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“Our best guess is around twenty. He also left his best general behind.”

Awan was known for keeping his top men with him at all times. If he left a general to oversee his territory, that meant he was leaving something very valuable behind.

Ameera.

“Where am I supposed to meet him?”

“I’ve arranged for a meeting at noon today at a café near Frere Hall in Karachi. Your decoy will check into the hotel near there in—” he glanced at his watch, “—exactly two hours and twenty-three minutes.”

“Good. Make sure she doesn’t leave the hotel until right before the meeting. This will give us approximately six hours to maneuver up the mountain, get into the compound, free Ame and get back here.” I motioned for my protection to follow the other agents prepping for the mission and then strode toward the bunker that led to an underground tunnel into the main house of Kartik’s mansion. “I’ll need twenty minutes to freshen up and then we leave.”

Kartik followed after me and said, “You can’t go in. I won’t risk you.”

I stopped and turned a glare at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If anything happened to you, I could never look Ashur in the eyes again. I’ve known him for longer than you have. That man loves you.”

I’d forgotten Ashur and Kartik had met while studying at Harvard. They’d been part of a group of students who’d joined together to create a bitcoin farm. By the time they were in their senior year, all of their group had amassed such a high valuation of bitcoin that they were essentially billionaires. Thankfully they’d gotten out of the market before the bust and bought real estate in exchange for the high dollar value of their bitcoins.

“My relationship with Ashur has nothing to do with getting Ameera back.” I scanned my eye against the bunker entrance and walked through, once it activated.

“It has everything to do with it. I was there the day the air force medevac brought him and Veer back to Germany after they’d gone missing. Ash thought he was going to die, and he didn’t ask for his parents or his sister. He asked for you. He wanted to see you.”

My steps faltered, and I braced my hand on a near wall.

He asked for me.

“Then why didn’t anyone contact me?”

I knew the answer as soon as I asked the question.

“Minesh Kumar,” was all Kartik said.

Minesh had tried to keep Samina from Ashur, so why would he allow me to see him?

My stomach hurt. All those times Ashur had said he’d never stopped wanting me or that he’d waited years to get me back, he wasn’t just saying those things. He’d meant every word.

“I can’t tell you how to handle any assignment, but I can voice my objection. If anything happened to you, it could cause more problems than anyone could ever imagine. No one outside of Solon knows you aren’t in the US. Will you not consider coordinating from the trucks and let your team go in to get Ameera? She’d be the first to tell you not to come in guns blazing.”

“I’ve never stood by while my team was in the line of fire. How can you expect me to watch from the sidelines?”

“You aren’t only valuable to the men and women who you lead. You belong to Ashur and your country. Your loyalty can’t exclusively belong to Solon or your causes.”

I almost denied his admonishment, but then stopped.

He was right.

For so many years, Solon and my law practice were all I had. My identity was tied to my role, to the lives I saved, to the innocent people I defended. My safety was a mild concern compared to those I saved from human trafficking.

Oh God, what had I done? I let my worry about Ameera cloud my judgment and put myself in a position that could not only destroy Ashur personally but also his position as president if it got out.

I glanced at Kartik, who watched me with knowing eyes. As if he’d had to make the same realization I’d just come to.

He gestured to the hallway and then said, “It isn’t easy, but sometimes it’s worth letting others take the lead if it means protecting the ones you love.”

“Is that why you retired?”

Kartik had been one of the top agents in Solon. He was a legend. The countless lives he’d saved was a goal all of us had aspired to reach. Then one day, I was sent a report that Kartik had resigned from active duty status and would only work in a limited capacity of his choosing.