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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

“Y ou had me convinced.”

Though Ghazi’s words had been spoken softly and without malice, the acid in Alyssa’s stomach churned. She turned to where he reclined on the twin bed, relaxed as could be. Flicking his antique lighter open, lighting it, then closing it again. Over and over.

Benson stood with his back to the door, arms crossed. A silent prison guard.

Hacking into SJSS’s server had been simple, but extra security surrounded the drone control system, which was proving much more difficult to penetrate.

She hadn’t actually tried before. She’d never intended to let Ghazi get that far. She didn’t begrudge the time it took, only worried he would lose patience and use his leverage.

The eight-year-old girl sound asleep at Alyssa’s feet.

“My man at the country club took a video of the engagement announcement.” Flick, flame, extinguish.

She hadn’t noticed the club manager-turned-traitor recording anything, but she’d been focused on Callan.

“Did you see how your family was moved to tears as you lied to them? I wonder… Does your fake boyfriend know how you really feel? Because we both know you weren’t pretending. You might not actually be engaged, but you’re in love with Callan Templeton. It must hurt to know he was just using you.”

This evil terrorist knew nothing about Callan or his feelings for her. He knew nothing about love. Even if the engagement had been fake, Callan felt something for her. More than just friendship. The only thing keeping him from exploring those feelings was the little girl at Alyssa’s feet.

He wasn’t a great father yet, but he would be. He knew what his daughter needed, and he intended to provide it. Not just money but love and time and care. That he understood Peri needed to be his priority right now only made Alyssa love him more.

“He’s paid to lie,” Ghazi said. “He faked it well. And we both know you’re an exceptional liar. I am a difficult man to fool, yet you managed it.”

She turned back to the computer, ignoring him, scanning the code, trying to find an opening. There must be…

“That must’ve been some ring,” Ghazi said. “That part you hadn’t planned in advance. Your tears were authentic. You want it, don’t you? Those diamonds. Because of the value? Or because you want the man?” He paused as if waiting for an answer. “Both, probably. You’re more of a fool to believe him than I was to believe you. You knew he was lying and still bought it.”

Alyssa had been scrolling through the code but not really seeing it. She scrolled back and started again, her fingers like ice in the chilly room.

“How far did he take it? Did he coax you into his bed the way he coaxed you into his heart? How much does that betrayal hurt?”

Callan hadn’t coaxed her into his bed, and as for his heart…she’d handed hers over all by herself. “I need to concentrate. If you want me to do this, you should stop talking.”

“You can walk and chew gum at the same time.”

“I can’t focus on this and listen to you at the same time.”

“Aren’t you curious about how I found out it was all a lie?”

She was, but again, she wasn’t about to say so. Whoever had messed with the code to allow her to hack in—and she was convinced someone on the inside had left that door open—must’ve left a window cracked into the drone security system. She just had to locate it and slip through.

And pray that, on the other end, Dad and Callan were securing those weapons.

“It was when your father and the CIA agent left the party to talk privately. They were going to the room your father always uses—which, of course, had been bugged. But your boyfriend insisted on using a different room. Why would a fiancé do that? A man with nothing to hide?” He paused again, and again Alyssa pretended she wasn’t listening. “He wouldn’t, but a spy would. We still didn’t know his real name, of course. But his little girl provided that information.”

Alyssa found it.

The window was barely cracked. One word in one line of code. One key.

She made note of where she was, then navigated away.

It was too soon.

She needed to stall.

“Don’t worry,” Ghazi said. “We didn’t hurt her. We just asked for her father’s name. Children are so trusting of adults, even adults who plan to slaughter them.”

Alyssa cringed, feeling the sting of his words. She turned in her chair to face him. “Gosh, I feel so much better now.”

He nodded to the system behind her. “You need to keep working.”

“I can’t concentrate with your talking. Go ahead and finish what you want to say, and then I’ll get back to it.”

A flicker of anger crossed his features, but he tried to hide it with a smile. “You’re much braver than I expected.”

Brave? She felt anything but.

“Not many women would give themselves up for someone else’s child.”

“Maybe not where you come from, but I don’t know a single woman who wouldn’t.” Her mother, her sisters, her cousins’ wives and girlfriends. All of them would sacrifice themselves to protect the innocent.

“Single women are desperate for a man," Ghazi said, "so perhaps that’s why.”

She hadn’t meant single as in unmarried, but she saw no reason to explain herself.

