Page 15 of No Going Back

“There’s been a real uptick in chatter about an attack but no other details.” Kelly turned her monitor so Mira could see.

“You’re not kidding. Maybe it’s time we briefed Sam and the teams. Reborn is still an ongoing op for Onyx.” Mira stifled a yawn.

“Someone keeping you up?” Kelly teased.

Yes, Tyler. But not in the way Kelly was thinking. “I wish. Just had a few rough nights.” Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Tyler’s boyish grin and those cute dimples. She missed him. With the team being on R and R, she hadn’t seen him since their dinner. They’d platonically texted a few times, but they hadn’t spoken. Having a little distance between them was probably a good thing, but the ache in her heart hadn’t subsided. She hadn’t told anyone about Tyler. A few times, she considered telling Kelly, but decided against it. There wasn’t anything to tell now anyway. It was over.

“I got this if you want to take a break,” Kelly offered.

“No, I’m good, but thanks.” She would much rather be here and occupied than at home alone.

“OK. I’ll go find Sam, see what he wants to do about the brief.”

Kelly left in search of their boss. There were three ops in the pipeline, but until they had all of the pertinent intel, the teams were not looped in. No way were Onyx teams planning ops with half-baked intel. Sometimes gathering intel took a few days, other times weeks, even months. It was a never-ending task. One she loved.

Kelly came back through the door carrying sandwiches. “Thought you could use some fuel.” Mira accepted one gratefully.

“Thanks. Time flies in here. I haven’t eaten all day. What did Sam say?” Mira took a bite of her sandwich.

“He’s pulling both teams in. We’ll brief in about an hour.”

Mira swallowed and put down the sandwich. Her mouth went dry. Guess it was time to face Tyler.

An hour later, Mira and Kelly made their way to the war room where both teams had assembled. A pang of envy hit her when Kelly went straight over to Dex, giving him a quick hug and kiss, before she settled at the front of the room. Mira glanced around, not seeing Tyler.

“Hey, you.” She jumped at his voice behind her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Tyler moved into her line of sight. “Are you OK?”

No, she wasn’t OK. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, and the way he was looking at her indicated he wanted to do the same.

“I’m good, thanks. Just a little tired.”

“Not sleeping?”

“Yeah. You guys might get down time, but we do not.” She smiled.

“OK, if everyone is ready,” Sam said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. The room fell silent, and Mira moved to the front to join Kelly, forcing her attention back on the task at hand.

“I’ve called you all back today for an update on Reborn.”

The room remained silent. Reborn were the rebel faction in Daram that had killed a SEAL team and held Kelly captive. Raven had captured their leader, Reyes Lazir, and his number two, Ahmed Khalini. While their cell network in the US had been dismantled, Reborn had regrouped.

Just a couple of months ago, Onyx had thwarted a weapons deal between Reborn and a Mexican cartel. Ryan’s girlfriend Dr. Sophie Summers and her sister Chloe had got caught up in the middle of it and Ryan had been seriously injured. Reborn remained a target for Onyx.

“After our last interaction with these bastards Mira uncovered that Reyes Lazir’s wife, Asma, has a very wealthy father. Our intel team have uncovered some more information, so we want to bring you all up to speed.” Sam gestured to Mira who stepped forward. A few taps on Bertha, the table top computer and a picture appeared on screen.

“Omar Aziz. Fifty-five years old. A Daram refugee, who fled to Pakistan ten years ago. He now owns a luxury hotel in Islamabad. Aziz is one of the few refugees that was granted citizenship in Pakistan, together with his wife, and daughter. A highly successful businessman who has political and military connections. His estimated net worth is several million, which in Pakistan is a hell of a lot of money.”

“Have you connected him to Reborn?” Dex asked, passing his baseball from hand to hand.

“Do we have concrete proof? Not yet. But we did find these.” Mira brought up two more pictures showing Aziz and another man in conversation and shaking hands.

“Zaid Khan.” Ryan said. “Not going to forget that fucker’s face.” Khan had been Reborn’s point person on the weapons deal Onyx had stopped. Ryan had killed him.

“We are working on the money trail, but it’s going to take some time. Aziz is an acute businessman. He knows how to cover his tracks and is probably using the hotel as a means to launder the money.”

“So there’s no target package on him yet?” Tyler asked. Mira looked at him, determined to remain professional.

“No. Not yet.”

---