by Amy McKinley
“You said two emails.”
“Yeah, the second one was just located, and Chris unraveled the encryption. It seems the Venezuelan partner did some snooping and discovered there were six prototypes that Henry was working on. He couldn’t find any evidence of others made, or the designs. That’s the last contact. George didn’t know what type of drones or their purpose. He also found out his partner died minutes after the email was sent.”
“The prototypes are the nanoweapons we’re after.” That made sense, but it also told us we’d hit a dead end. Hugo, known to George as Henry Adams, would be the only one with details. There wouldn’t be a paper trail anywhere, nor would the other employees be privy to his scheme.
“That isn’t all.” Mike’s crisp voice honed my attention. “Chris got a hit on Hugo clearing customs to the US. Our best guess is he’s here to complete the objective of wiping out Venezuela’s opposition in the upcoming National Security Council meeting.”
Rich had high-level clearance about the meeting’s agenda and what would be determined. In several days, the members of National Security Council would determine the threat level of the Venezuelan president and if an assassination would be the ultimate course of action.
“We need you home, gentlemen,” Rich commanded.
After ending the call, I ground my teeth. I wanted that fucker dead, but I had an even bigger priority. “I’m not going. Not until I get Kara out.”
“I don’t want to leave you here without backup.” Jack moved to gather the few things we’d scattered around the room, shoving them into his pack.
“I won’t be long, and Kara will be my backup on the way out. Just make sure the boat is returned after you cross the Caribbean Sea.”
Jack stopped what he was doing and took in my stance. I’d widened my legs and crossed my arms over my chest. I knew he would understand. If he’d had a chance when we were in high school, I knew he would have done things differently where his girlfriend, Jenny, was concerned. I had my chance.
“Keep us posted,” he said, “and I want you out in two days, no matter what. We’ll need you to secure the National Security Council members and neutralize the threat if it hasn’t been done prior.”
I nodded. After I saw him off, I would concentrate on Kara. If she learned that Ahmed had any additional prototypes, I would be there to follow that lead. It was doubtful. Our best guess was that the drones remained with Hugo.
We had to stop Ahmed and Hugo before a swarm of insect robots wiped out members of our government.
21
Kara
Nighttime was the worst time to be out on the streets in Caracas. Anyone who dared took precautions by carrying weapons. I hated what had happened to the city. I should have thought of it as mine, but in a way, it had never been home to me. It was just another jail.
Keegan will find me. I wasn’t the type of woman who relied on others, but I needed help to ensure Lily got away if there was any chance of escape. There were too many eyes on her whereabouts at all times, especially if we left the grounds together. Keegan had always been a hero to me, and in that lockbox within my heart, I prayed he would continue to be, so I could reunite with my daughter.
He’d flashed his cell when we’d had one of those rare stolen moments on the sidewalk. On the screen were dozens of views from the cameras he had stationed around Ahmed’s home. I had every faith he would see that I snuck out and find me. There were things we needed to discuss.
Belting the sweater wrap tight around my waist to ward off the chilly air, I slipped between the foliage. I’d recognized the angle of one of the cameras as being one I could easily reach. Scanning the branches with a small penlight, two trees later, I found it. Clicking the light on and off twice, I sent him a message. I stood there a moment longer on the off chance he was close.
As the seconds ticked by, I knew I couldn’t wait. I took off in the direction of the building he and I had squatted in when the kidnappers had chased us with guns. There wouldn’t be anyone there, and the safest place for us was within the thick den of thieves and criminals.
With sure steps, I raced through the streets to where I kept a Ducati. A trusted family stored it for me, and I paid them monthly for the privilege. I had to have a way to get away from Ahmed. I wound my hair into a tight bun at the base of my neck then opened the trunk that held my gear. My heart squeezed painfully at the sight of the tiny helmet nestled beside mine. It was for Lily if we needed to escape at a moment’s notice. Please be safe, baby. I missed her desperately.
With the helmet securely on and hiding my features, I added a leather jacket that none within Ahmed’s household would recognize as mine. I wheeled the bike out, threw my leg over, started it up, and took off down the street, kicking it into high gear after the first block. No need to wake anyone amidst the sleepy subdivision.
Eyes constantly scanning the streets and sidewalks, I stayed wary of an attack. Kidnappers were out in force at night, as were common street thugs who would rob anyone of anything they had. I didn’t need the hassle. My heart wept with fear that my daughter hadn’t gotten to Samir or that she was scared, even hurt.
The abandoned building loomed ahead. Windows partially boarded the front, and no lights were on. I cut the engine on my bike after turning into the alley beside the structure. We’d blown up a portion of the sidewall, and a gaping hole provided the perfect entrance to push my motorcycle through. Once inside, I dismounted. I was early. Please be here soon, Keegan.
“So, this is to be our meeting place?”
I whirled around, heart in my throat. He rose to his full height from the far corner behind me, looming in that way he did. Barely leashed energy crackled around him, filling the chaotic wreckage inside with the immediate sense of expectancy, of action. He was a force, one I’d been drawn to since I was a mere kid.