“I have one question,” he said. “And then you can continue. When did you find out who I really am? Or have you been playing me all along?”

“I had no idea who you were until the night we met. When Callan claimed to be my fiancé, that was the first time I’d seen him in years. He told me the truth about you.”

Ghazi studied her, seemed to be searching for the lie. After a moment, he gave a curt nod. “I am glad to know that. Have you given the authorities information about other things you’ve found for me since we’ve been working together?”

“I discovered today, after the party, that the FBI has been surveilling me. They’re the ones who stole my computer system the night after we met.”

They hadn’t gotten past her security yet, but she didn’t think it wise to tell Ghazi she’d given them her passwords.

“Your own government doesn’t trust you?”

“I’m not the only one being watched, Ghazi.”

He took that in, nodding. “Ah, but they have good reason not to trust me. And at the restaurant that night, did Templeton just happen to be there, or was he sent?”

“He got a tip that somebody was in danger. When he saw me, he made up the lie on the spot.”

“You played it well. Though I was suspicious, I believed you were annoyed that he’d interrupted your business meeting.”

“Believe me, I was.”

That garnered a smile, though on the terrorist, it looked sinister.

“Can I ask you a question?” At his nod, she said, “What was your plan?”

“The Russian is to be honored Monday night in Washington, DC. Now that you have confirmed the name, I know my source can be trusted. I planned to hit the restaurant.”

“And kill all those innocent people?”

The last trace of his smile vanished. “There are no innocents in America. You are all guilty. It is only a matter of degree.”

She contemplated his words. “I don’t disagree. ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’”

“What is that?”

“Scripture. It’s in Romans, though Paul was quoting Isaiah, I think. We are all guilty. We are all in need of a savior.”

“You’ll have no savior today, Alyssa.”

They’d see about that. “And now that they’re on to you? What will you do?”

“I will have to settle for less strategic strikes.”

Strikes. Plural.

As if hitting a hotel that could potentially have a thousand people inside could be considered strategic.

“Langley, the Pentagon, and I think”—he tapped his chin—“your father’s country club. Your mother and sisters are still there. If your father leaves, then he’ll have the rest of his life to grieve, to know their deaths are on his head.”

Horror and dread warred for first place in Alyssa’s mind. If she gave him what he wanted, everyone she loved would be at risk.

If she didn’t, Peri would pay the price.

Ghazi tsked. “Maybe if you’d kept your heart out of it, you guys could’ve figured a way to bring me down. When love gets involved, one loses the ability to think straight. Love is for fools.”

“You’ve never been a fool? Never been in love?” Her only answer was the flick-flame-extinguish of his lighter. “Not even with Fatemeh?”

He sat up on the bed, his dark brows lowered.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Benson straighten.

“How do you know that name?” Ghazi’s words vibrated with anger.

She smiled. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? When you hire people to dig stuff up, you never know what they might find. I’m curious. Was the lighter a gift from her?”

He curled his fist around it. Though he gave no answer, the flash of surprise in his gaze confirmed her guess.

“You must’ve been heartbroken,” Alyssa said, “considering the lengths you’re taking to avenge her death. That sounds a lot like love to me.”

Or some misguided, perverted version of it, anyway.

“My father was acting on the intelligence he’d been given. He didn’t know the intel was bad.”

“You think that excuses it?” Ghazi opened his palm and lit the lighter again. “You think I care what the spy says?”

“You’re right about the Russian, though.” Alyssa chose to ignore Ghazi’s aggressive tone. “He passed on bad intel to protect his position in the SVR.”

“He will die. Your father will die. Return to your work, or you will die as well. You have”—Ghazi pocketed the lighter and checked his watch—“thirty minutes to give me access to the control system. And then, for every fifteen minutes you make me wait, your little friend will lose a finger.”

She spun back to the computer.

What now, Lord?

She navigated to the personnel system, thankful that, though on the front-end, the interfaces would look completely different, their code looked identical.

She typed a quick message in the same line she’d been using before.

DRONS 30 M. STOP THEM.

And then…

CNTRY CLB + DC TRGTS.

The Pentagon and Langley would have the security necessary to shoot them down, especially if they were forewarned.

Would Alyssa have the strength to sit by while Benson chopped off Peri’s fingers?

She couldn’t allow that.

But once Ghazi had access to the system, he wouldn’t need to keep the child or her alive.

What should she do?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know.