler trying to ‘fix’ her mother and find help for her.
Then when she’d said that the hospital had ‘eaten’ her mother and she was sure her mother was dead, his heart damn near exploded with rage and pain. How could a father not offer comfort to his child? It was amazing that Daisy was here in Afghanistan trying to do anything to help the man. Her love for her siblings must be extraordinary.
As for what he’d done in Pakistan, that was information Kane had already gleaned, so nothing new there.
There was one thing that was gnawing at him. He did not think that Daisy would just sit on her thumbs in wait mode while his team gathered intel and formulated a plan. Plus there was the fact that even once they had a plan it wasn’t like Leo would be able to tell her that the mission was a go. So, they had a live stick of dynamite back in Kabul who was going to do God knew what.
Her Sensual Protector: A Navy SEAL Romance (Night Storm Book 5) Page 3