All the emotions I’d kept locked down strained, breaking the chains until a tear trickled down my cheek. Then I was in motion. Running. Leaping. His arms wrapped around me, and I clung to him, my face buried against his neck.
In his arms, I absorbed some of his strength and let him shoulder the weight I’d carried since before Kara was born. God, I was so scared of his answer, but I had to ask, “Is she safe?”
He held the back of my head with one of his large hands, cradling me to him. A shiver ran through my body, but the overwhelming uncertainty of what would happen still had me in its grip.
“She arrived a little over an hour ago and is being guarded by my family.”
“What?” My head snapped back, and I looked at him with horror. “Hugo?”
“No, never him. My military family. The women there will spoil her rotten. You have nothing to worry about.” With the pad of his finger, he swept away the river of tears.
“And Samir?” I wanted her to have someone familiar there with her. The look that came over his face was downright volatile. “What is it?”
“He isn’t her father, is he, Kara?”
He knows. “He is in the way that matters.”
“That isn’t what I was asking.”
I wanted to lie my head on his chest and not have the conversation. But I couldn’t, especially with the potential of his fury about not being told detonating. Still… “What does it matter? She’s mine. I won’t let anyone take her from me.”
“I would never do that, Kara.” His voice gentled. “Just tell me. Am I her biological father?”
My stomach cramped, and an onslaught of new tears fell from my eyes. I swiped them away, angered by my weakness. “Yes.”
He crushed me to him, and I felt the tremor that ran through his body. Seconds then a few minutes passed before he eased away, and he unwound his arms. Setting me on my feet, he took my hands in his. “Why didn’t you tell me? You would have been able to find me based on what I told you that night.”
I scrubbed at my face with my hands and put a stop to the tears, to the momentary weakness he’d witnessed. “I knew you that night as Max, despit
e you telling me you went by Keegan. You had a life free from the Dark Wings. While I could have found you had I tried, I couldn’t risk it. Nor could I do that to you after you’d escaped and remained off their radar. Ahmed was already suspicious of whose baby I carried, and then there was Jamal. They work together, and I feared for both you and Lily if they’d known you were her father.”
“Ahmed believes Samir is?”
“Ahmed has his suspicions. Samir is gay, but that isn’t widely known. When I came back after you and I’d spent the night together, Samir was single. After I found out I was pregnant, we fabricated our story that the baby was his.” I shrugged. I stood by my decision. “Samir is my best friend. He would have done anything for me. And he did.”
“Drunk or not, if he’s gay, there wouldn’t be anything happening between you two.”
“We said he found women equally attractive, and he’s always been a trusted friend of mine. It didn’t hurt that his eye color was somewhat close to yours.” Samir’s were more brown than green, but it was enough. “He agreed to marry me, and if my daughter was born with green eyes, it wouldn’t have been a stretch.”
“Why would he do this for you? What’s in it for him?” A muscle ticked by the side of his jaw.
“You mean, can I trust him?” My back snapped straight. “You left. I did the best I could here, and I think I did a pretty damn good job of keeping my baby safe. Samir may have gained security from being married to me, but not in the way you’re thinking. He is loyal to Lily and me.”
“I don’t know him, and because of that, he will not take Lily from the house.”
“What house? And that’s not fair. Lily needs him. To her, Samir is her father.”
“Samir will be contacted in a few hours and brought in to see her. He can stay should he choose to. But Lily will not leave without you, and that is non-negotiable.”
It took me a second to process that he was telling me to push past the fear of losing my daughter to her biological father. But that wasn’t what he was doing. He wasn’t trying to take her from me, to bar her from the only father she’d known. Instead, he wanted her guarded, safe until I could go to her. “Okay.” I trusted Keegan with my life after all he’d done for me, and I would trust him with Lily’s too.
His eyes bore into mine in that way of his, as if he was seeing inside me, my every thought and intent bare to him. There was no need for walls. I let him see the truth to my words. I did trust him. The relief crashing through me in waves ever since he told me Lily was safe was enough for me.
“Do you know if Ahmed has the drones?” he asked quietly.
I shook my head. “The only thing I was able to find out from hacking into his bank accounts is that he transferred a huge sum of money from one account.” I handed Keegan the piece of paper with the account information written on it. “Jamal has been at the house daily, and they’ve been locked in Ahmed’s office. Whatever is going to go down must be happening soon.”
“It is. We have a few days tops, then our chance of recovery will be gone. If you are able, find anything that points to the meetings with the president or Hugo. Anything that indicates it’s significant. We think he’s launching a political attack within the US, but…” He hesitated.
“Ahmed doesn’t only go after politicians in his or the president’s way,” I said. “I can tell you that his interests are purely selfish. That means if he’s trying to get in bed with another company and if there is resistance, accidents or death will follow.”
“Then you know what to look for. Also, check for when he’s meeting with the president. We fear he has already made the transaction to get a portion of the nanoweapons into his hands. I need to get into the house and search for the drones. Or is there any other place Ahmed keeps records or weapons?”
