Page 18 of Dangerous Protocol

“Well, if what I just witnessed is any indication”—he looked sideways at his boss—“he left out a few, um … details about you.”

“I told you what you needed to know,” Jeffrey grumbled as he focused on the paper. “Maya, when did you arrive in the States?”

“Early this morning, around eight o’clock. Why?”

“CCTV cameras captured Nadim Al-Mansoori’s unscheduled arrival at the Qadira embassy compound two hours ago.” Finding out about the new King of Qadira’s surprise arrival in the States was further proof Jeffrey had sources far beyond most people in the intel community.

“Nadim is here?” She accepted the paper from him and skimmed through the information, then looked up at him. “In Washington?”

“So it would seem.” A scowl darkened Jeffrey’s features, and he tugged on his bottom lip. She remembered he did that whenever he was analyzing a situation.

“What are you thinking?” Maya had known a lot of incredibly smart people in her time, but never had she met anyone with the tactical thinking skills possessed by Jeffrey Burke.

“I’m thinking it’s a pretty damn big coincidence that he arrived here shortly after you did.” He watched for her reaction. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Oh, my God.” Her worst fears were confirmed. “Isla wasn’t taken by some random predator online—”

“She was taken by Al-Mansoori,” Jeffrey said.

The man who had vowed to his dying father that he would kill Maya now held their daughter.

“Did he have anyone with him?” She moved closer to the front of Casey’s desk.

“We’re not sure. He arrived in an official limousine with dark, tinted windows and was followed by a black passenger van. We lost sight of them after the huge embassy gate closed behind them,” Casey said. “Sammy’s way better with surveillance systems, so she’s working on pulling up the footage from the cameras inside the embassy grounds.”

“There is absolutely no way the Qadirans will agree to give you access to their surveillance system.” She made it a point to stay abreast of what was happening in the world, and anyone with access to a television or newspaper could tell you the relationship between Qadira and the United States was tenuous at best.

“We’re not asking,” Jeffrey said. The power and absolute assuredness behind that statement were unmistakable.

Qadira was on the verge of being expelled from the United States due to their suspected financial support of terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East and northern Africa. They were playing a dangerous game, because America was a sleeping giant that did not take kindly to having its military installations and personnel targeted by terrorist rockets covered with financial fingerprints that could be traced back to the Qadiran royal family.

“Sammy’s awesome and a friggin’ genius. She has skills like no one I’ve ever met. Trust me, she’ll have something for us before too long.” Sounded like Casey’s interest in his tech counterpart went beyond mere professional admiration.

“What do you think he intends to do with Isla?” Maya turned to Jeffrey, desperately trying to conceal the terror tingling just beneath the surface of her skin.

“Al-Mansoori will contact you to make an exchange—Isla for you. He knows you’ll agree. Then he’ll kill you both.”

CHAPTER NINE

Jeffrey could see Mayawas struggling to keep it together, but he didn’t mince words. He owed her the unvarnished truth and knew it would further strengthen her resolve.

“How can he contact me?” She tossed her hands up. “He doesn’t have my number.”

“We’re confident he’ll use the Kids Chat website,” Casey said.

“Wait, what?” Her brows scrunched together, and she looked from Jeffrey to Casey.

Casey glanced up at him, seeking his permission to share what they knew.

Jeffrey nodded. “She has clearance.”

“Okay, cool. That’ll make all of this so much easier.” The techie turned his attention to Maya. “The two losers who created Kids Chat are in the process of being brought in for questioning. In the meantime, we’ve taken control of their website. We’re now able to view all of the activity taking place there. Including all of Sherborne’s messages.”

“But how does that help us?” Her frustration manifested itself in her curt tone. “We’ve already seen the messages between Isla and him. Hell, I’ve read them so many times, I could recite them verbatim.”

“Sherborne wasn’t just messaging with your daughter. He was communicating with another member of the site. I was able to easily trace that individual’s IP address, and I’ll give you one guess who it led me to.” Casey sat back, arms crossed, giving her a moment to put the pieces together.

“Wait, are you saying that Nadim was also communicating with Sherborne through the Kids Chat platform?” she asked.

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