Page 10 of Dangerous Protocol

“The paparazzi was a near constant presence in Zahir’s life, and they became suspicious when he suddenly stopped showing up at his regular nightclub spots or popping in to his favorite brothels.” She shook her head in disgust. “As fourth in line to ascend the throne, he had very few responsibilities and had gained quite the reputation for being a cat about town. So, to allay suspicions, ‘anonymous sources within the royal palace’ were compelled to feed the ravenous media a total bollocks story that the prince died from a very aggressive form of cancer.”

“You were burned and had to disappear.” That explains why, even with his vast resources, he couldn’t find any information about her.

“Correct. I received a call from my boss just before you and I had dinner together that last night. By the next morning, Maya Corbett no longer existed, and I became Mary Jenkins.”

Perhaps that was why she’d seemed hesitant to end their meal. Or was that wishful thinking on his part?

The world they lived and worked in was different than most. People in their business had taken an oath to defend their countries from all enemies, foreign and domestic. They put their lives on the line every day, and trust was a luxury they simply could not afford.

“King Khaled died five years ago.” The coronation of his oldest son, who was even more of a hardliner than his father, had created a shift in the already volatile dynamics within the international oil trade markets. “Do you still think you’re in danger?”

“According to my handler, the contract on my life is still very much in play.” She hesitated for a moment. “Forcing Isla and I to relocate once again.”

“When did you find out you were pregnant?” Jeffrey asked.

Life on the run was hard enough when you’re only worried about yourself. He couldn’t begin to imagine the challenges she’d faced managing it with a child.

“A month after I went underground.” She slid her arms off the table, and they fell to her lap. “I picked up the telephone to ring you more times than I can count, but I couldn’t risk exposing you, myself, or especially Isla. Surely you can understand that.”

“I’m a big boy, Maya. I can take care of myself. You should’ve trusted me.” Jeffrey would have liked to be there to see her grow round with his baby, to feel his unborn child move inside her, to witness the wonder of his daughter’s birth and the almost twelve years since.

“Trust you?” She scoffed. “Let’s be honest, Jeffrey. You never fully trustedme.” She held up a hand to stave off his protest. “You think I don’t know why we always ate dinners at restaurants and that all of our clandestine rendezvous took place in a hotel suite? You weren’t protecting my reputation; you simply did not want me to know where you lived or anything about you outside of our shared work interests. There was always an unspoken understanding, an invisible line, if you will, between us that neither one of us chose to cross.”

He wanted to protest, to disagree with her, but on some unconscious level, perhaps he hadn’t fully trusted her. At least, not enough to let her in.

“That may be true, but I had a right to know about her, Maya.” No matter what she might think of him or their time together, he was the child’s father. “What did you tell her about her father?”

“The truth, partially.” She gave him a quick glance before looking away. “I told her he was a strong, honorable, wonderful man who would have loved her deeply.”

“So she thinks her father is dead.”Just fuckin’ great.

How would Isla react to finding out that her father was very much alive?

“Yes.” She looked down at her hands. “There was really no other way to handle it.”

Jeffrey wasn’t sure he agreed with that but let it go. For now.

“Do you still have access to her messages? I want my tech guy to take a look at them.” Casey could work on tracking down the person who targeted Isla.

This job was personal, and for the sake of his daughter’s safety, he only wanted people closest to him—people he trusted—working on it. And the fewer people involved, the less likely this could turn into a full-blown international incident.

His daughter.Now that the initial shock had begun to wear off, the news of having a daughter didn’t freak him out quite so much. On the contrary, he became hyperfocused on finding her and destroying the people who dared to take her.

“Yes, I have access to her Kids Chat account.” Maya reached over to unzip her backpack, then dug out her laptop.

“Kids Chat? What would ever have possessed you to let her have access to that site?” It was crawling with the dregs of humanity.

“I did notlether have access. Isla is very smart and finagled her way past the parental safeguards I’d put in place. You have no idea the struggles involved with raising a brilliant and unbelievably curious preteen daughter.” Maya was indignant, and he couldn’t blame her. His tonehadbeen accusatory.

“You’re right. I apologize.” What he knew about raising a kid would fit in a thimble.

“If I am to blame for anything, it would be that I was too overprotective of her and shielded her from things like online predators.” She lifted the lid on her laptop, tapped a few keys, and rolled her chair closer to his. This close, the dark shadows beneath her eyes were much more noticeable.

“Have you gotten any sleep at all since she disappeared?” Why the hell did he ask that? Because despite everything that had happened between them, a part of him still cared about her.

“I look that good, do I?” She focused on what she was doing, and her fingers flew over the keyboard. “The answer to your question is, very little. Thoughts of Isla and what she’s going through are a powerful impediment to sleep.”

His gaze traveled over her profile. Yes, she was thinner—constantly living on a knife’s edge will dothat to a person—and she looked exhausted from worrying about her … their daughter. But make no mistake, Maya was still beautiful.

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