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“I’m not calling about that,” Lachlan growled. “Nadia Haider’s brother is in town. He’s stalking a colleague of mine, a woman.”
“Call the police. That’s not an FBI matter unless he kidnaps her and takes her across state lines.”
Lachlan’s back teeth ground together hard enough to crack. “He confronted her, told her to tell me my day is coming. Haider wants to expose me as the soldier who shot his sister. He wants revenge.”
Lucas’s weary sigh echoed in Lachlan’s ear. “You know he’ll get nowhere. How would he even know to go after you? JSOC doesn’t let those mission details get into the public arena.”
“Haider’s been to Afghanistan.” Lachlan let his news drop into silence. “Meeting with Mohammad Razul Khan.” He stiffened, remembering the conversation he’d had with Ryder. “What if threatening me is a side benefit, and Haider is in DC meeting with Khan’s supplier? He owns an import-export business. He could be acting as the middleman, which is why we haven’t been able to pinpoint how the shipments are getting to Khan.”
“I’ll make some phone calls,” Lucas replied. “In the meantime, watch your six, and don’t do anything stupid. Has Haider made any threats to you or this woman?”
“Not yet, but if he goes near Sophia again, I make no promises.” Lachlan didn’t try to keep the menace from his voice.
“What’s she to you?”
“Nothing. Haider has the wrong idea about her.” The lie stumbled off his tongue. That damn ache in his chest returned.
“Hmmm. I’ll be in touch.” The Assistant Director hung up.
Lachlan sat motionless, the phone still held to his ear.
Dust and the stench of burn pits and latrines assaulted Lachlan’s eyes and nose as he exited the hanger at Bagram where the SAS and SEAL teams had received their final briefing on the night’s mission. Nathan walked with him.
The scowl on Nathan’s face showed his thoughts about the SEALs being relegated to the support role.
Lachlan slapped him on the shoulder. “Cheer up, pal. You lads had lead last time.”
Nathan grunted. “You’d better hope I don’t have to sneeze or scratch an itch or something about the time some Taliban asshole has you in his crosshairs.”
Lachlan laughed, then sobered as his mind returned to the mission. “Let’s hope Nadia’s intel and the aerial reconnaissance photos from this morning are accurate.”
“Navy command staff thinks we’re looking at a sixty percent success rate.” Nathan slanted Lachlan a look filled with mischief. “I’ll take those odds.”
Lachlan nodded. “I’ll take those odds as well. See you at zero dark thirty.”
Lachlan’s office phone buzzed, jolting him back to the present.
Nadia’s betrayal had tainted every day of the past two years. His gut told him Sophia was different—her warm heart and trusting nature who she was, not how she presented herself. But his gut had been wrong before.
Maybe once Khan and Haider had been dealt with, and his debt to the dead paid.
Maybe then, he’d let her show him how to trust again.
Chapter Thirteen
ThesharpstaccatoofSophia’s heels echoed off the concrete floor of the parking garage beneath LAI’s office building. She located her bright sea-glass-green car amidst the monochrome collection of gas guzzlers mid-way up the ramp to level one and held up her key fob. The locks disengaged with a click.
She had a feeling there was a lot more to this situation with Lachlan than he was admitting. Why did this guy, Haider, follow her if he was angry with Lachlan? And what role had Lachlan played, exactly, in Haider’s sister’s death?
And what kind of woman would defect to the Taliban?
Oh, sure, she’d seen the news stories of all the young women who’d left their home countries in the West and snuck over borders to marry Islamic fighters in Syria and Iraq, but that didn’t mean she understood it.
A large hand shot out, covering her hand holding the car key.
She squeaked, pivoting to face her attacker, her other hand raised like a claw to go for the eyes like she’d learned in a self-defense class in college. Lachlan’s familiar scent reached her brain at the same time her eyes registered his face.
He moved like a ghost.