“I don’t know of any, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t.” I hated admitting that to him. While we were in the training camp, Keegan didn’t know everything behind why I was there. Ahmed portrayed me as a pampered princess, saying he wanted me to be highly trained for my own protection due to his unstable position. Keegan had his own problems, and I don’t think he recognized the extent of Ahmed’s hatred for me. He played the game exceptionally well, always wearing a façade in public of the doting father. In truth, he was anything but.
Keegan shifted and was suddenly closer. My fingers trembled, and I curled them into my palms, fighting against the need to touch him. What would he do if I reached out, pulled him close?
Our gazes met and held. Electricity crackled between us. Then he cupped the back of my neck, closed the distance between us, and covered my mouth with his. Sparks of light exploded behind my closed eyelids as I let myself feel passion for the first time in five years. He took his time exploring my mouth, and when he broke our kiss, I would have stumbled if it hadn’t been for his arm around my waist, holding me up. His forehead rested against mine as we fought to regain our breath.
“Your marriage—”
“Is in name only.” I could tell him. He would never betray me. “Samir and I have talked about what could be, if we ever got away from my father.” I’d opened up more than I should have. Time was running out, and I had to get back in the store. “I’ve got to go. I’ll do everything I can to get the drones or whatever my father has that could help you.”
Keegan was silent, probably putting two and two together. “Do what you can. After tomorrow night, Kara, I want you out of there. I’ll be coming for you.”
My pulse skyrocketed. No woman’s heart would be safe after hearing those words from someone like him.
22
Kara
With my elbows on the vanity, I rested my head against my palms and breathed. I can do this. Not much scared me except harm coming to Lily. She’s safe. That was what I had to focus on. That and helping to find the information Keegan required so I could get out of there. Once in the States, we would be free, at least sort of.
Keegan’s help eased my mind in more ways than he would ever know. But if he could figure out how to get both of us out without fulfilling the exit requirement from the Dark Wings… I didn’t know if it would be possible, short of staging my death. Or maybe I was exempt. Maybe the connection was Ahmed, and I was only the tool.
They didn’t let anyone go. Keegan had been an exception, a mistake on their part. He’d become a chameleon, a ghost, one they hadn’t been able to find. Would we be lucky twice?
The more I thought about our situation, the greater the risks appeared. Jamal had to die along with any ties we had to him.
I lifted my head and stared into the mirror above the sink. Dark, haunted eyes with half-moons clinging beneath them gazed back at me. They wouldn’t need to be covered up. With my haggard appearance, Ahmed might believe I’d lost sleep due to fear over Lily’s safety and not because of the man who’d birthed the method of her escape.
The bristles of the brush scraped my scalp as I worked the knots from my hair then secured the long strands in a high ponytail. Dressed in black, I planned to blend in with the shadows while searching for Keegan’s drones.
It was before dawn, and that time between two and three in the morning when most of the household was in a deep sleep was the perfect time to search Ahmed’s office and possibly his bedroom.
I let myself out of the bathroom and crept through my bedroom then into the hall. Andrea’s door was shut, the light off. I didn’t want to wake her. In time, I would confide some of what was going on, enough to give her the option to leave with me if she chose. I thought she might be able to help locate the drones. Sometimes, Andrea heard things as she moved through the house—she was invisible to people like Ahmed.
His agenda was all that had ever mattered. After Lily was born, I’d stayed home for the first few months before Ahmed sent me out on missions again. The time with her had been a gift, one he’d made sure to drill home daily during that time.
With a turn of the doorknob and a gentle push, I exited the suite of rooms I shared
with Lily and Andrea. The hum of the air conditioner filled the silence as I moved through the halls, turning down the ones that would take me to Ahmed’s office. I loved that time of the morning. Virtually everyone was asleep.
Silvery moonlight lit my way as it spilled through the large window at the end of the corridor. With my back flat to the wall, I held still inches from Ahmed’s door, listening for any movement inside. No light shone from beneath the door, but I wasn’t willing to take chances.
I pulled the tools I needed to pick the lock from my pocket, took a knee, and got to work. Breaking in was easy, something I was taught well to do, especially given the needs Ahmed had to obtain information about his business acquisitions. Working for the Venezuelan president wasn’t his only endeavor.
The tumblers clicked into place. With a simple turn of the lock, the obstacle was gone. I grasped the handle, twisted it, and eased the door open a crack. Darkness met my limited view. I withdrew my penlight then shone it along the slit, checking for any hidden wires. There had never been any before, as he was overconfident and thought himself untouchable, but Ahmed’s trust in me was at an all-time low, and I had to be sure.
The door clicked shut behind me, throwing the room into pitch black. I didn’t dare turn on a light. The penlight would have to do. The top of his desk was neat and orderly with nothing out of place. I was more interested in the contents within, anyway, and the safe. I started with the desk and got to work unlocking the drawers before riffling through each one.
