Page 11 of Dangerous Protocol

“All right, this is the site here.” She scrolled the cursor over an icon that looked like an envelope with a heart in the center and clicked on it. “And here is Isla’s message board.” She shifted her chair even closer so they could both look at the list of conversation streams on the laptop.

“Which one of these chats is with the person she met at the park?” he asked.

“This one, right here.” She scrolled the cursor over the name Samantha. “She’s been chatting with this person for almost two months.”

She clicked on the name, and a long set of messages streamed down the screen.

Jeffrey skimmed through them, and the more he read, the more his heart hurt for the little girl he’d never met. He couldfeelIsla’s loneliness and her desperate need for friendship.

“I’ve read these messages a million times and it absolutely tears at my heart every time.” Maya’s chin quivered, she bit her bottom lip, and a tear streamed down her cheek. “How could I have not known?”

She curled her hand over her mouth to hide her worry, but like a captive breaking free, a deep wrenching sob burst forth as if it had been trapped in her soul, and she finally succumbed to her emotions.

Jeffrey couldn’t help himself. He turned and wrapped his arms around her and just held her as she battled the storm of emotions she’d likely been holding back.

“My child is out there somewhere, scared, alone, and probably wondering where I am.”

“Ourchild, Maya.” He was staking his claim. “Isla isourchild.”

She lifted her tearstained face to him and nodded. “We have to find her, Jeffrey. Wehaveto.”

“I promise you, Maya, we will find her.” And he would kill the people who took his daughter.

“Have you secured the girl in the new location?” The man set his knife on the edge of his plate, stabbed a piece of beef with his fork, and shoved it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and chewed, enjoying the tenderness and depths of its rich flavor. For some reason, American beef just tasted better.

“Yes, sir.” His best friend stood at attention before him. “The doctor has some concerns regarding the administration of midazolam and advises against its continued use because of her small stature.”

The drug produced sleepiness or lethargy and was typically used to relieve anxiety before surgeries and other procedures. Using it on the girl made her easier to manage.

“Not to worry.” He lifted the linen napkin from his lap and dabbed the corners of his mouth. “She will not be with us much longer.” He flicked his wrist to shoo his friend away. “Now let me finish my meal in peace.”

“Yes, sir.” His friend turned and walked away, the leather soles of his shoes nearly silent on the shiny, white marble floor. He pulled the door open, stepped into the wide hallway, and the door whispered closed behind him.

The man cut another chunk of meat and stuffed it between his lips. Very soon, he would have the one thing that mattered most to him.

Vengeance.

CHAPTER SIX

Maya took a deep,shuddering breath and reluctantly extricated herself from Jeffrey’s embrace. “I do apologize.” She sniffled and accepted the tissue he offered. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“For God’s sake, Maya, you have every right to be upset. Someone has taken your … our daughter.” Jeffrey set the box of tissues in front of her. “So how about you give yourself a break and save the British stiff upper lip for another time, okay?”

“Yes, yes, you’re right.” She dabbed away the last of her tears and rolled her chair back to the other side of the table. If she remained too close to him, she would be strongly tempted to crawl into his lap and continue with her pitiful sob fest. “What is our next step?”

Now was not the time to fall apart. Maya would delay that untilafterher daughter was home safely. Only then would she cloister herself away in her bedroom closet for a good cry. In the meantime, she would revert to her MI6 training and experience to find herdaughter.

Ourdaughter. That was going to take some getting used to.

“Write down the access information to Isla’s account.” He stretched across to grab a notepad and pen from his desk and set them in front of her. “I’ll have my tech guy trace the IP address, and hopefully, we’ll figure out who she was really communicating with.”

“Her password was frightfully easy to decipher.”Kitten. She scribbled down the user ID and password, tore off the paper from the pad and handed it to him. “She’s been begging me to get her a kitten for months.”

As much as she would have loved to have given her daughter a kitten, their lives didn’t suit pet ownership.

“Wait here.” Jeffrey pushed back from the table, stood, and walked out of his office.

A door down the hall opened, then closed.

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