Page 37 of Dangerous Protocol

“What he said,” was Calliope’s not-so-formal response.

Jeffrey started to reach for the doorknob.

Andi grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“I’m taking point on this. I’m familiar with this building and can lead us to where they’re holding her.” She released his arm. “You know I’m right.”

Jeffrey hated that she would be so exposed, but of course she was right. He took a deep breath, reminded himself she was a professional, and released it.

“You take point.” He turned to Wolf and Mason. “You two cover our six.”

“You got it.” Mason clapped Jeffrey on the back. “Let’s go get your little girl.”

Andi wrapped her fingers around the doorknob, looked from one to the other, and they all nodded. She released a breath, then slowly turned the knob and carefully pulled the door open an inch at a time and stopped when there was enough space to peek through. Once she was certain it was safe to enter, she nodded, opened the door fully, and they all ducked through the low opening and hustled into a wide room.

This space was taller, at about ten feet with what appeared to be original tiles covering the floor. Some had cracked and popped up over time. To their right was a panel of switches, levers, and buttons on the wall coated by years’ worth of dust and grime. On the left were two large,gray, equally filthy boilers. The glass covering the pressure gauges had become cloudy, making it impossible to see the dials behind them. Spiders had been busy, and their webs draped from one thing to the next and dangled across every single corner of the ceiling.

“According to the blueprints, the door should be over here somewhere.” Andi headed past the boilers to the far end of the room. She stopped and propped her hands on her hips. “Shit.”

“What is it?” They all stepped over to her.

Jeffrey cursed.

He shined the beam of his flashlight over a stack of wooden crates that had been placed in front of the door. Crumpled paper and wood excelsior shavings littered the floor.

Jeffrey, Wolf, and Mason immediately began grabbing crates and moving them out of the way. Andi turned to face the door leading into the tunnel. Hand on the weapon at her hip, she made sure they didn’t have any unexpected company. Except for the wood shavings, most of the crates were empty, so the task was completed quickly.

Once Wolf verified there were no trip wires that would set off a security alarm, he picked the lock and stepped back so Andi could open the door.

“No flashlights. Switching to NVGs.” She lowered her night-vision goggles into place and waited until they did the same.

They all clicked off their flashlights, powered up their NVGs and positioned them in front of their eyes. Their bright green heat signatures glowed and were a powerful contrast to the dark green, almost black surroundings.

To indicate they were ready, Mason tapped Wolf’s shoulder, Wolf tapped Jeffrey’s, and he tapped Andi’s. She took another peek through the narrow opening, nodded once, and swung the door open all the way.

They moved into the basement hallway, and Viking quietly closed the door behind them. Andi pointed her hand twice in the direction of the stairwell at the end of the hall. In a crouch, feet silent, they scanned the ceiling for cameras as they made their way up the steps.

Andi held up a fist, and they all stopped. There was yet another door at the top of the stairs. She scanned it for wires and, again, slowly turned the knob and snuck a peek.

She tapped her earpiece and whispered, “Entering the main floor.”

“Roger,” Casey replied. “Sammy is still monitoring your bio-patches and all looks good.”

She turned to her teammates, nodded once, and opened the door. Single file, they immediately turned left and hurried over to the utility stairs that were used by maintenance people and the household staff. The royal family had no desire to see the inner workings of the embassy or the people responsible for making their lives easier.

Andi pushed the door open, and the gas hinge hissed as it closed. The four of them moved as a tight group quickly and efficiently up the stairs. Midway between the second and third floor, Andi raised her fist up, and they all stopped.

A door opened from one of the upper floors, and two people started down the steps.

Andi turned and signaleddownwith a chop of her hand in the air.

They all turned, rushed down the steps, and wedged themselves into the darkened space beneath the lowest set of stairs, packed together like sardines in a can. Jeffrey couldn’t even hear them breathing. They had all trained themselves not to panic, to control their breathing and heart rate, and to remain still as a stone.

The voices of two females echoed in the concrete stairwell, and Jeffrey recognized they were speaking Arabic. He spoke enough of it to understand they were talking about a young girl who was brought into the building earlier.

“Mami, I am worried about the little girl.” It sounded like a child, and she was definitely troubled. “I saw Adnan carry her inside several hours ago, and she has been sleeping the entire time. I do not think she has even moved an inch.”

Jeffrey’s body tensed at her words. Had they drugged Isla to the point of endangering her life?

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