Page 14 of A Colby Christmas Rescue

It wasn’t necessary to say the rest out loud just in case they were being monitored. Even now, Victoria and her people would likely be running down known patients in need of the potentially lifesaving surgery only Dr. Case could provide. Even if they narrowed the list down to the precise patient and therefore the perpetrator of this plan, would there be time to find Luke wherever they had hidden him?

The risk was entirely too great to take.

The sound of clapping had them both spinning to face the threat. “Bravo.”

Poe reached for his weapon.

Jamie was too busy picking her jaw up off the floor. Even if she hadn’t seen his face, she would have recognized that hint of a British accent anywhere. “Abi?”

Abidan “Abi” Amar stood near the French doors that led to the living room. He clapped one last time before dropping his hands to his sides. “Jamie.” One eyebrow reared up. “Kendrick Poe, I presume,” he said to Poe. “A man whose claim to fame is that he purports to be a distant relative of Edgar Allan Poe. How very interesting.”

“Actually—” Poe put his weapon away “—my claim to fame is the well-known exit of no less than a dozen Americans from al-Qaeda in Yemen. Everything else I’ve done in my short career is just icing on that very large cake.”

Abi gave a nod. “I may have heard something about that.”

“What’re you doing here, Abi?” Jamie crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him suspiciously.

To say his appearance was a surprise would be a vast understatement. Abi was not a terrorist, though many might say his reputation suggested otherwise. Be that as it may, her knowledge of him provided some room for error in that assessment.

Abi was a contractor who worked doing whatever he was paid to do—within some vague lines that only he could see. In other words, he wasn’t a real bad guy. Just one who did things that were not always legal for money.

He colored outside the lines and he loved every minute of it.

“It is my job to oversee your work,” he announced. He surveyed Poe up and down. “Although, I must say my job may have been easier without this complication.”

Poe’s face darkened. “Excuse me?”

Jamie held up a hand for Poe as she walked toward Abi. “So, you’re my backup in this?”

“That is correct.”

“Wait a minute, Jamie,” Poe argued.

Again, she gave Poe her hand. “First, Abi—” she looked directly at him “—I would not trust you to have my back under any circumstances. Ever. Second, if this...whoever-he-is...that took my brother has you, what does he need with me? I can’t fathom why he wouldcomplicatethis situation with additional players. More room for leaks and other issues.”

The last was the real question. Abi’s skills were equal to Jamie’s, maybe greater since he was older and had more experience. He had been offered a position at IOA without even putting his name in the hat or competing in any way, but he’d turned it down. He much preferred being his own boss. He didn’t play well with others.

If the person who took Luke—who wanted or needed Dr. Case—had Abi on the payroll, they really didn’t need anyone else for a straightforward op like this. In fact, the scenario made no sense at all.

“You see,” Abi said, “trust is a very important part of this very delicate situation. I think my reputation for being available to the highest bidder preceded me and the trust level wasn’t where it needed to be.”

“Good point,” Jamie agreed. Abi was just as likely to abduct the doctor and sell his services to someone else as to go with the guy who hired him.

Abi went on, “This is also the reason, I suspect, that they took your brother. A little insurance to keep you focused.”

Abi was very handsome by any standards. Tall, muscular, black hair and eyes. Jamie stood no more than three feet from Abi and already the physical draw wanted to overpower her. No way. She had been down that road once. Besides, she could only have one focus right now: rescuing her brother.

The very last thing she intended to do was get involved in any way with this man. He was dangerous on far too many levels.

“What do you know that we don’t?” she demanded.

“Really? I’m not sure we have the time to cover everything.”

Poe shook his head. “This guy is a real comedian.”

Obviously, Poe had picked up on the sparks flying between him and Jamie. She’d have to work harder to smother that connection.

“I know that we only have one shot to achieve our goal because our target is leaving for a holiday on Monday.” He shook his head. “Can you imagine? He is the only surgeon who has the ability to do this surgery and he dares to take a vacation.” He laughed. “Doesn’t say a whole lot for his level of compassion.”

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