Page 149 of Deadly Betrayal

“What’s up?”

Jake shrugged. “Just a bad feeling. As I wasleaving the camp, Gwen got a call that airport security hadreleased Tariq’s men.”

“Shit. Any sign of Tariq?”

“He’s believed to still be in Fayzabad.”

Kaden dropped into the lone armchair andcradled his head. Had the men really just been delivering Shahram’sbody? Probably not, if the rumors of their weapons were true. “Thefuckers are after Laila.” He moved to the door to Khalid’s room.“If that sick bastard thinks he can take her from me and give herback—”

Jake came around the couch. “He’s not inthere. Hasn’t come back from his walk.”

“That was hours ago.”

“Guess he didn’t want to hear the… uh…” Jakejerked his head toward Kaden and Azita’s room.

A blush heated Kaden’s face. Damn pale skin.“Were we loud?” Christ, what if Laila had heard them?

Jake leered and waggled his brows. “The wallsaren’t exactly thick.”

Great. “Whatever you do, don’t tell Azitathat.”

After tucking his weapon into the holsterunder his arm, Jake mimed zipping his lips. They wandered back tothe couches and sat down. Kaden rubbed his neck, where insistentprickles had taken up residence. “I need to know where Tariq is. Idon’t think his men would come after her alone. He’s too concernedabout appearances.”

“Gwen has her feelers out. If something comesup, she’ll let me know.”

“Any news about the documents?” Theyhadbeen the reason Jake had rushed back to Camp Marmal. Orhad that just been an excuse to get into Gwen’s pants?

“Oh!” Jake sprang off the couch and unzippedhis duffel lying on the carpet near the wall. He pulled out a largemanila envelope. “It’s all here.”

“Really?” Kaden was across the room in aheartbeat. “She got everything? How?”

He took the envelope back to the couch andemptied the contents on the coffee table. A passport for Laila anda birth certificate listing Azita as her mother and Faroukh as herfather. A marriage certificate back-dating Azita’s first marriageto the year before Laila’s birth. Flabbergasted at the completenessof the treasure in his hands, he thumbed through Laila’s passport.It even had stamps showing she’d gone to Tehran and returned withAzita. Everything matched.

“How did Gwen get all this info about Azita?God. It’s fucking amazing.”

“Yeah, she is,” Jake said. The note ofadmiration and something else in his voice made Kaden’s head snapup. Across the kid’s face was a big proud grin.

“Fuck, Jake. You slept with her again, didn’tyou?”

“Maybe.”

“Was it a condition of getting thedocuments?”

Jake laughed, his head lolling back onto theseat. “Is this your way of defending my virtue? I slept with herbecause I wanted to. Why should you be the only one getting sometonight?”

Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but it did. Jakewas a good friend, and he’d do anything to help Kaden. But Kadendrew the line at using sex to barter. He wasn’t a fucking pimp. “Aslong as one thing had nothing to do with the other.”

Cocking his head, Jake stared at him with anodd expression. “Didn’t know you cared.”

“Didn’t know I did either.” Kaden scooped thedocuments back into the envelope. In his hands, he held everythinghe needed to bring Azita and Laila to Canada. “I owe Gwen big timefor this.”

“Nah.” Jake shook his head, a wise-ass glintin his eye. “She did it for me. I’m the one who owes her.”

“Yeah. And how’s she planning to collect?”Kaden couldn’t help grinning. It had been a long time since he’dseen his buddy so animated.

“That, my friend, is between me and thelady.” He angled his head toward Laila’s room. “By the way, yourlady’s in there.”

Kaden had figured as much. Nic was safe onthe base, but were Laila and Azita safe here with just him and Jaketo protect them? “Did Dixon go back to Camp Marmal when youreturned?”