Page 68 of Lucky Charm

“Oh, I already figured that. Except for one thing.” She paused to flip open the book, turned a chunk of pages, then turned the book around and handed it to him.

Hunt looked into the eyes of Ibrahim Qurban Sadozai. Flashing red strobe lights went off in his brain. His emotions seized with fierce protectiveness.

Cait licked her lips and blurted the words. “He was in the kitchen.”

“What?” Hunt’s brain stuttered. He couldn’t stop himself. He snapped the book shut and put a hand to her neck.

“He was in the kitchen of the house,” she repeated, eyes wide with panic.

“Who was it?” Tommy and Carter were at the back of the group.

“IQS,” Hunt uttered, studying Cait’s eyes, and trying to transmit calm without pulling her into his arms. “Tell me.”

“I went in the kitchen to use the hot water on the stove to wash my hands before the surgery. There were two men outside arguing. I couldn’t understand the language, wasn’t Pashto, but it felt like violence was about to erupt. I hurried through the routine, grabbed the sterile towel to wipe my hands, and started for Carter when they both came in the back door.” She pointed at the book. “That man first.”

“Who was the other man?”

“I don’t know. Hefty, gray in his beard, dark brown clothing. He was the one who yelled at the woman.”

“Carter, give me your phone.”

Carter moved to the front of the group. “I never saw him.”

Cait huffed. “Of course you didn’t. You were with the patient. I figured since you’d both been through the house, it was safe enough.” Cait lookedbetween him and Carter, not understanding it had been Carter’s job to keep her safe.

Hunt clamped his mouth shut on a sigh. “Show her the pictures,” he ordered.

The medic handed her the phone with a picture on the screen.

Hunt put his fingers over the image before she could see. “These aren’t pretty.”

Cait raised a brow, then pushed his hand away. The warmth of her skin rattled the door he’d closed on his emotions.

Watching her face, he waited while she looked at the picture. Forget that she was a doctor and saw worse than this all day long, he didn’t want her having to confront this shit.

“Well, he’s dead, isn’t he?” Her sarcasm washed over him letting him ease back a bit.

“Yeah,” Carter pronounced quietly. “You recognize him?”

“Yeah, that’s the second man.”

Hunt groaned. “What happened when they came in the kitchen?”

She handed Carter his phone. “Haquiri, right?”

Hunt swallowed against voicing a tirade of concerns. “Yes, the kid’s father.”

“No,” she snapped out.

“What do you mean no?”

“Well, the man never came close to the kid, never looked at him, yelled at the woman for like ten minutes. I thought he was going to beat her right in front of us. That man did not care aboutthat kid.” Cait ran a hand through her hair. “My professional opinion.”

“Go back to the kitchen. What happened before that?”

“The first man came in – IQS. Stopped right in front of me. Two feet away. Didn’t utter a word, but his eyes. Jesus. I’ve been dreaming about them.”

Hunt’s jaw tightened. “What then?”