Page 15 of Dangerous Protocol

“Well, looks like you’re all clear,” Hawk said. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

There were footsteps, then the door swung inward. Hawk stepped out, and the door slammed shut behind him. He headed to the sidewalk and started down the street.

Jonathan waited until Hawk put some distance between himself and the house, then jogged up next to him. “Nothing?”

“She wasn’t there.” Hawk’s frustration was evidenced by the crease between his brows. “But Remy hit on something in almost every damn room. And I got a good look at his cell phone.”

“Shit.” Jonathan scrubbed his hand down his face. “Andi and Mason, meet us back at the helo. I’ve got to tell Jeffrey we didn’t find his daughter.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“You’re certain there’s noone else you can seek assistance from?” Maya decided to take her mind off what was happening with Sherborne by checking in with Nigel, her handler. It was that or go stir-crazy with worry. “Nigel, I know coming to the States was a risk. But at this point, I don’t care if my cover is blown! I’ll do whatever is necessary to find my daughter!”

Jeffrey chose that moment to return to his office. He moved up behind her chair and set his hand on her shoulder. The warmth from his touch calmed her nerves somewhat, and she blew out a long breath.

It wasn’t fair of her to take out her frustration on Nigel.

She’d known his usefulness in this type of situation would be extremely limited. As a logistics specialist, his area of responsibility and expertise was managing all of the minute details involved in maintaining Maya and Isla’s anonymity. Travel itineraries, housing, fake passports, driver’s licenses, medical records, personal histories, and the like. He also ensured Maya received her stipend eachmonth. Without it, she would’ve been forced to get a job, which meant leaving Isla alone or with strangers, as well as opening herself up to unwanted scrutiny.

“I’m terribly sorry, Nigel, I know you’re doing all you can.” Her handler was proof that heroes came in many forms. “If you hear anything, no matter how unimportant it may seem, please do let me know.”

She rubbed her forehead as he said, “Good luck, Maya, and I’m so sorry I can’t be of more assistance. Please, do keep your head on a swivel.”

“Thank you, Nigel, I always do.” She ended the call and tossed her phone onto the table.

Nigel had been with her from the beginning, and their sign-off was word-for-word the same one they’d been using since the day she went underground. Whether they did so because it was a rote response or because they were afraid not saying it might jinx them, she couldn’t be sure.

“Any word?” She looked up at Jeffrey.

He gave a slow shake of his head, his hand fell away, and he moved to sit behind his desk. He continued to create space between them, and, to show just how off-kilter her world had become, it hurt. A lot.

“Have you eaten anything today?” He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. “I can send someone out to pick up some food for you.”

“I couldn’t possibly eat anything right now.” She’d been on the verge of vomiting ever since she got back to hercottage and discovered her daughter was gone. “But thank you for asking.”

“You need to—” His phone rang. He snatched it off his desk and tapped the screen. “Burke.”

Maya hopped up from her chair and moved to stand in front of his desk. She crossed her arms tightly around herself.

“Hang on. I’m going to put you on speaker so Isla’s mother can hear.” He tapped the screen again and set his phone on the center of his desktop. “Jonathan O’Halleran, meet Maya Corbett.”

“Nice to meet you, Maya. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances.” Jonathan’s voice was very deep and rich with sympathy.

“Thank you.”

Thankfully, he jumped right into his update.

“Hawk, he’s one of our operators, went into the house with his K9 partner. Unfortunately, there was no indication your daughter had ever been there.” Jonathan told them about the operation and the use of a specialized K9 named Remy. “Beck has already communicated with the FBI office in Kennewick, and Hawk provided them with a sketch of where they would find the ESDs in Sherborne’s house.”

“Pardon my ignorance, but what’s an ESD?” Maya’s former life had been riddled with acronyms, yet she’d never heard that particular one.

“ESDs are electronic storage devices. Thumb drives, microSD cards, that kind of stuff. Remy has been specially trained to locate them,” Jonathan said. “The FBI has a great deal of interest in what they might contain and is already on their way to Sherborne’s place to pay him a little surprise visit. There’s a high likelihood they’ll find enough evidence in that house to shut down his site and put him away for a very long time.”

“How can you be certain Isla wasn’t there before and maybe he moved her somewhere else?” Maya had made the mistake of letting herself believe they would find her little girl and this nightmare would come to an end.

“Hawk has a special … well, let’s just call it a gift. If she’d been there, he would’ve known.” Jonathan spoke with a great deal of certainty. “Sammy did find something interesting when she pulled Sherborne’s phone records, though.”

“Interesting how?” Jeffrey sat forward and propped his elbows on the desk.

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