Page 107 of Elusive Promise

"What plane was that?" Damon asked curiously.

"I was supposed to report to Langley on my activities here in the city, but I was a little busy."

"You'll sort it out," Parisa said confidently. "You captured a terrorist and helped save innocent lives. The city is safer because of you."

"I think we all had something to do with that," he replied. "I was only able to find Isaac because you shot him, and he left a blood trail."

"But you were smart enough to follow the food wrappers to the restaurant," she pointed out. "Which got you to the blood trail."

"That's true."

"Hey, what about me?" Damon said dryly.

Parisa sent a warm, thankful smile in Damon's direction. "I can't thank you enough for all your support."

"You were our lifeline," Jared added. "I just hope Parisa will be safe now. We still don't know who ordered the attacks on her, or how her location at the safe house, and again at the men's shelter, was compromised."

"There's going to be a thorough internal investigation," Damon said. "And I know where to start. At any rate, let's go downstairs."

"We're right behind you." Parisa slid her hand into his as Damon headed for the door. "Right?"

"Wherever you're going, I'm going," he said lightly.

An odd gleam entered her eyes. "I wish that were true."

He wished it was, too, but he couldn't guarantee anything past the next five minutes.

Twenty-Five

Three hours later, after multiple discussions with the FBI, Homeland Security, and the NYPD, Parisa followed Jared into his apartment, and said with relief, "We're home."

"It's starting to feel like home. I just don't know how safe it is for you," he said.

She flopped down on the couch. "We were never attacked here. And I think the reason for shutting me up no longer exists."

"Only if that was the reason."

"Good point."

Jared grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and brought her one, sitting next to her.

She took a long swig of water, loving the cool slide of liquid against her parched throat.

"How are you feeling about everything?" he asked, downing his bottle of water in three big gulps.

"I'm relieved but also sad and angry."

"Sounds about right." He put his hand on her leg and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm happy that Jasmine is all right and that the Kumars are the wonderful people I always thought they were, including Anika. She was not having an affair with Westley. They were just plotting out the ransom drop when we saw them. I don't know if I told you that. But the Langdons…" She let out a sigh. "They're another matter."

"Neil said it started as a study group, huh?"

"Yes, but as the students got older, as more people came into the group with radical ideas, like Isaac, everything changed. The extremists took over. They became terrorists. I can understand how that happened. But the fact that Neil knew what was occurring, and he did nothing to stop it, is another matter. There had to have been moments early on, where if he had made a different choice, he could have prevented what was about to come."

"He was scared. They threatened his family."

"Still… There's a point where you have to step up, where you have to do what's right. Even a few days ago, he had a chance to get Ben to cooperate with the bureau, and he didn't take it. In fact, he did everything he could to block Ben from talking. He knew about the café in Queens. He even went there looking for Isaac. That silence could have cost Jasmine her life."

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