Page 99 of Lucky Charm

Doogie lowered his voice. “We know the strict rules these people have about men that aren’t family interacting with their women. This may be punishment, plain and simple.”

Hunt tipped his head back, thinking through all the options, then nodded his head. “I’m guessing, since the kid asked for help to find his father, the deaths were in keeping with the kid acting as head of the family knowing that’s what his father would want. Reid compromised his mother, regardless ofwhether anything really happened, and his mother violated their laws.”

Doogie grimaced. “Shit.”

Hunt rubbed the back of his neck, tired of the complications in this hunt for IQS. In their line of work, the possibility that the kid had shot his mother and Reid had to remain part of the messy matrix. Even if they were wrong about the father, the murders wouldn’t be the first time that a kid operated in a terrorist capacity.

They let the door shut behind them and moved farther into the operations area. By mutual accord, they stopped their conversation. Given the early hour, the room should have been in a lull. It was not.

Scott, Reynolds, and Stocker were talking in the corner. Pratt had his nose in a monitor nearby. Hunt sidestepped Sutter who lingered for possible assistance. “I’ll be back to talk to you in a minute.”

“Yes, sir.” Sutter’s eyes were dull with fatigue.

Hunt stopped and looked closer. “Did you sleep?”

“Not yet, sir.”

“Go grab some rack time.”

Sutter looked at Doogie. He pointed to the door. “Go. I don’t need anything either. Get some rest.”

The young man responded in true form to how tired he was. He was out the door in seconds.

Hunt went to the corner. Stocker surprised him by interrupting his conversation. The man was pale with bloodshot eyes and chewing the tip of a cigar.

Hunt put out his hand. “Sorry about your man. Nothing we could do.”

Stocker shook his outstretched hand without reservation or recrimination. “Thanks for not leaving him there.”

Hunt dropped back a step and leaned on the briefing table. “We don’t leave our people behind. None of them.”

Stocker nodded. “Seems he was in this up to his eyeballs. Since he wasn’t reporting in, we don’t know what happened or why. Reynolds has the only good piece of news.” Stocker separated from the group and exited the room.

Reynolds shifted to the map. “Our people combed past missions into these areas back to 2006 records. One would think that once they were confronted in those areas, they would have moved their caches. But, given how many searches have come up negative, how many years have passed, and the assumption being prevalent the US is pulling out, they might have gone the opposite way. We’ve added those locations to the map.”

Hunt looked at the more than a dozen marks on the board. “A lot there.”

Reynolds smirked. “We’ll call home if we need help. Beats searching an area we already know is clean.”

Hunt rose to go but stopped. “We’ve been in those mountains twice and been ambushed twice. Keep your head up and your gun in your hand.”

“Noted.” Reynolds nodded at Scott and followed the route taken by Stocker out of the room.

Doogie pulled out a chair at the table and sat. “Anything else we should know?”

Pratt raised his hand. “I’m reviewing the area around the house in the twelve hours preceding your visit. Several local sources sent information. Don’t know how Stocker worked that out, but I’m not asking. Nothing so far. No activity. That is not consistent with what we know happened.”

Scott was silent for a minute, staring at the board. “Operation parameters give Reynolds and Special Forces ten days to scour that area. If they find nothing, we’re done. IQS could be anywhere by now, even across the border into Pakistan or even Iran for all we know. This all may be for naught.” He walked off and his office door snicked shut.

Doogie rose to his feet. “I need coffee. Can we bring you some, Pratt?”

The man shifted in his chair and stretched his back. “No. I’ve had too much already.”

Hunt tapped his shoulder. “Keep up the good work. You’ll find it. You always do.”

They walked to the door. “I could sleep.” Doogie yawned.

Remembering Cait’s directive, he grinned at Doogie. “Let’s go get breakfast.”